What do you think?
Rate this book
DC Finest: Harley Quinn: Birth of the Mirth
624 pages, Paperback
Published February 18, 2025
8 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
About the author
Paul Dini
726 books719 followersPaul Dini is an American television producer of animated cartoons. He is best known as a producer and writer for several Warner Bros./DC Comics series, including Star Wars: Ewoks, Tiny Toon Adventures, Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, The New Batman/Superman Adventures, Batman Beyond and Duck Dodgers. He also developed and scripted Krypto the Superdog and contributed scripts to Animaniacs (he created Minerva Mink), Freakazoid, Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. After leaving Warner Bros. In early 2004, Dini went on to write and story edit the popular ABC adventure series Lost.
Paul Dini was born in New York City. He attended the Stevenson School in Pebble Beach, California on an art scholarship. He attended Emerson College in Boston, where he earned a BFA degree in creative writing. (He also took zoology classes at Harvard University.)
During college, he began doing freelance animation scripts for Filmation, and a number of other studios. In 1984, he was hired to work for George Lucas on several of his animation projects.
The episodes of the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon that were written by Dini have become favorites amongst the show's fans over the internet, although despite this as well as contributing to interviews on the released box sets of the series, Dini has made no secret of his distaste for Filmation and the He-Man concept. He also wrote an episode of the Generation One Transformers cartoon series and contributed to various episodes of the Ewoks animated series, several of which included rare appearances from the Empire.
In 1989, he was hired at Warner Bros. Animation to work on Tiny Toon Adventures. Later, he moved onto Batman: The Animated Series, where he worked as a writer, producer and editor, later working on Batman Beyond. He continued working with WB animation, working on a number of internal projects, including Krypto the Superdog and Duck Dodgers, until 2004.
He has earned five Emmy awards for his animation work. In a related effort, Dini was also the co-author (with Chip Kidd) of Batman Animated, a 1998 non-fiction coffee table book about the animated Batman franchise.
Dini has also written several comics stories for DC Comics, including an acclaimed oversized graphic novel series illustrated by painter Alex Ross. (A hardcover collection of the Dini and Ross stories was published in late summer 2005 under the title The World's Greatest Superheroes.) Other books written by Dini for DC have featured his Batman Animated creation Harley Quinn as well as classic characters Superman, Batman, Captain Marvel and Zatanna.
Best known among Dini's original creations is Jingle Belle, the rebellious teen-age daughter of Santa Claus. Dini also created Sheriff Ida Red, the super-powered cowgirl star of a series of books set in Dini's mythical town of Mutant, Texas. Perhaps his greatest character contribution is the introduction of Harley Quinn (along with designs by Bruce Timm) on Batman: The Animated Series.
In 2001 Dini made a cameo appearance in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back during the scene in which Jay and Silent Bob wear ridiculous looking costumes for a film being directed by Chris Rock, in which Dini says to them "you guys look pretty bad ass".
In 2006, Dini became the writer for DC Comics' Detective Comics. That same year, he announced that he was writing a hardcover graphic novel starring Zatanna and Black Canary. In 2007, he was announced as the head writer of that company's weekly series, Countdown. Paul Dini is currently co-writing the script for the upcoming Gatchaman movie. Dini is also currently writing a series for Top Cow Productions, based in a character he created, Madame Mirage.
Paul Dini is an active cryptozoologist, hunter and wildlife photographer. On a 1985 trip to Tasmania, he had a possible sighting of a Thylacine. He has also encountered a number of venomous snakes, a Komodo Dragon and a charging Sumatran Rhi
Paul Dini was born in New York City. He attended the Stevenson School in Pebble Beach, California on an art scholarship. He attended Emerson College in Boston, where he earned a BFA degree in creative writing. (He also took zoology classes at Harvard University.)
During college, he began doing freelance animation scripts for Filmation, and a number of other studios. In 1984, he was hired to work for George Lucas on several of his animation projects.
The episodes of the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon that were written by Dini have become favorites amongst the show's fans over the internet, although despite this as well as contributing to interviews on the released box sets of the series, Dini has made no secret of his distaste for Filmation and the He-Man concept. He also wrote an episode of the Generation One Transformers cartoon series and contributed to various episodes of the Ewoks animated series, several of which included rare appearances from the Empire.
In 1989, he was hired at Warner Bros. Animation to work on Tiny Toon Adventures. Later, he moved onto Batman: The Animated Series, where he worked as a writer, producer and editor, later working on Batman Beyond. He continued working with WB animation, working on a number of internal projects, including Krypto the Superdog and Duck Dodgers, until 2004.
He has earned five Emmy awards for his animation work. In a related effort, Dini was also the co-author (with Chip Kidd) of Batman Animated, a 1998 non-fiction coffee table book about the animated Batman franchise.
Dini has also written several comics stories for DC Comics, including an acclaimed oversized graphic novel series illustrated by painter Alex Ross. (A hardcover collection of the Dini and Ross stories was published in late summer 2005 under the title The World's Greatest Superheroes.) Other books written by Dini for DC have featured his Batman Animated creation Harley Quinn as well as classic characters Superman, Batman, Captain Marvel and Zatanna.
Best known among Dini's original creations is Jingle Belle, the rebellious teen-age daughter of Santa Claus. Dini also created Sheriff Ida Red, the super-powered cowgirl star of a series of books set in Dini's mythical town of Mutant, Texas. Perhaps his greatest character contribution is the introduction of Harley Quinn (along with designs by Bruce Timm) on Batman: The Animated Series.
In 2001 Dini made a cameo appearance in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back during the scene in which Jay and Silent Bob wear ridiculous looking costumes for a film being directed by Chris Rock, in which Dini says to them "you guys look pretty bad ass".
In 2006, Dini became the writer for DC Comics' Detective Comics. That same year, he announced that he was writing a hardcover graphic novel starring Zatanna and Black Canary. In 2007, he was announced as the head writer of that company's weekly series, Countdown. Paul Dini is currently co-writing the script for the upcoming Gatchaman movie. Dini is also currently writing a series for Top Cow Productions, based in a character he created, Madame Mirage.
Paul Dini is an active cryptozoologist, hunter and wildlife photographer. On a 1985 trip to Tasmania, he had a possible sighting of a Thylacine. He has also encountered a number of venomous snakes, a Komodo Dragon and a charging Sumatran Rhi
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 19, 2025
repetitive and very mixed writing. Some of it's very good and others are just not.
December 29, 2025
What a coincidence that, throughout my reading of DC Finest: Harley Quinn – Birth of the Mirth, I kept describing it as a rollercoaster of joy and fun—Only later did I realize that there is actually an issue titled “A Rollercoaster of Love.” That, in itself, felt like the perfect coincidence.
A long journey filled with acrobatics, boxing matches, and the heroine’s deep emotional and psychological wounds.
It seems a fitting way to close a strange reading year with the story of one of the most bizarre characters in the comic universe.
✍️بقلم: مروة ♦️🌷
A long journey filled with acrobatics, boxing matches, and the heroine’s deep emotional and psychological wounds.
It seems a fitting way to close a strange reading year with the story of one of the most bizarre characters in the comic universe.
✍️بقلم: مروة ♦️🌷
February 2, 2026
This collects some of Harley Quinn's earliest appearances in comics, after she debuted on Batman the Animated Series. Naturally, her first print appearance was in Batman Adventures (the animated series tie-in), but we soon see her jump into mainline comics continuity with the Batman: Harley Quinn graphic novel.
These comics are from 1993 - 2001 and across a range of titles, so there's a good mix of styles and tones. Gathered together, they make for an interesting collection.
A series of interconnected stories across various Bat-titles in 1999/2000 are part of the "No Man's Land" story arc. Gotham City was absolutely devastated by a massive earthquake and then cut off by the US government (for some reason?) anyway, the stories have a nicely post-apocalyptic, grimy and dangerous feel to them. We see Harley in her original role as the Joker's sidekick and explicitly a villain.
After the darker "No Man's Land" stories, we switch things up with a bouncy and fun excursion to Metropolis, in which the Joker and Harley tangle with Lex Luthor and Superman in Action Comics No. 765.
Then there are a few issues of Catwoman issues (No. 82 - 84) in which Harley shows up to spring Selina from some kind of facility. Being plunked into the middle of a different ongoing title is a little confusing, but it keeps the collection from feeling stale. The Catwoman storyline ends up tying back to some of the events from the "No Man's Land" stories, so it works.
Towards the end of the volume we also get the first 8 issues of Harley Quinn's first solo monthly title, which started December 2000. Harley's first solo series was fun and pretty light-hearted, leaning into her cartoon origins at times.
Overall, I enjoyed this collection. It is definitely uneven in terms of tone and style, but in an odd way, that suits the character.
These comics are from 1993 - 2001 and across a range of titles, so there's a good mix of styles and tones. Gathered together, they make for an interesting collection.
A series of interconnected stories across various Bat-titles in 1999/2000 are part of the "No Man's Land" story arc. Gotham City was absolutely devastated by a massive earthquake and then cut off by the US government (for some reason?) anyway, the stories have a nicely post-apocalyptic, grimy and dangerous feel to them. We see Harley in her original role as the Joker's sidekick and explicitly a villain.
After the darker "No Man's Land" stories, we switch things up with a bouncy and fun excursion to Metropolis, in which the Joker and Harley tangle with Lex Luthor and Superman in Action Comics No. 765.
Then there are a few issues of Catwoman issues (No. 82 - 84) in which Harley shows up to spring Selina from some kind of facility. Being plunked into the middle of a different ongoing title is a little confusing, but it keeps the collection from feeling stale. The Catwoman storyline ends up tying back to some of the events from the "No Man's Land" stories, so it works.
Towards the end of the volume we also get the first 8 issues of Harley Quinn's first solo monthly title, which started December 2000. Harley's first solo series was fun and pretty light-hearted, leaning into her cartoon origins at times.
Overall, I enjoyed this collection. It is definitely uneven in terms of tone and style, but in an odd way, that suits the character.
April 8, 2025
Het karakter (character) is fantastisch maar de kwaliteit van tekenwerk en verhalen wisselt. Van de oorspronkelijk vooral clowneske Harley van Bruce Timm en Paul Dini blijft weinig over. De Dobsons zijn geweldige kunstenaars maar eerlijk gezegd word ik wat moe van al die loeistrakke poppen met kogelronde stalen borsten
October 3, 2025
Batman works as he has a whole rogue’s gallery to contend with and it doesn’t get stale, this does, plus some of the writing is very subpar, Greg rucka’s killing Sarah Essen is an example in chief.
Even when Quinn gets her own monthly, it just isn’t particularly interesting or good.
Even when Quinn gets her own monthly, it just isn’t particularly interesting or good.
December 18, 2025
This contains Harley’s first appearances in comics and it’s very hit and miss mostly because I’m not a big fan of the character and she doesn’t work as a lead but the art is great. Covers 1993-2001.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews