Best Harley Quinn Comics (Updated: September 2025)

Although Harley Quinn originally seemed destined to simply support the Joker, the most compelling comic book stories explore her own identity and create a rich history all her own. The Harley Quinn we see today is vastly different from the lovelorn sidekick first introduced in Batman: The Animated Series. She’s evolved from a simple villain into a complex antihero and one of DC’s most beloved characters.

Best Harley Quinn comics as of 2025

Unlike most DC characters who began as comic book creations, Harley Quinn first appeared in the 1992 animated episode of Batman, “Joker’s Favor.” Originally meant for just one appearance as a contrast to the Joker, she quickly became popular with both the show’s creators and viewers, leading to her becoming a regular character. Two years later, her backstory was explored in the comic book *The Batman Adventures: Mad Love*, which revealed she was once Harleen Quinzel, a psychologist who fell in love with the Joker while interning at Arkham Asylum. After that, she became an increasingly important character within the broader DC universe.

These comics showcase some of Harley Quinn’s most exciting stories and are a great place to start if you want to learn more about her background.

Harleen

Harleen is a fantastic Harley Quinn story that offers a new and captivating look at her beginnings. Created by Stjepan Šejić, this graphic novel boasts incredible storytelling and breathtaking artwork. It’s rare to find a comic where both the writing and the visuals are so exceptionally strong, but Harleen delivers on both fronts.

This three-issue comic series, released in 2019, introduces Dr. Harleen Quinzel, a talented psychiatrist investigating why criminals lose their ability to feel empathy. Her work takes her to Arkham Asylum, where she aims to help Gotham’s most dangerous criminals. However, she soon becomes haunted by disturbing dreams about one patient in particular: the Joker. As she delves deeper, the boundaries between fear and excitement, and disgust and attraction, begin to blur. She finds herself increasingly fascinated, her fantasies intensify, and her carefully built life starts to fall apart. At the heart of this unraveling is a man who seems to truly understand her.

It might sound like a steamy romance, and honestly, it has some of those elements! It’s a wild, over-the-top ride – think a playful, slightly naughty romance novel – but rest assured, our systems are still functioning perfectly. It’s incredibly fun!

Gotham City Sirens

Paul Dini wrote and Guillem March illustrated ‘Gotham City Sirens,’ a comic that teams up three of Batman’s most famous enemies: Poison Ivy, Catwoman, and Harley Quinn. It’s a bit of a stretch to think these three would work together – though Harley and Ivy have a history as friends. It seems like a lot of strong personalities for one group, and it might not last. But the idea is so enjoyable, we’re happy to go with it!

This 26-part series begins after the storylines of *Batman: Hush* and *Heart of Hush*. At the start, Selina Kyle (Catwoman) is incredibly fragile. She’s just survived a horrific ordeal – having her heart removed and being kept alive only to torment Batman – and has undergone a heart transplant. It’s amazing she could recover from something so traumatic!

Catwoman, Ivy, and Harley team up not because they want to, but because they have to. Their partnership is rocky, leading to a series of chaotic events. Despite all the craziness, the story also explores their feelings and relationships, with heartfelt conversations and shared frustrations about their love lives. At one point, Harley even tries to kill the Joker, but things don’t go as expected. Writer Paul Dini excels at creating strong, complex, and ultimately sympathetic female characters, and his success with Harley Quinn – a character he originally created for *Batman: The Animated Series* – proves it.

Batman: No Man’s Land

No Man’s Land was a significant crossover event, spanning over 80 issues between 1999 and 2000. The story takes place after a series of disasters – biological warfare and natural catastrophes – have left Gotham City isolated and no longer officially part of the United States. The city is under quarantine, surrounded by the U.S. military, and cut off from the outside world. With the Justice League occupied elsewhere, Batman is left to try and restore order, a difficult task made even harder by the mass escape of all the inmates from Arkham Asylum, who are now dividing Gotham into their own territories.

No Man’s Land is a landmark series for DC Comics, most notably introducing Cassandra Cain as the third Batgirl and marking Harley Quinn’s first appearance within the main DC storyline. The series explores Harley’s origins and the fallout from the Joker’s fickle attention, making you sympathize with her situation. It also begins to show the early stages of the surprising friendship between Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. While Greg Rucka wrote most of the series, contributions also came from Devin Grayson, Chuck Dixon, Denny O’Neil, Bob Gale, and Larry Hama.

Mad Love

There are actually two different Mad Love comics. The first was originally published as a single issue connected to *The Batman Adventures* series – DC asked the creators to expand on Harley Quinn’s character beyond her appearance in the cartoon. The second is a 2019 graphic novel that retells the same origin story. Both versions were created by writer Paul Dini and artist Bruce Timm. While they share the same basic plot, the 2019 version is longer – 256 pages – and adds a lot more backstory, showing Harley’s childhood and her early career. It’s an enjoyable read, though it perhaps reveals a little too much about her past, suggesting her personality was always developing in that direction. However, both comics offer excellent interpretations of the Harley Quinn story.

The story of Mad Love begins with Batman stopping the Joker from harming Commissioner Gordon. Furious that his plan failed, the Joker abandons Harley. Alone, Harley thinks about her history and the unhealthy relationship she’s in – a positive step! – but then wrongly blames Batman for her problems with the Joker, believing he’s keeping them apart. This leads her to decide to take down Batman herself. That’s all we’ll say about the plot for now!

Harley’s Little Black Book

Harley’s Little Black Book is a six-part comic series from 2016-2017 by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti. Each oversized issue features Harley Quinn teaming up with – or battling – different well-known DC characters. If you’re unfamiliar with Conner and Palmiotti’s style, be prepared for a wild, funny, and unpredictable story that often acknowledges it’s a comic book.

The first issue of the series teams Harley Quinn up with Wonder Woman, and the second issue is hilariously over-the-top, imagining Harley as a Green Lantern – a wonderfully silly idea! The rest of the series features fun pairings with characters like Zatanna, Superman, and Lobo, and even brings in the Suicide Squad. Throughout it all, Harley remains delightfully unpredictable and surprisingly lovable. This run of issues came out around the same time as the *Suicide Squad* movie (2016), helping to launch Harley Quinn into the spotlight as a major solo character.

How we chose the best Harley Quinn comics

We chose the best Harley Quinn comics to showcase her classic personality and wild energy. She’s a mischievous troublemaker, but incredibly entertaining! We also focused on stories that made her famous and established her as a key character in the DC Universe.

2025-09-16 04:09