One of the most important female characters in DC Comics history made her debut exactly 25 years ago this month, and it wasn’t even in the pages of the comics, it was on television. Originally just meant to be a one-off sidekick to the Joker in an episode of Batman: The Animated Series, the impish Harley Quinn quickly stole the show from Mr. J in several episodes of the classic Bruce Timm and Paul Dini cartoon show.
Now, as part of her 25th anniversary celebration, DC Comics is releasing a series of variant covers based on classic Batman covers of years past, but all with a certain Harleen Quinzel flavor to them, as she “cover bombs” them. We are proud to debut the exclusive cover which mimics Batman #251 from 1971. This comic featured the return of the Joker in his more sinister form, after his camp version from the Batman television series forced DC to put him on the shelf for awhile. The original cover was drawn by the legendary Neal Adams, and the new Harley-ized one is from Ryan Sook. You can check out the cover below:
In honor of Harley Quinn’s 25th Anniversary, DC Entertainment has also announced new details on Harley’s takeover of DC’s annual Batman Day celebration on September 23, 2017.  Stealing the Caped Crusader’s spotlight, generations of fans will celebrate 25 years of Harley Quinn’s antics with festivities across the country, and around the world.
More than 5,000 libraries, comic shops, bookstores, and other partners worldwide will host “Harley Quinn Batman Day Takeover†events, including cosplay contests, activities for kids and distributing free copies of three special edition issues.  Fans can visit dccomics.com/batmanday to find local Batman Day activities.
As part of celebration, Nerdist is giving away a bundle of cool Harley related items for her big day. Among the bundle is the following cool Harley swag:
- LEGO Batman movie
- DC Superhero Girls movie
- Injustice 2Â video game
- Harley Quinn collected edition
- Harley Quinn 25th anniversary journal
- Batman collected edition
- DC Collectibles item
Be sure to click here to tweet and enter to win!
Harley Quinn has arguably eclipsed other female Bat-villains like Catwoman and Poison Ivy in popularity, and eventually worked her way into the DC Universe proper, and into her very own comic book series. Now, she is as famous and beloved as Wonder Woman or Supergirl among the hardcore and casual superhero fans alike. Not bad for a character once meant as a one-off Joker gag.
What’s your favorite Harley Quinn comic or episode? Let us know down below in the comments.
Images: DC Comics
