Vaude-villain and violent funster: Harley Quinn and humour

Harley Quinn is not only DC’s ever-yearning romantic Joker victim–a libidinous, self-centred coarse bumpkin in suspenders, who regularly gets thrashed without mercy–but also an eccentric clown and violent vaude-villain. We argue that the diversity of Harley Quinn’s personality as portrayed by different writers and impersonated by cosplay fans is intrinsically connected to the complex and multi-dimensional humour that is associated with the character. Drawing on humour and clown theories, we unpack Harley Quinn’s obvious but under-examined humour facets–including her humorous contradictions, meta-humour and clown iconography and routines–with the aim of better understanding her specific comics aesthetics and their humorous momentum both within her fictional worlds and beyond.