Jimmy Palmiotti on Harley Quinn: Publishers Are Learning That People Want Comics to Be Fun Again"

The June sales numbers were published today and to no one’s surprise the new JRJR/Geoff Johns Superman reboot was in the top 5 comics. But what may be a surprise to some is the comic that was in the slot above it - Harley Quinn. Despite a controversial start last year, the book has climbed the charts each month and has become a huge sales hit for DC Comics. I chatted with Jimmy Palmiotti about the book as well as Harley Quinn Invades Comic-Con International: San Diego which is out Wednesday.

Congratulations on the success of the book, which is the top selling female led book in comics. Do you think or suspect the book would do this well - it’s double shipping!

It is double shipping only for a month or so…otherwise it is monthly as it should be. We were all for the IDEA of double shipping, but the reality is that we can’t keep that kind of schedule and the last thing we wanted was fill in issues or a drop in quality, so we are back to monthly as of November. As far as the book being the top selling female book…hell, I am glad I have anything that is top selling. My books usually start at around 140 on the list, so this makes me super happy. I think it’s about time more female characters hit the top spots, but in the end, it’s the audience that decides this. There are a lot of great female lead books out there right now. It’s a great time to be creating comics.

And wait there’s more! Amanda has become the bestselling female writer - how does that feel?

Amanda is going over the dialogue of issue 10 right now in the other room and she yelled to me that she has no time to worry about anything but the book and taking a break to eat something. She is committed for sure, that’s why you are stuck with only me in this interview. Sorry. Now, how do I feel about Amanda becoming a best selling female writer? Very proud.

Harley Quinn has slowly built a fan base from TV to comics and to games - and seems to have a mixed base of fans both men and women - what’s do you think is it about the character that grabs people?

I think the character is a troublemaker and a charming one. She is fun, sexy and dangerous and who doesn’t want that to be there profile description? I am really glad, after the past 5 conventions to see a huge amount of people loving the book and especially the amount of female readers of all ages that are picking up the new series. I think at this point, almost every book out there these days has people punching each other over and over with a sprinkling of story in-between, and they are bored. As well, I realize there is a new wave of comic readers that want variety and that’s is why something like Harley is appealing to a wide range of people. We try to mix them up, go over the top and most of all…we try our best to make the reader laugh at the insanity. That’s the charm of Harley, she is sweet deep down, but has no problem flipping the switch and going postal on those around her. There is always a point where Amanda turns to me and tells me “ there isn’t enough violence in this issue” It just happened last night with issue 10.

The trend towards "grim and gritty" is one that both of you have seen to have thrown off over and over again with books that emphasize a lighter touch - first with Power Girl, The Ray and now with this book. But you also work on stuff that is darker - with your creator owned works what’s the secret to juggling that tone?

If you really think about it, the books I write always have a dark sense of humor to them. The new G.I.Zombie book is one dark monster, but there is always an absurd laugh in there, which is part of my survival tools for real life. When things are heavy I try to look toward a lighter place and with the characters I write, I always feel deep down they are good people getting in some bad situations. It’s a fine line between good and bad at times and usually this line is broken by someone else’s perspective of events. I try to find the tone that I think works for me and hope the audience agrees. With Harley, I feel if the book feels like a superhero book, then we are in the wrong place. In the end, I always want people to read one of my books and say they had fun doing it. I can get heavy for sure, but I think that’s easier than going towards light content and to tell the truth, most publishers are learning right now that people want comics to be fun again…and with that in mind, I think I am going to have some interesting times ahead since its my favorite thing to write. Even with my Kickstarters, there is always some kind of hope involved with each story.

You both have now been writers and artists - how do you work best together given you both have “seen the sausage made” on the other side?

We drive our editors crazy because we both are control freaks. Ask our artists and they will tell you that we have to see every single part of the process. It is also why the book has consistency. I want to edit everything I work on and it’s a pain in the ass, I know. It is why I do my own books on the side. I want to be involved with every step so I will say upfront that you can either view this as a gift or a curse. We go over the lettered book twice before it leaves the office. Again, because we have this experience, its up to the editor how he feels about it.

One of things I like about Harley Quinn - which was also a reason I loved Power Girl was because you deal with the things that characters do outside their day jobs from going to the movies to going to the bathroom. Do you ever have something happen to either of you and say “oh we have to have this happen to XXX?"

On a daily basis we have discussions about Harley and what we want to do with her and Amanda keeps an i-pad near by and has a file a mile long of ideas and such that we want to hit on in the book. It’s probably why the book comes off at a bit schizophrenic to most people. The early reviews of the book have been mixed but the later ones we see that they are finally figuring out that madness is the theme of the book and it’s less about typical story structure. I think that’s why the book also appeals to a younger audience. We also have a lot of ideas that get thrown out by legal because we go a bit too far. It’s our job to go too far every issue, so we just keep going and hope for the best. Hopefully the audience will stick with us for a while because we got a lot of crazy waiting on deck.

Any ideas that you came up with that got nixed?

Not really but there are scenes we have to rewrite because of legal issues and such. We understand the process, but we try to slip in things and hope we don’t get caught. It is an all ages book and we understand it is their job to tell us what we can and can’t do. Surprisingly a lot has gotten through and we thank them for that. We really don’t want any lawsuits as free publicity on the book.

You recently did the Directors Cut of the 0 issue - tell us about that.

From cover to cover, there is a lot of cool stuff. Each page is dissected by Amanda and I and also by the artist that drew it. There are sketches and art that no one has seen. Amanda and I address the issue that made headlines and there is also a bunch of the art from the tryout people that didn’t win featured in the book. I think we are giving the reader more than most “ director cuts” usually deliver, only because we didn’t do full script on the issue, so we had a great chance to talk to you, the audience, about the process of the book rather than exact dialogue. I think DC did an amazing job getting this together.

(DCWKA note: Both informative and fun issue!)

You’ve got the Comic Con issue coming up. The concept of Harley at Comic Con seems like a given - who came up with it?

I thought it was a decent idea, talked it over with Amanda and we pitched it to Dan DiDio and DC and waited. They got the concept approved by the fine people at San Diego Comic Con and we went to work. What I love about the idea is that Amanda and I brought a lot of what we experienced about the con into the Harley story, so because this book comes out the week before the con, we hope those that couldn’t get to the show can feel they experienced a bizarre version of it between the pages of the book. It is a very –very over the top Harley concept. I am interested to see what people think of it. I can give away one spoiler about it: Harley draws her own comic and is trying to show her portfolio at the con. THIS scene is based on reality. Jim Lee reviews her work in the book. Yeah, it’s that insane.

Finally a serious question - how much Looney Toons did you guys watch grown up? And second - Roadrunner - hero or villain?

Amanda and I STILL watch the cartoons weekly. They are the best there ever will be as far as humor and timing and I weep at anyone that has not picked up a box set of these classics. As far as the Roadrunner…he is food.

Finally what would say to folks who haven’t yet tried the book or only know Harley from Suicide Squad?

I say give it a shot and keep an open mind, you just might enjoy yourself.