Harleen from Stjepan Šejić is the latest in a week full of DC announcements. Revealed on Friday, the comic will follow Harley Quinn in a limited run from DC’s Black Label imprint with Šejić (Aquaman: Underworld, Suicide Squad, Sunstone) writing and illustrating. Though it’s a short run at just three issues, each will be oversized editions in large-print format, perfect for showing off Šejić’s stylish interiors.
PR for Harleen that this story will set up the Harley Quinn and Joker dynamic. It’s pitched as a tragedy; a doctor makes one slip, falls for one patient and her life is permanently altered. From the onset, Dr. Harleen Quinzel is a hero trying to cure Gotham’s psychological misgivings. She’s even developed a cure for what she believes is the root of the city’s criminal activity. Quinzel is a brilliant scientist, but the odds are stacked against her. Gotham, the corrupt city that it is, pits its criminal justice and mental health establishments against her, forcing her into the arms of Joker. In spite of her good nature, Dr. Quinzel becomes the notorious Harley Quinn.
Šejić uses that as the core of his idea. He says “Harleen is a story of a flawed person who meant well, a doctor who fell in love with her patient. It is a story of her road to hell—paved with good intentions—and a smile that cost her her soul. More than anything it is a tale about good people falling. Falling in love, falling from grace, and falling apart.”
Although Šejić has worked with the character before, this is the first time it’ll be official. On Twitter, the artist has regularly posted his own depictions of the character like the one below.


On Thursday, DC announced Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy, making Harleen the second Harley Quinn book announced this week. Šejić’s upcoming story goes monthly beginning on September 25, with a collection arriving later on in spring of 2020. Until then, we’ve got a first look at interior and cover art.
Harleen Harleen Harleen Harleen