It’s another day in Gotham and Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Catwoman and White Rabbit get embroiled in the craziest criminal enterprise ever, involving XO Punch (think Kool-Aid mixed with drugs that make cocaine look like aspirin), a Red Room-style internet death ring, and half-naked masked cowboy raiders who look like they’re ready to party at a Lone Ranger/Village People convention.
Gotham City Sirens #1 (written by Leah Williams, with art by Matteo Lolli and colors by Triona Farrell) is a fun start to this weekly miniseries, with each of the main characters getting moments to shine (including the mysterious main villain, whose identity isn’t hard to guess but when she appears near the end she makes quite an impact). That’s right, this book’s a weekly, so you won’t have that annoying four week wait to see what happens next. As Harley would say, “Ain’t that convenient and stuff?”
The book’s wonderfully surreal, kicking off with buffalo stampeding through Gotham City Park and cowboys dressed like Chippendales dancers on horseback chasing Jaina Hudson (AKA White Rabbit) through the dim alleys of the city. It has the off-kilter feel of a great episode of The Avengers. And no, I’m not talking about that Avengers, I’m talking about the 1960s TV show with John Steed and Emma Peel, where humor, surrealism, action and formidable women made every episode fantastic. And you know what? This issue’s pretty fantastic too, even though most of it is devoted to setting up the main story.
It’s always nice when continuity is maintained throughout the DC Universe and past stories are referenced. The XO drug that was featured in a prominent storyline in the Catwoman series returns here in a big way. I thought it was hilarious that there’s a law forbidding it to be manufactured inside Gotham City but it can still be sold there. It reminded me of the insane marijuana laws in various states here in the USA, where even when it’s legal you’re not allowed to buy it. What??
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But drinking XO is far deadlier than puffing on a joint, of course, and that’s explored a bit throughout the book. My one complaint with the issue is that it was hard to follow what the link between the cultish group of cowboys, the XO drug, and the whole Red Room scenario was. It almost seemed that random XO addicts were being fed into the Red Room, where they’re killed for the viewing pleasure of the main villain’s social media followers. But wouldn’t that be self-defeating? Why kill the people who are addicted to your product? That sets capitalism back 200 years.
I won’t lie, Harley Quinn’s my favorite DC character, and she rocks here, setting aside her mallet for a shotgun through most of the book. Poison Ivy’s chemistry background comes into play also and it’s great to see her at work in her lab, diligently trying to figure things out and break down the components of XO, much like Batman would, except without all the obnoxious brooding.
Speaking of XO, it isn’t the only toxic thing here as we get some touches of toxic masculinity, too. The writing’s great throughout, skewering toxic masculinity with the beefcake brigade of cowboys, making them simultaneously clownish but terrifying. Sure, these guys are stupid and brainwashed, but they’re also deadly, especially since they roam in packs like wolves, rounding up victims for the next internet kill fest. I hope we get more backstory on them in future issues; I’d love to see what brought these guys to this point. Were they white collar internet warriors looking for some excitement, or just a bunch of down-on-your-luck gym rats who thought working for the main villain would make them rich and famous?
Matteo Lolli’s art and Triona Farrell’s colors are vivid and detailed, and I especially love the way Lolli draws Harley, with no exaggerations in her face or shape. She really does look like someone you’d run into walking around the city (though hopefully she’d be in a good mood or you might catch a mallet to the face).
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