There's an awareness of which moments shouldn't be shackled with extended word counts and dialogue is often packed into dense, yet well-defined, individual pages. While these captions sometimes near the precipice of telling more than showing, they never approach the burdensome, text-laden pages that are the downfall of many current DC comics. Šejić maintains a clear focus on Harleen, even when Batman and Joker are engaged in spectacular splash-filled combat, through the use of an ongoing, interior monologue. Their fateful meeting is heavily foreshadowed, but the vast majority of this hefty read is dedicated to exploring Harleen's motives and direction as a caring physician with ambitions and desires that are entirely her own. Joker appears early in the story, but his appearance provides an inciting event which Harleen may respond to rather than a character that chooses on Harleen's behalf. Joker, Batman, and plenty of other familiar characters are present in this story, but it's Dr. Harleen shifts that narrative in a significant fashion, one that emphasizes Harleen's own agency. Her origin is framed as a Joker story, one in which Batman's archnemesis corrupts a young psychiatrist and transforms her into a new member of the Gotham City rogues gallery. Harleen Quinzel is typically defined by outside actors.
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