stlukesguild
Well-known member
- Messages
- 2,524
RIP Arleen Sorkin-- actress, writer, comedian--not only the original voice of Harley Quinn in the classic animated Batman series of the 1990s but the actual inspiration for the character!
Her college friend, producer-writer Paul Dini, who ran the animated Bats along with animator Bruce Timm, based Harley on Arleen's voice & mannerisms when he dreamt up the Joker's maniacal sidekick. Harley, along with Mark Hamill as the Joker, is is IMO the best part of the show.
I've long expressed my love of the Dini-Timm Bats, which I place at the very top of the Batman bibliography. Give me Season 4 over the grim Frank Miller or Alan Moore Batman, or the tiresome film incarnations any day of the week. And Arleen as Harley is a HUGE part of that.
We just lost Kevin Conroy, the iconic voice of Batman from the series, too.
Arleen played the part for 20 years. DC Inc. has since turned her work into a kajillion-dollar multimedia franchise, which is nowhere near as good as her interpretation. All because a writer 30 years ago thought, hey, my friend Arleen would be great as this character!
Originally called Joker Sidekick #1 btw.
-John Derf Backderf (cartoonist)
