DC announced a new series via the Black Label imprint, Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity.
Bestselling author Kami Garcia will be the writer on Joker/ Harley. Garcia wrote Beautiful Creatures and Unbreakable. Artists Mike Mayhew and Mico Suayan will join her on the title.
This will be a nine-issue mini-series, acting as a reimagining of Harley and the Joker. Check out the synopsis from the official press release:
In Gotham City, where heinous acts of violence are a daily occurrence, the GCPD relies on Harley Quinn, a young forensic psychiatrist and profiler, to consult on their toughest cases. But Harley is haunted by one case in particular—when she found herself at the center of a horrifying crime scene the night she discovered the body of her roommate, left with the signature of a notorious serial killer—the Joker.
When a series of gruesome displays of murder appear throughout the city, the past and present collide as Harley’s obsession with finding the depraved psychopath responsible leads her down a dangerous path. She must decide how far she is willing to go, and what lines she is willing to cross to solve these cases once and for all.
Elseworlds Harley and Joker
It will be interesting to see Garcia’s reinterpretation of the Harley/ Joker relationship. The tone sounds more like a grizzled crime drama. The story looks to be stripping out the more outlandish elements. Garcia has even toned down the Joker’s over-the-top personality. She likens the her version of him to be more like real-life serial killers.
Here is Garcia on the Joker:
There is no character more terrifying than the Joker. He is one of the most complex psychopathic killers ever created. I wanted to approach the project as if the Joker was a real person—an intelligent and sane psychopath, who kills because he wants to, not because he suffers from delusions. To me, a version of the Joker, who is sane like John Wayne Gacy or Ted Bundy, is more frightening. In the series, Harley is the only character with the skill set and intelligence to hunt the Joker, but the investigation will force her to confront her own inner demons.
Art by Francesco Mattina
Black Label’s Re-Imagining
The Black Label imprint makes out-of-continuity stories featuring DC’s most popular characters. Criminal Sanity takes the edict a step further to fully reimagine them.
Here is DC Publisher Dan Didio on the project:
When Kami came to us with the idea of profiling one of the most mysterious and dangerous characters in the DC Universe, it felt so new and original. Kami, Mico and Mike are taking great care to ensure that the mystery surrounding the Joker and Harley Quinn remains intact, while delivering a story that’s both compelling and haunting. This series is exactly the kind of unique, standalone story that’s perfect for DC Black Label, one we hope will engage both casual and new fans of these characters.
Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity will debut as a monthly title on October 2, 2019.