Hey everyone, Ariel here with my recap of all things Harley at New York Comic Con! I had such a fantastic time, especially as Harley was such a big focus this year. It seemed like everywhere I turned, there was either a promo for the new television series or Birds of Prey, amazing art, or incredibly creative cosplays. I’m already super ready for the arrival of the Harley Quinn series, and all of the focus only hyped it up even more! Without further ado, let’s get into it:
Thursday was the first day of the con, with lots to get done on my end! My first stop was the DC Universe booth to start collecting those awesome Harley pins. Day one included our girl Harley, in addition to Dr. Psycho. For those who couldn’t attend NYCC, we may have a couple extra pins to give out. Stay tuned!
With pins in hand, I continued to explore the DC Universe booth. The Birds of Prey costumes were up on display, and I’m unashamed to admit that I spent quite a long time looking at them, trying to absorb every detail of the new costumes. Harley’s new costume was especially fascinating; I mean, have you guys seen it? The police tape sleeves are an incredibly fun touch, and it was thrilling to be able to soak in the costume in such close proximity. If the costumes are anything to go off of, Birds of Prey looks to be wittingly fun, charming, and full of Harley; is it February, yet?
Would you believe that as soon as I pulled away from the costume displays, a BoP Harley cosplayer strutted by? Given that the trailer had come out merely days prior, many onlookers were pleasantly surprised by the cosplay and stopped to take a picture. Given the time crunch, I wasn’t able to snap a picture for y’all, but I’m sure there will be plenty of BoP Harleys at future cons!
Later in the evening, a colleague and I headed to the DC Universe HQ for a press reception. Given that I’m quite new to the press world, little ole me was both terribly excited and quaking in her boots. Though, in retrospect, the boots thing was probably my fault; who in their right mind wears heels to Comic Con? Lesson learned, and then learned again after walking up the four flights of stairs to reach the reception room. I’ll tell you one thing, though, DC Universe sure knows how to put on a nice event. Between the cool atmosphere, the delicious food, and the wonderful company, I felt right at ease and had a great time mingling. For those who attended con, if you didn’t get a chance to check out DCU HQ, you really missed out! Make sure to put it high on your list for next year.
If you missed any of the big news released during this reception, here’s a little recap!
- The Harley Quinn series finally got a release date! The first episode will debut on November 29, 2019.
- A new anthology series is coming to DC Universe: BizarroTV. The series is created in partnership with Blue Ribbon Content and will be focused on exclusive mixed media.
- Some new home video releases that will be coming to the DC Universe in 2020: Wonder Woman: Bloodlines, Superman: Red Son and Justice League Dark: Apocalypse.
- A big focus on the DC Universe community, “Community Week” launching on October 24, 2019
- DCU Unscripted! In partnership with Ideas United, DC Universe is inviting emerging creators and dedicated fans alike to submit unscripted series ideas, drawing on all things DC.
- Last but certainly not least, artist Amanda Conner unveiled a new Harley Quinn original art piece created exclusively for The Fantabulous Evolution of One Harley Quinn Gallery immersive pop-up installation at DCU HQ. Conner also revealed the cover art for a new Harley Quinn and the Birds of Prey comic book coming in February 2020.
After the reception, I headed up to check out the Harley Quinn pop-up installation. The pop up featured our girl Harley in an immersive gallery experience. The walls were garnished with beautiful pieces of Harley artwork, showcasing both her history and path in the future. My favorite part about the gallery were the multiple concept-art pieces, detailing Harley’s design for the animated series. I think the final look is perfect, and I cannot wait for you to see Harley in action when the show comes out.
On Friday, after securing my daily Harley pin, I had the absolute pleasure to interview Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker, two of the executive producers on the Harley Quinn series. You guys will be able to see the interview in its entirety soon, I promise! For now, I’ll just say that I had a great time asking questions about what we can expect from the show in addition to the different inspirations behind it. You guys are gonna love it. Thanks again, Justin and Patrick!
Throughout the day, I continued to notice how Harley’s presence was really highlighted at NYCC. At Artist’s Alley, you couldn’t walk past five tables without seeing artwork of Harley on display; and great artwork, at that! On the show floor, I spotted so many different variations of Harley merchandise, truly a wide selection for fans to choose from. From a personal standpoint, I can tell you that my wallet was not very happy with me, but it’s all in good spirit, right? The only item I wasn’t able to grab was one of the exclusive Harley Quinn shirts featured at the DCU reception. DCU, would you be so kind as to let us know where we could get our hands on those?
On Saturday, I attended a really interesting panel highlighting future Harley Quinn comics. For those who want more specifics on the comics, here’s the details!
- Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass – Written by Mariko Tamaki, with art by Steve Pugh. A young adult graphic novel on sale now!
- Harley Quinn monthly series - Written by Sam Humphries, with art by Sami Basri; Issue #66 on sale in October.
- Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity – Written by Kami Garcia; art by Mico Suayan and Mike Mayhew; Issue #1 on sale now!
- Harley Quinn: Villain of the Year – Written by Mark Russell; issue #1 on sale December 18th.
- Birds of Prey - Written by Brian Azzarello; Art by Emanuela Lupacchino and Ray McCarthy; Issue #1 on sale in February 2020.
Given that I’m quite new to the comics world, I was intrigued by the different plotlines addressed during the panel. I won’t give anything away, but the new comics offer different perspectives on Harley’s story. Many of them seem to focus more on Harley’s character and her place in the world, and I loved hearing the panelists offer their own perspectives on what makes her such an important figure. If you’re a fan of Harley in comics, I highly recommend that you give these upcoming issues a spin as well.
Sunday, the unfortunate last day of con, had the best panel yet! Over at the Hulu theater, we got to watch the first episode of the Harley Quinn series. I think I’ve seen the first episode about six times now, and it still makes me cry from laughter. I got to see the first episode of the series back during San Diego Comic Con, where it was received with just as much laughter and applause. For those wanting a spoiler-free recap, check out our comments here! We’ll be releasing a recap dripping with spoilers as soon as the show comes out, but for now, our previous recap will give you a general gist of what to expect.
So there you have it, everything Harley Quinn over at NYCC! This was my first time at this con, and I loved every minute of it. The East-Coast experience, unbeatable location, amazing cosplayers, and of course, everything Harley Quinn made my experience unforgettable, and I can’t wait to go back next year!
