Harley Quinn’s New Costume Reveals Her True Self in Hilarious Cover Art

She’s been wearing the aesthetics for years, but Harley Quinn has finally become the singing jester she was always meant to be in a brand new variant cover for Dark Knights of Steel. The series reinvents the heroes and villains of the DC Universe as traditional fantasy roles to tell an epic sword and sorcery tale. Harley is no different, donning her classic harelquin outfit with a few era-appropriate touches to fit into this new medieval world.

Dark Knights of Steel by Tom Taylor and Yasmie Putri begins with a classic Elseworlds-type setup. Rocketed to safety from a dying Krypton, baby Kal-El is joined by his father and mother, Jor-El and Lara only to land in a Middle-Age era Earth. The Kryptonian family quickly gain powers from the sun and create a kingdom, kicking off a story filled with epic adventures, deadly alliances, and a brewing war.

Writer Tom Taylor excitedly revealed the variant cover for Dark Knights of Steel #4 on Twitter, crediting artist Joshua Middleton. The cover shows a Harley Quinn wearing an outfit very similar to her old getup during her days as the Joker’s sidekick, though without a mask and quite a number of bells attached. Harley is sitting on a wooden cask and belting out a tune as she plays a mandolin. Judging by the empty cup nearby, it seems she may have enjoyed a drink or two before trying her hand at the instrument.

Harley, of course, takes her name from the classic clown archetype “Harlequin” often seen in Commedia dell’arte performances and known as a servant and trickster-like character. Even before being reinvented, Harley often fulfilled the role of classic jester character in the main DC Universe, speaking the obvious to those unwilling to hear it, sometimes plotting her own plan in the background. But with Dark Knights of Steel, Harley Quinn can fully embrace her namesake’s history by acting as the Court of El’s royal jester, delivering news with a mischievous air about her. How Harley plans to handle the coming struggle between kingdoms in the coming days is unknown, but for now, she’s content to simply tell a joke, take a drink and sing a song.

Harley Quinn is a fun character that can adapt to almost any situation and add a bit of humor when needed. If Dark Knights of Steel takes inspiration from the Renaissance stories that spawned it, the dark days ahead will no doubt feature betrayal, bloodshed and death as warring factions come to a clash. The dire world will need a bit of merriment and no one is better suited to the job than Harley Quinn, who no doubt has biting commentary in the form of a song ready to go.

Source: Twitter

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