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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
I was really looking forward to this. I've read two volumes of the New 52 Birds of Prey and a lot of people told me that I really needed to get my hands on Gail Simone's version, that it was better. But honestly, I disagree and was disappointed. The art was beautiful, and I loved all the character designs, but I was bored, and the story didn't have the pacing I wanted.
There were times when this could have been really cool, but then it just didn't pan out. For example, the bad girl Mortis with her weird and scary power to bring people to their knees because they have to relive every awful thing they have ever done. She uses said power on Black Canary, she is killing Canary in her mind. Then, she says the wrong thing about her friends and suddenly Canary has this badass moment where she snaps out of it and kicks Mortis's butt (all in her head). All we see is Mortis writhing around. That's it? Lame.
There are some other really interesting characters like Junior (a serial killer female who sort of looks like Scarecrow) and Question (a detective with no face) seem really cool too, but there just isn't enough about them in this volume. I'll probably try to read the follow-up to this so I can learn more about them, but if I'm as bored with the next one as I was with this one then I'll probably call it quits on this run and just stick with the New 52. Besides, in the New 52 there is a tattooed girl. Who doesn't love a tattooed girl?
I had really high hopes for this because not only is it all about badass girls, it's also written by a girl. At least the looked cool...
Oh, a final note: this was the first time I've ever seen Catman. Lame. Is he cool in any other comics?
There were times when this could have been really cool, but then it just didn't pan out. For example, the bad girl Mortis with her weird and scary power to bring people to their knees because they have to relive every awful thing they have ever done. She uses said power on Black Canary, she is killing Canary in her mind. Then, she says the wrong thing about her friends and suddenly Canary has this badass moment where she snaps out of it and kicks Mortis's butt (all in her head). All we see is Mortis writhing around. That's it? Lame.
There are some other really interesting characters like Junior (a serial killer female who sort of looks like Scarecrow) and Question (a detective with no face) seem really cool too, but there just isn't enough about them in this volume. I'll probably try to read the follow-up to this so I can learn more about them, but if I'm as bored with the next one as I was with this one then I'll probably call it quits on this run and just stick with the New 52. Besides, in the New 52 there is a tattooed girl. Who doesn't love a tattooed girl?
I had really high hopes for this because not only is it all about badass girls, it's also written by a girl. At least the looked cool...
Oh, a final note: this was the first time I've ever seen Catman. Lame. Is he cool in any other comics?
It’s just very easy for me to like Gail Simone and the Birds of Prey. Easily one of my favorite teams and favorite versions of the team. I can see how some people might see it as aimless or not like it, but I had a good time with this as I did with the first volume.
Very enjoyable, and a really interesting look at why/how a superhero like Oracle might choose to disappear - because friends are endangered. Some fun characters, and character moments, here. The art was generally bearable and often even entertaining!
This is one of the copies that I had autographed when I met Gail Simone.
This ranks as one of my least favorite installments by Gail Simone, but I'd take average Gail Simone any day over most comic writers. The story follows Oracle as she realizes she needs to perform a "death." The arc fell a little flat in my opinion. It had a great start with the pretty birds visiting a strip club.
Anyhow, the moments Huntress shares with Catman made it all worth it. Having a chance to spend time with the two was secretly perfection. It also helped build a bit of his psyche. The second to last arc was probably my other favorite because it involved Junior. Who frightens me. And there's the most perfect panel ever involving Catman cooking eggs.
This ranks as one of my least favorite installments by Gail Simone, but I'd take average Gail Simone any day over most comic writers. The story follows Oracle as she realizes she needs to perform a "death." The arc fell a little flat in my opinion. It had a great start with the pretty birds visiting a strip club.
Anyhow, the moments Huntress shares with Catman made it all worth it. Having a chance to spend time with the two was secretly perfection. It also helped build a bit of his psyche. The second to last arc was probably my other favorite because it involved Junior. Who frightens me. And there's the most perfect panel ever involving Catman cooking eggs.
This is a rough finish to a series I love, by a writer I admire. With the coming New 52, and with Simone's removal from the book (again), Birds of Prey ends its life pre-reboot with a bit of a wimper. However! This volume still features some nice character work, AND there's the long-awaited Huntess/Catman date. Who doesn't want to see that?
The art in the majority of this volume wasn’t my favorite. The ArtGerm covers were absolutely gorgeous! However, the inner art wasn’t what I was expecting and some of it was just downright obnoxiously sexualized. Again - there’s a difference between sexualized and sexy. See this compared to Sunstone for example.
There about 4 or 5 different stories. The last are 3 issue and 2 issue arcs because I think this was gearing up for the New 52 reboot. This is the last of Babs as Oracle, if I’m not mistaken. I really loved seeing her continue to lead in this book.
I liked the support between Dinah and Helena and Babs and Creote and Helena and Renee. Question and Huntress wasn’t a pairing I’d ever thought of but I really, really loved them here! Considering their age difference in the upcoming Birds of Prey movie, I don’t know if I’ll get similar interactions but I hope so. That was endlessly entertaining!
The WWII story was great. I actually wished it was longer. I love how dedicated Andreyko is to classic female comics book characters!
I missed the more diverse line up. I wished Cass was here but it was still fairly enjoyable when you got past the art.
There about 4 or 5 different stories. The last are 3 issue and 2 issue arcs because I think this was gearing up for the New 52 reboot. This is the last of Babs as Oracle, if I’m not mistaken. I really loved seeing her continue to lead in this book.
I liked the support between Dinah and Helena and Babs and Creote and Helena and Renee. Question and Huntress wasn’t a pairing I’d ever thought of but I really, really loved them here! Considering their age difference in the upcoming Birds of Prey movie, I don’t know if I’ll get similar interactions but I hope so. That was endlessly entertaining!
The WWII story was great. I actually wished it was longer. I love how dedicated Andreyko is to classic female comics book characters!
I missed the more diverse line up. I wished Cass was here but it was still fairly enjoyable when you got past the art.
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!
The Death of Oracle marks the end of a era for the Birds of Prey. The final hurrah for the team before their permanent shake up in the New 52. And while its sad to say goodbye I'm happy to say this era ended on a high note.
In this volume the Calculator has recruited super-powered goons in hopes of taking down the Birds of Prey and kill Oracle. But Barbara has a plan to fake her own death to her nemesis and the wider superhero community and get back underground. This arc introduces some interesting new villains like Mortis, a woman with the power to project anyones deepest regrets with one touch. As with any good fear-power based villain this leads to some fascinating introspective moments for Dinah.
In this arc Gail Simone teases out the romantic tension between Huntress and former assassin and Secret Six member Catman. There were elements I liked about Catman and Huntress's dynamic here, I'll always be down for doomed superhero romances. However I think Simone leaned into the assumption that her readers were familiar with the context of the Secret Six in a way that left some of their interactions feeling a little shallow. For fans of both I'm sure this hit but as someone without the full context of Catman's tragic past it wasn't as impactful for me.
The last two issues of the volume sees Marc Andreyko take over as writer in a nostalgic throwback story featuring golden age heroes Phantom Lady the original Black Canary and Lady Blackhawk. As someone who has recently read a bunch of golden age Black Canary adventures and adores when comics engage with the concept of legacy heroes this two parter felt specially crafted for me. Throughout the story weave between Zinda, Dinah (Drake) and Sandra's 1950s spy mission and the present day as the Nazis they fought then rear their ugly heads again. This send up to the legacy of female superheroes felt so at home in a Birds of Prey comic.
I especially loved seeing Dinah interface with her own mother's legacy and Kate Spencer Lady Phantom's granddaughter and on and off Birds of prey member as Manhunter forging that connection with her own history. Sometimes rah-rah girl power stories read as insincere but this one genuinely hit my in my feelings.
So while I'm sad that this era of Birds of Prey is over I am happy to have been along for the ride.
In this volume the Calculator has recruited super-powered goons in hopes of taking down the Birds of Prey and kill Oracle. But Barbara has a plan to fake her own death to her nemesis and the wider superhero community and get back underground. This arc introduces some interesting new villains like Mortis, a woman with the power to project anyones deepest regrets with one touch. As with any good fear-power based villain this leads to some fascinating introspective moments for Dinah.
In this arc Gail Simone teases out the romantic tension between Huntress and former assassin and Secret Six member Catman. There were elements I liked about Catman and Huntress's dynamic here, I'll always be down for doomed superhero romances. However I think Simone leaned into the assumption that her readers were familiar with the context of the Secret Six in a way that left some of their interactions feeling a little shallow. For fans of both I'm sure this hit but as someone without the full context of Catman's tragic past it wasn't as impactful for me.
The last two issues of the volume sees Marc Andreyko take over as writer in a nostalgic throwback story featuring golden age heroes Phantom Lady the original Black Canary and Lady Blackhawk. As someone who has recently read a bunch of golden age Black Canary adventures and adores when comics engage with the concept of legacy heroes this two parter felt specially crafted for me. Throughout the story weave between Zinda, Dinah (Drake) and Sandra's 1950s spy mission and the present day as the Nazis they fought then rear their ugly heads again. This send up to the legacy of female superheroes felt so at home in a Birds of Prey comic.
I especially loved seeing Dinah interface with her own mother's legacy and Kate Spencer Lady Phantom's granddaughter and on and off Birds of prey member as Manhunter forging that connection with her own history. Sometimes rah-rah girl power stories read as insincere but this one genuinely hit my in my feelings.
So while I'm sad that this era of Birds of Prey is over I am happy to have been along for the ride.
Birds of Prey has been a favourite of mine for years, prior to “New 52”. I loved the idea of a team of super heroines proving they can kick ass as much as the male driven teams. In this volume Oracle (Barbara Gordon) decides that it’s time for her moniker to die & go back to being anonymous in her fight against evil. Only a handful of the Bat-family is in on the secret minus her team consisting of Huntress, Black Canary, Lady Blackhawk, Dove with appearances from Hawk & Manhunter. This volume was the last before the reboot in 2011 before the aforementioned “New 52”. The art work is beautiful & Gail Simone’s writing is consistent with her usual level of brilliance. My one & only complaint is the last story felt very rushed.
Oracle fakes her own death to be able to accomplish more. She uses The Calculator as a communication medium and Batman plays by her rules.