Joker and Harley Quinn officially get engaged in Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #7.
The two clown-faced lovers flash their engagement ring to Batman over a video call at the end of the story, which is part of DC's Black Label branding and not part of regular continuity. Harley also expresses her joy at the Joker finally giving her a ring after Amanda Simms, the villain of the series, played with her emotions and convinced her that she was meaningless to the Crown Prince of Crime.
What Happened To Harley In The Deadly Duo?
Harley spent most of Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo in Simms' underground lair in captivity. The series' seventh issue reveals that she was taken as a hostage to ensure that Joker would form an unlikely partnership with Batman and lead the Dark Knight into the depths of Simms' hideout. Once there, Simms' plan was to overwhelm Batman with a host of mutated metahumans -- all of whom resembled the Joker and bore traces of his blood -- as revenge for leaving her to die in an accident years ago.
As a reward for his cooperation, Joker was promised the safety of Harley Quinn and also the key to a lockbox containing all of the facts that Simms had discovered on Batman, including the truth of his secret identity. While Joker appears genuinely glad to have Harley back in his clutches by the end of the issue, it is revealed that he doesn't care about Batman's identity at all. In fact, the Joker goes to great lengths to have the lockbox destroyed without opening it once he has the key.
Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo's continuity features several concepts that are no longer en vogue in mainstream Batman comics, including Batgirl's popular Burnside outfit, an alive Alfred Pennyworth and a blossoming relationship between Joker and Harley. The pair have not been a consistent item since the start of DC's New 52 reboot in 2011, and Harley has since served with the Suicide Squad and become a respected member of the Bat Family. Joker, meanwhile, has found a new female friend in the form of Punchline, who possesses a sadistic mean streak surpassing Harley at her worst.
Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #7 is written and illustrated by Marc Silvestri, colored by Arif Prianto and lettered by Troy Peteri. The issue is on sale now from DC.
Source: DC