What's the excuse for Harley having bleached white skin now?

[S. Griffin]

Seems weird. I don't want to start another rag on the no-longer new continuity thread, but it seems hackneyed. Harley was never a female Joker. She was a lovesick, stockholm syndromey wannabe who empathized crazy and put white make-up on her face to be closer to her beautiful misunderstood Puddin.
What the hell happened? Seems cheap and easy and cliched, no matter how fun her new books are. On certain occasions when she was out of her preboot harlequin outfit, there was something so striking about Harley with peaches-and-cream skin and a stark white face in contrast.
I guess I just didn't notice until now? Or care?
Feh. It's late, I'm tired, and I have to pee.

[Webslinger]

You never mess with a classic...

[AcidDragon]

On certain occasions when she was out of her preboot harlequin outfit, there was something so striking about Harley with peaches-and-cream skin and a stark white face in contrast.

The thing about Harley Quinn that always appealed to me was knowing that beneath the harlequin costume and makeup was this:

The fact that she wasn't some goth hipster chick. she just had plain unstreaked ordinary blonde hair and practical make-up. When she wasn't Harley Quinn, she just looked so gorgeously simple.

Not the most flattering picture, but you get the idea.

[Doctor Fate]

I really don't care for this look of Harley Quinn at all.



I always prefer the classic black/red outfit in the past.



That's my 2 cents worth on this subject matter.

[Idiot Savant]

Agreed...I'll add two more cents...

[S. Griffin]

So there is no excuse then? I noticed some artists haven't been doing the bleached white head to toe thing all the time, but it seems to be the norm on the new book. It just ****ing is? Seriously, does anybody know an in-universe reason?

[packerbacker180]

I read the first few terrible issues of the relaunch Suicide Squad and don't recall any reason given. Of course, it was such forgettable garbage I may not remember. I've stopped caring about the current DCU and I've found myself happier. Right now the only books I'm remotely following are Hickman's Avengers books and Spidey.

[Princess_Amethyst]

Hey Griff, they explain the reasoning behind her skin in Suicide Squad 6 and 7.

Spoiler:

Joker escapes Arkham with Harleen Quinzel and takes her to Ace Chemicals. He knocks her into a vat gives her the same chemical bath he got which somehow gives her the two toned hair, too, on top of the bleached skin.

I have very mixed feelings about it all. I almost wish they just made her a separate character which Joker replaced Harley with and Harley comes back and kicks her poser ass. For me, the classic blonde civilian Harleen Quinzel that Paul Dini and Bruce Timm concocted was just as important a part of her character as her classic outfit.

[packerbacker180]

The New52 tended to ruin more things than it improved, IMO. But hey, at least Supes doesn't look ridiculous with underwear on the outside!

[S. Griffin]

Hey Griff, they explain the reasoning behind her skin in Suicide Squad 6 and 7.

Spoiler:

Joker escapes Arkham with Harleen Quinzel and takes her to Ace Chemicals. He knocks her into a vat gives her the same chemical bath he got which somehow gives her the two toned hair, too, on top of the bleached skin.

I almost said thanks for the info, but under the circumstances, I can't do it. That just sucks.