Quinn-tessential: The 15 Coolest Looks Of Harley Quinn

The character of Harley Quinn was originally created in 1992 by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm as part of their seminal hit, Batman: The Animated Series. She was introduced as the Joker’s girlfriend, an unhinged persona to match Mr. J’s crazy, a woman madly in love but at the mercy of a devious partner who would rather kick her to the curb than give her a compliment. It’s doubtful that her creators could ever have foreseen the heights the popularity of the character would reach. Fast forward 25 years later and now, Harley Quinn is one of the major faces of the DC Universe, not to mention its cinematic universe.

RELATED: Crazy In Love: 15 People Harley Quinn Has Romanced

The character resonated with fans everywhere, and she has gone on to have her very own line of action figures, statues and comic books. Ever since her first appearance, the character had a design that was unique, a look that made her instantly recognizable. Over the years, as the character grew in popularity and appeared everywhere from video games to the silver screen, Harley Quinn has gone through many, many, many wardrobe changes. As DC celebrates 25 years of the character, CBR lists 15 of the best and most iconic looks and costumes Harley Quinn has ever worn.

TALL TALES

Batman: The Telltale Series proved incredibly popular with both fans of the character and of this type of video game, featuring a very dramatic and engrossing story that is much different than what Batman fans are usually familiar with. For the second season of the game, Batman: The Enemy Within, it has recently been confirmed that one of the villains that will face Batman will be a new version of Harley Quinn.

While we don’t know the character’s backstory in the game universe yet, we did get a look at her new costume. This new and very modern look for Harley seems to borrow from nearly all of her classic elements mixed in to create something new. You have a bat as her more realistic weapon of choice, the red and black color scheme, but also very different hair, in a more normal, modern haircut than what the she usually sports.

DADDY’S LIL MONSTER

David Ayer’s Suicide Squad movie introduced audiences to many DC villains through a gangster-inspired scope, as the director chose to approach his villains in a more grounded, gritty and real way. Although Harley Quinn went through various wardrobe changes in the film, her official movie costume is the one that had the most screen-time.

Borrowing the color scheme from the more recent New 52 look of Harley Quinn, Harley ditched the red and black in favor of blue and red, a red that bordered on pink as the movie went on. Wearing her now trademark “Daddy’s Lil Monster” shirt, Harley had many tattoos that spoke of her obsessions and her state of mind. With pigtails and high heels, this is a look that became one of the most popular for Harley. Don’t believe us? Just go to literally any con.

LET’S ROLL(ER)

When it was time for Harley Quinn to get her very own solo series as part of DC’s New 52 relaunch, the creative team of Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti decided to give Harley a whole new look to go along with her whole new direction. Harley wasn’t ditching the crazy, she was just embracing it in a different way, moving on to become more of a sociopathic anti-hero than an all-out villain.

For this series, Harley was given a new roller derby-inspired outfit. Still favoring the red and black, Harley had knee, shoulder and elbow pads, roller skates to have fun on and her signature mallet to deal with anyone who was a nuisance. But she wouldn’t lose who she was: the diamond logo were still a part of her, with the added effigy of a star. It has been more than five years, but this costume has proven to have staying power.

HELLO NURSE

The Batman: Arkham Asylum video game came was released in 2009, at a time before Harley’s popularity reached platinum gold, long before Suicide Squad and the DCEU and long before the New 52 relaunch that would help elevate the character to superstardom. While the game featured the Joker as the main antagonist of the story, Harley Quinn also had a large role as the villain’s right-hand woman.

Since the entirety of the dark game was spent inside the Asylum in a single night, Harley had a conveniently creepy costume to match the unsettling and even haunting nature of the game: a classic nurse’s outfit, tailored to fit her mad persona. This look favored a mix of purple and red, but white was the leading color of this costume. To top it all off, she had a black domino mask to go on top of her pale skin.

POWERGIRL

When Power Girl fell from the sky in Harley’s New 52 series, she had no memory of the superhero she was. As a big fan, Harley saw this as an opportunity to play hero. To try and convince Power Girl that they were friends, Harley had a new suit made for her, as well as Power Girl — matching outfits that would show they were a superhero fighting team.

Only, Power Girl’s costume tore to pieces as soon as she woke up. But Harley kept hers, to keep the superhero dream alive. Teaming up with Power Girl, Harley went on epic adventures wearing her very own superhero costume, a red-and-black one-piece suit that had a diamond-shaped “window” similar to Power Girl’s, and a purple cape on top of that. Because heroes wear capes, obviously.

THE BOMBSHELL

The DC Bombshells started out as a line of DC collectible statues that re-imagined DC’s most popular female characters in a style reminiscent of 1940s pinups. The line proved so popular that it sparked a series of variant covers, which in turn led to a full-blown digital comic series that was later published in printed form. Now, you can find Bombshell action figures, Funko Pops, and many more collectibles in their very own style.

The Bombshell look of Harley Quinn was established early on and didn’t change much. While there was still an element of red and black duality, it was much more toned down here, favoring instead to let the character speak for herself. A pilot jacket and goggles called back to the time period, as did her high socks. Finally, the jingle bell earrings and white face paint worked as a reference to the character’s roots and signature.

INJUSTICE

For fans of video games and DC’s pantheon of characters, Injustice: Gods Among Us was something that couldn’t be missed. The game’s story was set in an alternate reality where Superman turned into a tyrant that ruled over the Earth and where an insurgency of heroes attempted to overthrow him. While the basics of the game were that of one-on-one fighting, the story also proved incredibly popular, spanning its own line of comic books.

In this universe, Harley Quinn had a fairly big role from the get-go, as Joker’s right-hand woman. But things changed when he did the unspeakable. Here, Harley had a more revealing outfit that took a few hints from the court jester hat idea but instead brought it down to the design of her skirt. She had an almost steampunk-influenced look and a red-and-dark-purple motif that was a bit more subtle, but still very much Harley Quinn.

HARLEY 66

The 1966 Batman television show starring Adam West in the titular role and Burt Ward as Robin is an absolute classic. The series gave its own goofy and colorful spin on many characters and villains from the Batman comics, but Harley Quinn would be created much, much later. Thankfully, the digital comic series Batman ’66 was able to go back into the world of the Wham!-tastic series and tell new stories.

One of those stories featured the introduction of the Harlequin, a black-and-red clad super-villainess who had started out as Arkham Asylum psychiatrist Dr. Holly Queen. Flying in her very own themed hot-air balloon, Holly arrived on the scene with a look that was a very nice approximation of what she could have looked like back in the 1966 cartoon, a roller-derby influenced look that also took a cue from Harley’s New 52 solo series look.

ARKHAM CITY

In a way, Arkham City‘s interpretation of Harley Quinn could be seen as the birth of the modern look that would later be brought onto the Suicide Squad movie. In the sequel to the Arkham Asylum video game, Harley Quinn ditched her sinister nurse’s outfit for a more criminal-friendly look, a look that showed she would not just be a lackey this time around, but a real threat.

Harley was back in tactical pants, with a corset that would be carried over as an echo from her Arkham Asylum look. But now she had tattoos that conveyed her alliance to the Joker, and the colors of red and black on full display, a duality that was brought to every aspect of her outfit, from her boots and gloves to her arm sleeves and hair ties. In this second chapter of the Batman video game franchise, Harley Quinn received a rebirth of sorts.

ASSAULT ON ARKHAM

Harley Quinn’s court jester outfit is probably the most recognized out there. But while it works well for an animated series or in a comic book, it wouldn’t be the most practical or believable outfit to wear for a real life of crime. In the animated movie Batman: Assault On Arkham, a movie set in-between the storylines of the Arkham Asylum and Arkham City video games, Harley Quinn had a new costume to address this very situation.

For this movie, Harley Quinn had something that was a far cry from her nurse’s outfit. It was a precursor to the tactical efficiency of her Arkham City look and a great way to tie her back to her original look. Here, we got to see what a grittier, more modern version of Harley’s classic court jester costume could look like, with the appropriate mask and bells to go along with it.

PUNK HARLEY

Under the direction of Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti, Harley Quinn has seen her fair share of crazy adventures, from fighting spinach-eating sailors to starting her very own gang of Harleys. In a development that felt very natural for the character in this crazy world she inhabits, she had to go as an undercover agent in the punk rock scene. One of the things that meant was dressing up for the occasion.

Although this is not a look that Harley sported for a long time, it still has all the trademark aspects of the character, with a fun new twist. New Suicide Squad-inspired tattoos were added to a more torn, ripped and dirty outfit. A sleeveless jacket and spiked accoutrements completed the punk look, but the real signature piece was Harley’s mohawk, a departure from her usual dip dye hair.

SUPER HERO GIRL

DC Super Hero Girls was a new initiative that would introduce and feature DC’s most prominent female characters like Wonder Woman, Batgirl and Harley Quinn to a younger crowd. It is a line of lighthearted cartoons, books and toys that gives a new spin on all of these characters who, in this universe, are young girls attending school together as friends — a far departure from the more traditional DC Comics fare.

For this new universe, every character was given a completely new design, which includes the inimitable Harley Quinn. Here, the character was given a school blouse that featured her red and black diamonds, with a single portion of her hair highlighted red and blue. This is a much calmer, friendlier version of Harley, while also remaining very much true to who she is, and what she looks like.

THE NEW 52

Before Harley Quinn would get her very own solo series amid the line-wide New 52 relaunch of DC Comics, she would be featured as one of the prominent members of Task Force X in the Suicide Squad title. Harley was previously known to comic readers as a red-and-black court jester outfit-wearing villain, but for this relaunch, she was re-introduced with a completely new look.

Not only was this the first time that the character was associated with the Suicide Squad, it was also the first time time she rocked blue. She wasn’t just wearing white makeup – all of her skin was bleached, with black paint around her eyes instead of a mask. To honor her past costume, she still had the jester collar and a new mallet. In many ways, this would serve as the most direct inspiration for the Suicide Squad movie’s Harley Quinn, after some evolution in the comics toward that direction first.

ARKHAM KNIGHT

For the fourth and closing chapter of the incredibly popular Arkham video game series, Harley Quinn would once again be a part of the story in yet another new iteration of her costume. While Arkham Asylum featured a nurse skirt-wearing Harley and Arkham Asylum introduced a much more efficient look for the super-villainess, Arkham Knight would mix the two up for a signature piece.

Elements of both costumes were present, from the skirt to the pants, from the corset to the shoulder pads, the sleeves to the color pattern. But there was also enough added in to make the look feel completely new. With her bat in tow, Harley made for a fun playable character in her very own story pack, and her costume became its very own kind of classic.

THE CLASSIC

Harley Quinn was first introduced in Batman: The Animated Series in her classic court jester costume, and it’s the look every fan of the character knows to be her one and true outfit. It’s an iconic look that lasted for a very long time in the comic book universe, from when Harley first made the transition from animated screen to comic page to the onset of the New 52 relaunch.

Even after Harley had her new look(s), amid DC’s Rebirth saga, a new back-up feature has been added to Harley’s solo title featuring her back in her classic costume. It’s an outfit that even made a quick appearance in the Suicide Squad movie, in a scene where Harley and Joker are seen dancing together. The character has seen many costume changes over the years, and many more will undoubtedly come, but this is the quinn-tessential look of Harley Quinn.

Which of Harley Quinn’s looks is your favorite? Let us know in the comments!

The post Quinn-tessential: The 15 Coolest Looks Of Harley Quinn appeared first on CBR.

via http://www.cbr.com/harley-quinn-best-looks/
Ian Cardona

Pop-Eyed: The 15 Most Exclusive (And Expensive) Comic Book Funko Pops

San Diego Comic-Con 2017 is just around the corner and for many fans, that means announcements from your favorite comic books or television series, the release of trailers from new, highly-anticipated movies and pictures of the most insane and devoted cosplays out there. But for the collectors, it means something else entirely. It means either waiting in long lines, or saving up money to order exclusive toys and collectibles online. Today, one the most popular and highly sought-after collectibles at SDCC are the Funko Pop vinyl figures.

RELATED: The Most Ridiculous Batman Toy Armor Ever

While many can’t be there in San Diego, most of us will be up all hours of the night scouring the internets to try and find the Pop figures of Rogue One’s Bodhi, Scott Pilgrim with his Sword of Destiny (argh!), Bucky Cap and Wonder Woman’s Ares. But even if we do manage to somehow be lucky enough to find everything on our hunt list, there are still many more Pop figures out there that collectors are hunting for. Not necessarily metallic or flocked or black-and-white variant figures, but figures that were missed out on or that were impossible to get. Today, CBR lists 15 of the rarest Funko Pop figures any collector would want in their collection.

TWO-FACE

Seeing as how Batman is one of the most popular superheroes out there and that his rogues gallery is one of the most recognizable, it makes sense that there are a great number of Funko Pop figures of Batman and his supporting cast. Many of his villains have received the Funko treatment, some of them very recently and others with much more than a single version, like the Joker.

But Two-Face was one of the earliest Batman villains to be featured as a Pop in 2011. As a result, this figure has become quite rare, with only those who got in early on the Funko train able to get one easily. It’s still possible for collectors to find one now, but they will have to shop online to find one, and they will have to pay an average price of $170 to get their hands on this Two-Face figure!

ZOMBIE MERLE DIXON

The Walking Dead television show has reached epic proportions of popularity in pop culture and, after seven seasons, they still aren’t slowing down. New lines of Walking Dead Funko figures are regularly announced, but there are a few variants out there that are very hard to find. Key among them is the Zombie variant of the Merle Dixon Pop.

Released in 2013, when Funko, just like The Walking Dead, was only just starting to get big and popular, this figure was hard to find from the start. Those lucky enough to find it may not wish to part ways with it, considering the popularity of the character and the rarity of the figure itself, but it’s still possible to add this variant to your collection if you’re willing. It will only set you back somewhere around $180.

INDIANA JONES

Indiana Jones is debatably one of the most popular characters in all of pop culture. The demand for a Funko Pop of everyone’s favorite teacher-slash-archeologist was always very vocal, and it may have taken a few years, but Funko finally listened. Released as recently as 2016, this Pop figure was an exclusive to the Funko booth at the San Diego Comic-Con.

While some convention exclusive figures can sometimes be “shared exclusives” that certain chain stores like Gamestop and Hot Topic can receive in limited quantities, this Indiana Jones figure received no such treatment. Only those who attended the convention itself were able to get their hands on it. But you can still find this figure for an average of $230. One thing is for certain, if you do have this one, you’ll be telling everyone it “belongs in a museum.”

SHAZAM

For some reason, some of DC’s most beloved and popular characters received the Pop treatment early on, and never saw a return. Such is the case for this Shazam figure, released in 2011. Among others, like Aquaman and Martian Manhunter, this Pop never saw the wide levels of release new figures get today. In some ways, this would mean that 2011 was the year that started it all for the Pop figures.

Portrayed here in his classic comic book look, Shazam still has not seen a new version of a Pop in the following years, not with his New 52 costume, or his Injustice look. So for fans of Shazam, the only way to have one of your favorite characters on display in your Pop collection is to hunt down this rare figure. The only caveat is that you’ll have to pay upwards of $260 to get it.

TONY STARK (IRON MAN 3)

The Iron Man 3 film came at the height of Marvel Studios’ ever-burgeoning popularity. After the overwhelming response to The Avengers, people were looking at Iron Man 3 as a sequel of sorts to the team-up movie. It made sense then for Funko to release new versions of their Iron Man Pops to match the movie’s release.

Exclusive to San Diego Comic-Con 2013, this Pop figure was an unmasked variant of the regular release of Tony Stark’s Mark 42 armor figure. Shared exclusives didn’t really exist yet in 2013, so this Pop saw a very limited release, and only con attendees were able to get this one. While it might cost you around $270 to get it, it seems like no Iron Man Pop collection would be complete without this exclusive variant.

WHITE WALKER (GLOW-IN-THE-DARK)

Ever since their first appearance in Game of Thrones, the White Walkers have been extremely popular. They are the true face of evil, the very reason the show’s characters have to whisper “Winter is coming.” As the series’ main antagonists, a Pop figure was quickly made to be released in the first wave of Game of Thrones Pop figures.

But a year later, in 2013, the retail chain store HMV had an exclusive Glow-In-The-Dark White Walker figure available for purchase. Today valued at $280, the glow-in-the-dark feature was one very well used to bring even more creepiness to these creatures of the cold. Any Game of Thrones fans would have to hunt down this exclusive figure to have a full and complete set so that when they turn off the lights, they could still see this frightening White Walker glowing in their display.

RED SKULL

In 2011, aka the Golden Age of Pop figures, Marvel, just like DC, had figures of some of their most popular characters as well as some surprising, more obscure ones. Among them was the Red Skull, who was probably released to somewhat tie-in to the release of Captain America: The First Avenger — only it was never advertised or marked as such.

Considering that the movie contributed to the Red Skull’s subsequent popularity and, considering that no actual Marvel Cinematic Universe Pop of the Red Skull was ever made after that, this is the only one that fans of the character, whether from the comics or the movies, can possess. But at an average value of $310, this one just might be all the more harder to find.

GREEN ARROW

This character saw his very own Pop made in 2011, alongside the much sought-after Martian Manhunter, Shazam, Hawkman and Two-Face. But what Funko couldn’t anticipate was how much the character would be shot into the stratosphere of pop culture when The CW series Arrow became and instant hit. All of a sudden, Funko collectors all wanted a figure of Green Arrow.

But seeing as this was the only one at the time, no other release had been made. So for a while, this Pop was on every DC fan’s hunt list. It would be a few years until Funko would release an Arrow line of Pops, but that never came close to stopping collectors from wanting this now very rare figure. And with a value of $340, this Green Arrow figure just might be the one to aim for.

PHOENIX

Just before Funko Pops were about to explode in popularity, it was still relatively easy for collectors to find the figures they most wanted. But that wasn’t the case for this figure of the Phoenix, exclusive only to Seattle’s very own Emerald City Comicon in 2013. At a time when there weren’t that many Marvel Pop figures to collect, mostly classic or connected to the movies, this vinyl figure of the Phoenix was a treat for fans.

As a popular X-Men character, one near and dear to longtime fans of both the comics and the cartoons, this Phoenix figure is both extremely rare and sought after by those who simply couldn’t make it to Seattle, Washington that fateful year. But worry not, if you can afford its $350 value, this figure can be the fiery centerpiece of your collection.

MR. INCREDIBLE (BLUE SUIT)

Another Pop figure released in 2011. Another Pop figure that was exclusive to San Diego Comic-Con. If Pop figure collectors had a time machine, it really seems like SDCC 2011 would be the absolute, most crucial time to go back to. Disney Pixar’s The Incredibles movie has always had a very large fanbase, one that overlapped both Disney and comic book fans.

Not only was this exclusive Pop made quite a few years after the movie’s release, it was also released with Mr. Incredible’s original blue costume. While there is another, also rare version of Mr. Incredible in his red outfit out there, it’s not as rare as this figure, which saw a very limited release of only 480 made. It’s no wonder then that this one has a value of $670. And with a sequel coming, that value could still go up.

RORSCHACH (BLOODY)

The Watchmen Pops were made and released a few years after the movie’s release. In fact, only two characters were ever made: Dr. Manhattan and Rorschach. Seeing as the graphic novel is one of the most revered in the genre, a brilliant classic that stands as a favorite of a lot of comic book readers, these two figures flew off the shelves and both are now very hard to find.

But there was a third Watchmen figure released. A variant of Rorschach, this one covered in blood, released as an exclusive at San Diego Comic-Con in 2013. Somehow, this figure managed to capture even more of the essence of the most popular Watchmen character, and every fan of the graphic novel would be hard-pressed to find another Pop figure they would want more than this one. With only 480 of these made, this one is worth $510.

BIGGS DARKLIGHTER

Who? No, this isn’t Star-Lord we’re talking about. Biggs Darklighter was Luke Skywalker’s best friend from his days on Tatooine, as seen in the original Star Wars movie. A pilot for the Rebellion, one who took the fight to the Death Star in his very own X-Wing, Luke and Biggs fought side-by-side against the Imperial Forces… until, sadly, Darklighter met his end at the hands of Darth Vader.

Biggs may not be the most popular or well-known character from the Star Wars universe, but that’s exactly why this Pop figure is one of the most sought-after by Star Wars fans — because he had a very small role, but a distinguished one that made him recognizable. Exclusive to San Diego Comic-Con in 2012, this Pop had a limited release of 480 and is worth a whopping 1050$. Time to break the piggy bank.

NED STARK (HEADLESS VERSION)

Whether you had read the books before Game of Thrones ever premiered or whether you had never heard of Winterfell or Westeros before you first sat down to watch this HBO series, there is no denying the fact that everyone following the series was horrified to see Ned Stark — the most honorable character of the series — meet his demise at the hands of an executioner.

It was an iconic moment, one that came to define the series; a moment that, as it turns out, would be immortalized in Pop form. Released as an exclusive at San Diego Comic-Con 2013, two years after that moment aired on television, this Pop quickly became one of the most sought-after by fans. With a bit of a larger release of 1008, this one sits at a value of around $690. But with the final seasons of the series approaching, hunting for this one will become increasingly harder.

SHADOW TROOPER

Today, there are many Star Wars Pops out there, and so much more are coming. With the expansion of the movie universe under Disney, there is simply no stopping the franchise. More and more Pops will be released, and their quality and detail will improve with each new line. But, if you really want to prove yourself the ultimate Star Wars fan, then you need this Shadow Trooper figure in your display.

A limited release of 480 in the now legendary and mythical San Diego Comic-Con of the fabled year of 2011, the Shadow Trooper Funko Pop figure is one that is absolutely needed to complete a Stormtrooper display. It’s currently valued at an average price of $1040 and one thing is for certain: if you somehow manage to find and afford this one, you will be shining a bright light on it.

LOKI (THE AVENGERS)

After four years of build-up and five solo movies, The Avengers finally united on-screen in 2012 and the movie was a massive hit. To tie with the movie’s release, Funko had made a line of movie-based Avengers Pops, with characters like Thor, Iron Man and Captain America hitting the shelves. But if a fan wanted a complete set, he needed the movie’s villain as well.

At the time, Loki was the best Marvel villain to grace the screen thanks to his complexity, his villainy and Tom Hiddleston’s brilliant portrayal of the God of Mischief. So for those who were getting in early on the Funko train, this Pop was a real treat to Marvel fans, and it could only be found at San Diego Comic-Con in 2012, a mere few months after The Avengers movie was released. All you need is $1080 to get your hands on one… Happy hunting!

Which Funko Pop do you most want in your collection? Let us know in the comments!

The post Pop-Eyed: The 15 Most Exclusive (And Expensive) Comic Book Funko Pops appeared first on CBR.

via http://www.cbr.com/rarest-funko-pops/
Ian Cardona