Birds of Prey (2010 Series) #4

August 27, 2010

Title: Endrun Part Four: Impact Fracture

Writer: Gail Simone
Penciler: Ed Benes & Adriana Melo
Inker: Ed Benes & J.P. Mayer
Colorist: Nei Ruffino
Letterer: Steve Wands
Cover: Alina Urusov
Editor: Janelle Siegel
Publisher: DC Comics

The Birds’ story is split in three this month. Huntress, Lady Blackhawk, Hawk and Dove face against a far more brutal Penguin than they’d expected, Black Canary does battle with the White Canary, and the kidnapped Oracle has to find a way to free herself from the former foes she thought had reformed – Savant and Creote.

There’s so much good here. First up, let’s look at the Hawk and Dove storyline, the part of this issue that directly ties into Blackest Night. A recent issue of the core title revealed the individual missions of each of the 12 people the White Lantern brought back. In Hawk’s case, it’s to protect Dove from Captain Boomerang (whose task is to try to kill her… go figure), but this issue really gets into his mind in a way that, frankly, is kind of disturbing. The character has been taken to places far darker than any I had expected, and that can make for some excellent storytelling. As for Oracle’s story, the explanation for just what’s wonky inside of Savant’s head is intriguing, and more than a little difficult to grasp. Oh, it’s easy to understand what it is, but nearly impossible to imagine what it would be like to live your life in such a fashion.

I am, I must admit, a little disappointed at the revelation of the White Canary’s identity. It’s okay, at least in as much as it points us towards another foe, but the buildup kind of led us to expect it to be more significant than it actually is.

Benes and Melo do good art here, although I think the colors of Nei Ruffino deserve the lion’s share of the credit for holding the issue together as the art shifts. His work, especially with the constant rain, keeps this book looking uniform. The cover, by Alina Urusov, is a very nice piece of work featuring the two Canaries against each other.

My one complaint is a minor one, which I think is statement enough for how strong this title is.

Rating: 8/10