Annataz Ot Degnoleb Eussi Siht
The Good: Guillem March's cover is stunning.
Although I have other things to say about the change in artists, I rather enjoyed Jeremy Haun's artwork as I usually do. Some of his faces are kind of funky, but many of them display some quite good emotions. And I think he really made those scenes with the flow of memories.
Zatanna's conversation at the beginning was a good way to explore her emotions, and overall it was a very good scene.
Harley playing the mediator seems apt. She WAS a psychiatrist before, and, as I've been noticing a lot in this entire series, that part of her has been shining through quite nicely in well placed scenes. And the arguments she counters Ivy with are pretty clever.
The depths to which Talia is willing to go are incredible. The sheer amount of planning put into this single moment were pretty astounding for something only built up for 2 issues.
I've decided that I'd be fine, probably even happy with Peter Calloway to continue as ongoing writer on this title. He does seem to have captured the spirit of each Siren perfectly, and I can't say I've been disappointed by the story arc. The themes and plot twists make for quite a sweet ride. Sure there's a few pacing problems that need addressing, but the overall presentation has impressed me well enough.
The Bad: Would this title pick an artist and stick with them? I know a lot of people would've liked Guillem March to stay longer, or permanently, but I thoroughly enjoyed the artwork of Andres Guinaldo the past few issues. He captured the girls'…*ahem* 'assets' quite well, and made some pretty damn dynamic action sequences. Peter Nguyen had some awesome fight scenes as well, and Jeremy Haun did capture the darker tone of this issue, and had some stellar emotional memory sequences, but the roster is shifting a bit awkwardly. This is the third time the artist has changed in the middle of a story arc. I know you all miss Guillem March, but each follow up has had plenty to offer this comic. I think Jeremy Haun belongs on something a little darker, personally, and if given the choice or replacements I'd say Andres Guinaldo for sure. (Though the cover of the last issue did make me miss Guillem March.) But just pick one and stop wavering. And while your at it, fix the solicits. This series has had one of the worst track records of solicits in both content incorrectness as well as frequently inaccurate creator info. And a few other problems as well. I know Paul Dini left the series, but that's no reason to let an otherwise good title fall into such disarray.
One final note, that the titular Sirens were very much a background in this issue. As the title of my review says, this comic was almost entirely about Zatanna. It was pretty damn good, but the Sirens didn't fulfill their titular obligation.
In Conclusion: 3.5/5
Overall, this was a pretty solid read. It explored some nice moral dilemmas, added some character development, had some tense emotional scenes, and there was even some high stakes action. Everything you want in a comic book. The main characters may not be as focused on as they should, but they are there throughout the entire issue, and all 3 are very well written. The pacing in this issue is leaps and bounds better than the last 2 issues, which weren't exactly that bad themselves. If you like Zatanna, you'll almost certainly enjoy this issue. You can pretty much pick it up without reading the last 2, but it'll help.
