‘Sirens: Love Hurts’ Brings Gotham’s Most Notorious Women Together

Gotham City’s most infamous women are back, and they are as glamorous, chaotic, and deadly as ever.

In the first issue of Sirens: Love Hurts, Catwoman, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, and Black Canary are forced to put aside their differences — and their brunch plans — to hunt a serial killer preying on women in the city. The result is a cocktail of suspense, humor, and high-stakes drama that fans won’t want to miss.

The series is published by DC Black Label, an imprint of DC Comics. The series is written by Tini Howard (Catwoman, Harley Quinn) and illustrated by Babs Tarr (Batgirl).

Gotham’s infamous quartet features Catwoman, juggling her two favorite men; recently single Harley Quinn, embracing her hot girl era; Poison Ivy, seeking solitude with Harley by her side; and Black Canary, whose engagement to Green Arrow faces unexpected complications. When a serial killer targeting women emerges in Gotham, Black Canary reluctantly joins forces with the Gotham City Sirens, setting the stage for tense and often hilarious collaboration.

Howard and Tarr connected through then-editor Jess Chen. Chen reached out to Howard to write the series, Howard says, describing it as “Gotham City sirens like Sex and the City.” “It was one of those stories for women, friendship and love in the big city, and then also the DC flair,” Howard explains. 

Tarr joined the project after meeting Chen at an open bar at Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC). “We were drinking and chatting,” she says, “and I was like, ‘Jessica, if you’re don’t let me draw this book, I’m going to be so fucking mad. This is my dream book. I cannot be more perfect for this book.” 

This is the first collaboration for Howard and Tarr, who had met previously through industry events, or, as Howard says, “being unhinged girlies.” 

“There’s not a ton of us, so we all know each other,” Tarr adds, noting the lack of women in the industry. “We all know of each other at the very least.”

The series balances high stakes with the chaotic moments that define the group dynamic. Brunches verge on disaster, alliances shift, and encounters with Gotham’s criminal underworld keep the tension high, blending drama and levity in a way that feels fresh and true to the characters, some of which don’t get to interact with each other in other titles.

“I know these characters, we love these characters,” Howard shares. “Because it’s [published through] Black Label, we can kind of take it out of canon. …Moments in their lives happen concurrently, so they can share their feelings with each other.” Howard notes that DC has couples already, like Catwoman and Batman, Black Canary and Green Arrow, and Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn. In Love Hurts, the women can “share their doubts or their excitement or their insecurities.” And while the series promises action and tension, Howard promises the women are never fighting each other. “I wanted this to be a book about friendship,” she says.

The series spans a full year in the women’s lives, from engagements and breakups to many outfit changes. Howard provided Tarr with Pinterest boards for inspiration, but was largely hands-off, giving Tarr freedom to design the characters and their appearances. They also share a private folder on Instagram, where they send art, reels, and posts to each other. “It’s our silent communication to be like, ‘I’m thinking about the book,'” Howard says.

Both Howard and Tarr hope that readers enjoy the series as much as they enjoyed writing and illustrating it. “I hope they have a good time,” Tarr says. “I mean it from the bottom of my heart…I hope they get a little escapism and have a little bit of fun with the best girls in Gotham.” Howard agrees: “I want people to laugh, there are some really good jokes and amazingly funny stuff. I want people to be gut-punched,” by the scope of the story.

For fans of Gotham’s women, Sirens: Love Hurts offers an engaging ongoing story that celebrates the complexity, wit, and power of the DC Sirens. Danger, drama, and a killer plot ensure that this comic is impossible to put down.

Issues are expected monthly, releasing through May. Find more information at dc.com.