With Titans: Beast World in full swing, the world's heroes and villains are infected and transformed into beast monsters, and Gotham is no exception. What happens when Harley Quinn turns into a muscle-bound rabbit, Jason becomes an angsty wolf, and Huntress transforms into a laser-pointer chasing cat? Read on to find out, but I wouldn't hold your breath for anything worth recommending.

The Good Boy

The opening story feels the most directly tied to the main event. It picks up right where Titans: Beast World #2 leaves off, and makes sure to let you know with an editor's blurb. As Nightwing drags beast Batman's unconscious body from the Blüdhaven River, he wakes up and escapes to Gotham City. In just enough pages to conveniently fit into the previews, it seems as though this is going to be more than just a narratively disposable tie-in. This is not the case. At the end of the story, both Batman and Nightwing end up exactly as they were in the beginning. If you want actual plot development, you'll need to stick to the main story.

If the destination is the same as the start, what about everything in between? It's basically a bunch of brawls squeezed into about half a dozen pages. First it's Killer Croc vs some beast people, then it's Killer Croc vs Nightwing, then it's Killer Croc vs beast Batman, and finally it's beast Batman vs Nightwing. If what you're looking for is a simple, action-packed diversion from the main Titans: Beast World event, then this has got you covered. Miguel Mendonça's art is both detailed and exciting. His action is dynamic with both the movement of the characters and its use of colors and shadows to accentuate what's happening in a dramatic way. It may feel like mindless junk food, but at least potato chips still taste good.

Score: 6/10

Wild Harleys I have Known

It's only seven pages, but even at that short length this feels really bare bones. A henchman is in therapy talking about how he keeps seeing a giant rabbit (Harley Quinn) following him around. After he finishes telling the therapist this, Harley shows up and takes his phone. That's it; that's the comic. The cartoonish art and Harley's Looney Tunes-esque appearance would have you believe this is meant to be a comedy, but there's no jokes.

The cynic in me wants to say this story only exists because a muscle-bound, Bugs Bunny-looking Harley Quinn is a very attention-grabbing image for the cover. That's fine, but it doesn't mean you shouldn't come up with an entertaining story to go with it. Really lean into the Looney Tunes angle if that's the direction you want. Have Harley causing mischievous havoc for Joker or the bat family. Alternatively, you could focus on the monster side of it, even if that wouldn't stand out from what everyone else is doing. Just give me something.

Score: 3/10

Scavengers

Oh man. Let me preface this by saying that Jason Todd as Red Hood can at times have a bit of a reputation among fans. That is, his angsty, antihero persona can sometimes come off as trying too hard to be "edgy". It's a word I'm usually hesitant to use because I think it can often be reductive. It's one of those terms whose lack of concrete definition means it'll get overused and diluted of any real meaning. However, if any story was going to earn the title, it'd be this one.

It's eight pages of wolf Jason (whose design consists of red spiky hair covered in his tattered costume which already veered into this territory) monologuing about "the cancer in the city's bones" and how it's a predator... like him. Every panel oozes tortured anger, from the ever-present red tint to the tattered narration boxes. The writing itself is reminiscent of Rorschach's journal entries from Watchmen, but taken to the nth degree with constant mentions of killing, blood, and how he'll never be redeemed and wishes he were still dead. There's also a page trying to add some commentary on police violence that comes pretty out of left field.

It's crazy how over the top this story is in its angst. Part of me wants to read it as satire but it so clearly wants to be taken very seriously. It took turning into a wolf for Jason to become a distillation of every joke made about his character.

Score: 3.5/10

Claw and Order

A few paragraphs ago, I complained that the Harley Quinn story seemed to be set up for comedy, but didn't have any jokes. I suppose this technically addresses that concern. Despite being about a much more serious character in Huntress, her transformation is used for a cat laser pointer joke. I hope that's the sort of humor that has you rolling on the floor, because it's all this offers. The art is rough, to say the least, with inconsistent proportions, shading and coloring that feels flat and uninteresting, and an overall style that gives of an impression of being rushed more than anything else. The narration is filled with attempts at humor that repeatedly fall flat, making this comic as annoying to read as it is to look at.

Score: 2.5/10

Wild Thing

We close out this anthology similarly to how we began: with a brawl. Once again, there's not much to say about it. Stephanie shows up to a crime scene, fights beast Killer Moth, then leaves. There are a couple quips thrown in during the fight itself, and they're fine, but that's the entirety of the story. At the very least, the art makes the fight enjoyable to read. Kelley Jones has had one of the most distinct visual styles at DC for about 30 years, and he's always been a great fit for Gotham. The way he incorporates shadows and exaggerated proportions create a dark surrealism to the visuals. It's at its best when coupled with the horrific and the bizarre. Monster Killer Moth offers a bit of that, even if the story itself is unfortunately bland.

Score: 5/10

Recommended if…

• You desperately want to read more Beast World content, no matter what
• Any attempt at a joke is good enough
• You just want to see a bunch of Gotham characters turned into animals

Overall

This comic is really only for those who are determined to read every tie-in to the Titans: Beast World event. Nothing here is consequential, which is to be expected, but what's worse is that it doesn't even use the premise in any interesting way. The stories are varying degrees of bland. At their best they're mindless fighting, and at their worst they come off as failed attempts at either humor or angst.

Score: 4/10

DISCLAIMER: DC Comics provided Batman News with a copy of this comic for the purposes of this review.