Warning: SPOILERS forGotham City Sirens#1
Summary
TheGotham City Sirenshave finally reunited for a new story, and this chaotic mystery is the perfect re-introduction to the fan-favorite team of Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, and Catwoman. Between the man-eating plants, riot-enciting energy drinks, and biomechanical stampeding bison, Gotham — and these anti-heroic women — may never be the same.
Gotham City Sirens#1 by Leah Williams and Matteo Lolli is the genuinely charming first installment in the weekly series, which will run for four issues throughout August. While Harley, Ivy, and Catwoman may be starring in their own ongoing titles, those series are taking a pause this August to let their teamwork shine inSirens. And shine it does, asGotham City Sirensreunites the three women for, in the words of both Harley and Catwoman, “something really #$@%.”
Though this first issue primarily works as set-up for the larger plot — involving a weird avatar-based video game, bison hunting, a satirically popular energy drink, andthe Joker’s girlfriend, Punchline—it also doesn’t worry about over-explaining its story or the characters' relationships, instead trusting the reader, like Harley, to simply jump on the back of some weirdo’s quad in the middle of Gotham and enjoy the bison-hunting ride.
Harley Quinn Officially Rejects the Hero Life with 1 Perfect Choice
The villain-turned-hero Harley Quinn officially refuses to be a hero - yet, somehow, refusing to be one proves to make her an even bigger hero.
Gotham City Sirens#1 Embraces the Chaos of Gotham’s Favorite Rogues
Harley Quinn Shines in the New Miniseries
The Gotham City Sirens have a short but beloved history. Like a super-villainous version of the Birds of Prey, the Sirens — Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy,and Catwoman, three iconic Gotham rogues—united as a team for 2009’sGotham City Sirensseries, which ran until 2011, when DC rebooted its universe forthe New 52 era. Though the three women have been tentative allies — and, eventually, friends and lovers — in the years since, this new miniseries reunites them under their official name for the first time since 2011.
Fans can get their hands on a super-affordable edition ofGotham City Sirens’first thirteen issues in the DC Compact Comics collectionHarley Quinn and the Gotham City Sirens, available September 4th, 2024 from DC Comics.
For a series likeGotham City Sirens, which stars three characters with separate ongoing stories, it would be easy to feel bogged down by the burden of DC continuity. But this first issue succeeds by simply ignoring all of that nonsense and embracing a different kind of nonsense: three wacky characters with unique relationships among themselves,unconcerned by the larger goings-on of the DC Universe.
Though Harley, Ivy, and Selina have each experienced their own unique versions of “redemption,“this story allows them their morally-gray quirks without comment. It only makes sense for Harley and Ivy to feed some dead bodies to Pam’s man-eating plant, after all. Though these women have saved the world before, what makes this issue a stand-out is the absence of grandstanding. These anti-heroes aren’t joining forces to save the world, driven by ideals and plot; they’re three curious bystanders united by love and friendship, the issue instead driven forward by their banter and personalities.
Gotham City SirensHas the Perfect Creative Team for the Sirens' New Adventure
Must the Fun Stop at Issue #4?
The issue’s character work is, of course, led by Lolli’s expressive art and Tríona Farrell’s complementary, shadowy colors. Along with the art,Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou’s unique and bombastic lettering style— also an essential facet of the award-winningPoison Ivyseries — brings these voices to life, an integral part of such a dialogue-driven issue. Harley’s enthusiasm just wouldn’t be the same in any other bubble.
Fans can rest assured that the Gotham City Sirens are in good hands after all these years.
If the plot of this issue seems thin, it’s a forgivable offense — not only because the characters' voices and interactions are so genuinely fun, but because readers have only seven days to wait until the next installment hits stands, likely giving a few more details about what, exactly, Punchline is up to with her little video game streaming/energy drink venture, a delightfully snide satire of contemporary streaming culture (a perfect conflict given Punchline’s alley). Until then, fans can rest assured that theGotham City Sirensare in good hands after all these years and look forward to the action, romance, and himbo cowboys to come.
Harley Quinn
Poison Ivy
Inducted into Batman’s rogues gallery in the 1960s, Poison Ivy is a metahuman who terrorizes Gotham with her poisonous touch and control over plant life. A misanthropic eco-terrorist, Poison Ivy is also depicted as an anti-hero, using her powers in attempts to regrow the environment in the wake of pollution and deforestation. Together with her lover Harley Quinn, the two are always ready to wreak havoc in Gotham.
