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A review by ari_odinson
Birds of Prey, Vol. 4: Sensei and Student by Mike Manley, Gail Simone, Ruy Jose, Scott Hanna, Joe Bennett, Ed Benes, Michael Golden, Alex Lei, Cliff Richards
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.