A new piece of cover art by Riley Rossmo for the current ongoing Harley Quinn series shows the ever-popular villainess taking some inspiration from Jared Leto's tatted-up Joker. Harley Quinn has only become more popular as a character since breaking free from the Joker. Her ability to spread her wings and really fly as her own character has made for some fascinating storytelling. She's also developed her own style of crime and occasional anti-hero work. Still, from time to time she's been shown to look back on her roots, and a new piece of cover art for her current series shows her covered in tattoos, matching one of the least liked iterations of Joker.
Leto's design was met with ire by comic fans when the first image of him was released to promote the 2016 Suicide Squad film. Most criticism was focused on just how hard the filmmakers were trying to make him appear edgy, and it's easy to see why. He's covered in tattoos that mimic who the character is thematically. From a hysterically placed "Damaged" tattoo square on his forehead to multiple uses of "HA" across his chest, the character design comes off more as a parody of the character rather than a different take on the Clown Prince of Crime. Now, Harley Quinn herself has a few tattoos of her own to show off...but what's interesting is that their design fits her better.
On the cover for the upcoming Harley Quinn #14, which was revealed by League of Comic Geeks, Harley is shown in prison as hinted by the shadows of iron bars on the windows. Harley herself is laying down on a bed, showing off a series of tattoos. Some designs of note include some ivy wrapping around her arm, the word "SMILE" written across her stomach and a cheekily placed "PHD" on the right side of her forehead. Everything about this cover art screams Leto's Joker, but at the same time, it seems like it's poking a bit of fun at him as well. The inclusion of the "PHD" tattoo is an obvious callout to the "Damaged" tattoo, and the varying symbols across her body bring some individuality to her rather than the obvious edginess Suicide Squad was going for with its Joker.
Each tattoo has a purpose for being there, incorporating different moments from the character's history into one collage of color. It springs forth like a mural and mimics the style that Harley has become known for today. The ivy is a clear reference to her long-time relationship with Poison Ivy, the rollerblades are a callback to the iconic Amanda Conner design that introduced that aspect of her character, and a pin-up version of what appears to be Wonder Woman could hint to her bisexuality. This is why Harley's take on the tattooed Joker works so much better here than Leto's. While Leto's version went for a more "edgy" gangster take of the character that ends up making it feel really hollow since it's all so obvious, Harley's colorful design has much more individuality to it and shows off her eccentric personality.
In a way, this cover art also shows just how far Harley Quinn has progressed since her introduction in 1993's Batman: The Animated Series. She's gone from being Joker's sidekick and girlfriend to her own independent character with a colorful past, present and future. Her personality and the use of unreliable narration in her stories make her comic series as fun as it is unpredictable. This new cover art will be available with of Stephanie Phillips and Riley Rossmo's Harley Quinn #14, due out in April, and shows that Harley Quinn doesn't need Joker anymore because she's made it on her own and can prove how by improving on the ridiculed Jared Leto design.
Source: League of Comic Geeks