Siren
by J.Torres
The main character is kind of like
Scully with a dash of Shi. It is interesting to me the number of
female action heroines that have a close relationship with their
fathers and the work their fathers do (or did): Dana Scully,
Ana Ishikawa/Shi, Chance (from Leave It to Chance), the new
Supergirl (from Supergirl Adventures), even Jodie Foster's
character in Contact.
And now -- Zara Rush from Siren. Her father, a private investigator,
has been missing for some time. She also works as a P.I. This first
issue covers a lot of story without being too confusing. It works
really well. You get a bit about her coworker and his social life,
the local police force, the relationship she had with her father as
a child, her current relationship with her mother, the case she is
currently working on as well as bit on the town the comic is set in.
I really like the art in this, it is kind of in the same style as
the Bruce Timm DC Adventures look, which really works for me. I read a
review of Siren that said that the style didn't work for the more serious
darker scenes, but I think it does. Kind of like the original Batman:
The Animated Series did.
In addition to the art, I really like the X-Files-style "voiceovers" and
supernatural themes. And, comic related "inside" jokes relating to
The Hulk, Astro City and their other work, The Copybook Tales just cracked
me up.
The scene with Zara and her mother really hit a note with me. It's a bit
of an ego thing, but it is nice to see a Filipina character in a comic book.
"With great power comes great responsibility", so I hope that J. realizes that
the first Filipina main comic character can be just the thing that can bring
Filipina women into the world of comic fans.
I'll admit that I wasn't sure about Siren before I read it. I love Copybook
Tales and I was a bit put off by the fact that Siren was putting that book
on hold. I should have known it was going to be just as good.
Intrigued? You should be. Pick it up!
