Some folks still may not want to accept this, but Harlivy (Harley Quinn x Poison Ivy) is very canon and the comics are super queer.
It’s not just the Max animated series, either—the history of Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy stretches back far in DC canon. So there’s no denying what’s been right in front of fans all along. If, for example, you’re hip to Harley Quinn: The Animated Series – Legion of Bats!, from Black and queer comics writer Tee Franklin, then you already know how queer that is. (Very!)
Unfortunately, the reality is that the comic world isn’t filled to the brim solely with fans who embrace the rainbow. Sometimes tender displays of affection between queer characters is deemed too much—not just by some obtuse readers but by the corporate comics overlords as well. But if you’re going to hire a queer artist of color like Yoshi Yoshitani to draw the cover for a super queer and sex-positive comic, you would think that getting a queer, sexy cover from said artist would not be a surprise. That was not the case, apparently, for DC Comics.
After being asked to change her artwork for issue one of Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: Legion of Bats!, Yoshi Yoshitani took to TikTok to express some confusion. (And also to remind folks that there are prints available of the original issue artwork on Yoshitani’s online store.)
Apparently DC Comics thought Yoshitani’s work, which features Harley and Ivy embracing and sharing a tender little neck kissing, was too “salacious.” As you can see in the video above, the image is hot but relatively tame.
Sapphic displays of affection are only treated as “salacious” because of the queerness. If that was a straight couple, it wouldn’t be a problem. Take a look at older DC issue covers and try not to vibrate with anger over how obvious DC Comics is being. Let women kiss necks! I promise the institution of DC Comics will survive.
(featured image: Max)
