Gotham City Sirens: Union (Gotham City Sirens (Quality)) [Paperback]

I was ambiguous about "Gotham City Sirens" the first time I saw it. Sure, Harley Quinn, Catwoman, and Poison Ivy pose well together for pin-ups, but could they really carry a series together? Then I saw the name Paul Dini as the writer, and figured it would be worth a look.

As you can see by the "Batman Reborn" tag on the cover, the series starts after the events of Final Crisis and Battle for the Cowl, with Bruce Wayne missing-presumed-dead and Dick Grayson taking over as Batman. Catwoman is back in action, after her heart getting ripped out by Hush then magically restored by Zatanna, but still isn't in tip-top shape. She gets a beating at the hands of a newcomer named Boneblaster, but then is rescued by Poison Ivy. Ivy has been shacking up with Harley Quinn in The Riddler's pad, and Catwoman makes the offer they the three become roomies. Hijinks begin.

I was right that these three can't really carry a series together, and so Dini doesn't really try. "Gotham Sirens" runs more as an ensemble book with each gal taking the spotlight for awhile before the inevitable team-up. That style works well, giving each character a chance to shine individually and as a part of the team. Catwoman plays the responsible older-sister role, while Poison Ivy is the heavy-hitter who tends to shut things down with a blast of her plant-powers. Harley Quinn puts a touch of random chaos into the mix, and leads the three of them into trouble. The Riddler actually plays quite a large role as well. Dini adds a few new interesting characters, like The Broker and The Carpenter who locate and design supervillain hideouts.

If you haven't been keeping up on your Batman continuity (like me), there are a few confusing elements. Apparently Hush has gotten plastic surgery and is now running around as an imitation Bruce Wayne. The Riddler has retired from crime, and is running a detective agency. I had to do a little bit of net-research to figure out what was going on, but not too much.

If there is a theme, it seems to be more or less how things have moved on from the simple days of fun-filled crime, and there are a couple of stories about changing of the guard. After The Riddler's retirement, a bright woman who calls herself Conundrum decides to fill the void. In another story arc, Harley Quinn finds out that the Joker's original sidekick, Gaggy the Clown (a blast from the Silver Age past) doesn't think too much of his replacement or the Joker's current psychopathic tendencies. All of the ladies are trying to find their place in the new order, and none of them seem to have much enthusiasm to be super villains anymore. But they don't exactly want to switch teams to the hero-side either.

Guillem March puts down some fine art to support Dini's writing. The interior art isn't quite up to the standards of his eye-catching covers, but it is still beautiful. Unfortunately, three colorists switch off, Jose Villarrubia, Tomeu Morey, and March himself. The coloring makes quite a big difference to the quality of the art, with the best being Villarrubia whose wash-style I recognize from his work on Dark Horse's Conan series. There is one fill-in issue by artists David and Alvaro Lopez which isn't too bad.

All in all, "Gotham City Sirens" isn't fantastic, but is still a lot of fun. I picked up Volume Two as well, and I am looking forward to see where the series go to. There is potential, but Dini is going to have to find some reason to keep these three very different women together.

With superb art, writing by the legendary Paul Dini, and some of the coolest and hottest characters in the Batman universe, there's no reason not to recommend this amazing series. With appearances by a reformed Riddler at his best, some fun villains, both new and old, this is one of my favorite comics.

Judging by comic book conventions, an awful lot of pretty fangrrls want to dress up like the gals in this comic. And why not? They're sexy and fun. An interesting look at women who have been minor foils for Batman and his associates over the years. (Sadly, no resumption of Poison Ivy's relationship with Catwoman from 'Hush'. Sorry, fanboys!) But a good read, regardless.