DC Black Label's newest White Knight series finally gives Harley Quinn a villain of her own; can she take down Starlet without Ivy and her bat bff?
Warning: Spoilers ahead for Batman: White Knight Presents: Harley Quinn #3
A new serial killer is on the loose in Gotham, but the city's most popular crime-fighting vigilante is a bit... tied up at the moment. In a Gotham void of its most valiant hero, the responsibility to protect a crime-filled city from a dangerous new killer has been left to none other than Harley Quinn. Now a single mom to her two kids (and two lively hyenas), her costumed identity was supposed to be left in the past. But with the city in trouble, she seems to be the only one capable of saving it.
Batman: White Knight Presents: Harley Quinn #3 begins with a crime scene in progress. The elusive serial killer, Starlet, has captured Simon Trent. The dramatics are cut short when her murder attempt fails and Trent is able to escape her grasp. For the first time, Harley and her fellow detectives are able to question one of Starlet's victims. Trent offers a jolting perspective, but it's questionable whether this development will lead them closer to finding the murderer or steer them off course entirely.
If this White Knight series given Harley anything, it is a strong identity outside of the Joker and Batman. As she started off as a love interest and sidekick of Joker, most of her early storylines revolved around him or his nemesis. This continued even after her breakup with the psychotic killer clown. For years, she has been outshined by the men in her life in such a way that downplayed her capacity to lead a storyline all her own. Though she has been seen single-handedly taking on her enemies, these enemies are Gotham-based characters associated more often with Batman than Harley. Even her character in the animated television show finds herself faced off against characters central to Batman's existence, such as Robin or Joker himself.
Now, Harley is finally getting a villain of her own to hunt down. Sure, she has a bit of help from the detectives, but this fiercely independent Harley has a larger spotlight than the majority of her past appearances. At this point, Batman is behind bars. Jack Napier (aka Joker) is dead. Even Poison Ivy seems to be buddied up with a former nemesis of the Cupid of Crime. All hope has fallen upon Harley.
Though the White Knight series takes place in an alternative universe, it's still exciting to see such an iconic character developing into a more individualistic role. This could be a new beginning for the already popular anti-hero to shine, given that a copious amount of her previous arcs have revolved around more high-profile DC heroes and villains. Fans are seeing an incredibly liberated Harley Quinn, with no toxic love interest or Suicide Squad/Birds of Prey posse behind her, show she is more than capable of taking on villains of her own.
