Gotham City Sirens debuted in June of this year, written by Paul Dini and pencilled by Guillem March; this book would focus on the femme fatales of Gotham.
The book is your standard first issue; it introduces the characters, trys to get you to relate to them, while at the same time trying to be an interesting book. The story is that Catwoman feels she cannot take on the villains of Gotham on her own anymore, thanks to her heart being taken out in the “Heart of Hush” story arc in detective by Dini, she decides she needs help and who does she get help from, why Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn. This issue answers all the questions left from Dini’s Hush storyline, and then has the girls joining forces for what Harley calls “A bad girl team up.”
The story is twenty two pages long and does have interesting moments, like when asked what Harley did with the millions Catwoman gave her, she replies she invested it in an Nigerian prince. At the end of the issue we have Harley, Catwoman and Poison Ivy moving into their own place and Harley saying how much fun they’ll be having. This all seems like a set up for some sitcom, with the introductions of the characters and nothing really happening but the team forming, but then in the final page we have some serious happen that sets up for later things, and that is not necessarily a bad thing. Dini’s writing shows that there is going to be more to this team than meets the eye and that pretty soon, things won’t be so cheery and fun.
The art provided by Guillem March is something I have to bring up, when seeing previews online for this issue, and the first two pages I thought someone had drew the pictures with crayon and it was a joke, it wasn’t. Guillem’s art for the first few pages is really hard on the eyes, he doesn’t seem to know how colorful he should make the characters, and it really does take away from the writing. Thankfully after around the fourth page of art it picks up, and Gulliem's work seems like night and day when you compare the first few pages to the last.
All in all, this is a good book, that is really let down by the first few pages looking like a kid drew them, but if you can get passed that, then you will find a really good comic, just not one I would say drop $2.99 for, this is a definite book you should wait for a trade for, or find in the reduced bins. From what I’ve seen from the art in issue two, March makes the same mistake as the first pages their look again, like some children’s pastel work.
So for this book, the first impressions are that although it is well written, the art in those first few pages really do let it down.
Gotham City Sirens #1:
P.S The editor should have said something about the first few pages, which affect people’s buying of new comics, but after the comments that Didio made about this being the first time Dini has wrote Harley in continuity, I’m not surprised they didn’t. Dini previously wrote Harley several times in one off detective issues, for example Detective Comics issue 831.
Reviewed by Suavestar
