DC Comics celebrates Harley Quinn by giving the former Joker sidekick a digital-first anthology featuring some of DC’s biggest storytelling names.
DC Comics has revealed a new series starring Harley Quinn, titled Harley Quinn: Black, White, and Red. The miniseries gives the breakout hit character an artist-driven black-and-white treatment with an added twist that decks every story in Quinn’s color scheme. The first chapter in the 14-issue digital series is already out, and each issue promises to be a showcase of DC’s biggest storytelling talents.
Black, White, and Red is a spiritual successor to Batman: Black and White, a 90’s miniseries that handed the Caped Crusader to an all-star roster that included the generation’s best names in comics. Black and White led to several sequels and an enduring line of collector statues. The new series comes hot on the heels of her hit DC Universe animated series’ renewal for another season, as well as the lead-up to the finale of her long-running mainline comic book. Yesterday, to build hype for the announcement, DC posted a teaser image drawn by Jorge Jiminez on their social media pages.
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According to a DC Comics press release, each chapter features a “fan-favorite” creator line-up, including Harley Quinn co-creator Paul Dini; former Harley Quinn creative team Amanda Connor, Jimmy Palmiotti, and Chad Hardin; Exiles writer/artist duo Saladin Ahmed and Javier Rodriguez; and Suicide Squad team Tim Seeley and Juan Ferreyra; as well as Harley Quinn 25th Anniversary Special alum Daniel Kibblesmith, Squirrel Girl‘s Erica Henderson, and more. Black, White, and Red also features DC writing debuts from veteran DC illustrators, including Bombshells artist Mirka Andolfo, The Low, Low Woods’ Dani, Dial H For Hero‘s Joe Quinones, and Detective Comics‘ Riley Rossmo, pairing their unique art styles with their storytelling voices.
This is such a cool series with killer art, DC Executive Editor Mark Doyle commented. Senior Editor Chris Conroy had the idea to riff on the classic Batman: Black & White series but to do it with Harley in that irreverent, fun way that only Harley can do—and DC Digital First seemed like the perfect format to tell these stories.”
Harley Quinn: Black, White, and Red is a testament to the enduring popularity of the title character. First created as a minor supporting figure in an episode of the Batman animated series before developing her own power set, the therapist-turned-gun-moll-turned-antihero now boasts multiple starring roles on big and small screens, several long-running comic books, a fashion line, and more, over 25 years of history. This anthology serves as a reminder that, rather than a stylish flash in the pan, Quinn has earned her seat at the table of DC’s greatest.
The first chapter of the Digital First series is available now from online comics providers. Titled “Harleen: Red”, issue 1 features story and art by Stjepan Šejić and Gabriela Downie’s lettering. “Harleen: Red” follows up on Šejić’s 2019 miniseries Harleen, released under DC’s creator-driven mature-readers line Black Label, and explores the thematic significance of the color red to Harley Quinn’s life. Black, White, and Red will release weekly on Fridays, with the July 3 issue containing Andolfo’s story, the July 10 chapter featuring Ahmed and Rodriguez, and the Seeley-and-Ferreyra-led issue 4 dropping on July 17.
