In this episode, Curt and Kevin analyze the most violent mental health professional this side of Hannibal Lecter! We’re talking, of course, about psychologist turned psycho Harley Quinn — and more specifically, her origin story in the Eisner Award-winning one-shot The Batman Adventures: Mad Love, published by DC Comics!
Poor Harley Quinn! She just wants to settle down with her psychopathic paramour, the Joker. But the Clown Prince of Crime is interested in someone else — Batman! As Harley plots to get rid of the Caped Crusader once and for all, we learn who she is, and how she came to be.
Can the lovelorn jester of injustice accomplish what her boyfriend never could, and kill the Dark Knight Detective once and for all? Can she finally shake free of Gotham’s most criminally codependent couple? And can she get herself admitted into that funny farm known as … The Comics Canon?
(Note: This episode was recorded before the passing of Jerry Lewis and news of a new Joker and Harley Quinn movie in development.)
Things Discussed in This Episode:
- Our Anatomy Lesson episode
- The soap opera inspiration for Harley Quinn?
- Squeaky Fromme and Patty Hearst
- “Don’t you wanna rev up your Harley?”
- “He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)”
- A brief, obligatory mention of the Suicide Squad movie
- The evolution, exploitation and empowerment of Harley Quinn
- The Trial of Yellowjacket
- Batman and Mr. Freeze: SubZero
- Future Quest: The next big movie franchise?
- The movie universe we’re not ready for
- Are you ready for … Ragnaroktober?!!
The Comics Canon is presented with the support of Creative Loafing Atlanta, home of such podcasts as Mo Audio and Atlanta Untrapped.
Join us in two weeks as we use the new Inhumans series as an excuse to discuss New Avengers: Illuminati!
Until then, please rate us on iTunes, send us an email, or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook, and we may read your comments in an upcoming episode. And as always, thanks for listening!