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adorkablyrini's review
4.0
Getting more and more sucked into this series, even though super heroes really aren't my genre.
Simone is a good writer, and I think that's what's got me coming back. It's a comic, not serious fiction. And moreover, it's super heroes... Simone's handled the female characters fairly well.
If you're new to super hero comics, starting with Simone's take on Birds of Prey (starting issue #56) is a pretty good place to start.
Simone is a good writer, and I think that's what's got me coming back. It's a comic, not serious fiction. And moreover, it's super heroes... Simone's handled the female characters fairly well.
If you're new to super hero comics, starting with Simone's take on Birds of Prey (starting issue #56) is a pretty good place to start.
sam_antics's review
5.0
DC women kicking ass. What more could you want from a comic? Loved the interactions between Shiva and Black Canary. Gail Simone's writing is excellent.
wanderlustlover's review
5.0
Part of my massive Barbara Gordon Re-read which I had a glorious amazing time with. Birds of Prey, under the hands of Gail Simone, was a gorgeous thing and It made me super happy to have all my amazing women back together doing amazing things!
joelipsett's review
3.0
I like the writing (although Dinah is occasionally so moral it makes my teeth hurt). What bothers me is the art. Gail Simone's writing is all about strong, intelligent, flawed women who work and fight together. The art frequently feels like it's belittling that: there's so much boobs, bare midriffs and sexualized fight poses that it could almost read as satire...but it's not. I get that this is the way these characters have been drawn for ages, but there's a discrepancy between strong writing and cheap, exploitative imagery that makes me grit my teeth.
amck's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
sans's review
5.0
I need to pick up the first three volumes of this, but I didn't feel like I really was in the dark about who was doing what. Great writing, lovely (if not a little too T&A focused) art, and I've got some potential new favorite characters to read up on.
just_fighting_censorship's review
3.0
I really love Oracle in this series, she is like a badass ultimate librarian. While I enjoy the character of Black Canary, at times her goody goodness was so sweet it turned my mouth sour. I didn't realize this was the 4th volume so I'll have to go back. Also, I was hoping for a little more Catwoman, an original member of the birds of prey.
birdmanseven's review
4.0
Still a fan. The core characters strike the perfect balance, making this run a lot of fun.
We talk about this classic run and the Birds of Prey in general on a special episode of the All the Books Show: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/episode-234-birds-of-prey
We talk about this classic run and the Birds of Prey in general on a special episode of the All the Books Show: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/episode-234-birds-of-prey
captwinghead's review
4.0
4.5 stars.
I adored this volume as well! I can't seem to read these in order but you really don't have to. There were maybe one or two lines about prior stories but I didn't feel lost reading this arc.
There's something about Gail Simone's Birds of Prey that puts it above the Dixon run in my eyes. There's such a great feeling of sisterhood and I just love the way the women all relate to each other. There are so many great, complex relationships and everyone has their own strengths.
I adore her Dinah Lance! She is a kick ass, honorable, kind character. I love seeing her interact with Shiva, Babs and Helena. I kind of ship it, not gonna lie. Her relationship with Shiva is built on mutual respect of the other's skills and Shiva, who doesn't have a lot of regard for anyone, cares about Dinah. Her relationship with Babs is built on trust and love and Babs calls her out when she's being unfair. Her relationship with Helena is built on a thin form of loyalty based on the fact that they've saved each other a few times. It's growing and I can't wait to see where it goes.
The plot was slightly confusing but even so, I was never bored. The flashback to the first Black Canary was so cool to see! Normally I hate flashbacks but this was so well done and Dinah was fascinating! I would honestly read a book about her as well.
I loved the cameos from Cass and Diana! Simone fits in as many female characters as she can manage and it's much appreciated.
I love Babs the most as Oracle and this is the Babs I fell for! She is kick ass, independent and brilliant as ever. She saves herself and Simone just gets her the way no recent run of Batgirl seems to. This is the Babs I love and the recent run of Batgirl and the Birds of Prey just makes me sad. I want this Babs back!!
Anyway, if you can find this run, read it! It was hard to find these volumes but I managed to find them at my local comic shop. This is my all time favorite run of the Birds of Prey.
I adored this volume as well! I can't seem to read these in order but you really don't have to. There were maybe one or two lines about prior stories but I didn't feel lost reading this arc.
There's something about Gail Simone's Birds of Prey that puts it above the Dixon run in my eyes. There's such a great feeling of sisterhood and I just love the way the women all relate to each other. There are so many great, complex relationships and everyone has their own strengths.
I adore her Dinah Lance! She is a kick ass, honorable, kind character. I love seeing her interact with Shiva, Babs and Helena. I kind of ship it, not gonna lie. Her relationship with Shiva is built on mutual respect of the other's skills and Shiva, who doesn't have a lot of regard for anyone, cares about Dinah. Her relationship with Babs is built on trust and love and Babs calls her out when she's being unfair. Her relationship with Helena is built on a thin form of loyalty based on the fact that they've saved each other a few times. It's growing and I can't wait to see where it goes.
The plot was slightly confusing but even so, I was never bored. The flashback to the first Black Canary was so cool to see! Normally I hate flashbacks but this was so well done and Dinah was fascinating! I would honestly read a book about her as well.
I loved the cameos from Cass and Diana! Simone fits in as many female characters as she can manage and it's much appreciated.
I love Babs the most as Oracle and this is the Babs I fell for! She is kick ass, independent and brilliant as ever. She saves herself and Simone just gets her the way no recent run of Batgirl seems to. This is the Babs I love and the recent run of Batgirl and the Birds of Prey just makes me sad. I want this Babs back!!
Anyway, if you can find this run, read it! It was hard to find these volumes but I managed to find them at my local comic shop. This is my all time favorite run of the Birds of Prey.
ari_odinson's review
4.0
I strongly believe Gail Simone's strong suit is bringing friendships to life, which is a relief from a world riddled with one romance after another. Sensei & Student didn't strike me as the strongest Birds of Prey plot, but still a fantastic read. There's something about every issue of Birds of Prey that is simply a lot of fun to read. The characters frequently leap off the page as if you've always known them. At the end of every issue, I'm always sure that Dinah or Helena are my best friends. This time around, I enjoyed spending a lot of time with Lady Shiva and Dinah.
Sensei & Student follows one main plot after Shiva's and Dinah's sensei is murdered. He is already on his death bed and both go to meet him in Hong Kong. This is the start to a long relationship between Shiva and Dinah because she offers Dinah to become her apprentice. The two learn that Cheshire killed their sensei and go to find out. The reasons felt a little muddled then the plot broke away to another mystery. It felt a little disjointed yet I still enjoyed flashbacks to the original Black Canary fighting crime as she tries to solve a mystery. I honestly wish there was more involved with the old mystery in the main plot because 1. that was my favorite part and then 2. it felt a little abrupt when everything wrapped up.
I would say this is one of my favorite collections by not my favorite. If that makes sense. The Battle Within remains as my favorite Birds of Prey story but the interactions between Lady Shiva, Black Canary and Cheshire made this read all worth while. I would recommend it to anybody who hasn't read the series before. It strikes me as a great place to start, and is already close enough to the beginning of the series anyway.
Sensei & Student follows one main plot after Shiva's and Dinah's sensei is murdered. He is already on his death bed and both go to meet him in Hong Kong. This is the start to a long relationship between Shiva and Dinah because she offers Dinah to become her apprentice. The two learn that Cheshire killed their sensei and go to find out. The reasons felt a little muddled then the plot broke away to another mystery. It felt a little disjointed yet I still enjoyed flashbacks to the original Black Canary fighting crime as she tries to solve a mystery. I honestly wish there was more involved with the old mystery in the main plot because 1. that was my favorite part and then 2. it felt a little abrupt when everything wrapped up.
I would say this is one of my favorite collections by not my favorite. If that makes sense. The Battle Within remains as my favorite Birds of Prey story but the interactions between Lady Shiva, Black Canary and Cheshire made this read all worth while. I would recommend it to anybody who hasn't read the series before. It strikes me as a great place to start, and is already close enough to the beginning of the series anyway.