DC Comics' most beloved villain-turned-hero character Harley Quinn is about to lead her own Task Force into space in the pages of Harley Quinn #18, as revealed by series writer Stephanie Phillips. Harley has been on a search for purpose as a newly minted superheroine, returning to Gotham to finally make amends for her years of sins against the city and specifically the Bat-Family, and is now taking her newfound goodness into the final frontier!

Harleen Quinzel, first introduced as the insane lover and evil sidekick of the Joker, debuted in the episode "Joker's Favor" of Batman: The Animated Series, all the way back in 1992, meaning that 2022 is her "30th Birthday" as a character at DC. To celebrate this momentous occasion DC Comics is not only giving Quinn her own Task Force to lead, but is sending her on a massive cosmic adventure, which will last for 5 issues and end with the double-sized Harley Quinn 2022 Annual that will be the start of "a new status quo for Harley Quinn."

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Harley Quinn #18 - written by rising superstar Stephanie Phillips (Future State: Harley Quinn, Batman: Urban Legends) with art by Georges Duarte (Marvel Rising, Star Wars: Target Vader) - is the first of a 5-part story titled "Task Force XX Space Extravaganza" that will start on August 2nd and be released weekly, culminating in the Harley Quinn 2022 Annual which will feature art by a variety of creators. "Task Force XX Space Extravaganza" follows Harley as she is tasked by Luke Fox will leading a team of misfit villains into space, investigating reports of something being left behind on an old Justice League of America Moon Base. Of course, this investigation quickly descends into a crisis-level calamity as a Quinn's team, consisting of Solomon Grundy, Bronze Tiger, Killer Frost and others come face-to-face with a horrifying space monster right out of the Alien franchise! Stephanie Phillips shared the exciting news on Twitter, celebrating that, "Harley Quinn is getting her own event for her birthday!!!" Check out her tweet and a collection of variant covers for the "Task Force XX Space Extravaganza" below:

It seems like Luke Fox may have known that this was more than just a simple "retrieve an old experiment from a moon base" mission, which means Harley is going to be upset at him when she eventually makes it back to Earth. Although Quinn is an extremely capable and strategic solo hero, she is often depicted as part of a team, such as the Suicide Squad she led in The War for Earth-3 or team she was on in the recent Suicide Squad: Blaze, but just like Jason Todd with his Task Force Z, Harley is finally being given the chance to shine as a leader, and not as a follower or independent operator. After recently being locked up in prison for a crime she did not commit, while her nemesis Punchline walked free, Harley is probably down to take any mission that will give her some heroic credibility with the superheroes of Earth. Stephanie Phillips' depiction of Harley Quinn, especially her important arc in Fear State, has been an incredibly refreshing take on the former villain, and DC Comics is promising that the end of the Space Extravaganza will lead to a new era for Quinn.

Hopefully wherever Harley's space adventure takes her it will land her in the perfect place to be a part of Poison Ivy's upcoming solo title, which has been confirmed to include the beautiful romance between the two misunderstood women. Harley Quinn deserves all the adventure she can get, and it's clear that her time leading Task Force XX in space for her 30th Anniversary will be a real blast!

More: Harley Quinn Takes Over Batman and Joker's Greatest Covers In New DC Art

Harley Quinn #18 from DC Comics debuts on August 2nd.

Source: Stephanie Phillips