Gotham City Sirens: A Conflicted Goodbye

I’ve been thinking about Gotham City Sirens a lot lately.  Mainly because in recent months I have really enjoyed it after being indifferent for most of its run.  As a concept I think it was always doomed to fail for two reasons.  The first being that Catwoman, despite her moral flexibility is not a villain, and the second that Harley Quinn, although lovable, is not sane.

The series began with Catwoman, Harley Quinn, and Poison Ivy moving in together like some bastardized version of Charlie’s Angels, and right off the bat these three characters lost some of their depth.  One of them would get into a jam and the other two would have to get them out.  Obviously this is a simplification, but to be perfectly honest, not a large one.  I would read it every month and think, “It was okay.”  Selina Kyle and Ivy don’t need partners.  Catwoman is conflicted between looking out for number one and wanting to help the good guys, but she isn’t one to trust people.  Especially not Poison Ivy, who also has severe trust issues.  I will admit, I’m not a lover of Poison Ivy.  She is cold and charmless and was the only character who actually benefited from this series, but that too is a recent occurrence. 

I realize that this is coming across as a very negative outlook, so let me switch over to why lately, this is has become one of the books I really look forward to.  The mirrored relationships of Batman and Catwoman to Joker and Harley Quinn have been established in a brilliant way.  Obviously the issues between Bruce and Selina are staggeringly different from Joker and Harley, but in the end, both are relationships that can’t logically work but can’t end.  The Joker is hands down, the scariest character in the DCU but the unconditional, insane love that Harley Quinn feels for him makes him scarier and her oddly endearing.  We all know that one of these days, he’s actually going to succeed in killing her if the mood strikes him.  Quick sidebar, the implication that Joker and Harley had a sexual relationship was terrifyingly awesome. 

So this most recent arc which is bringing the series to its close has put all three characters at odds because Selina and Harley have chosen the roads we all knew they would choose from the very beginning and Poison Ivy is alone, and more than that, she’s lonely.  What does Poison Ivy do when she’s angry?  She tries to kill someone and right now Selina is at the top of her hit list.  But what’s fascinating is that Poison Ivy is still trying to save Harley, and I like her better for it.

With one issue to go before the relaunch, I have to say that part of me will be sad to see this dynamic trio go.  The new Catwoman series is at the top of my reading list come September but Harley on the Suicide Squad is leaving me feeling hesitant because I can’t help but think it’s going to be the same problem all over again.  

Bat News…With Laughter and Tears

Wow, I am so full of conflicting emotions right now.  Major Bat news was announced today, and I will get to all of them but I really have to talk about Batgirl before I talk about anything else.  It was announced today that Gail Simone will be writing Barbara Gordon as Batgirl.  I have a big issue with rewriting the history of Babs in this way.  The evolution of Babs as a character was very touching and while it may sound cheesy, Babs as Oracle was a role model.  She represented so much goodness in the importance of knowledge and overcoming ones limitations to achieve great things.  Now all of that is gone, but I had a gut wrenching reaction in learning that Gail is going to be writing it, because it’s Gail.  She has great respect and knowledge of this character and she’s one of my absolute favorite comic writers so I trust her.  In a recent article that Gail Simone wrote for Comic Alliance, she said that people would be heartbroken with some of the announcements, and I have to say that I am.  I’m actually a bit embarrassed by how fierce my emotional reaction is to this news.  The age change really confuses me, because Babs being younger means that Dick will be younger, but Damian is staying the same age, so where does Tim fit in now?  As for Stephanie Brown and Cassandra Cain, I will whole heartedly say, they got screwed and it sucks.

 

So I’ve already alluded to this, but Dick Grayson is back as Nightwing and he will be in Gotham.  I’m okay with this, I had a feeling it was coming and it’s not a big leap.  They got a really good creative team in Kyle Higgins and Eddy Barrows, so I’m happy to see where this one goes.

Since this is a Bat news post, I should probably talk about Batman…it’s Bruce Wayne, surprise!  The Batman books really aren’t changing much, besides the fact that it will be Bruce all the time now.  Batman and Robin is in the brilliant hands of Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleeson.  I’m going to miss the dynamic between Dick and Damian, this is going to be a very different book now that Bruce is in the mix.  Alfred is going to be a super necessary component in keeping Damian in line because let’s just say it, Bruce has a tendency to be rather neglectful. 

Batman and Detective are switching writers.  Scott Snyder will be taking over Batman and Tony Daniel will be doing Detective.  They have both been doing excellent work lately on the Bat books, so I don’t have any concerns about the upcoming storylines.   Batman: The Dark Knight is also sticking around, written by David Finch with art by Jay Fabok.  I’m actually kind of surprised that this book made the cut.  It’s a  good read, but do we really need four Bruce books?

 

Batwoman is a definite, thank goodness, and Judd Winick is writing a new series called Batwing, which is going to be about the Batman of Africa.

More good news first and then I’m returning to some serious heartbreak.  Jason Todd gets his own series!!!  In The Red Hood and the Outlaws Jason Todd will be joined by Roy as Arsenal and Starfire.  Titans bites the dust!  This has rockin’ potential to be a great romp.  What would make it better in my eyes is if it were being written by Judd Winick, but he’s going to be a bit busy, because he is writing Catwoman.  That’s right my friends, Judd is taking over Selina Kyle, there is some justice left in the world! So that’s the happy news…

 

Birds of Prey is another source of heartbreak for me right now.  First of all, Gail isn’t writing it but that’s not a shock because it’s a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT GROUP.  The only original left is Dinah and she looks…well I’m just going to say it, she looks wrong.  Huntress and Zinda are gone…THEY’RE GONE!  Instead, Dinah is joined by Katana, who I usually love, but who looks like a freakin’ robot.  Rose/Thorn…I don’t even know who this chick is, and someone who looks suspiciously like Poison Ivy.  Have I mentioned how much I hate Poison Ivy?  Black Canary is the only bird I see in this group.  Flabbergasted, I’m just flabbergasted, and more than a little pissed.

   

Reviews – Bruce Wayne The Road Home

It’s a pity that The Return of Bruce Wayne was delayed because it was jarring to have Bruce suddenly back and mid-mission. That being said, I am relieved that Bruce is still Bruce. I was concerned that there would be a long period of readjustment. The Road Home consists of two stories, the first of course being Bruce Wayne familiarizing himself with how characters have changed while piecing together a much larger mission that appears to mainly tie into the current Red Robin storyline. The second story follows Vicki Vale on her quest to prove who Bruce, Dick and Tim really are. That being said, let’s jump right in to this weeks issues.

Batman and Robin

Written by: Fabian Nicieza

Art by: Cliff Richards

Bruce spends the majority of the issue studying Dick and Damian as a unit. As the introduction to the Road Home, this issue didn’t have any stunning revelations. It set up the Bruce/Tim situation and we can all breathe a sigh of relief as Bruce determined that Dick and Damian are perfectly situated.

 

Red Robin

Written by: Fabian Nicieza

Art by: Ramon Bachs and John Lucas

Bruce has infiltrated the Spiders and his first mission is to kill Red Robin! While Bruce’s observations of Dick and Damian in Batman and Robin were spot on, I found myself getting very defensive about his observations of Tim. Bruce obviously has some concerns regarding Tim’s abilities. I think that mainly stems from the fact that Tim is the best partner for Bruce and Bruce is therefore harder on him in general, but it was still frustrating. Pru was great as always, and I’m looking forward to the Ra’s Al Ghul issue, he is pissed!

 

Written by: Mike W. Barr

Art by: Javier Saltares and Rebecca Buchman

I don’t read Outsiders on a regular basis, so I was concerned about jumping into this issue, but it was actually really fun. Katana has always been a fun character and I enjoyed her interactions with Bruce. I’m curious to see what Bruce had planned for them and why he doesn’t think they’re ready.  I guess I’m going to have to catch up on this series.

 

Written by: Bryan Q. Miller

Art by: Pere Perez

Thank you Alfred, it’s about time someone stuck up for Stephanie Brown. This issue of the Road Home was my favorite so far. I enjoyed the rest of them, but Batgirl was the only one with a fun Bruce Wayne reveal and I was delighted at the mere mention that someone actually knows where Cassandra Cain has been all this time. 

If you are wondering why I haven’t mentioned the Vicki Vale storyline at all, I will say only this: Paul thinks she is going to be a big part of Batman Incorporated…I say kill her and keep the secret safe.

The Future of the Bat Family

October is an important month as we gear up for Bruce Wayne’s return.  The Road Home will consist of a 8 one-shots all told from different series/characters perspectives.  Originally we were supposed to have the first couple issues of the Road Home last week but they were pushed back, so now we get the first four this Wednesday in addition to issue #5 of the Return of Bruce Wayne. 

 

Honestly, I haven’t missed Bruce Wayne, but I am excited for the drama that will ensue when he comes back.  For months Paul and I have discussed how Bruce’s return will affect the Dick/Damian relationship.  Batman and Robin has been a wonderful series from the first issue and we were concerned that to replace Dick with Bruce would kill the dynamic between the characters and send Damian on a psychotic killing spree.  Damian is way too broken to be raised by Bruce, so it’s vital that he stay with Dick and Alfred.  Imagine our relief when we found out that DC agreed with us. 

 

Batman Incorporated will mean that both Bruce and Dick can be Batman and maintain their own stories.  It also means that one my favorite characters is coming back with her own series.  The Greg Rucka, J.H. Williams III run of Detective Comics featuring Batwoman was brilliant, which made Greg Rucka leaving DC that much more heartbreaking.  But J.H. Williams III is taking up the reigns and Batwoman is getting her own series that will officially begin next year, with a preview issue this November.  Yay!

Well at least we know that Gotham will be safe, but what does Bruce Wayne’s return for the emotional well-being of the characters we know and love?  We’ll just have to wait and see.