The Harley Quinn Tryout Page Debate That Refuses To… Er…

Posted on September 10, 2013

Last night, Gail Simone, Mark Waid and Kurt Busiek, among others, got in a Twitter discussion about THAT Harley Quinn tryout page. It got a little heated in places. Here are select tweets from the long and tangential conversation, You may want to check the originals out yourself.

What I'm a little off on here…Deadpool makes jokes about suicide ALL THE TIME. Respectfully, why is Harley doing it more upsetting?

— GailSimone (@GailSimone) September 10, 2013

I am not asking sarcastically, I genuinely don't know the answer. Harley is also a very humor-based character. — GailSimone (@GailSimone) September 10, 2013

I don't know the answer to this, and I think having a naked girl on a try-out page at ALL is maybe a weird choice. — GailSimone (@GailSimone) September 10, 2013

.@Snockard That makes a lot of sense to me.

— GailSimone (@GailSimone) September 10, 2013

.@avram I actually had Deadpool naked in a bathtub specifically in an issue…

— GailSimone (@GailSimone) September 10, 2013

.@MarkWaid Yeah, I haven't been following her in the new52. But my understanding of her new book is that it will be comedic as well. — GailSimone (@GailSimone) September 10, 2013

I appreciate everyone chiming in, it makes more sense to me now. — GailSimone (@GailSimone) September 10, 2013

I think the best thing to do would be to say this was the wrong page to offer and apologize and start over.

— GailSimone (@GailSimone) September 10, 2013

.@MarkWaid That page does not read like the Killing Joke, Mark.

— GailSimone (@GailSimone) September 10, 2013

.@MarkWaid Mark, there's no 'tone.' You said they were stylistically the same, I disagree, that's all. Honest. — GailSimone (@GailSimone) September 10, 2013

.@MarkWaid Well, no, we also have the reputations and talents of the creators, right? It's 'Manda and Jimmy. — GailSimone (@GailSimone) September 10, 2013

@MarkWaid @GailSimone Amanda and Jimmy wrote it. It's a page from #0, which is written by them.

— Kurt Busiek (@KurtBusiek) September 10, 2013

@MarkWaid @GailSimone I think the plot page shown is very clearly comedic, not grimly serious.

— Kurt Busiek (@KurtBusiek) September 10, 2013

@bclaymoore @KurtBusiek @GailSimone We have, haven't we? Isn't the cover in circulation? — Mark Waid (@MarkWaid) September 10, 2013

@gdwessel @MarkWaid @GailSimone Neither is domestic abuse, but MAD LOVE deservedly won Eisners. — Kurt Busiek (@KurtBusiek) September 10, 2013

@MarkWaid @KurtBusiek @GailSimone If there's one thing that's certain about the New 52, it's that nothing is certain to last.

— B. Clay Moore (@bclaymoore) September 10, 2013

.@AndrewDaar I would be the worst editor-in-chief ever, it's an impossible job. Even the thought makes me shriek with terror. Impossible.

— GailSimone (@GailSimone) September 10, 2013

@KurtBusiek It really is my nightmare. I have a LOT of sympathy for those guys, it just seems like juggling with chainsaws. — GailSimone (@GailSimone) September 10, 2013

Yeah, I retract the Deadpool comparison. The Deadpool jokes have no sexual component. Agreed. — GailSimone (@GailSimone) September 10, 2013

Anyway, sorry if this confuses people, but when I am not positive I 100% understand an issue, I ask pointed questions. It helps.

— GailSimone (@GailSimone) September 10, 2013

I appreciate the adult conversation, guys. It's made me rethink a few things. Good night, everyone!

— GailSimone (@GailSimone) September 10, 2013

I have so much faith in @amandarantsalot and @jpalmiotti, that is a huge, huge factor for me. Two of my favorite creators. — GailSimone (@GailSimone) September 10, 2013

@MarkWaid @RaeBeta @GailSimone I think Looney Harley's pretty obviously back. — Kurt Busiek (@KurtBusiek) September 10, 2013

@MarkWaid @RaeBeta @GailSimone Have you read the plot page? That's where I'm seeing it.

— Kurt Busiek (@KurtBusiek) September 10, 2013

@MarkWaid @RaeBeta @GailSimone I'm reading what got posted at the DC site: http://t.co/jPNzjWlOLZ

— Kurt Busiek (@KurtBusiek) September 10, 2013

@KurtBusiek @RaeBeta @GailSimone AH! That wasn't there when I read it, I'm pretty sure. I'd have remembered that. — Mark Waid (@MarkWaid) September 10, 2013

@KurtBusiek @RaeBeta @GailSimone I'm pretty sure it wasn't always in the audition call. If it was, I apologize. — Mark Waid (@MarkWaid) September 10, 2013

With apologies, and calls for apologies, matters moved on to other topics.

My question is, why isn't EVERY sketch about naked Nightwing in a bathtub eating gelato with Ace the Bat Hound? WHY?!

— GailSimone (@GailSimone) September 10, 2013

Becky Hop soon obliged…