Gotham City Sirens #10 – Review

By: Paul Dini (writer), Andres Guinaldo (pencils), Raul Fernandez (inks), Ian Hanin (colors) & Sal Cipriano (letters)

The Story: Doctor Aesop has resurfaced and is trying to frame the Sirens for murder.  Will the girls and Edward Nigma have any luck stopping him?

What’s Good: Well, for starters, Paul Dini wrote this issue.  Since Gotham City Sirens was launched last summer, Dini has missed a few issues on both this and Streets of Gotham.  New series need to establish their story pretty fast, especially when they are a secondary title like GCS.  So, it was nice to have Dini back at the keyboard telling his story.

One of the main story points I’ve enjoyed on GCS has been the tale of the Riddler.  He’s been “good” for awhile now and you just know that he is going to revert to form at some point.  It’s almost like waiting for a character to come back from the dead.  Eddie isn’t too pleased with how the Sirens treat him in this issue and you have to wonder if this is going to make him flip.

The art is a huge positive in this issue.  Guillem March has been the regular artist on this title, but I found I much prefer the less cartoony style of newcomer Guinaldo.  This seems to be his first work for DC and it looks like he went all out to impress the new bosses.

What’s Not So Good: The biggest problem I have with this issue of GCS is what I don’t like about the whole series.  It’s just too campy.  Doctor Aesop is a pretty silly minor villain and he’s constructed a classic bad villain trap for Eddie (cage suspended over wolves, bears and lions).  Plus, his motive for framing the Sirens is that he wants their apartment.  Really?!  Then when you mix in the campiness that is part and parcel with Harley Quinn, then you have a bit of a mess.  I feel like there is potential for a Secret Six-like story here with Catwoman, Harley, Ivy, and Riddler… But all that camp simply ruins it.

Conclusion: Nice art, but weighed down by a mediocre story of no lasting impact and nothing you’ll remember a week later.

Grade: C-

-Dean Stell