EXCLUSIVE: Jimmy Palmiotti Talks Upcoming HARLEY QUINN Black Label Book

Per the announcement at New York Comic Con, the premier husband and wife duo in comics, Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner, will helm a new series as part of DC Comics‘ Black Label imprint, Harley Quinn and the Birds of Prey.

We recently caught up with Palmiotti to talk about the upcoming series. The book will bring together the Femme Fatales of Gotham City, Black Canary, Renee Montoya, Huntress and Cassandra Cain, in a ‘buddy cop-style story’, as the BoP‘s of Gotham City are tabbed to protect Harley, who has a $10 million bounty on her head, as set by the Joker.

GXP: How does it feel to be working on Harley Quinn again?

JP: “It’s interesting, because we actually got a break to watch the character become even bigger in other media when we thought she couldn’t and, it’s wonderful thing to experience. Amanda and I feel the work we did with Chad Hardin, John Timms and the rest of our crew influenced so much, and our time on the character really made a difference on a lot of levels. You don’t always get that when writing an existing character and we couldn’t have done it so well if we didn’t already have such an amazing character to work with. Props always to Bruce Timm and Paul Dini on so many levels. They created an icon and we are happy to be building on to their hard work.”

GXP: We couldn’t agree more. That said, what can you tell us about the new book?

JP: “As far as the new series, Amanda and I have been looking at our outline we are writing and, as usual, we are using it as a guide to get the character from ‘Point A’ to ‘Point B’ and mess with everything in-between. Because we are so familiar with Harley and her group, that’s the easy part of the storytelling. The Birds characters involve a bit of research on our part, so that’s going to take a bit of time, but overall, we are having a blast and Amanda’s work on it is just beautiful. Once Paul Mounts adds his color and John J. Hill letters it, it’s going to be a stunning package. Who doesn’t like a stunning package? Okay, that sounds weird.”

GXP: Did DC approach you for the series or has this ‘stunning package’ been in the works for a while?

JP: “Honestly, we’ve been taking a break from comics for a bit and catching up on travel and our relationship outside of comics, only doing the Wonder Woman books that are out now. We have been doing a short story monthly, and our latest story, is a Harley/Wonder Woman team up that continues the Little Black Book issue, and it warmed us up to doing something bigger with her. We’ve been talking about doing a special when the movie was first announced last year and, it was not until a few months ago, that we all agreed on this project.”

GXP: Sweet! So, what finally went into getting the green light to do it?

JP: “Things started to come together when Amanda really felt like drawing the insides of the book and, to do that, she had to come to a halt for a while on all her cover work. She has been doing two covers-per-week for the past year, so now she is switching gears to a project and character she loves. The actual story development has been a back-and-forth with DC and our editor is back, Chris Conroy, so we know we are in the best of hands. He is one of the best editors working in comics right now. He gives me major Archie Goodwin vibes: respectful and full of ideas. I think he understands Amanda and I in ways most people do not, or don’t take the time to. He is the best.”

GXP: What will make this Harley series different from past series?

JP: “Absolutely nothing. We might get away with a bit more language and naughty visuals, but expect the book to be a direct continuation of our (past) series … Like we never skipped a beat. Why change something that has been working for so long? We are not reinventing the character for this book. We already did that years ago. What we are doing is creating a team-up with high stakes that will entertain people.”

GXP: Besides the upcoming Birds of Prey film, what were some of your other inspirations for the book?

JP: “I think it just came down to getting back to writing Harley and her lovely supporting cast. Getting to write Tony Delfini, Eggy, Sy Borgman, Redtool, and the gang is always a blast! We created and connected with these characters in a way that does not happen often. They deserve to be back on the printed page.”

GXP: When it comes down to it, the Palmiotti’s have heavily influenced the upcoming Harley Quinn live-adaptations and animated series, but also, vice-versa. Were you two involved in any cinematic decisions?

JP: “The movie exists because of the changes we made with the character, plain and simple. The movie takes from both classic Harley and our series so much, it’s apparent in every scene in the trailers. The trick with comic movies is to understand they are looking at the comics for inspiration and ideas, and it’s not our job to reflect on the film, it’s their job to mine the comics. I know for a fact that Margot Robbie and her crew looked to the books as a guide and then added their own creativity to the process and that’s totally cool! That’s how it is done. There is a lot in their trailer to be excited about and also with the animated series coming to DC Universe.”

GXP: Speaking to that, how involved were you two with that project?

JP: “Amanda did designs for that series and (again) the cartoon features Sy Borgman, from our books. We are extremely thrilled in what we are seeing and the crew involved in the animated series did an amazing job! Just you wait to see it. It will blow you away!”

GXP: Can we expect an appearances by some usual fan-favorites from Harley‘s world, like Poison Ivy, for instance?

JP: “Yes, you sure can, but more about that soon. If you know the history of Amanda and I, it’s that our crew of characters appear in everything we get our hands on. We cannot resist it! It’s like having a Superman series without Jimmy and Lois. Her supporting characters define her and people have been asking us over-and-over to do more with them. One day we will simply do a book with just the supporting characters. I am open for title ideas, folks. Hit me up on Twitter with them (laughs).”

GXP: We have a few ideas. Expect some tweets from us soon! Shifting gears a bit. Let’s throw it back to the New 52. Any fond memories in being approached by DC to helm the Harley Quinn: Hot in the City series?

JP: “I remember it was Dan Didio’s idea and he should be given major credit for not only that decision, but letting Amanda and I do what we saw was a natural next step for the character and in letting her redesign the costume/reworking the character. Dan gave us the freedom to go crazy, we did and it has paid off for everyone involved! People do not give him enough credit, but the creators understand that no one loves these characters more, except for Jim Lee.”

GXP: Didio and Lee are staples, though an insane amount of credit is due to both you and Amanda for really propelling the character to superstardom with that series!

JP: “For us, it was a gig that might not last too long because we were taking on a character that had a canceled series and had not been in the spotlight much, except for the Injustice game, which I was one of the co-writers for. We figured we had nothing to lose writing the book, so we just went in and reworked her world and got her away from the Batman universe and the Joker, as much as possible, to fully flush out who she was. As a writer, you try your best to find the voice you feel most comfortable pursuing.”

GXP: What would you say are your favorite characters to write for?

JP: “My Top 5 characters at DC are Powergirl, Harley, Atlee, Jonah Hex and G.I. Zombie. Some of my favorite at Marvel are Punisher, Daughters of the Dragon, Daredevil, Deadpool and, really, any character there that I can take on out of continuity. On my own, Painkiller Jane, Monolith and whatever is my latest project (at that time). These are my favorites. As far as subject, the history of the character tells me what to write. I try to find the sweet spot in their timeline, what works, what doesn’t and run with it. I always write a new series as if no one has ever read about the character, mainly because each comic may be someone’s first.”

GXP: Can you dive into what’s next on your docket, you know, for the fans?

JP: “Besides the Harley book, I have a graphic novel called Fantasima that will be a Kickstarter book, a third installment of Sex and Violence, one called Pop Kill on the way and have a few other creator-owned projects to do, but for now, the Harley and the Birds of Prey comic is all I am focusing on. If you want to stay updated on everything that Amanda and I have going on, sign up for our newsletter at paperfilms.com!”

Keep an eye out for Harley Quinn and the Birds of Prey to hit shelves, as well as Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn to land in theaters, both in February of 2020.

The Harley Quinn animated series debuts on DC Universe in November, 2019. More about that show, including a trailer, HERE.

Click HERE for the official press release from DC Publicity.

Big ups to Palmiotti for the interview! All of us at Galaxtic Pop are looking forward to the upcoming series!