| Title | : | Gotham City Sirens, Vol. 1: Union |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1401225705 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781401225704 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 176 |
| Publication | : | First published September 30, 2009 |
Collects GOTHAM CITY SIRENS #1-7.
Gotham City Sirens, Vol. 1: Union Reviews
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Batman/Bruce Wayne is still pushing up the daisies, so it’s Ladies Night Out in Gotham City. It’s a team up of Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn – their agenda: watch each other’s backs.
Catwoman is still recovering from having her heart removed by Hush (and returned by the real Batman) and Poison Ivy and Harley have taken over an addled Riddler’s pad. Poison Ivy has that slinky, planty mind-control thing going on, hence Riddler’s predicament. Ivy’s powers have grown and expanded – she can communicate via plants and can create vines for subduing and gagging purposes. Harley is the ditzy-moony-can’t-get-over-The-Joker version. I’m probably in the minority here, but I prefer the smart, capable, quippy portrayal of Harley, after all, she was a psychiatrist. Some goofiness is okay; the bimbette stuff – not so much - it wears thin rather quickly.
The ladies are chasing down Hush, who’s had himself surgically altered to resemble Bruce Wayne and they also come up against Gaggy (yes, Gaggy!), the Joker’s ex-dwarf circus clown sidekick. We get to see how The Joker went from being the PG rated Gagsmith of Crime to the homicidal, psychopathic version we love and cherish.
There’s also an excellent issue about Riddler’s new legitimate detective agency (he recovered) and the requisite crappy Christmas issue here as well. Bah. Humbug.
Bottom line: This is a fun collection. One thing I can always say about Paul Dini, he knows how to write for the extended Bat family and his stuff is, at the very least, entertaining. -
Paul Dini is undoubtedly one of the all-time great Batman writers. He gave us the Batman Animated Series, the first (and best) two Arkham games, a bunch of awesome Batman comics and, probably his most significant and lasting contribution to the world of Batman, co-created Harley Quinn. That said, he’s not infallible and has written his share of forgettable drek which unfortunately includes this first volume of Gotham City Sirens.
There’s disappointingly little in the way of story. Things get off to a very shaky start as Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn join forces to become the Sirens and subsequently end up not doing much else but bicker for a few issues. A tangible, but still weak, storyline emerges in the second half as Harley’s ex-puddin’ Mistah J gets a dose of the jealousy bug after seeing her going out with “Bruce Wayne” (secretly Tommy Elliot/Hush, standing in for Bruce while he was time-travelling back from caveman times - see Grant Morrison’s The Return of Bruce Wayne) and decides to kill them both. It’s momentarily interesting until the anticlimactic reveal which features a very obscure (for a reason) Silver Age character.
The book reaches its nadir when Scott Lobdell (NOOOOOO!) takes over for an absolutely pointless issue featuring Dick Grayson/Batman and the Riddler, who at this time was trying to go straight as a private investigator in a dreary storyline that failed to no-one’s surprise. I’m glad it was only for an issue but the unmemorable case of these two stopping some nobody serial killers added nothing to the volume and could’ve easily been left out to no effect.
Guillem March’s art is pretty good, if a bit ass-centric (the ladies almost always have their backs to the reader), and some of his character designs are questionable. The “bookseller” from the Lobdell issue looked like she’d be more at home in a strip-club! And, while he may be lacking ideas in the story department, Dini writes all the girls well.
It’s not nearly enough to recommend checking this one out though - Gotham City Sirens, Volume 1: Union is a wearying slog through one boring comic after another. Nuh-uh! -
This was such a fantastic volume and I'm so excited to read the rest of the series!
Harley, Ivy and Catwoman make the best girl gang ever and it was great to see them working as a team! It was also cool to see them have a more human side to them; like when they were all trying to convince Harley to get over the Joker. The group worked really well together and it was just super great to read!
The twists and turns within the story kept me wanting to carry on reading and I loved how the story progressed! It was also pretty cool to get to meet Harley's actual family and see how the way they are made her who she is today!
Haven't read a comic series this good in a while and I can already tell it's going to be one of my favourites! -
So Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn move in together and try not to break too many laws. It's campy in a very fun way, it has nice art, and it's written by Paul Dini. What's not to like? Ok, so there's a bit too many fan service panels for me. But it is Paul Dini, and it's Harley, so I'm going to love it. And campy fun it may be, but the characterization is good anyways. Maybe not worth a buy unless you're a big fan of one (Harley!) or all three of these ladies.
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Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn decided to work together, which, well, not work too smoothly, not when the first thing Ivy and Harley decided to do is to tie Catwoman up and try to make her tell them who Batman really is. But what is a little tying up between friends? They are soon best buddies again, and out to fight bad men and rescue Harley that gets kidnapped by Bruce Wayne?
I like this series, Ivy, Catwoman and Harley are hilarious together. And it’s fun to see the three main women of Gotham team up and kick asses…and perhaps one day Harley will get over her obsession with Mr J! Well perhaps not…
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DC Comic's three best ladies (in my opinion) move in together and of course, crazy antics ensue.
There are clearly some things I missed jumping into this one however, it was nothing that the comic didn't review so you knew what was going on.
Catwoman will always be my favorite.
The artwork was spot on. -
Není možný, dobrej komiks s Harley
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actual rating: 3.5 stars
"You're about to learn in no uncertain terms what it means to mess with me and my girls!"
I'm kind of in a reading slump right now, so I decided to pick this up. I've read some comics but never really in the right order (I know, what's wrong with me?!). This did make things difficult for me, because I was often really confused!
I love reading about female friendships! I'm so glad there's never any tension between the girls. Well except sexual tension between Harley and Ivy ;)
It's nice that we also get to see these characters when they're not 'working'. I do think Harley's mom is really harsh. She fucks up but she used to be a good person! It's not her fault The Joker tortures her. It was so odd to see her in 'normal' clothing!
I'm glad Selina didn't wear her outfit in every scene. Let's face it: it's sexualised. But she wore a pantsuit in the last issue of this volume, and she looked FABULOUS!
One of the reason I'm not giving this a higher rating is because in one issue, the women were only in it for one page. AND I LOVE THE CHARACTERS!
I'd also like a bit more action. When I look back, I don't remember that many things that happened. And like I already mentioned: it was confusing.
This is certainly something I'll continue reading. Each comic is very short which is positive. And I'm glad there's a story and not just a different case every issue. -
This is one of the more lighthearted Batman comics. In all actuality, I prefer it to Hush or anything by Jeph Loeb. It combines humor (the thing I love about the Batman villain line up) with violence. And that's what I think most Batman comics are missing -- something to balance out serious!Batman.
And I have to say, I'm liking this team up between Selina, Harley, and Poison Ivy. Their characterization isn't half bad and they're actually portrayed in a pseudo-positive light without the self-righteous, "am I good or evil" and "we can't kill people" bullshit you get with hero team ups. If you prefer Rose Wilson/Wonder Woman style hero morality to boyscout Superman whinging, you'll enjoy this.
The story itself is a bit slow, especially when Hush and Edward Nigma are introduced, but whenever the main players interact, it really shines.
As for the art? There's a bit too much fanservice, but if you like Jim Lee or Michael Turner, you won't notice. -
Friggin' terrible. Lame storytelling and ridiculously oversexualized art. Every page managed to contort an impossibly curvaceous woman into impossibly twisty cheesecake poses. I only kind of liked Poison Ivy, Catwoman was mostly declawed, and Harley Quinn came off as an idiot most of the time. Plus one whole issue is wasted on The Riddler doing PI work.
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3,5/5
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This is a lot of fun. Paul Dini just gets The Batverse and nobody writes Harley better than the guy who created her. There is a lot to like here.
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AKA “Gotham City Butts.”
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Just a fun night out with the gals
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Graphically a bit poor, let's be honest, I've found it pretty basic. Not too much either in the story apart from the usual love / hate relationship betwen The Joker and Harley, the 'good girl /bad girl' with Ivy and Catwoman inside mental fight. And generous curves of course all the way.
It's nice and easy for an evening where you're tired 😊. I myself have a very soft spot for the Ladies of Gotham. -
Before reviewing this I have to admit that I am a hardcore Harley fan. I have perfected my "Mista Jay", and have an adorable figurine sitting by my computer. This is all very embarrassing to type out, but that being said, I am very critical of not only how she is portrayed personality wise, but how she is drawn as well. I am happy to say Harley shines in both aspects in this graphic novel! Her playful psychotic cuteness just beams from beginning to end! I will never be a fan of catwoman I'm afraid, but she plays a minimal enough role in volume 1 that I'm not grumbling under my breath.
In this collection of tales, we find our lady villians of Gotham City are teaming together for good (in the varying shades of gray "good" always is in this perpetually overcast town). Gotham City Sirens seems to catch the girls right after the Hush situation in Gotham. If you haven't kept up with the fact that Bruce's childhood friend took his FACE, ripped out catwoman's heart, & is now successfully posing as the wealthy playboy, never fear, Paul Dini does a good job here giving an adequate back story, at least enough to still make this enjoyable if you are just tuning in for the sirens.
Harly and Ivy are found living with a near comatose Riddler (compliments of Ivy) with little funds left of their own. Ivy of course has all but given her money away to one rain forest project or another, Harley shops a lot to compensate for boredom and lack of her sociopath lover to keep her entertained, and it seems catwoman is the only one with any money sense so everyone ends up shacking up with her in her newly renovated fab pad. (complete with toyroom!)
This Graphic Novel is great! With other great characters gracing it's pages like the Riddler, embittered little gaggy...but I wont give away all the surprise guests, I've said too much already. It's dark, funny, the art is fantastic, and you don't want it to end. So don't be like me and wait on the 2nd one in case the 1st one wasn't worth it, buy volumes 1 & 2, curl up with some candy and be immensely entertained! -
I wasn't sure what I was going to think about this series when I started it. I thought that there was a fair chance that this was just going to be silly nonsense. The more I read, the more I started to enjoy this book. The stories are though not very complex, very enjoyable. The relationship between the 3 sirens is interesting. As you can imagine, they often don't see eye to eye on various issues.
The events here follow on from Heart of Hush and Final Crisis. They also tie into the Streets of Gotham : Hush Money so reading this book around the same time may be beneficial though not necessary.
It is also very interesting to see the riddler gone good. He becomes a Private Investigator in this book and even teams up with Batman in one of the stories. However for me the story involving the joker was the highlight of this book. I would probably have given this book 3 stars had it not been for this story. I enjoyed it that much I couldn't mark the book it was in that low (even though the rest of the book is definitely 3).
In conclusion, if you like the three main Characters, I'm pretty sure you will enjoy this book. I wouldn't say I am a huge fan of any of them particularly and I really enjoyed it. Like the start of any new series or team up, much of the start of this book is setting the scene and showing how the characters will interact. The stories are still good though and having read the full series, they do get even better so for that reason alone it's worth reading. -
Lavishly illustrated, this comic collection is a definite treat. "With its dark knight fallen, Gotham's dark angels ascend..." Cat woman decides to pair up with Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn because after having her heart ripped out, she realizes that there is safety in numbers. Without Batman, Gotham has retreated back into darkness and even these feminine criminals need to watch their backs.
Cat woman is happy for the company, but even so sometimes she wants to strangle her new friends and roommates. Ivy is determined to figure out Batman's identity, even if it means drugging cat woman, and Harley Quinn won't stop going on about the Joker. Loads of good fun, this kept me more than entertained. -
Call me crazy, but Gotham City Sirens is and forever will be my favourite comic series of all time, despite its flaws.
Why, you say? The premise: Catwoman, Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy move in together and kick ass. Nuff said.
Seriously though, the illustrations are beautiful and the plot is just a whole lot of fun. You'll get more out of it especially if you have a real interest in their characters and chemistry, too. It's just what I've always wanted to see in a series: my favourite ladies coming together for a carnage of mayhem. Say what you will about the subversions of plot or character specifics, but these ladies are kicking asses and takin' names. -
This was an entertaining volume, but it could have been much better had the proportions been more...accurate. Really, how do they fight like that? And some of those fighting poses that Harley does while being shot at...just look rather painful. But the drawing style otherwise wasn't horrible and I liked the coloring.
The entire "girl power" theme that this book is supposed to be headlining wasn't really there much, but maybe it's because it is the first volume. Might read more, might not.
Is it odd that I found the Riddler chapter the most intriguing? -
This is something that more comics should be...fun. While the themes were light-hearted for the most part this book was still serious. I really enjoyed hearing Ivy's and Harley's voice as it hasn't happened much in the past. I was not up to speed on the Hush and "replacement" Bruce Wayne stuff so that left me scratching my head some. The by newcomer Guillem March was very good. I didn't always enjoy his portrayal of the ladies out of costume but overall a solid book. Good stuff!
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This started out slow and ended on a good note. Love the three ladies involved. I was worried we wouldn't get much characterization with them, but I was pleasantly surprised. I'd like to see more about Selina and whats making her tick now. But overall a good read.
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Ah, it's okay. This is a collection of the first seven issues of the series, but it reads more like a single issue. We get the set-up for the series as Ivy, Harley and Selina become roommates. I've already started the second volume and it's much better than this one.
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This was a lot of fun! The bad girls of Gotham team up and hang out. I especially enjoyed when Jenny Duffy, aka the Carpenter, shows up to help with a few reno projects. I'm hoping the next collection features even more of the women and their activities and less of their enemies.
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That was probably the most fun I've had reading a comic book in my whole life. I loved all of the characters! Riddler, Poison Ivy, Catwoman and most importantly Harley Quinn! I will definitely be picking up the rest of the series!
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L'alliance des 3 personnages féminins les plus emblématiques de l'univers Batman fait des étincelles dans cette histoire particulièrement haletante. Je retire une étoile parce que la fin est vraiment précipitée, et ça gâche clairement le plaisir de la lecture.
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Literally changed my life
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C'était très chouette, un peu décousu, mais sympathique. Je ne suis pas une grande fana des dessins mais les histoires étaient sympathiques et j'aime beaucoup ces personnages.
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Gotham City Sirens is an American comic book series published by DC Comics. The term Gotham City Sirens refers to three of the most popular female villains that inhabit Gotham City, which are Catwoman, Harley Quinn, and Poison Ivy, who serves as the main protagonist to the series.
Gotham City Sirens: Union collects Gotham City Sirens #1–7 of the 2009 on-going series. This trade paperback covers seven one-issue interconnecting stories: "Union", "Girl Talk", "Riddle Me This!", "Date Night", "Out of the Pest", "The Last Gag", and "Holiday Story" (Gotham City Sirens #1–7 respectively).
After the events of Batman: Reborn, where Bruce Wayne apparently died and Dick Grayson took on the mantle of Batman, Selena Kyle as Catwoman, Pamela Isley as Poison Ivy, and Harleen Quinzel as Harley Quinn decided to form a team.
When Catwoman fights a villain named Boneblaster, it is revealed she still has physical limitations from her ordeal in "Heart of Hush" and is nearly easily beaten by the two-bit thug. However, Poison Ivy arrives to save Catwoman and offers her to return to her new hideout, which is actually the hideout of the Riddler, whom Poison Ivy has seduced and drugged. Catwoman discovers Harley Quinn is also living with them, and proposes that the three women join together to protect one another as a team.
Harley Quinn leaves Poison Ivy's hideout, while Dick Grayson as Batman and the reformed Riddler solve a coinciding case that leads to Harley Quinn encountering Bruce Wayne. Unbeknownst to her, he is actually Thomas Elliot as Hush, who had reconstructed his face to look like Bruce Wayne so he could control Wayne Enterprises.
Hush plans to kill Quinn, but when footage of the two together reaches Joker, he decides to kill Harley since if he cannot have her – no one can. The Joker is revealed to not be himself at all, but an old sidekick of his named Gaggy, who is angered at Harley for replacing him. Poison Ivy and Catwoman manage to save Harley and escape.
With the exception of one issue (Gotham City Sirens #3), which was written by Scott Lobdell, Paul Dini penned the entire trade paperback. For the most part, it is written rather well, it is an interesting take on these classic female felons teaming up to save Gotham City in their own way. The narrative so far is a tad shallow and uncomplicated, but enjoyable nevertheless. Hopefully, the story line would get more complicated with multi-issue stories in the upcoming trade paperbacks.
Again, with the exception of one issue (Gotham City Sirens #7), which was penciled by David Lopez, Guillem March penciled the entire trade paperback. For the most part, their penciling style complements each other rather well, since March has basically penciled the entire trade paperback, the artistic flow was rather seamless.
All in all, Gotham City Sirens: Union is a wonderful start to what would hopefully be an equally wonderful series.
