Last month’s Absolute Batman #13 introduced the Absolute Universe’s take on Harley Quinn, and like many of the characters who inhabit Gotham City in Darkseid’s timeline, she was near-unrecognisable.
This Harley leads the Red Hood gang and is dedicated to bringing down the mysterious, sinister Joker. The Dark Knight has allied with Harley and her followers, setting the stage for another huge twist; after all, if Batman gets Harley Quinn as his “sidekick,” then it stands to reason that The Joker will get a Robin.
That’s already been hinted at in the series, with it looking increasingly likely that Dick Grayson might somehow find his way into The Joker’s clutches. In issue #9, it was briefly mentioned that he’s an EMT who is no fan of the Caped Crusader’s violent war on crime.
Back to Harley, and while she does operate out of an abandoned amusement park, the character otherwise seems to have little in common with her main DC Universe counterpart (we expect to learn more about her past in upcoming issues of Absolute Batman).
During a recent League of Comic Geeks AMA, Absolute Batman writer Scott Snyder explained how he’s approaching putting a new spin on the Caped Crusader and the allies and enemies who surround him.
“Instead of starting with the gallery of characters and deciding which ones we want to bring in, I’m trying to really focus on Bruce and his story in this universe and let that dictate who shows up and how. He’s a really different version of himself in [the Absolute Universe]. He’s both angrier and more idealistic, he’s young and wild, and he grew up in crime alley with some of the people who eventually become his villains in the main universe.”
“So I sort of start from there and then think about what he would do, who he would know, who he would consider an ally or a friend, he would be suspicious of, and build out from there. When it comes to people who are going to be his real antagonist, I try to think of characters that would give him the hardest time in this version of himself. And then Nick and I discuss how to make them even more difficult and challenging for Bruce, just to be mean.”
Today, we have a new look at Harley Quinn on Derrick Chew’s variant cover for Absolute Batman #14. You can check that out below.
BATMAN AND CATWOMAN VS. BANE! Batman and Catwoman face down Bane in a final battle! But once the dust settles, what will it all mean for the future of Batman? $4.99 11/12/2025
ABSOLUTE BATMAN #14
Written by SCOTT SNYDER
Art & Cover by NICK DRAGOTTA
