Harley Quinn
Harleen Frances Quinzel was a promising Arkham Asylum psychiatrist who became dangerously obsessed with her patient, the Joker. Manipulated by his twisted charm, she abandoned her career and identity to reinvent herself as his devoted accomplice, Harley Quinn.
Few characters have crashed onto the comics scene with the anarchic energy of Harley Quinn, who made her print debut in The Batman and Robin Adventures #1 in 1995, brought to the page by the legendary Paul Dini and Ty Templeton. Born of the Modern Age and already logging over three decades of DC Comics mayhem, she has proven herself one of the most enduring and electrifying figures the publisher has ever unleashed — racking up an astonishing 352 catalog appearances across titles like Batman, Detective Comics, and DC Comics: Bombshells. She keeps gloriously chaotic company, sharing pages with Batman, Bruce Wayne, Robin, Joker, and Poison Ivy, a rogues' gallery and hero roster that speaks to just how deeply she's woven into Gotham's DNA. With a key issue already to her name and no signs of slowing down through 2026, Harley Quinn isn't just a supporting player — she's become one of DC's most irresistible and irreplaceable stars.
Real name. Harleen Frances Quinzel
Powers. No innate metahuman powers; expert gymnast/acrobat, trained psychiatrist, skilled in melee/improvised weapons; possesses Joker-derived toxin immunity and enhanced strength/agility in some continuities (granted by Poison Ivy).
Affiliations. Gotham City Sirens, Suicide Squad, Secret Six, Quinntets; close ally of Poison Ivy; former henchwoman/partner of the Joker
Trivia
- Harley Quinn's first comic-book appearance came in The Batman Adventures #12 — notably after she had already established herself as a TV character, making her comics debut a spillover from animation rather than the other way around.en.wikipedia.org
- DC cemented her place in mainstream continuity with Batman: Harley Quinn #1 during the 'No Man's Land' era, a pivotal move that elevated her from animated-universe novelty to full-fledged core DCU character.en.wikipedia.org
- Her 2011 New 52 reboot proved controversial by rewriting both her look and origin so that the Joker shoved her into acid, displacing the older, better-known 'psychiatrist who fell for him' version.en.wikipedia.org
- Harley stands as one of DC's first major characters whose rise was driven entirely by audience demand — originally intended as a minor walk-on, she was expanded after resonating strongly with viewers and writers alike.en.wikipedia.org
- James Tynion IV has written more of Harley Quinn's comics than any other writer in our catalog — 35 issues.
Top series
Covers through the years — 1998–2024
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2000 
2002 
2004 ![Batman: Harley and Ivy #[nn]](https://comicbooks-covers-449901518064-us-east-2.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/covers/isbndb/9781401213336.jpg)
2007 
2009 
2011 
2013 
2015 
2018 
2020 
2022 
2024