Last weak, faithful readers, we were witness to a good deal of gaming groundwork.
This week, we really see things moving.
Gotham City Sirens #2 is a real winner of a middle issue. Issue #1’s inciting reveal was that Punchline was behind the mysterious cyber-buffalo stampedes, and that the cartoonish futuristic Western violence running roughshod throughout the streets of Gotham are all a part of an AR video game she’s running and promoting with scantily-clad hot tub streams. It’s a silly premise, but it’s one that fits the tone that the book established from the beginning.
Punchline is a perfectly fitting villain for GCS. If DC editorial is going to continue to make her a thing, then this is a great use for her. This reviewer hopes that an inevitable Harley vs. Punchline showdown refrains from painting the two characters as being in the shadow of/ultimately vying for the attention of the Joker.
The Sirens (they don’t actually call themselves this) realize that not only is Punchline tackily promoting the energy drink XO Punch (hilariously bolded and registered-trademarked with each and every mention by letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou) on her hot tub streams, but she’s using the stuff to mind control her loyal streaming subs! Banding together, they convince their local bodega guy Perry to stop selling the popular beverage and to let them hide out in the shop at night to wait for—and promptly ambush— the shipping truck. Hitching a ride back from the obliviously mind-controlled driver, they aim to infiltrate the XO Punch distillery and put a stop to the chaos. But of course, it’s not going to be that easy!
The artwork gets a bit of an upgrade from last issue. The color palette and general tone stay consistent, but Daniel Hillyard’s penciling efforts are sharper and more focused. He’s able to flesh out a good deal of background detail without sacrificing the pace of what has so far been an action-packed book, and he’s able to allow each of the book’s three leading ladies to move and pose with their respective signature flairs (or lack thereof). No one character is unduly stealing the spotlight in any given panel or on any given page. For a team up book, the expectation is one of artistic balance, and Hillyard delivers.
I wish the same could be said for each of the Sirens’ narrative functions. Specifically, I wish Ivy had more to do. The general heist atmosphere of the book so far and of this issue in particular provides a sensible lane for Catwoman’s involvement, and the (again, general) spunky, tongue-in-cheek tone makes Harley a natural de facto lead character. But Ivy so far seems to be just along for the ride. She is able to apply her seductive charms in order to convince the bodega guy to help them out, but this could easily have been accomplished without the aid of anything supernatural. I certainly don’t need this book to have any sort of vegetative twist for it in order to perfectly justify Ivy’s presence, but I’m personally hoping that she is able to take a little more of the narrative foreground in the future issues. Luckily we won’t have to wait too long to find out, now will we?
Overall, I’m glad we were able to get through last issue’s not-unenjoyable exposition in order to get to the fun of this issue. This book could easily have fallen into all the girl-power cliches of an unimaginative bachelorette party, but so far, it has risen above those middling expectations. I look forward to the second half of this brief run.
Recommend if…
- You’re curious to see how DC gently pokes fun at gaming/streaming culture
- You think Punchline is at her best when she’s not in the shadow of the Joker
- You’re still riding high from Beyoncé’s release of Cowboy Carter
Overall:
Things are picking up! From the looks of it, this brief mini-series isn’t trying to do too much within its constraints, but is still having a ton of fun throwing ideas at the wall. A modest win so far.
Score: 7/10
