About the Book

"In this collection of new essays, contributors explore her various iterations, focusing on her origin and contexts, the implications of her abusive relationship with the Joker, her relationships with other characters, her representations across media, and the philosophic basis of her character"--

Book Synopsis

Since her first appearance in 1992, Harley Quinn--eccentric sidekick to the Joker--has captured the attention of readers like few new characters have in eight decades of Batman comics. Her bubbly yet malicious persona has earned her a loyal and growing fan base as she has crossed over into television, theater, video games, and film.

In this collection of new essays, contributors explore her various iterations, focusing on her origin and contexts, the implications of her abusive relationship with the Joker, her relationships with other characters, her representations across media, and the philosophic basis of her character.

Review Quotes

"Essays offer plenty of food for thought and leave you trying to decide which side you fall on; is she a victim or villain?"-Artistic Bent; "has gained a large fanbase and quickly became one of DCs most popular female characters"-Sequart Organization; "one of the most popular villains of the DC Comics universe...unique...fills the gaps"-Focus; "One of the most popular characters in the DC comicsverse, Harley Quinn is adored by many despite her status as an antihero. This collection of essays is a welcome addition to the scholarship about female characters that are often overlooked in study of genre fiction."-Sherry Ginn, Marvel's Black Widow from Spy to Superhero.

About the Author

Shelley E. Barba is an associate librarian at Texas Tech University. She has published in such journals as College & Research Libraries, The Reference Librarian, and Texas Library Journal. She lives in Lubbock, Texas. Joy M. Perrin is an associate librarian at Texas Tech University. She has written many articles on the topic of digital collections. She lives in Lubbock, Texas.