Harley Quinn now leads her very own cult.
Harley was murdered by an unknown gunman in Harley Quinn #22, and resurrected by her friend Kevin and the League of Assassins using a Lazarus Pit. Written by Stephanie Phillips and drawn by Matteo Lolli, a preview for the upcoming Harley Quinn #23 reveals that Harley's return to life has led to the formation of a cult of clown-dressed members worshiping Harley. When Kevin walks in on a cult ceremony, Harley introduces him to the "Quintessentials," labeling the ensemble "Gotham's hottest and most fashionable cult."
HARLEY QUINN #23
- Written by STEPHANIE PHILLIPS
- Art and cover by MATTEO LOLLI
- Variant cover by LEIRIX
- 1:25 variant cover by RACHTA LIN
- 1:50 variant cover by MEGAN HUTCHINSON-CATES
- $3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
- ON SALE 10/25/22
- Y’know, bein’ dead is just like ridin’ a bike. There’s a big white light, and then Prince shows up and offers you a chance to host a house party in the clouds with Marilyn Monroe and Abraham Lincoln. Then suddenly you’re brought back to life in a pit of goopy green snot, and you have to find the person who was rude enough to shoot and kill you. To make things even better…turns out that comin’ back to life could have some serious unintended consequences!
What Teams Has Harley Quinn Been On?
The Quintessentials may be the first cult Harley has ever led, but not the first group she has been a part of. In the past, Harley has been a member of the Birds of Prey, Gotham City Sirens, Suicide Squad, Jon Kent's Justice League in Dark Crisis and Luke Fox's more recent Task Force XX. She has also led her own crew, her personal "Gang of Harleys" filled with members that dress similar to the clown princess like the Quintessentials do.
Harley Quinn Has to Solve Her Own Murder
Along with the introduction of the Quintessentials, Harley Quinn #23 continues the "Who Killed Harley Quinn?" arc of her solo series, a murder mystery in which Harley will have to track down her own killer. Lolli and Rain Beredo's cover for the issue teases an altercation between Harley and Robin Damian Wayne on the way, though Damian is an unlikely candidate as Harley's murderer. After his own experiences in recent finished Robin series and the Shadow War crossover event, Damian has fully embraced Batman's "No Kill Rule."
"Who Killed Harley Quinn?" is also set to delve into the Multiverse and introduce the Harley Who Laughs, a variant of Harley similar to the Batman Who Laughs. The Batman Who Laughs was a Bruce Wayne variant from the Dark Multiverse who became like the Joker, and served as a major threat to the DC Multiverse between the Dark Nights: Metal and Dark Nights: Death Metal events. The current arc will also be the final one created by Phillips and Lolli, being that writer Tini Howard and artist Sweeney Boo will be taking over as the series' creative team with the release of Harley Quinn #28 in March 2023.
Harley Quinn #23 is written by Phillips with interior and main cover art by Lolli, colors by Beredo and letters by AndWorld Design. Variant cover artwork for the issue is contributed to by Leirix, Rachta Lin and Megan Hutchinson-Cates. The issue goes on sale Oct. 25 from DC Comics.
Source: DC Comics