Warning: Spoilers for Harley Quinn #1 ahead.
There's no arguing that since her inception, Harley Quinn has been best known as the Joker's crazy partner in crime, the Bonnie to his Clyde; but now with the rollout of DC's Infinite Frontier, she's free from his toxic clutches and is turning towards redemption. In Harley Quinn #1, fans are getting the chance to see their favorite bat wielding ex-doctor go head to head against her past in a chance for a brighter, more heroic future.
For years Harley has been seen as a villain, seemingly finding joy in her twisted profession; but as time went on, readers got to see the deeper psychological aspects of her relationship with the Joker, how much of a driving force it was behind who she is, and how lost she became inside his circle of manipulation. When it came time for her stories to focus on breaking free from his toxicity, readers and popular media embraced her turn towards independence. Popular culture sees her in a new light: a stand-alone character instead of the Joker's stooge. Birds of Prey, Harley Quinn the animated series, and recent comics have proven that. But independence is only the first step. This new story arch is giving Harley the opportunity to go one step further and really turn her life around.
Picking up where they left off at the end of the Joker War, Harley Quinn #1 sees the Mistress of Mayhem finally getting the chance to break free from her title. Following the trajectory of her recent comic and cinematic exploits, Harley's hero journey is officially taking flight. She's happy to be back in Gotham, to be back where she calls home, but being a hero isn't going to be easy for someone who has made so many enemies and lost so many allies. That's the reality behind abusive relationships: they can turn you into someone you don't recognize, make you do things you'd never do normally, and turn you against the people who actually care. The prospect of love and affection can be so intoxicating that it blinds people from the darkness that's festering until it's too late. And now that Harley is on her own, she's going to have to actively fight against the image Gotham has of her, reconcile the image she has of herself, and prove to Batman that he can trust her; all while being brave enough to make amends with those she's wronged...including a certain someone she's not ready to face just yet.
Harley may be out to right the wrongs of her criminal past, but she's going to have to right the wrongs of her personal past as well. Teaming up with Batman will hopefully provide her with the avenue to prove herself and clean up her act, but reassembling her personal life may prove to be a more difficult task. It's one thing to "atone for her sins" like any villain turned hero; but it's another to apologize to someone she loves for, let's say, burning down their Eden on Earth. She may have proved herself enough at the end of the Joker War to convince Batman to give her a second chance, but Poison Ivy may not be as forgiving.
Either way, she's got her work cut out for her, as does the creative team behind the comic: Stephanie Phillips, Riley Rossmo, and Ivan Plascencia. People have become aware that Harley Quinn is no longer synonymous with the Joker. This arch is giving her the opportunity to not only widen the chasm that's grown between the two popular characters, but completely change the topography of her life. She's being given the chance to be her own person again, take life into her own hands, and apply her knowledge of psychiatry into something constructive and helpful for people affected by the Joker's chaos. She can finally move on, in the comics and on the silver screen. The only question is, will she be able to atone for what she's done and heal the relationships she's betrayed, or will they end up betraying her?
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