Birds of Prey (1999 Series) #70

July 18, 2004

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: Huntress/Prey (Between Dark and Dawn Part Two)

On her first mission, Huntress faces a crazed former Justice Leaguer – and stumbles onto a nasty secret.

Writer: Gail Simone
Art: Ed Benes
Colors: Hi-Fi Design
Letters: Jared K. Fletcher
Editor: Joan Hilty
Cover Art: Greg Land
Publisher: DC Comics

Now a full member of the team, Huntress’s first mission sends her undercover, investigating a cult that is somehow tied into the deaths of three teenagers who were found wearing the costumes of dead superheroes. The cult turns out to have some protection, however – the crazed former JLA member named Vixen. Even for someone with Huntress’s training, Vixen is a formidable opponent, and when you add in the fact that she’s totally bloodcrazed, the newest Bird of Prey is in for a serious fight.

Meanwhile, Oracle is working with Savant, giving him a second chance by giving him a tiny, dirty section of Gotham to clean up. As you can imagine, Black Canary isn’t crazy about this idea, but she’s willing to go along with it out of trust for Oracle. It’s an interesting idea – certainly not the first time a villain is given a chance to get on the side of the angels, but I feel like Simone has found a new angle to put to it.

Huntress’s storyline, the “A Plot,” as it were, is even more interesting. Generally speaking, this is a pretty “street level” book, but Simone has tapped into a plot that really has much wider implications. There are a lot of places this story could go, and they aren’t all restricted to Birds of Prey.

Ed Benes returns on the art chores this issue, and he hasn’t missed a beat. He draws some tough-looking women, and although he tends to lapse into cheesecake artwork at times, he has strong, dynamic poses. Vixen and Huntress each get suitable ferocious looks on their faces when necessary. There’s also your standard fight scene in the rain, which he handles well, and the whole thing wraps up with a tidy little cliffhanger.

As one of the few bat-universe titles to escape the upcoming “War Crimes” crossover, Simone is instead going bi-weekly for this story arc, dishing up twice the Birds of Prey every month. It’s one of the few books out there that’s really worth it, although it’ll be easier on the pocketbook when it goes back to a regular schedule. This storyline is shaping up nicely, though, and it’ll be fun to see where it goes.

Rating: 8/10

Birds of Prey (2010 Series) #5

September 26, 2010

Title: Aftershock Part One: Two Nights in Bangkok

Writer: Gail Simone
Pencils: Alvin Lee & Adriana Melo
Inks: Jack Purcell & J.P. Mayer
Colorist: Nei Ruffino
Letterer: Steve Wands
Cover: Alina Urusa
Editor: Janelle Siegel
Publisher: DC Comics

The Birds of Prey and their allies are left shattered by the events of the last four issues. Savant has been brought back from the brink of self-destruction, but Black Canary is ready to abandon the team for good and Huntress’s anger at the Penguin threatens to consume her.

The story here is as good as ever. Gail Simone’s grasp on these characters is second to none, and the chemistry between Oracle and her team helps make the series far more than just a standard superhero comic book. The Brightest Day elements of this title, which come forth through Hawk and Dove’s scenes, help to anchor the book to the greater DC Universe. All of it together makes for a very strong package.

The artwork, less so. The first section is pretty good, with strong figures and great colors by Nei Ruffino. When the artist changeover occurs, though, we’re left with weak faces and unnervingly big eyes on every character. It’s a real shame that Ed Benes couldn’t stay on this book longer, but I’m looking forward to Ardian Syaf taking over in a few issues. He’s a good artist and will bring some much-needed consistency to this title.

The artwork hurts this book’s rating considerably, but the story is still strong enough to make it worth reading.

Rating: 7/10

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

Birds of Prey (1999 Series) #63

January 18, 2004

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: Pride and Poison (Sensei and Student Part Two)

Black Canary and Shiva confront the killer of their sensei, while for Oracle, things fall apart.

Writer: Gail Simone
Pencils: Ed Benes & Cliff Richards
Inks: Alex Lei
Colors: Hi-Fi Design
Letters: Jared K. Fletcher
Editor: Lysa Hawkins
Cover Art: Ed Benes & Alex Lei
Publisher: DC Comics

As usual, Gail Simone serves up a fantastic story, mixing action with mystery with espionage and doing it all flawlessly. Black Canary and Lady Shiva find the woman they believe murdered their sensei – the brutal, poisonous assassin known as Cheshire. The situation is exacerbated because Cheshire happens to share a child with the superhero named Arsenal… former sidekick to Green Arrow… and Black Canary is the godmother.

Oracle, meanwhile, is falling apart. She’s sending Batgirl on goose-chases, her computer network is breaking down… she’s been under a lot of strain the last few months with Canary’s capture by Savant and her own breakup with Nightwing, and it’s finally taking its toll on her.

This, of course, serves to really humanize the character. Oracle is one of my favorite members of the bat-family, and she’s never been treated so well and put through such hell at the same time. Simone makes her – and the rest of the cast – read like real people in extraordinary situations, and real people don’t always have the answers.

Benes, again, does a strong job on art chores. The “girlfight” at the beginning, with a lingere-clad Cheshire diving into a swimming pool, does cross the line into somewhat gratuitous cheesecake, but Simone plays it off well with dialogue acknowledging that fact and making light of it.

We get a cliffhanger ending served up here that seems to be drawing the two separate storylines with our two leads together, and I suspect it will make for a great conclusion – although there are certain elements that could come across as clichéd if not done properly. Fortunately, Simone is a good enough writer to quell some of those fears. This has been a top book for months, and it should stay that way.

Rating: 8/10