Gotham's Clown Princess of Crime Harley Quinn has had plenty of makeovers and redesigns since her introduction in the 1992 episode of Batman: The Animated Series: Joker's Favor. But the sometimes-villain, sometimes-antihero (always trouble-maker) became a fan favorite and transcended her cartoon origins, become a staple in the DC Universe, appearing in movies, video games, multiple solo comics and even her own cartoon series.
Now, comic artist Dan Panosian has given fans yet another take on Dr. Quinzel, with new throwback interpretations of the character, re-imagining what her signature over-the-top style might have looked like if she was set back in the 1960's. Panosian - who's worked on titles like Birds of Prey: Future's End, Batman & Robin Eternal, The Flash, Batman Beyond and many, many, many more - recently teased fans on twitter with his take on what Quinn might have looked like had she been around back when Adam West was rocking the cape and cowl.
Posting to his twitter with the caption "1960's #HarleyQuinn [ I think everyone could use a little HQ today! ]" Panosian presented three new interpretations of the now-iconic character, and all of them are pretty starkly different than anything fans have seen before. Though the photo is black and white, all three are rocking different takes on Quinn's generally red and black two-toned outfit, complete with her signature harlequin diamond designs. The first looks like Harley genuinely could have been pulled straight from the campy 1960's Batman series, rocking what seems like a very Warholian open-faced space helmet, complete with a matching diamond-patterned dress that one could easily picture someone wearing while doing the Batusi along side Batman. The middle variant is probably the most understated of the three, wearing a striped tank top, two-toned pants, diamond-patterned cuffs and belt, and a set of jingle bell earrings. Panosian's third depiction sees Quinn in what looks to be a caped bodysuit with her hair's color split down the middle. Naturally, the cape is also adorned with bells.
It's always cool to see new interpretations of classic characters, and in Quinn's case, there's no shortage. Besides her classic harlequin look in TAS, fans have seen new takes on her in multiple video games, different comic runs of Birds of Prey and her various solo series, not to mention her live action iteration with Margot Robbie's portrayal in the Suicide Squad and the Birds of Prey films. Her current appearance in both her ongoing Harley Quinn solo books - as well as her cartoon - seem to take heavy influence from Robbie's design.
Funnily enough, this isn't the first time fans have seen a 1960's take on Quinn. She was one of the modern characters re-invented for the Batman '66 comics, which continue the tales of Adam West's Batman and Burt Ward's Robin. Some... questionable concept art for the character is also out there from the scrapped Batman '89 series, which, like '66, would have continued the Michael Keaton universe's version of Batman and introduced new characters in Tim Burton's Gothic style.
But not all portrayals are so cartoonish. The recent runs of New York Time bestseller Harleen and Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity - both from DC Black Label - explore Quinzel's world in a much more grounded and darker style than it had been before, providing a more real-world take on the doctor-turned-criminal sidekick/hostage.
So Harley Quinn has proven herself to be an incredibly versatile character, demonstrated both by her transitioning from superstar doctor to superstar criminal, as well as with the many times she's been successfully rebooted from the ground up across different media. Only time will tell what her next iteration may look like, but in the meantime, at least fans have Panosian's hot takes.