The most famous of these wasHarley Quinn, the Joker’s loyal partner in crime.
38, the first appearance of Robin).
you’re free to also readEW’s ranking of the 25 bestBTASepisodes here.
Credit: DC Comics
What do you remember about how the idea for her first came about?
I liked the idea of someone kind of fun and funny that he could have a back-and-forth with.
I was thinking of the female henchwomen they had in the ’60s Adam West series.
DC Comics
There’s a sort of eternal, indefinable 20th century quality toBTAS.
So then I was shooting around names and I just came up with the name Harley Quinn.
We really liked how the episode came out.
DC Comics
I think the audience just began to expect her.
They liked her, they thought she was funny.
Arleen Sorkin’s voice certainly gave a great deal of life and dazzle to the character.
DC Comics
Harley has become this really beloved character over the years.
What do you remember about the initial fan response to her?
Initially it was split.
There was some “Oh, I hope she’s not around too much.”
Then there were some who thought she was cute and funny and wouldn’t mind seeing her come back.
How would you describe her relationship with the Joker?
Originally she was just a henchperson.
We thought it would be really fun and twisted if she was not who she appeared to be.
But actually, in the process, she lost hers.
Before she knew it she had fallen head-over-heels in love with him.
I think he finds that, in some ways, very sexy and attractive.
But he’s not really set up to love in the way a regular person is.
How did that develop?
They met at a low point in Harley’s relationship with Joker.
She found something kind of innocent and sweet in Harley.
Ivy needs a friend too occasionally; her world can’t just be plants.
It’s interesting to me that they could be criminals and bank robbers but also have this friendship.
It’s been gratifying for me.
Like she’s kind of mine, and now she’s growing in a different direction.
But I realized people liked the character, and I started to move beyond Batman too.
She came roaring back as part ofSuicide Squadand her own book.
I put her into theArkhamgames, and from that she just became this incredible presence.
The video games gave her this great second life.
That’s just over the last 10 years.
It’s great to see the character have that adaptability.
What was Arleen Sorkin’s role in shaping the character?
Arleen and I had been friends.
She is a very funny talent, kind of a live wire.
Around that time [Sorkin] had appeared as a wacky jester onDays of Our Livesin a costume series.
She was wearing this Pied Piper outfit, and I was like, “Well, there she is.
She should run around with the Joker dressed like that.”
So all these ideas came together when I was writing that first episode.
It’s a happy coincidence that it all worked out.
