Warning: Contains spoilers for Harley Quinn Annual #1!!

In recent years, Harley Quinn has skyrocketed to become one of DC’s most popular faces, and she knows what it takes to succeed as a villain, even if she’s mostly one of the good guys now. After pulling off a very successful heist and reaping the not-so-exciting rewards, she reveals the secret that keeps Batman’s most notorious rogues going: it’s not worth it unless you make it a little fun.

In the Harley Quinn Annual #1 – written and drawn by Erica Henderson – Harley joins experienced criminals and pulls off a high-yield robbery. Her fellow thieves tell her that their victory is normal when you don’t ride in on clown floats, so she decides to spend her cash in an equally normal way by booking a cruise.

Yet Harley Quinn stands diametrically opposed to normalcy, and after getting roped into an unexpected scheme with Zatanna, she expresses frustration that the perpetrator doesn’t exercise the “common courtesy” of “leaving a little riddle at a crime scene,” revealing an apparent tenant of Gotham villainy.

Harley Quinn Offers a Peek Behind the Scenes of Gotham City

Why So Many Batman Rogues Keep Getting Caught

There’s little seriousness in Harley Quinn Annual #1, but Dr. Quinzel’s words ring true. Gotham villains love a calling card, and if they spent as much time on secrecy and stealth as they did on leaving a trail behind them, Batman and the GCPD would need to work a lot harder to keep tossing them into Arkham and Blackgate. Her fellow criminals note that dropping a pile of novelty umbrellas or freezing a building makes it impossible not to be found. They’re right, but Harley makes it clear that the adventure and chase is part of what keeps things interesting.

Perhaps more than other comic book villains, the rogues in Gotham are in a constant game of bat and mouse. The stakes are often high and violent, and Batman is the world’s greatest detective, yet many of them go out of their way to be identifiable. Their gimmicks are recognizable. Harley’s complaint captures an unexpectedly whimsical side of villainy, in a way only she could manage. No one is supposed to get stuck on the “who did it” question, and instead a crime simply triggers an epic round of hide and seek.

Harley Quinn Understands Villains on a Unique Level

She’ll Always Have One Foot In Their World

Harley occupies a unique spot in the DC Universe. She was undeniably a villain, in turns by choice and coercion, yet she’s fully capable of being heroic. Not only is she incredibly observant, but her lived experiences give her a viewpoint unlike anyone else. Even seemingly foolish comments, like riddles at a crime scene being expected, hold a deeper insight, and she’s right to say that many of the rogues adhere to it – consciously or not. Harley Quinn has unique insight into Batman’s villains; not everything is as serious as it appears.

Harley Quinn Annual #1 is available now from DC Comics.