Warning! Spoilers ahead for Harley Quinn #2
In the latest issue of DC Comics' new find a better path like the Suicide Squad gave her. However, her new mission just got a whole lot more complicated now that Gotham City has determined to enlist Dr. Hugo Strange to do the same thing, though any Batman fan familiar with Strange can imagine that his version of "helping" the clowns will actually be dark and sinister.
In the first issue of Harley Quinn from writer Stephanie Phillips and artist Rile Rossmo, Harley has been struggling to find her place in Gotham, as she's been facing a lot of hate from the city after the Batman is willing to tolerate her efforts.
However, Harley is beside herself with anger in the new Harley Quinn #2, as Gotham's Mayor Nakano has just announced that's he's recruited the former Dr. Hugo Strange to run the Secure and Fearless Engagement Program, otherwise known as SAFE. Essentially a program and facility that's meant to replace Arkham Asylum after the events of A-Day, Strange is dedicating his efforts with his new task force to track down all of the clowns in Gotham and "help" them with his skills as a trained psychiatrist. As a result, it looks as though Harley is going to war with Strange and his new Arkham replacement, which is really just a sanctioned excuse for the villain to hunt and experiment on clowns if Harley can't stop him.
While Strange made big public statements about his own personal reformation, Harley is smart enough to realize that he didn't actually apologize for his past crimes against Gotham, and she finds it pretty unbelievable that he's been given a second chance all the same (and no one has offered her that same courtesy). Furthermore, Strange's first victim seen in the issue doesn't even seem to be a clown, though Strange's god-complex has led him to believe it's his choice to decide who gets to have a place in the city or not (be they clowns, criminals, or even normal citizens).
Regardless, it looks as though Harley is now more resolved than ever to help Gotham's clowns, and she looks determined to take Strange down if it comes to it. While she did beat down two of his orderlies sent to bring her in for "mandatory therapy", it's unlikely that Strange is going to stop there. With any luck, Hugo Strange will underestimate what Harley Quinn is capable of in future issues of the new series from DC Comics.
