Harley Quinn: A Celebration of 25 Years

DC Anniversary Celebrations

by Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, Paul Dini

From her animated adventures to her bloody stint in the Suicide Squad, HARLEY QUINN: A CELEBRATION OF 25 YEARS captures the greatest comic book moments of the Joker’s main moll, brought to life by industry legends Paul Dini, Bruce Timm, Jim Lee, Jeph Loeb, Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, Karl Kesel, Terry Dodson and more!

 The true embodiment of the phrase “madly in love,” Harley Quinn may be stark, raving, cuckoo-pants crazy, but she is a woman who stands by her man. Filled with an inexplicable devotion to Batman’s nemesis, the Joker, she’s the Clown Prince of Crime’s most loyal companion.

 But while her monstrous “Mistah J” may have led her to a life of crime, he also brought her comic book superstardom! It’s been 25 years since she made her debut, but Harley Quinn’s popularity continues to grow, spreading from animation to comic books to video games to live-action feature films, with no sign of slowing down.

 Collects BATMAN ADVENTURES ANNUAL #1; BATMAN ADVENTURES HOLIDAY SPECIAL #1; BATGIRL ADVENTURES #1; BATMAN ADVENTURES #3; BATMAN ADVENTURES #16; BATMAN/HARLEY QUINN #1; HARLEY QUINN #1, #25; HARLEY AND IVY: LOVE ON THE LAM; BATMAN #613; JOKER’S ASYLUM II: HARLEY QUINN #1; SUICIDE SQUAD (vol. 3) #6-7; HARLEY QUINN (vol. 2) #2; HARLEY’S LITTLE BACK BOOK #1; and SUICIDE SQUAD (vol. 4) #4.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Superheroes, Batman

409 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 19, 2017

About the author

Amanda Conner started out in comics working small projects for Marvel and Archie while working as an illustrator for New York ad agencies Kornhauser and Calene and Kidvertisers. working a number of launches and campaigns such as Arm & Hammer, PlaySchool and Nickelodeon.

However, loving comic books and cartooning the most, Amanda found herself working for Marvel on their Barbie line (much of Amanda’s covers inspired designs for the line of Barbie toys), Disney line which included the Gargoyles books. At the same time she was illustrating “Soul Searchers & Co.” for Claypool Comics and worked on other Marvel projects, such as Excalibur for the X-Men line and “Suburban Jersey Ninja She-Devils”.

During an assignment for Crusade (‘Tomoe’) she and Jimmy Palmiotti became a real team as penciller/inker.

Amanda then moved on to do what is probably one of her best known works. She did several years as penciller on the hit series “Vampirella” for Harris Comics and drafted 24 issues. While illustrating “Vampirella”, Amanda worked with the top writers in the field, Grant Morrison, Mark Millar and Warren Ellis.

Continuing to expand her horizons, Amanda illustrated the best-selling crossover “Painkiller Jane vs. the Darkness”, and went on to work on “Painkiller Jane” #0 (the origin book). She also wrote and illustrated a story for “Kid Death and Fluffy”.

Since then, Amanda has worked on many of the top titles in comics such as “Lois Lane”, “Codename: Knockout”, and “Birds of Prey” for D.C. Comics Vertigo line, “X-Men Unlimited” for Marvel, co-created “Gatecrasher” for Blackbull Comics, and “The Pro”, an Eisner nominated creator owned book for Image Comics with Jimmy Palmiotti and Garth Ennis. Recently she worked on the highly publicized Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre series with Eisner winning creator Darwyn Cooke.

Amanda’s work can also be seen outside the comic book community in such places as ABC’S Nightline, the New York Times, Mad Magazine, the new sci-fi Stan lee “So You Want to be a Superhero” series and the upcoming Disney Underdog movie character designs for film and television, character designs for the Los Angeles Avengers stadium football team and is featured in a Biography magazine commercial on A&E. Amanda does spot illustrations in “Revolver” magazine each month and has had a huge success with the JSA Powergirl miniseries in previous years, each issue going into 3rd printings.

She continuously produces cover work for Marvel Comics, DC Comics and an assortment of independent titles.

With PaperFilms co-founder Jimmy Palmiotti, they are currently working on the highly received Harley Quinn series and other Harley Quinn related titles for DC Comics, in addition to several upcoming DC related projects. Garnering national attention and sales results, the team continues to receive accolades for their work on these titles. The new relaunch of Harley Quinn for DC in the Rebirth line garnered an estimated 250,000 copies ordered.

Reviews

[Ria · Rating 5 out of 5]

''Someday i really oughta go back and pick up on the therapy gig.''



My fave psychotic clown. What a legend. A fashion icon. Fuck Joker.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harley Quinn is the quirky, offbeat female counterpart to Batman's arch-nemesis, the Joker. She was originally the Joker's psychiatrist at the asylum but fell for him, beginning a strange odd romance. For those of us first introduced to this character taking our kids to see the Suicide Squad movie, it is a revelation that she had been part of the DC universe for two and a half decades. This hardcover book is brilliantly presented, collecting together issues of comics where Harley Quinn appeared over the years, showing us the changes in her character, look, and wardrobe, often depending on the artist and the themes pursued. From cartoonish appearance to gritty graphic and stark, there's a wide variety here artistically. DC doesn't fill this book with lots of explanations, history, or asides. Instead, they let their work - their artistry- speak for itself. It would make a great gift for someone who reads/collects DC comics. I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

[libreroaming · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received a free copy from Goodreads giveaways for an honest review.

For lots of kids "Batman: the Animated Series" was their first real introduction to the DC universe. And the red and blacked diamond acrobat, Harley Quinn, fit as naturally into the story as anything else revolving around the adventures of a crime fighting superhero who dressed up as a bat. Most people didn't know she was created solely for the cartoon, or what a unique thing it was to have her jump from animation stills to comic panels in the regular DC Universe because she really was that popular.

Twenty five years later all those kids get to feel that much older, but also get a consolation prize in the shape of a hardcover edition detailing the character's many incarnations: "Harley Quinn: a Celebration of 25 Years." Now her popularity is second only to Wonder Woman's, with her appearance in a blockbuster movie, rebooted cartoons, video games, and merchandise. She's far and away DC's biggest modern character so it makes sense to capitalize on it with a newly released hardcover of her greatest (giant mallet) hits.

The good news is if you give this to a curious Harley Quinn fan who is just getting into the character, this collection doesn't ostracize newcomers the way others do with their convoluted histories and issues that spend half their time referring to universe wide events. (Flash, I am basically calling out the Flash books for this). The book separates the three major incarnations into their own phases: BtAS era Harley, Harley Quinn who crossed over into the greater DC Universe circa-No Man's Land, and nu52 Harley (with the most recent and slightly different permutation based off Margot Robbie's "Suicide Squad" Harley shoved in the last one).

If you were hoping to get an intricate history of the character like you might find in one of the major DC legacy hero retrospectives, the extras are sparse and just enough to lead readers into the comics themselves. They don't pull long interviews from creators or people connected to the character, it's a showcase for the comic collection and any added information, like pointing out she appeared in TV's "Birds of Prey" and the "Suicide Squad" movie, is short trivia. The great news is the selection of the comics used to showcase her as a character is stronger than other anthologies, so as long as you're here for the stories you'll be okay missing out on behind-the-scenes stuff.

The first section, "1992-Present: An Animated Character," is by far the strongest in terms of self-contained stories with perfect art and a clear emphasis on Harley as a character. "Batman: the Animated Series" comics had a rich source material to draw from. In fact, one of the issues, "The Harley and the Ivy," was reproduced on an episode called "Holiday Knights." The other Christmas issue (yes, there are two, and both are notable for pointing out that Harley is Jewish she just really likes Christmas stuff too) has the famous panel that first breached the whole Harley and Ivy thing...


Barbara Gordon knows what's up

Speaking of, this anthology is great for fans of Harley and Ivy, as she is the character who shares the spotlight with her the most. Despite being the Joker's girlfriend/ex-girlfriend/target practice of the moment, he is most often used as a catalyst to send her into a whirling dervish of chaos that Batman and friends must either stop or somehow convince her twisted logic to assist them. For example, "The Most Important Day of the Year" has Harley off on a Valentine's Day crime spree to find Joker in time for a "romantic" dinner, which is only stopped once Batman informs Harley he's put the Joker back in Arkham and she goes back quietly to join him. This works for me because this allows most of the stories to center on her, which is the main point and where you get the most interesting dynamics.

The second part, "Harley Gets Real: 1999-2010," is a little more uneven both in writing and art but I would consider it a range from excellent to mostly okay. Co-creator Paul Dini introduces her to the greater DC universe in a one shot that is very self-contained as it regards her origin, her twisted relationship with the Joker, her first meeting with Ivy, all wrapped up in a neat little bow that gives a big nod to the source material they were adapting her from. Short of shoving the mini-series "Mad Love" into the pages, you get a clear idea of her motives, immediately establishing her relationships, and with no pesky cliffhangers or confusion to the greater DC world. The two issues from Harley's self-titled series put her front and center and the art by Amanda Conner is expressive and more realistic than the cartoon styled art in the previous part.

The two less than amazing stories in this section are Winick's "Harley and Ivy: Love on the Lam" and Loeb's "At the Opera." "Love on the Lam" isn't as strong because the collection started with two superior Harley and Ivy capers before it, but would still be worth reading as an entertaining caper and for this panel:



"Hush Part Six: At the Opera" is the one that feels most like an issue plucked out of a convoluted story arc that weak character anthologies suffer from. Here, Harley is more an obstacle for Batman to overcome than a character in her own right. Considering its title, you can tell this comic issue was more preoccupied with other matters and it ends on a cliffhanger that no other part of the anthology mentions because it has nothing to do with Harley Quinn. But at least Jim Lee's artwork is gorgeous to look at.

The nu52 section, "Harley Reborn: 2011-Present," is the least successful of the three parts. I'll fully admit part of my lacklust response is that it's just Not My Thing to have a charming comedic villain casually torture-murdering people on panel because now they can do that and be Edgy and Cool(TM), but if it means I don't have to see another story where Harley is straddling Deadshot while putting the skinned face of the Joker over his mask to try and work out her abandonment issues, I'll somehow manage to survive. I don't mind dark stories, however the tonal shift compared to the other issues seemed too out of place, too juvenile tryhard, and actually lessened her tragedy because Harley's insane perkiness and optimism as she follows after a complete monster is much more effective in the kids' comics than what they were trying to pull in the "Suicide Squad" issues.



But Conner's "Harley's Little Black Book #1" has Harley trying to team up with Wonder Woman so it redeems itself handily from the introductory two issues of "Suicide Squad." Here, this Harley is still a little more grungy and PG-13, but closer to the chaotic character who can walk the tightrope of grinning villainy without being too offputting or cruel. Her unabashed fangirling of Diana is almost Deadpool-esque (not strange, considering he had the same kind of meteoric rise from obscurity to being Everywhere in Marvel's stable). The last story, "Full Mental Jacket," is from the Rebirth era of DC and showcases a Margot Robbie-esque Harley Quinn dealing with the inner conflict of her madness that ends the collection on a more somber note. It's short and leaves the future trajectory of the Harley Quinn character up in the air.

So, I would say a 4.5 out of 5 because it's well curated and truly focuses on the character. If you already have all the Harley Quinn appearances, this collection won't offer you anything new except for a pretty hardcover to store it in. But for the casual fan who only knew one version of her, or the one just seeking to explore the character's history, or someone seeking out good female led graphic novels, or the complete neophyte who asks "who is this?" person this is a well selected and well made collection to start.

[Cloak88 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just love this character.

Harley Quinn celebrates her 25 year anniversary with this anthology of her best comics..... And I absolutely loved it!
The book takes you through the ages, starting from her early inception, through her joining the greater DC universe all they way to her reboot and debut in her Solo Comic Series. The stories collected herein were well chosen and display a variety of elements and art-styles.

If you are a Fan, than this is a definite Must-Read!

[Artemis Crescent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such fun!

They definitely included the better stories about - and featuring - Harley Quinn in this fine collection; in, appropriately enough, chronological order (up until 2017). Some of them I'd already read before, but others I am glad to have come across. I am happy to see a lot of Harley Quinn stories where she is partnered with Poison Ivy, who is her true soulmate, and later on where she is free and independent of the Joker.

Highlights include Harley teaming up with Batgirl to save Poison Ivy; Harley outmanoeuvring the Joker and Batman in a battle of wits; not one but two Martha Stewart references in the whole thing; Harley and Ivy teaming up to sabotage a Joker-esque theme park and roller coaster without the Joker interfering; Harley teaming up with Wonder Woman in London in the most bizarre of circumstances (where they switch costumes, don't ask); and the final issue, which has the Suicide Squad Harley telling the Joker in a possible hallucination that she is through with him and that she is not evil anymore. It all comes full circle, and she is as important to people as ever. The journey has been difficult, but it is a feminist triumph.

'Harley Quinn: A Celebration of 25 Years' - it truly celebrates and respects this amazing and complex DC female character. I just love Harley Quinn! Fun and, on the flip side, serious. But mostly fun, if a bit too gory and edgelord-y in the later, modern issues.

A strong recommendation for old and new Harley Quinn fans alike.

Final Score: 4/5

[Beth The Vampire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harley Quinn is the greatest. Period.

To celebrate her 25th anniversary, this collection was released to show how Harley started to the megaforce she has become now. I have to say, I preferred earlier Harley, say in the late 1990s and early 2000's, than I do the New 52.

She sure does love her Puddin, even though he tries to kill her, wants to marry her for her money...and then kill her, and uses her as bait for Batman. She forgives and forgets so easily and is a little bit naive, but that adds to her charm. Harley's friendship with Ivy is also a defining feature in her development as well, which I thought was more of a newer addition but it seems to have been an ongoing thing.

You can't help think about where Harley is going to go next. She has had so many iterations, some better than others, but it is clear that she is a staple in the Batman universe as well as DC in general. And she's my idol <3

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cross section of material, but a bit heavy on the modern, still in print runs that are still available in stores. Retrospectives like these are usually better served by including material you can't easily get elsewhere.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

Covers the character in a well curated retrospective. I grew tired of the Joker- infatuation character trait and like the independence that is found in more current works.

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe I won this book! Wasn't even aware of Harley Quinn until not too long ago, maybe 5 years ago. The Joker I recall from my comic book filled summers in the early 1960's, had no idea he had a girl friend!
Ok. Fans of Harley Quinn are going to enjoy this book! She's really interesting and different from the comic book characters I read as a kid.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harley Quinn: A Celebration of 25 Years is a compilation of some of the most notable Harley Quinn stories over the years to commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary debut of one of the most popular villains in Batman Rogue's Gallery (2017). Over the years, there were many incarnations and depictions of this insane harlequin and this collection explores them all rather well.

This anthology is divided into three sections. The first section depicts the Harley Quinn from the Batman: The Animated Series comics, which made sense, because she was created by Bruce Timm there, the second section is devoted to the Modern Age of Comics and the final section depicts the Rebooted Era stories.

It is very interesting to see how Harley Quinn evolves from her humble beginnings as The Joker sidekick who was in love with him to an independent antihero and Suicide Squad member who became the fourth most popular character in DC Comics! It was really interesting to see how Harley Quinn was with his first appearance in Batman: The Animated Series and what she has become today.

As a whole, Harley Quinn: A Celebration of 25 Years is a rather balanced book, showing each section rather evenly and not placing any favoritism in any of the eras. It gives us a nice perception of the era in which these stories were produced – a reflection of the times.

With anthologies like these, story selection would be the most difficult task – Harley Quinn has been around for a long time and there are many stories with many having different favorites – in short it is impossible to please everyone. However, I think the editors picked a somewhat nice selection that shows the characteristic that is Harley Quinn. So on the whole, I was really happy of which stories were presented.

All in all, I think Harley Quinn: A Celebration of 25 Years is a wonderful selection of stories over a quarter of a century that this twisted villain or antihero has been around. It is a good reference anthology for both the avid and subdued fan alike.

[Doc · Rating 4 out of 5]

The queen of clowns celebrates 25 years in a series of comics.+

Harley Quinn has changed so much over the years and although I was extremely happy with this collection for the most part I am sure anyone who reads it will discover they like certain artists or certain story tellers better then others. This realization and the fact certain comics come from only part of a bigger story spanning multiple books (of which I did not read) make some of the reading experience less enjoyable even if the parts I did enjoy more then made up for them afterward.

Personally I would have loved to see the comic where Harley imagines herself as if she was drawn by various artists in comic books and would have liked to see it show up in the actual book but I am not the editor and I am not sure if they would have to pay all those artists again to reprint the volume in a book like this so people will have to see it out themselves if they want to see it. Now get ready for something smart, a bit crazy, and a whole lot of fun as we see Harley reinvented over the years (personally I am looking forward to seeing how Stjepan Šejić handles her in the new Harleen book being released on the 11th of February.)

[Paige Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like a book about Ivy. Silly stupid classic of Ivy & H somehow magically controlling Bats w/ a chem kiss to buy them Xmas presents. Her and Batgirl have to work together during Xmas to save Ivy. Her and Ivy in prison and random Joker and H covers. Ivy trying to talk H outta marrying J. I guess there’s a part two of their splintered friendship?

A couple longer originy stories I’ve seen in multiple other Harley collections. The Love on the Lam issue by Judd had some really interesting artwork, so colored in, kinda subtler splotchy texture reminds me of using those good greasy flat crayons from kiddy art boxes. A few New 52s where Harley is in or against the Suicide Squad in her blue and red corset and tall socks. I’ve seen clipped versions of some of these. Talking about Joker’s skinned face. Still don’t know why she has that taxidermy Beaver.

[John Doe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Добрался наконец-таки до сборника к 25-летию Харли Квинн, купленном годы назад. Интересно, что, постоянно откладывая прочтение, не удалось избежать лишних трат, порой необязательных, т.к. книга содержит многое, что было приобретено гораздо позднее. Такая вот шутка юмора.
Добрался наконец-таки до сборника к 25-летию Харли Квинн, купленном годы назад. Интересно, что, постоянно откладывая прочтение, не удалось избежать лишних трат, порой необязательных, т.к. книга содержит многое, что было приобретено гораздо позднее. Такая вот шутка юмора
Так же внутри есть один из номеров рождественского спецвыпуска и, что больше всего удивило, номер из серии "Психушка Джокера", который на данный момент ещё не издан на русском языке.

[Drucilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was nice to see the evolution of Harley Quinn throughout the last quarter century, but I was a little disappointed in this collection. Some of the issues included here make sense, but most seem random. I was also disappointed in the section introductions/essays. They're ok, but it would have been nice if they had talked about the fan response to Harley. That's why she became such a huge character in the first place. A "Celebration" should have at least mentioned the unique circumstances around Harley's longevity.

[Anthony Langley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as I thought/hoped it would be. I understand the character has changed quite a lot since her debut in BTAS and the book was a celebration of everything since her debut but I was hoping for more fun stories like the cartoon than what was included. Too much was dedicated to the crappy relationship with Joker. I don’t regret picking it up but will probably not read it again in the future.

[ramsey ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had read most of these comics before but it was so nice seeing a lot of my faves together in one big collection celebrating my favorite girl.

But another thing that has to be said is the fact, that most of these comics show how terrible the Joker has been to Harley and yet people still want a relationship like theirs and ships them together?? Honestly, you're either a fake fan or you're just terrible idk what to tell you

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I’ve read A LOT and not reviewed in a long time, so to catch up: Three sentence reviews!*

A wonderful collection showcasing how Harley Quinn was introduced and how she has changed over the years. (I preferred early Harley to modern Harley.) Plus, the occasional history lesson which explained the publishing environment as Harley evolved as well as how she fared outside of comic books--on TV and on the silver screen.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Similar to the Catwoman anniversary book, this book is an homage to the bizarre character of Harley Quinn. Definitely worth reading for her history. Unlike Catwoman, Harley’s beginning sections were much easier to read. Harley was created in the 1990s so that probably had a lot to do with it. The writing was much better, still has sexist issues, but Harley’s character in general does.

[Kathryn Grace Loves Horror · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Harley Quinn (I'm a big fan of Gotham's heroic/villainous lady trio, the Gothem City Sirens, Harley, Poison Ivy, and Catwoman), so obviously I loved this book. It's a great selection of comics, spanning from Harley's earliest days as Joker's sidekick to the chaotic antiheroine that she is now. Recommend for all her fans. Now I just need to get my hands on the Catwoman collection!

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Would highly recommend this to any fan of Harley Quinn or just anyone that wants to get to know her character better. I like how the book shows her development as a character, but since there's different authors for her stories, following them can be a bit tricky unless you know most of the material. Still a good book for jumping in or just sharpening up your knowledge on Harley!

[Peridot · Rating 2 out of 5]

as a collection of stories intended to be enjoyed, it is largely bad. as an honest representation of the history and quality of harley quinn monthly comics, it is...good?

criminal omissions from this thing: mad love, breaking glass, and any mention of arleen sorkin (despite the mention of basically every other hq actress)

[Justyna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!

All kinds of stories throughout the ages.

The one I have, the cover is different and it's 408 pages. But this is the one that shows up whenever I scan the barcode for some reason.


awesome, awesome.

[Cecilia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The tale of Harley Quinn, from the animated series to her blond hair with blue and pink tips. I think all of the stories are outtakes from other comics of Harley, but it gave a good overview of her character. Some of the stories I really liked, but other was really really really creepy.

[Kloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how this collection being very detailed in terms of showing Harley’s appearances in various comics . It also forced me to read some comics that I had intended to read but still hadn’t then . And I love Harley Quinn , because she’s my favourite.

[Amory · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the prose portions explaining the history of Harley Quinn's print/cartoon appearances more than I liked most of these comics. A third of the issues were really good and the other two thirds were just okay.

[Valzebub · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent collection but many of the stories are already in other books. Very random later ones that sort of advance the character but it feels like a lot is missing. I'd say read but don't buy, especially new.

[Whatcha Reading Heather? · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would have liked maybe 1 or 2 parts that showed Harley and Ivy’s romantic relationship, but otherwise this collection gives us a long range of Harley adventures to enjoy. A great introduction to the character for those who’ve only seen Harley on the big or small screen.

[Frank Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting retrospect

If you fell in love with this throwaway character in Batman The Animated Series then cheered when she kept returning then get this book.
It looks back to when she crossed over from screen to pages with the craziness you loved in the Series.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

love my Harley and so fun to see her progression through the years in one collection.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I've previously read probably about 90% of the stories in this but it was still a blast to read.