The Psychology of Harley Quinn

thanks for posting this.... very interested in this panel

She will always be a useless and one dimensional character. That hype for Joker's play thing is ridiculous. There's a whole lot of STRONG and INDEPENDENT women in the DCU who needs focus, not trash like her.

Thanks for sharing. I enjoy character psychology panels. I haven't read any of Harley's new developments so I only knew her appearance changed.

I've always liked Harley, and I'm so happy to have this team on the Harley Quinn title :)

DC really need to give this book to Tom Taylor. He's the only one in recent years who writes a compelling Harley.

Harley is an awesome character with all the domestic abuse in the world i would love to see her break from the Joker and kick his ass for beating her so much. She is a fun bubbly character bad or good.

@supbatz: Yes, thank you I've been waiting for someone to say that. I love Jimmy and Amanda Conner. But they come up pretty inconsistent on writing Harley Quinn's intelligence. She's smart sometimes and other times she comes off as a dumb bimbo.

@iceslick: Agreed. They write her inconsistently on nearly level. Nothing again them, as they seem like good writers, but they don't seem to understand Harley's character very well. Nor do they appear to have the clearest vision of "their version" of her.

That was equally funny and interesting, thanks Tony. I like Amanda's new word, anti-villain. Makes me intrigued with New 52 Harley, someone I know next to nothing about. I'll have to look for back issues tomorrow at the shop. Have a feeling I'm going to enjoy it.

Also, looking forward to Dr. Letamendi's podcast ... "A Deeper Look at Heroes and Villains" ... the psychology of comic book characters, fascinating. Also fascinating, Dr. Letamendi:

Photo from her web page mentioned at LBCC, underthemaskonline

I wish DC would make up its mind as to how they portray the Joker. they keep chopping and changing from maudlin to brevity. Interestingly, Harley never seems to change regardless of the incarnation of the Joker.

I found her pairing with Deadshot a bit weird. Doesn't seem to suit either character. Always thought it'd be better for her to be paired with someone like Nygma where she could've been more of an equal due to her physical prowess compared to Riddler's physical weakness.

Harley Quinn Is to the Joker what Robin is to Batman. Their good separately, but their better together.

I hate it when Harley is with the Joker. She's too much of a zany cartoon character where as Joker is meant to be this horrific, mentally disturbed serial killer.

New 52 Harley just needs to be erased from existence.

I relate to Harley Quinn to some degree. xD I haven't explored her New 52 version, but I am not a fan of her look. :( She isn't blonde!

I think Paul Dini's incarnation of her will always be the way I imagine her. :3

@the_psyentist: Paul's Harley was Blonde

@guardiandevil83: Blonde>all (even if it isn't natural)

I loved this panel. Such a cool review. I wanna go check out her podcast now.

@supbatz: A thousand times yes! Honestly, this new Harley is becoming a boring Deadpool knock-off. I hate saying that! But it rings true to me unfortunately. Every issue literally feels like "Look how wacky and crazy she is" and lacks a lot of the depth that made me love her character. And I'm heavily against changing the nature of Harley and Ivy's relationship.. I don't think it's right to erase years of complicated history between the two in favor of "Omg they're besties XDD".

And Tom Taylor managed to create a charming, sympathetic, like-able, and deranged Harley in only a few comics. New 52 has been going on for 3 years and I still can't make myself like this version.

I would say that there are "cures" or treatments or medication. That not all medication is bad or makes you feel different. I know a person with a type of depression who takes meds and they are more normal on their meds. Another with OCD who feels more normal on and less anxiety. If Harley has some mental diss orders that need medication to make her less unstable then she could take them and be better.

Also this I found on google: harley and Deadpol's children drawn in the style of Lampoon's Vacation and Married with Children.

http://m7781.deviantart.com/art/what-if-deadpool-and-harley-quinn-had-kids-298516452

http://m7781.deviantart.com/art/deadpool-n-harley-quinn-vacation-484704827

Than change her personality to match his. Theres a Harley Quinn fan film that turns her into a truly disturbing character.

We'll just have to face facts: Harley will just never again be as downright adorable as she was back when we all met her.

I mean, she was Joker's morality chain. If there was some small shred of sanity left in him, she kept it alive. And Mark Hamill himself said that their relationship was helping Joker learn to be human again. In a lot of ways, he needed her even more than she needed him.

I am kinda feel sorry for her. She had done these crimes for Joker. But what Joker give to her is unacceptable. Joker abused Harly mentally and physically and maybe sexual too. In Batman Arkham City Harley is pregnant with Joker's child.

Interesting...

But you know whats even MORE peculiar?

Is that with all these psychological resources, NO ONE has done a good psych piece on Wonder Woman, of all characters!

Enough of Batman characters already, its WONDER WOMAN who was created very very specifically (with real life details and all) by a psychologist!

@natvin: wonder woman and harley quinn crossover.

@hopesummersforthefuture: When will this be? And WHO was the psychologist in charge of such an analysis? (Because it should not be Dr. Travis or that other one. It should be Dr. Robin Rubinstein, since she has more experience analysing WW).

@natvin: nah i was hoping for a wonder woman/harley quin crossover

@the_psyentist: blonde harley is the best :)

@amazingwebhead: New harley should have been as derange as Joker if not more. Old school Harley does not fit with the new 52.

@leah8954 it more like she stuck in the past and the new 52 has moved on without her.

and I hate and I mean HATE!! Bob Harras ham-fisted Harleyquinn/Poison Ivy's bs relationships.

Kill it with FIRE!!! Frak Bob Harras.

You say that like it's a bad thing

@amazingwebhead: not bad but so far she is kinda coming off like a deadpool knock off. It be nice to see a more derange Harley but I still buy her comics though.

True, but I still miss the Harley that acted like a goofy little 6-year-old

Same here :(

harley quinn is my SH*T

Harley Quinn really is an interesting character. Great panel here. Wonderful to listen to.

Everyone complaining and whining about wanting the "old" Harley back: stop following these forums then. Clearly, you're all living in the past: yearning to have back your poster-girl for abuse and domestic violence. Harley has in fact evolved: from a one-dimensional, joker-obsessed, pathetic, weak-willed, spineless bimbo, into a free-willed, joker-free, independent, kind-hearted, and relate-able character. Those who say she's a pure-evil murderer: GET OVER THE VILLAINS MONTH ISSUE ALREADY! That's part of the Suicide Squad continuity. Her solo series branches away from SS #15. She's been written as far more intelligent and sophisticated than her animated series version. I find everyone's fascination with her "relationship" with the Joker extremely disturbing. Joker is : OVERRATED, a sociopathic murderer of pure-evil, and needs Harley more than she needs him. He's not this "poorly misunderstood creature" who still has some humanity in him.

@johnny_blaze: most females in comics, Marvel and DC alike, are all the same. The stay the same, they never change, and they're overrated. That makes them lame. At least Harley is constantly changing. And if you're not a fan of Harley, what are you doing on this forum?

@thecomedian_: That would piss off a lot of fans. And if you want the new 52 Harley erased from your life, then simply don't read any of the comics, and go back to the pre-52 universe, when Harley was a one-dimensional character.

@leah8954: they erased years of simple, pointless, boring, and even disturbing history. Harley and Ivy work much better than Harley and Joker. If you can't bring yourself to like this new Harley, then stop reading the solo series, and read something else. Go back to Deadpool if this Harley reminds you too much of him. I think Harley as DC's Deadpool is better than Harley as Joker's doormat/punching bag/disposable toy.

@amazingwebhead: That's not THE FACTS, that's YOUR OPINION. Joker has no morals. He's a sociopath and a murderer. He has no sense of humanity, and Harley is nothing but a toy to him. Joker has too much fun being INHUMAN.