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In Dark Knights of Steel #1, the clown princess Harley Quinn is placed in a role that finally does justice to her overall place in the DC Universe.
WARNING: This article contains minor spoilers for Dark Knights of Steel #1, on sale now from DC Comics.
Since her debut in 1992, Harley Quinn has sported many different looks over the years in comics, movies, animation, and video games. However, none of those looks are quite as iconic as her classic Jester costume that debuted with her in Batman: The Animated Series. In Dark Knights of Steel #1 (by Tom Taylor, Yasmine Putri, and Wes Abbot) Harley makes a fun and refreshing appearance where she appears to live up to the “jester” part of her costume.
Quinn appears for just one page in the second half of the issue. After Batman, Kal-El, and Alfred return from capturing a Banshee (who turns out to be Black Canary), they return to the castle. As Bruce enters the castle, Harley appears and enthusiastically follows the Dark Knight inside. Quinn is in a modified version of her classic jester costume, fitting perfectly in Taylor and Putri’s fantasy aesthetic. The modifications to her traditional costume, like the stockings and larger bib, suggest that she is an actual jester in this world.
In medieval history, court jesters were given a very unique and powerful privilege. Rulers gave them free speech, meaning that they could say anything to anyone. In fact, they could use humor to openly humiliate high-ranking members of society including lords, princes, and even the king without consequence. During her appearance, Harley did exactly that in her interaction with Batman, who is the knight/guardian of the throne.
After Harley irritates him with a blatantly silly joke about centaurs, Batman tells her to not torment him today, suggesting that she bothers him on a pretty consistent basis. She ignores his request, responding that she genuinely enjoys tormenting him. Continuing to follow Batman, she added that it’s very easy to tease him because of his dark and brooding nature and even flicks the ears on his cowl. Harley’s fun was interrupted by Kal-El, who told her to leave Batman alone. Quinn begrudgingly agreed, only doing so because she knew that Bruce and Kal were in trouble with the king.
Although Harley Quinn’s appearance in this issue is very brief, it is important for her character. Over the years, there have been countless portrayals of Harley, but she has rarely lived up to truly being a jester. This issue has successfully portrayed her as such, giving a natural feel to the role.
Not only does Harley look like a genuine medieval jester, but she also acts like one. She constantly teases Batman, but she does so shamelessly and persistently that suggests that she may indeed have a jester’s free speech privilege in the kingdom. With the themes of knights, the throne, and royalty being transparent in this limited series, it looks like Harley is dead set as the jester of Jor-El’s castle.
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