Warning: Contains Spoilers for Poison Ivy #1
The hit Harley Quinn TV series on HBOMax has officially become DC Comics canon. Ever since her debut in Batman: The Animated Series, Harley Quinn has been a staple of DC across all media. Whether she's making appearances in comics focused on other characters or getting stories of her own, the sensational antihero has become iconic both in the comics and beyond. While she's gotten a new comic run every year or so, she's also made her way to the big screen in the live action Suicide Squad films and Birds of Prey. She's even found herself back on the small screen in her own series.
HBOMax's Harley Quinn is an adult animated series by Justin Halpern, Patrick Schumacker and Dean Lorey that follows Quinn not too long after her break-up with the Joker. She's joined by Poison Ivy as she tries to make a name for herself by becoming Gotham's next big villain. Along the way, she encounters countless Batman villains, friendships with DC favorites and an exploration of the romance between her and Ivy that's become beloved by comic fans everywhere. The series has been received positively by both critics and audiences because of its humor, tone and story, with the third season being highly anticipated by fans. Now, the influence of the series has officially made its way to comic canon.
Poison Ivy #1 by G. Willow Wilson and Marcio Takara features a moment in Ivy's past between her and Harley. The two are having a pretty nasty fight, alluding to the infamous break-up that would see the famous LGBTQ couple going their separate ways. What's interesting though is the shirt that Harley is wearing. On it is a graphic of Frank, a character from the Harley Quinn animated series created specifically for the show as a more foul-mouthed version of Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors. He's a plant that's primarily seen as a supporting comedic relief that also helps Ivy through tough spots and has become a fan-favorite in the series. Now, he's officially made his debut in DC Comics, cementing the TV show as comics canon.
When putting this in perspective for the in-universe implications, it's pretty humorous to think that Harley perhaps convinced network executives to create a series about her misadventures. From her romance with Ivy to her attempts at making a name for herself, it's not farfetched that Quinn would want to show the world who she is in the one place where she can get it across best: television. Of course, the series could be seen as her own fantasy of how certain events would play out in her mind. After all, some pretty notable Batman heroes and villains meet gruesome fates throughout the show, so it could mirror what comic Harley believes them to be from her point of view.
Nevertheless, this little Easter egg demonstrates how much influence the show has had since it debuted. While the show has had its own adaptation in the comics with the Eat! Bang! Kill! Tour, this is the first instance of the show finally being in a new DC Comics story, even if it's just a little reference. Harley Quinn is a series that has continued to grow in popularity and making it officially canon in DC Comics just shows that it won't be going anywhere anytime soon.
Poison Ivy #1 is available now!