Gotham City Sirens #1 Review: The Girls Are Back in Town

The Gotham City Sirens have a long history at DC Comics, with Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, and Catwoman always skirting the line between heroism and villainy. Unlike the Birds of Prey, Gotham’s biggest female supervillains aren’t afraid to do what is necessary to either save a life and/or take home a rather big score. In this new four-issue miniseries, the premiere comic shows that the trio are having to take on a whacky and almost unbelievable threat to Gotham that is being ushered in by a very familiar face. Have the Sirens landed in their latest miniseries or did they flub the dismount?

Our issue begins with the villain White Rabbit running from some shirtless cowboys rampaging across Gotham City with an army of unseemly bison trailing them. Like many other Sirens series, each member of the trio is essentially off doing their own thing when the stars align which bring them back together. Harley is walking her hyenas, Ivy is testing a mysterious new compound, “XO Punch,” while feeding her man-eating plants, while Selina Kyle is trying to get to the bottom of the mystery with a direct approach. As is revealed on the final page, it turns out that Joker’s latest “girlfriend” Punchline has a new plan in the works. 

When it comes to the characterization of the Sirens here, writer Leah Williams is on point. Harley Quinn is equally bubbly as she is menacing at times, Ivy is restrained and intelligent, while Selina has a take-charge attitude that works as a good foil to her on-again, off-again teammates. Much like Harley Quinn herself, the story is fast and frantic, throwing out a lot of infectious energy in its panels. The latest Gotham City Sirens story doesn’t break the wheel in depicting any of the characters here but it gives readers a fast and loose read that feels more than appropriate for the trio. Williams has a strong understanding of the DC universe and the characters housed in Gotham City and it shows. 

Punchline has always been a character that had been a hard sell for me, as it always seemed like she would perpetually be in Harley’s shadow. While we don’t see a lot of her in this issue outside of its final pages, her scheme here is one that is certainly original and it works well at assembling the Sirens. There’s little gristle on the bone when it comes to the issue overall, whether it focuses on Harley, Ivy, Selina, or Punchline, and it’s often made better for it.

Of course, a writer isn’t alone when it comes to their duties as artist Matteo Lolli and colorist Triona Farrell help the energy leap off the page in this issue. The scenery and colors pop in a way that identifies each Sirens, feeling in step with the Gotham we’ve seen in the past while also weaving in the identities of the trio into each of their roles here. It’s a flashy, meaty debut and the art fits the story like a glove, even if that story leverages into what’s worked before versus treading new ground.

The latest take on Gotham City Sirens doesn’t flip the script on the trio but it does strengthen what works about these three popular femme fatales. Gotham City Sirens has an energetic, light feeling to it that might have some moving parts requiring a bit more grease to make it a stellar outing, but it’s a solid start for this new gathering of the anti-heroines. 

Published by DC Comics

On August 7, 2024

Written by Leah Williams

Art by Matteo Lolli

Colors by Triona Farrell

Letters by Hassan Otsman-Elhaou

Cover by Terry Dodson with Rachel Dodson