Warning! Contains spoilers for Harley Quinn #17!
A tongue in cheek line of dialogue let Harley Quinn introduce one of her show’s best jokes into the comics. Harley Quinn has always been tied to DC cartoons, beginning as an original character in Batman: The Animated Series. In recent years, she has also proven incredibly popular in other movies and shows, like Birds of Prey and her eponymous television show.
The character of Harley Quinn differs greatly between the currently running Harley Quinn comic and the cartoon. In the comic series, Harley is trying to reinvent herself as a hero, alongside a former joker goon named Kevin. The comics version of Harley has also gotten a bit meta at times, going so far as to recreate her worst scene in Suicide Squad in a much better way. In the show she is also trying to reinvent herself, but this time as her own supervillain to cast off her image as the Joker’s girlfriend. The show has also gotten rather meta at times, but unfortunately hasn’t referenced the current comic series. Despite being wildly different interpretations of the character, both versions are true to the core personality and history of the antihero. And now the comics version of Harley has introduced one of her traits from the cartoon into DC Comics continuity.
In Harley Quinn #17, written by Stephanie Phillips with art by Riley Rossmo, Harley, Batwoman, and Kevin rescue Gotham’s mayor and his staff from the new supervillain Verdict. While far from Harley's best rival, Verdict had been a thorn in her side, framing Harley for murder and getting her sent to prison. As such, after the fight, Mayor Nakano extends a public apology to her, which Harley takes as an invitation to bombard him with various ideas of how to improve the city. One of these ideas is changing the name of Central Avenue to Harley Avenue, a much less boring moniker. While Nakano’s awkwardness paired with Harley’s exuberance makes the moment hilarious on its own, the fact that it mirrors one of the best jokes in the Harley Quinn TV show makes it even better.
Initially in the TV show, one of Harley’s most fervent (and hilarious) desires is to get a highway named after her. But she is able to accomplish her goal, and get Gotham to build her absurdly dangerous roadway. While characters from Harley's cartoon have been canonized in other series, this is the first time an aspect of Harley's personality has been incorporated into the comics. This draws a stronger connection between the different versions of Harley presented in the comic and the show.
The cartoon is currently airing its third season, and it is unclear what new elements of Harley’s character this will introduce. But this reference is a sign that whatever happens, it could appear later in the comics as well. Thus, this joke proves that fans should both watch Harley Quinn's show and read her comic to get the most out of both.
Harley Quinn #17 is now available from DC Comics.