Superhero of the Month - Brian Gubicza's Harley Quinn

Harley Quinn by Brian Gubicza

Congratulations, Brian! With the most votes, Brian wins this month's contest and the prize offered by Heebeegeebeez, Harley & Ivy: Love on the Lam! Brian also has the option to join us in judging March's Aquaman: Sea Change entries.

Huge thanks to everyone who participated! This month's contest was the biggest one yet, and I was blown away by the quality of the entries submitted. Let's work on making our part of the Aquaman crossover just as spectacular!

Just as a heads up, it'll be a few days before I put up the entries received so far for Aquaman. Project: Rooftop and Superhero Coco are posting theirs in the next couple of days, and we'll publish ours after that.

Thanks again to everyone for their participation, the guest judges, and Heebeegeebeez for sponsoring the contest! Give them all some love, and congratulate Brian on his spectacular win in the comments below! See you all again in a couple of days!

Harley Quinn Finalists

Here are your Harley Quinn Finalists for February! Be sure to check them out, and check the bottom for new details on voting!

Shen Travis

Jon: Good lace/white on the gloves and leggings. Not a huge change from normal, other than the bikini top (which I don't love).


Rachel: While the outfit is fun, it was the facial expression I really appreciated.


Supehero of the Month (SHotM): This is probably the least "clothed" Harley, but it doesn't feel exploitive to me. I love how the skirt and pants give fluidity to Harley's movements. The loose leggings/pants are probably my favorite thing about this piece, along with the hair ribbons.

Brian Gubicza

Jon: Great art style, and the costume has been reworked interestingly retro feel, Cooke influence; overall nice!


SHotM: Probably one of the more unique takes on the character, particularly in terms of style. And I love it. The mask is great, and I love the transitions from red to black. So untraditional for Harley in its execution, and that's what works for it.

Rachel:  I love how stylized this version is.  It reminds me of Harley Quinn meets 40s house wife.

Robert Schilling

SHotM: This piece is amazing. There's so much to take in. I love the ridiculously long sleeves; you never would know what she's hiding under there! But I also think it's great that she's got shorter sleeves underneath. What really sells me is that mask. It's so haunting, and it reminds me of the mask worn by the Joker's kinda-sorta girlfriend in Batman.

Jon: This is good for its real-world feel. The leather and lace are almost palpable; the mask, however, doesn't look like her real face. This would work for a movie, but has a much harder time translating to the comic medium. 

Rachel: This idea of a solid mask sold me.  It plays with the idea that Harley could be just as dangerous as Joker, because you don't know what's going on under there.

Michelle Sciuto

Rachel: I have to agree with everyone else, here.  The hoodie is fun and never before seen.  It is true to form in conveying the original feel of the costume, and your eyes barely notice how much it's been modernized.


SHotM: Amazing. The simple change of the horizontal stripes on Harley's torso really changes the dynamic, I also think the white boots and lace on the hips/thighs really adds a much-needed brighter color. And the hood is inspired; it's a great way of reminding us of Harley's iconic uniform, while keeping things fresh.

Jon: Decent redesign; the thigh flares are a bit silly, but add contrast. I like the boots...simple and functional.

Julian GD

SHotM: There's a lot of fun to be had with this design. The style is so cartoony, yet her face is so menacing! I enjoy how the red/black dynamic has been switched up again here. I'd kind of like to see more red on the legs in a spot or two, but I think leaving her arms bare almost makes up for that, as it adds more color to the piece. I also like the black and white hearts on the torso and chest.

Jon: Animated Series-esque simple and functional, utilizing the preset color scheme with the hearts drawing attention to the center of the uniform. Fun!

So there you go! Thanks to our guest judges Jon and Rachel from Heebeegeebeez, YestherDey, and Jake Black!

Voting is going to work a little differently this time. If you remember, we had a big problem with votes disappearing in the last poll. This was a problem within Google, and there was nothing we could do about it. Instead, we conducted the votes through the comments. That worked out pretty well, and we're going to try it again. Just put the name of the person you think did the best redesign of Harley Quinn in the comments and post. Most votes wins. Voting ends February 27 at 8:00 PM MST.

Harley Quinn Results - Part X

Submissions are closed, so with that, here are the final entries for this month's contest!

Lee Chen Fang

"Making Harley Quinn more fashionable and giving her a touch of royalty, as Harley sees herself as the Queen of the Joker: the King of her affection."

Alex Getts

"Ineligible as she may be, I still wanted to include my Harley in the submissions. I actually wanted to do a new Harley for the contest, but February has been a ridiculously busy month. In any case, I wanted to keep some elements of her classic costume in play, but take her a bit more towards Arkham Asylum, without overly vamping the character. I think the miniskirt plays up her 'seductive' side, but it also works as a distraction; Harley's hardcore -- I mean, she whacks people with an over-sized mallet! My favorite part about my redesign are the boots and the spiked gloves."

Omar I. Landeros

"Harley is one of my favorite characters, and I've always thought that there couldn't be a better costume for her, so I had to think outside the box for this one. Not delving too far into the Nolan-verse I thought that realistically, if she's a psychiatrist in Arkham, she could very well afford a nice, cusome-made suit. Aesthetically, I was going for something expensive but fun that would let her move around, yet be a bit protective, all the while keeping that 'Harley-something' we all love."

Joel Sigua

"Harley's always been one of my favorite characters.  I wanted to make her a bit more sexy while still retaining the familiar elements of her original costume."

Caanan Grall

"A little bit psychiatrist, a little bit screwball (or cueball) and totally a summer-only outfit. The pigtails are attached to the red cueball mask. Imagine trying to pull that hair through tiny holes every time? That's a lot of wasted minutes!"

Julian GD

"For my design, I wanted to stay true to the animated version of Harley, so I kept it simple. I wanted to convey that playful attitude, while keeping in mind that she's pretty much insane. I tried to keep the costume very acrobatic looking, and I kept the original color scheme, 'cause it just works so well."

Vince Bayless

"My take is based on some photos of Marlene Dietrich I was looking at, along with the idea of dressing Harley like her puddin', the Joker."

Peter Dora

"I wanted to create a silent and creepy Harley, who's costume seems like it shows off a little more of what she is capable of.  In the comics, she is very acrobatic and graceful -- in a crazy way, of course. I wanted to make her this sort of deranged ballerina that hides behind a harlequin mask, and is crazy enough to love and follow the Joker.  She doesn't mind getting bloody, and doesn't think to clean it off when it's all over her."

Sylvia Draw

"I tried to keep the harlequin/clown esthetic, but a sexy version!"

Editor's note: You can see more of Sylvia's Haley redesign in action here!

Colin Cronin

"This redesign was inspired by the realization that if the Joker is a mob boss, then Harley would be his 'moll'. So, in this version, Harley is a kept woman (complete with Hyena fur coat), and the Joker keeps her around to look pretty -- but she can always pull out the giant mallet when needed."

Well, what do you all think? Let us know in the comments below! Be sure to check out all the other Harley entries for this month in Harley Quinn Results - Parts I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII and IX, and please give some love to February's sponsor, Heebeegeebeez Comics & Games! They've been great to us, please be great to them!

Stay tuned for the Harley finalists!

Harley Quinn Results - Part IX

With today and tomorrow left in the Harley Quinn contest, we've received another killer redesign!

Michelle Sciuto

Michelle didn't have anything to say about her Harley redesign, but I think we can all say "awesome!"

Arlen Raitt

"This redesign was difficult to do because Harley is one of those characters whose design was so perfect straight from the get-go. I tried to keep the playful aspect and emphasize the sexiness."

What do you all think? Let us know in the comments below! And be sure to check out Harley Quinn Results - Parts I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII and VIII for all the other great redesigns thus far! Also, show some love to Heebeegeebeez Comics, our wonderful sponsor for this month's contest! And stay tuned for more fantastic redesigns!

Harley Quinn Results - Part VIII

As we've hit the last week for Harley submissions, some great new redesigns have come in. Here's another:

Rose Raimundo

"When I saw the contest, my first thought actually went to a dress hanging in my closet that inspired my re-design. I wanted to keep some elements of Harley's original design, so I stayed with the black and red color scheme but added a touch of pink to the plaid. Flirty and fun, the re-design allows Harley to continue her antics in her acrobatic style, but now with a bit of fashionable flare!"

What do you guys think? Sound off in the comments below! Be sure to check out all of the harlequin shenanigans in Harley Quinn Results - Parts I, II, III, IV, V, VI and VII. Be sure to check out the Official Contest Announcement, and check out our wonderful sponsor, Heebeegeebeez Comics & Games! 

Harley Quinn Results - Part VII

A couple of Superhero of the Month regulars give us some fantastic Harley redesigns!

Kevin Prieto

"Harley Quinn was kind of one of those characters that I really like but, given the concept, I think had all kinds of little roads she could have taken. When I first heard Harley Quinn's back story, I thought there was a lot of room for a really sad/romantic character, and not just another fun clown that kills folks (as awesome as that is). You know, Harleen wasn't crazy, she wasn't evil. She just happened to have fallen in love with a nut bag and she'd do anything to impress him. People do stupid things to impress people they fall for. I also tried putting a feeling of respectability on her face. Like, you know, this chick wouldn't normally be doing this; she's a professional psychologist parading around as a killer clown."

Hector Barros

"I wanted to give her more of a minstrel/bard look -- a bit of Hamelin, a bit of Acrobat. I deleted the mask because everybody knows who she is, and she doesn't give a s***."


Next comes a new entry from an Israeli artist:

Nitsan Hayenau

"I often thought Quinn is a very good character, but sometimes her appearance in the DC universe was very awkward to me; every time when she showed up near other DC characters, she seemed a bit detached from her surroundings. So my first task, blending her in so not just anyone would notice her presence, was a bit hard. Second task was to make her recognizable as Quinn. I chose to modernize and extend her looks a bit. I think the outcome is almost a direct extension of her traditional look."

What do you guys think? Let us know in the comments below! And be sure to check out all the past Harley entries from the month in Harley Quinn Results - Parts I, II, III, IV, V and VI! Also be sure to give some love to our sponsor, Heebeegeebeez Comics, and check out the Official Contest Announcement for details on the Harley Contest!

Harley Quinn Results - Part VI

Tim Thompson

"It seems I ended up with a sort of ringmaster/cowboy look to her, with a slight punk rock twist..."

Joker Little

"I wanted to lean away from the pin-up comic relief angle and more towards the idea of a grimy brain washed lunatic cheerleader of a mass murderer. Also I wanted to have the clothing be unique but not so outlandish you would need a costume department to put it together. I definitely wandered pretty far into the Nolan camp here."

What do you think? Sound off in the comments, and be sure to check out Harley Quinn Results - Parts I, II, III, IV and V to see other harlequin antics. Details on the Harley Quinn contest can be viewed here, and be sure to show some love to our sponsor, Heebeegeebeez Comics! 

Harley Quinn Results - Part V

A couple of regular contestants give us their takes on Harley Quinn:

Robert Schilling

"For Harley's redesign I wanted to give her a more realistic, grim look without totally diving into the Nolan-verse. I like the idea of her being an acrobat of sorts, using her reflexes and agility against opponents instead of relying on gadgets and such like The Joker. Being a psychiatrist, she has to spend her days acting cool and collected behind a desk. But when she puts on her mask, she's able to release her child-like raw emotion and liberate herself from the daunting tasks she used to practice. She plays dress up to escape the grim world around her and her ignorance becomes the source of all her irrational actions."

*Editor's Note: SHotM is a self-proclaimed "relatively family-friendly" site. We're dealing with superheroes, so there are bound to be darker themes from time to time. However, I've had to reject a couple of pieces on grounds of nudity/sexuality. While Robert's amazing piece certainly doesn't fit that criteria, some may find Harley's "gesture" offensive. I certainly never want to censor anyone, but I also don't want to receive angry parent e-mails. So, if you want to see Robert's piece "unfiltered", click here.

Ross Radke

"I'm not particularly fond of Harley Quinn, but as a childhood of fan of the the Batman animated series I knew all I needed to know about the character to tackle this redesign. Any woman sick enough to consider herself the Joker's girlfriend would have to be more than a bit off. While there's definitely a bit of a sex thing going on, I didn't want to make her 'sexy'. She a sick sado-masochistic clown, a female J. Wayne Gacy. She cuts herself."


What do you all think? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to check out Harley Quinn Results - Parts I, II, III, and IV. There's still plenty of time to submit, so be sure to check out the Official Contest Announcement, and our Sponsor Spotlight on Heebeegeebeez Comics!

Harley Quinn Results - Part IV

Three new entries from three new contributors! Check them out!

Brian Gubicza

"I wanted to create a costume that reflected both the sophistication of a doctor, and the off-the-wall nature of a clown; or the feeling of one getting dressed in the dark. I imagine that she would wear tights under her skirt and a pair of boxing boots for quick, lightweight foot work."

Joe Hanus

"I went with a look that would fit in with the Ledger style Joker."

Vincent Istria

"My Harley Quinn looks like a Japanese gothic Lolita, with her skirt and her trash makeup. I realize she isn't exactly appropriately dressed for acrobatics, but I like this kind of paradox."


What do you all think? Let us know in the comments below! And be sure to check out all the Harley Quinn madness in Harley Quinn Results - Parts I, II and III, our Official Contest Announcement, and our Sponsor Spotlight on Heebeegeebeez Comics!

Harley Quinn Results - Part III

Shen Travis

"I gave her costume sort of a dancer's vibe so she can still do her acrobatics. I adore her blonde pigtails so I kept them visible."

Joshua Walters

"I've always loved Harley Quinn, and I've always thought that when Harley made her jump to the comics there should have been a slight redesign to take advantage of that forum. For my redesign I tried to maintain some of her basic colors, but also inject more elements of color. I thought pigtails under the hood would be a great way to keep with the spirit of the first design, but also add an additional color element and, of course, the possibility of movement.  Harley is the ultimate example of girls being attracted to bad boys, and what better signifies that than a girl wearing her boyfriend's (biker/letterman's) jacket?"


What do you all think? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to check out Harley Quinn Results - Parts I and II, the Official Contest Announcement, and be sure to give some love to our sponsor, Heebeegeebeez Comix & Games!

Harley Quinn Results - Part II

New Harley Quinn's! Caitie, a first-time SHotM contributor, sent us this adorable Harley:

Caitie Hinchey

"I had fun coloring [Harley.] :)"


Next is Rofe's Harley:

Rofe

"It's a sexy costume for a sexy character... but still for 'all ages'."

What do you think? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to check out Harley Quinn Results - Part I, the Official Contest Announcement, and our Sponsor Spotlight on Heebeegeebeez Comix and Games!

Harley Quinn Results - Part I

Warren Newsom strikes again with the first Harley redesign:

Warren Newsom

"I wanted Harley to look flirty and fun, so while I got rid of the pigtails, I gave her a cute, short 'do. I ditched the domino mask in favor of more harlequin-esque face paint.  Her shoulder bag is inspired by Felix the Cat’s bag of tricks."


Next  up are several newer and first-time contributors! 

Ciro Di Lella

Editor's Note - Ciro didn't leave us any thoughts on their piece.

Eric Stettmeier

"I redesigned Harley Quinn with the Chris Nolan vision of Gotham's finest in mind. I wanted to give her a realistic edge so she could exist in the 'real' world as envisioned in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. To be the girlfriend of the Joker as imagined in The Dark Knight, Harley would also be physically scarred, but I took the concept one further and gave her self inflicted scars upon her wrists and neck as well as her smile - taking the 'Mad Love' angle one step further. In addition I imagined her as an addict because, homicidal tendencies, heavy drug use and suicidal tendencies would be required in anyone who hopes to win the heart of the Joker."

Richard JP Le Guen

"A few things I wanted out of this Harley design: I didn't want her to be a stripper (like the Arkham Asylum redesign) and while I wanted a punk influence, I didn't want her to be too Brody Dalle. While Harley's hardcore and bat**** crazy, she's also cute and playful. When you clad her in leather and an excess of belt buckles you lose that part of her personality. I went with a slightly more Avril Lavigne fan-girl look and was inspired by Lavigne's hoodie-with-horns as a means to include more of the original design."

John Erickson

"Harley Quinn, as she might appear in the Batman movies directed by Chris Nolan. 

Harley's re-re-designed costume for the upcoming game Arkham City already looks Nolanverse-ish, so I used that as my jumping off point, but it needed some changes. First, I replaced her thigh-high platform boots with something a little more practical, a pair of steel-toed s***-kickers. Then I added a white, button-down shirt, to reference that she used to be a respected professional. I gave her back her mask, because I think that's an important part of her look, but I got rid of the makeup. Finally, I took her traditional weapons, a comically oversized pop gun and mallet, and brought them down to a more real, dangerous place."

Aldo Ojeda

"I wanted a more traditional harlequin suit for this one, adding a kinky twist. I tried to keep it almost monochromatic, with just a few hints of color in the cheeks and fingernails, leaving the skin and hair almost white."

Matthew Wills

Editor's Note: Matthew didn't leave any thoughts on his piece.

Oliver Röppnack

"Years on the road with 'Puddin´' has left poor Harley scarred, both physically and emotionally. Now the once beautiful and witty Harley is nothing more than a mindless Killer Doll obeying the Joker's commands without questioning, no matter how depraved they may be."


What do you all think? So far, every take is different, and that's just what I hoped for!

Be sure to check out the Official Contest Announcement for all the details on the Harley Quinn contest, and our Sponsor Spotlight on Heebeegeebeez Comics, our sponsor for February!

Sponsor Spotlight - Heebeegeebeez Comics

 

Heebeegeebeez opened in Ogden, Utah in 1995. Specializing in rare and hard to find items, they can special order anything for the customer. Their shops carry comics, magazines, manga, anime, dvds, cds, lps (vinyl), video games, statues, posters, skateboards, board games, t-shirts, statues, toys, RPGs, CMGs, and CCGs, as well as collecting and protecting supplies. Their selection of classic import, and modern toys can't be beat!  They've sold items online since opening around the world. 

For 10 years they co-organized the Utah Toy Show, the largest convention in the state, boasting 10,000 attendees over the course of the weekend. They have participated in comic, toy, and gaming conventions across the country.  

Heebeegeebeez was included in the vendor villages of Lollapalooza and the Curiosa festivals, expanding their brand to 45 different cities in the U.S. and Canada. Boasting Utah's largest collection of: Star Wars toys and memorabilia,  Magic: The Gathering products (including over 5 million individual single cards), and variant cover comic books numbering in the thousands, Heebeegeebeez shops host gaming tournaments from the casual level to professional for Magic, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pokemon, Star Wars mini's, and Heroclix at their Layton and Ogden locations. 

Heebeegeebeez is on the verge of opening a new shop, which will be the largest comic shop in the world (verified with Diamond Comic Distributors as far as on-hand shoppable product). The new shop will feature over two million (6,000+ longboxes) classic-to-modern back issues and trade paperbacks. 

Interested in comic subscriptions? Heebeegeebeez offers free bags and boards and a 10% discount to their hold customers! If you need your items shipped, they offer very competitive rates and services to get your books to you (we currently ship to many armed forces customers deployed worldwide)!  Subscribers also receive Premier Quality Handling (the best condition books selected by Heebeegeebeez prior to placing product out for the general public), and first choice on variant comics. Hold customers are able to update their subscriptions via email/phone/website/Facebook, in addition to in-shop! As of January of 2011, every Wednesday customers are able to choose some "Absolutely Free Comics" featuring back issues pulled from our overstock warehouse when picking up comics in-store on Wednesdays!

Get the Heebeegeebeez newsletter via their website, subscription service, or Facebook and get access to exclusive sales and promotional offerings!


Be sure to check out the Official Contest Announcement for details on submitting to the Harley Quinn contest! Heebeegeebeez is giving a copy of Harley & Ivy: Love on the Lam to the lucky winner of the contest!

OFFICIAL CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT - HARLEY QUINN

Quinn's standard costume.
Art by Terry and Rachel Dodson.
Image from Wikipedia.

Harley Quinn originally appeared in the classic Batman: The Animated Series as the Joker's accomplice and girlfriend. Since her debut in 1992, she transitioned into the comic world in a similar role. She also frequently partners with Poison Ivy and, more recently, Catwoman in Gotham City Sirens.

Harley has maintained roughly the same look seen to the right. Her harlequin's outfit has undergone little -- if any -- change in the last eighteen years.

Perhaps the most significant change to Harley's appearance has been in the game Batman: Arkham Asylum and its upcoming sequel Arkham City (see below).

Harley is special in regards to redesigns. What has been done in terms of redesigns has been so radically different than her original incarnation, and so much can be done that will retain her visual identity, but still offer up something unique and fresh.

This month's contest is sponsored by the good folks at Heebeegeebeez Comix and Games, operating out of locations in Ogden and Layton, Utah. They are providing a copy of Harley and Ivy: Love on the Lam for the winner of the contest. Stay tuned to Superhero of the Month for a spotlight on Heebeegeebeez in the coming days!

Have fun with your Harley Quinn submissions! They are due to superheroofthemonth@gmail.com by February 20 at 8:00 PM MST but, as always, earlier submissions are encouraged. Submissions will be posted between now and the 20th. Be sure to check the guidelines for further information. Good luck!

Harley as she appears in Arkham Asylum (left) and Arkham City (right). Images courtesy of the Batman Wiki.