Backup Versions (7 Variants)

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I shall not apologise for art.

Despite knowing far more about DC than Marvel, I actually haven't seen as many of its animated properties as I should've. Batman Beyond is included in that. I hear that it's good and was liked during its run, but I'm largely unfamiliar with it. In fact, the only thing I've seen from it is that special, Return of the Joker. And maybe, just maybe, this was my favourite part about that. Maybe I love fucked-up, demented Robin more than I should. Maybe I think he's very cute. A lot of "maybe" today.

Oh, and his "mother" is fine. Yeah, this is meant to be the Mother's Day piece (one day late). I intended on doing this since earlier in the year, but in general, I absolutely don't fit into the mould of Internet users—which most of you are—who obsess over fictional women just because they're a mother. Or MILF, let's be blunt. There is something about that overly simplistic mindset that irks me; it's like saying you prefer a character just because you can see their feet. It comes off as super shallow, especially when in many cases, these mothers ain't got shit compared to the actual main characters (Nicole vs Gumball...). Minimal screentime, no real character, I can go on.

But I love Harley for plenty of other reasons, so she would've gotten drawn anyway.

Originally the drawing was going to have both characters barefoot together, but realistically speaking, we all know less people would have wanted to look at it if that were the case. Hell, I think having the boy's face so close to the camera might be a turn-off for some. But I was determined to have him in there one way or another.

Nothing gave me problems here aside from temporarily forgetting Harley's left leg. I flip-flopped on whether to give her red or black toenails, as either would work considering her outfit. I went with red on a coin flip.

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Regarding Harley herself, I might as well give my thoughts on her since my previous drawing with her is three years old. I like Harley Quinn. She's usually a good character for the Joker to bounce off of in works, and there is something constantly endearing about how childish she is. They could've also gone the route of making her stupidly childish, but no, she's smart.

Plus, I can't ignore the fact that she's a clown. Okay, closer to a jester, but those are off-brand clowns. Same family, same situation. You'd think a certain user would've influenced my liking of clown stuff, but I swear I've been like this before I uploading my first foot drawing.

But I am not really a fan of modern Harley. They try to make her more independent a lot of the time nowadays, and while that's not inherently a bad thing for characters (especially women), I just feel she's always at her best when she is working with Joker. Strip that character from her, and what are you really left with? Some things make it work better than others, but it often feels off.

I tried watching the animated series called Harley Quinn, the more recent one. Eh... I can appreciate that it looks good, especially for the very low standards of American adult animation, but it wasn't clicking with me. At least I can see how people would like it, though.

But on that note, and regarding modern Harley, I'm tired of this new look for her. You know, the one Margot Robbie popularised with Suicide Squad, that piece of shit movie. I think it works fine in a live-action context, admittedly. Because games like Injustice 2 show how weird Harley's classic harlequin suit looks when she's realistic. That said, I still don't think it's the best way to depict her in a realistic way. I'm personally fond of her default costume from the first Injustice game, which keeps more elements of her original look.

However, Harley's new look has leaked into areas it didn't need to. 2D content, where realism isn't a factor. She's not the only fictional character to have design revamps be the standard; Batman himself is usually black/grey instead of incorporating blue like he used to. I think I just get bothered more because I prefer Harley's classic look so much more.

Considering how the movies tend to influence things in the character culture nowadays, I hope however she's depicted in this new cinematic universe is closer to her original depiction, naturally with some additions. Just avoid the boring Suicide Squad route where we barely see her relationship with Joker.

I really need to draw certain other DC characters, huh? Someday, if I make it, Zattana will be drawn...