Archive for the ‘Peter Calloway’ Category

Gotham City Sirens #23 Review

Posted: May 28, 2011 in Andres Guinaldo, Batman, Comic Book Review, DC Comics, Gotham City Sirens, Peter Calloway, Uncategorized
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Written By: Peter Calloway

Penciled By: Andres Guinaldo

Inked By: Lorenzo Ruggiero

Coloring By: JD Smith

Lettering By: Carlos M. Mangual

Edited By: Katie Kubert

Associate Editor: Harvey Richards

Cover By: Guillem March

The Plot

Harley helps the love of her life escape from prison…but not before they cause a little mayhem within the Arkham Asylum walls.  Elsewhere, Catwoman and Batman come together once again as a nocturnal duo and Ivy tries to convince Harley that the Joker is bad news.  It’s a lover’s quarrel in the middle of a prison break, how will it end?  Let’s see how true love’s keen sting dictates the outcome.

My Awe Inspiring Opinion

Is it just me, or do these “Super 8” inserts make these 20 paged issues seem like I should be paying a price of $3.99?

Calloway has been doing a great job at filling Paul Dini’s shoes; his handle on all three Sirens is spot on as well as his story telling abilities.  I love how, despite the numerous times Harley’s been burned by Mr. J, she can’t help but continually crawl back to the Joker due to the emotional manipulation he’s put on her.  We all know that this plot device has been used on numerous occasions, but I have a feeling this could be the penultimate moment before next month’s issue where Harley makes the ultimate decision to choose her friends over her lover.

Catwoman and Batman getting back together in a heroistic fashion was a nice touch as well, and with Ivy and Harley being best friends for the longest time, love is certainly a central theme within this issue.   All three Sirens have decisions to make…where will their loyalties lie?  Ivy does fine on her own, but is it enough to sacrifice the friendship she’s built with Harley?  And can Harley break her tie with the Joker and remain in the female-villain trifecta?  And of course, will Catwoman be reminded of how much she loves life as a burglar or will she stay true to her new friends?  No news has been announced of the Sirens cancelation so I’m assuming everything will turn out for the best, but this is definitely an arc which will boost the character development of the Sirens and bring them even closer as a team.

The subplots tangled throughout this chaos filled issue are implemented quite nicely.  Not too long ago the Black Mask was causing Batman more pain and strife than most of the villains in the Dark Knights repertoire have done in the last few years.  #23 presents a Jeremiah Arkham who seems unscathed by the events of R.I.P. and during Dick’s transition phase as Batman.  It’ll be interesting to see how Black Mask is brought back into the fold.

I’ll be honest, this is not a comic for those with weak constitutions; the Joker is cutting off the arms of guards, Black Mask makes threats of hanging people by their intestines while alive, inmates drive rusty and dirty nails into the guard’s bodies, and bullets fly every causing people to hang from above with blood dripping downward…This is not a pleasant issue.  But it’s certainly well done, thanks to Mr. Guinaldo, Ruggiero, and Smith.  I do miss having Guillem March sketching this book, but I won’t complain with the current artist line up.

My Majestically Climactic Conclusion

This is a solid issue; very few flaws (if any) with stellar storytelling and artistic techniques.  I’m glad Harley finally got her spot light!

10 out of 10 Stars

Gotham City Sirens #21 Review

Posted: April 4, 2011 in Andres Guinaldo, Batman, Comic Book Review, DC Comics, Gotham City Sirens, Guillem March, Harley Quinn, Peter Calloway, Uncategorized
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Written By: Peter Calloway

Artist: Andres Guinaldo

Inker: Lorenzo Ruggiero

Colorist: JD Smith

Cover Artist: Guillem March

Letterer: Dave Shape

Editor: Mike Marts

My Awe-Inspiring Opinion

Last month we were left at a standstill between Harley and Sergeant Aaron Cash; Harley dead set on getting her hands on the Joker, an Cash refusing to let her into the madman’s cell.  But with one twist of the plot thickening doorknob, Harley reveals a terrible truth to Cash as to what REALLY happened in his son’s death.

Giving her the keys to the Jokers cell, Harley’s plans to kill her former lover are on the cusp of completion.  But is her will strong enough to go through with it?  Can Harley actually murder the Joker?

The answer of course is no, the Joker is too popular and very much a defining feature of Batman folklore.  DC would be in big trouble if they actually pulled the plug on the Clown Prince of crime.  So it’s vital that the climax works and doesn’t feel like some cop-out.  And one would think that Harley getting back together with the Joker is a cop-out, but I would argue that it defines the control Mr. J has over Harley incredibly well…but it can’t be as cut-n-dry as that now can it?  So the kicker is going to come down to issue #22 and how the Sirens deal with this little snag in story.

In the meantime, Catwoman and Poison Ivy have it out and reveal how they really feel about each other.  Ivy has never liked Catwoman and has always shunned her the majority of the time.  I wonder about this though since Catwoman has saved Ivy’s life on numerous occasions (very recently in fact) which gives Pamela no real reason to continually show disdain for Selena.  Maybe next issue will help bring the two women together in a bond of friendship.  It’ll be nice to see these two come to terms with one another and finally start working WITH each other.

This issue was a joy for me in that we finally get a glimpse of just how smart Harley truly is deep down inside. As twisted as it may sound, through Harley’s desire to kill the Joker, we see her humanity poor out of her.  It’s almost as if she was retaining her sanity as she worked her way towards the Joker.  She was determined to break free of the control the he has over her by ending his life.  This is a human quality that, while still qualifying someone as insane, shows Harley was on the right track to reclaiming her own humanity.  And while it’s obvious that Harley has fallen prey to the Joker’s “swooning,” I certainly hope next issue gives Harley an ending worthy of this story arc.

The cover by Guillem March is astounding!  Of course, pretty much everything he does is astounding and is certainly the highlight, artistically, of GCS #21.  But Ruggiero and JD Smith bring out an incredible display of visuals that I haven’t seen by the artistic team yet.  I am, as most of you know, not one who favors a shift in artistic styles, but the way this art-duo changes things up with the flash-back sequences gives me chills of delight.

My Majestically Climactic Conclusion

#21 signifies something of an end for the Sirens doesn’t? Harley is back with the Joker, Catwoman and Ivy leave each other…the Gotham City trifecta has parted ways with no shimmering ray of hope to be seen.  Of course we all know it’s virtually impossible to keep the cancellation of titles  a secret, so we can assume that this isn’t the end of the Gotham City Sirens.  But one thing is for sure, if Calloway doesn’t deliver with a bang-up ending next month, the Sirens will truly make its way into the comic shredder.

10 out of 10