Gotham City Sirens #3

Alright, let's just get it out of the way...the Sirens were in this issue for only one page. I was not happy about that revelation. Does anyone else find it odd that a new title would hand an entire issue over to another Batman villain this early in the game?

The featured villain was, of course, the Riddler -- pardon me, Edward Nigma. You see, the Riddler appears to be reformed and is now a detective on the beat who prefers his civilian name.

In this issue Mr. Nigma is on the hunt for a serial killer in Gotham City. The healthy and well-to-do are turning up dead and clues are being left at the scenes of the crimes. It turns out some costumed psycho-fan named Conundrum is involved. She's dressed like a Mortal Kombat flunkie with a slight nod to the Riddler costume. I'd go into further detail but I didn't find the story all that compelling. Frankly, the Riddler has never been one of my favorite villains. Perhaps his role in Gotham City Sirens will change my mind. It's likely that Edward Nigma is going to partner up with the Sirens and create a Charlie's Angels type of dynamic.

It was pointed out at the DC Comics message boards that Paul Dini did not write this issue. The credits at the beginning of the book say as much. I'm not sure what's going on with that -- if he's taking a break or if this was just a one-shot for Scott Lobdell. Time will tell.

I'd also like to briefly share my concern over the color job for Sirens. I'm not really liking the muddy quality to the March's colors. I do like Guillem March but I think his palette choices (he does ink and color duty) and style detract from his line art. I will give him credit for a rather slick cover. It's a nod to Bond-esque spy films from the 60s.

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