WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Harley Quinn #4 by Stephanie Phillips, Riley Rossmo, Ivan Plascencia, Andworld Design, on sale now.
Harley Quinn has been trying to turn over a new leaf as of late, wishing to be more of an active force for good in Gotham City than ever before. Unfortunately, this has been harder for her than she anticipated. The Joker's latest attack on the city only made things even more difficult. She recently came to the realization that although she doesn't have to become an imitation of Batman in order to make a difference in Gotham, being able to mimic him does come with certain advantages, a fact she proves when she attempts to break into the new lair of Hugo Strange.
Harley was having something of an identity crisis, questioning her ability to do anything positive in Gotham City. Thus far, all of her attempts had only made things worse or just resulted in more people getting hurt. The latest mishap resulted in all the members of a support group she set up getting dragged off to Hugo Strange's new facility. Feeling dejected, Harley ended up in the sewers where she encountered Solomon Grundy.
Harley spoke with Grundy over a game of chess, venting her frustrations about her foiled efforts and how angry she was with herself. But Grundy gave her some surprisingly good advice, reminding her with a few words that she is Harley Quinn.
Realizing that he meant she was a unique individual, Harley found her resolve. The reason she had been failing so far was that she was trying to act more like Batman, and she would have to be herself if she wanted to succeed. Harley's edge comes from her wild and unpredictable nature, and putting that aside severely limits her effectiveness to save the day.
Harley then got all dressed up in a colorful new outfit complete with a cape. Arriving at S.A.F.E. headquarters, she saw some of the orderlies unloading supplies for Strange and unfortunately for them, blocking Harley's entrance. But even though Harley had decided to not be Batman, that didn't mean she couldn't use his reputation to her advantage. Sticking her fingers up to look like bat ears, she put on her deepest voice and uttered the classic line "I am the night..." Not wanting any trouble from the grim protector of Gotham City, the orderlies elected to flee, leaving their posts unguarded.
While she was imitating the Dark Knight, the moment itself was all Harley. She's never really been a fan of the dark and grim Batman aesthetic, but she can't deny that the fear tactics he employs are effective. And that's another part of how being herself makes her so effective. Her irreverence for even the most serious heroes or villains means they can rarely keep her down for long and her past as a psychologist means she knows what makes them so effective and can even use it herself, turning the tables on them.
Harley may still be figuring out what her place is in Gotham, but she has taken the first major step forward by deciding to be the best hero that she can be by being herself.
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