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Recently, I have been interested in the psychology of the villain.

With the release of the movie Joker, this topic has come to the forefront. Now, this character is a murderous psychopath, his motivations are often unknown, and he has so many backstories it’s hard to know which one may be real, if any. But the movie doesn’t ask you to empathise with the Joker, but simply to understand him and watch his story unfold. What could create such a ‘monster?� Is it trauma, society, or something deeper? Something scarier; something inside us all.

The same questions, to a lesser extent, were raised around Marvel’s supervillain, Thanos. Some people (and there is a thread on Reddit regarding this very topic) believed that he may have had the right idea to eliminate half of the population of the universe. He spoke of balance, and this would be indiscriminate, those left behind would survive and have the means to. Even Captain America noticed the whales in the seas and the cleaner water since ‘the snap,� although he could never really believe it was the right thing to do. But why do some of us associate more with Thanos?

Why do some people have Joker tattoos, and that’s seen as cool, when a Charles Manson tattoo is seen as grotesque? Is it the Joker’s style? His character? Does it have less impact because he is fictional?

This bring us to Harleen Frances Quinzell. She was created originally (over 25 years ago) as a villain; the Joker’s girlfriend and sidekick. She has stolen, terrorised, murdered. Some would say she was under the Joker’s control, trapped inside a physically and emotionally violent relationship. Others would suggest she made her own choices. After her popularity soared, she was turned into more of an anti-hero. She fought beside Batman, even helped take down the Joker. She fights for the rights of animals, helps children and the downtrodden, and she is kind to her friends.

Full disclaimer: I adore Harley. I have all the merch. And when I say all the merch, I mean ALL the merch. I have a portrait of Harley Quinn tattooed across half of my back. I’m counting down the days until Birds of Prey and hope to hell it’s better than Suicide Squad. Although the sequel to SS is shaping up to be wayyyyyy better (thank you James Gunn).

This leads me (finally) to a review of Harleen, Book One of Three, which is essentially a re-telling of her origin story. And I loved it. The reader is granted a look into the psychology of the one-time criminal psychologist, knowing how she turns out, and being allowed to deep dive into how it all happened. The art is fantastic, some of the images, such as Harley walking into Arkham Asylum for the first time and her shadow a glimpse into her villainous future, are absolute perfection. The whole tone of the graphic novel’s colour sets the scene for what’s to come. The crimson voiceover from Harley of the future looks back on her past, and questions whether everything that happened was fate or choice.

It is Harley’s story through her eyes; how she sees the Joker, the impact he has on her every waking and sleeping moment, how scared she is of him. Harley says herself it is a tale akin to Beauty and the Beast, but the girl is supposed to be able to change the beast, and the beast is supposed to love the girl. This is a much darker tale, and there is a lot further we have to fall down the rabbit hole.

The psychology of the villain; it’s an interesting perspective. And one that is looking to give an extended life to an already compelling character who may or may not be okay to adore as much as I do. But I’ll do it anyway.