With the fourth issue of Gotham City Sirens: Unfit for Orbit, the ladies not only reunite, but finally start the ascent into space! As I suspected last issue, the third installment was just a little narrative speed bump to pad out the story to meet the five issue requirement. Now that that’s out of the way, the book is back to what made the first two issues work so well: the trio of Catwoman, Harley, and Poison Ivy kicking butt, taking names, and quipping while they do it.
The Sirens’ reunion occurs pretty quickly in the issue, as Harley finds Poison Ivy successfully preventing the Lunaria from gaining altitude above Gotham City (conveniently right when Catwoman also arrives after escaping Despero’s forces). Ivy is just trying to keep from being launched into space, but unbeknownst to her the higher the ship goes, the bigger radius it has, which will allow Despero to gain an almost planet-sized army of human minions to do his bidding. With The Conduit in tow, the ladies discover that the little alien actually amplifies the abilities of metahumans around them, which is why Despero is so deadest on keeping it around. As Despero arrives to deal with this threat to his plan once and for all, the Sirens get to have their power-boosted revenge against the big pink baddie. But the battle takes Ivy’s attention away from the ship’s engines, which leads to the Lunaria hitting the top of Earth’s atmosphere and a big button getting pushed by Despero’s forces to set up the next stage of his plan.
Leah Williams’ is back in a more comfortable spot with this issue, and that’s largely because the three Siren ladies are back together. After an issue with them apart, it’s very refreshing and reassuring that Williams made sure to get them all back together so quickly, even if it feels a little too convenient to have them all meet up at roughly the same time. While some aspects of Williams’ script feels like we are revealing too much too late due to issue constraints, there are some interesting developments here, like Conduit’s abilities to amplify meta human powers, and the revelation of just what Despero is planning to do with the ship and humanity (the humans aren’t fuel like I was thinking initially, but maybe being turned into Despero soldiers is worse?). Naturally, having the team back together is a huge help for the series as well, as the sheer fact that allowing these three to banter during their battles makes the book flow even better. Despero is still a major threat to the Sirens, but Willams’ script showcases the chaotic teamwork that improbably gives them an edge in battle. It’s great that Williams was able to bounce back effortlessly here, and she’s done such a good job overall that I’m hoping for more from her with these characters in the future.
DC
Haining’s art is still really incredible here. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, their art is one of the most surprising things I’ve encountered this year in comics, and the work they’ve done with Unfit For Orbit should make them a very high demand artist in the future. This issue we get another great fight sequence between Despero, Catwoman, and Harley, and just like before, Haining draws it with so much personality and style that it feels like it’s in motion before your eyes. The use of Despero’s powers are also really engaging, adding a cool layer to the fight scene when Williams and Haining work together to reveal that Harley has the upper hand. Plus, Ivy gets cool dual vine swords that she uses to take on Despero’s henchmen! That’s reason enough for me to recommend the issue!
Gotham City Sirens: Unfit For Orbit #4 is a great return to form from the past issue, but not without a few hiccups here and there. Sure, some of the plot beats of issue are a little too convenient, and some of the reveals in this issue maybe should have happened earlier, but this is still a series that’s been a really fun surprise to check in with each week. Here’s hoping Williams and Haining stick the landing next issue.
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