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A review by christajls
Birds of Prey, Volume 1: End Run by Gail Simone
4.0
This review originally posted at More Than Just Magic
Background
I can’t remember where I first heard of The Birds of Prey but I do know as soon as I learned that it had a female writer and was a superhero teams made up almost entirely of kick ass girls, I had to have it. The Birds of Prey team was first convened in 1996 by Chuck Dixon and it is part of the Batman universe. But I think it was under Gail Simone that the team really took off. This particular comic series – End Run – is part of the second era of the team, but it is still written by Simone. At this point the team is made up of the following characters – Oracle (formerly Batgirl a.k.a Barbara Gordon), Black Canary, Huntress, Lady Blackhawk, Hawk & Dove. It was eventually cancelled in 2010, but has since been relaunched as part of DC’s New 52 event.
Story
This volume collects Issues #1-6 of Birds of Prey II. In this particular arc, the team is dispersed by Oracle is doing her best to reassemble them. They (and some other Gotham residents) are being threatened by new enemy. They’re forced to align themselves with some of Gotham’s own criminals in order to ensure their survival.
I found this story pretty easy to follow, even though I’ve never read a Birds of Prey comic before. Because it’s set in the Batman universe there were some familiar names/places (like Penguin or the Batcave) which helped eased me into. It is, however, incredibly fast paced and I had to force myself to slow down a little so that I wouldn’t miss anything crucial.
Characterization
Gail Simone is a fantastic writer, and I think the main thing that makes her so fabulous is how well she writes her characters. Each member of the team has a distinct personality and I loved the internal dialogue of Black Canary. She is truly the star of the volume, and I found her very easy to relate to despite the fact that I’ve never been in a situation even remotely similar to what she’s going too. In addition, I loved the friendship between her and Huntress. They were so loyal to one another and I think the sense of female camaraderie isn’t something we see enough of.
I liked Oracle too, though we didn’t get to see as much of her as I assumed. I mean she’s basically the glue that holds the team together, but she really takes a back seat to Black Canary, Huntress and Lady Blackhawk. I do like that this is a disability positive comic though, and that she faced with real obstacles because of that.
The only two I didn’t really care for were Hawk & Dove. Hawk is the only male member of the team and well…he’s kind of an ass. He’s so stubborn and self important it’s hard to feel anything another than annoyance toward him. And while Dove’s personality is better, I find she really doesn’t DO all that much. I could have done without both of them to be perfectly honest.
Artwork
The artwork in this volume is a little peculiar. It’s pretty obvious that partway through they switched artists and I’m glad they did. Because if the first one had carried on I probably would have stopped reading altogether.
Why? Well this series is very female positive. Strong female characters, dynamic relationships, no unnecessary boy drama. And then you throw in a kick ass character in a wheel chair and a (male) gay couple and I am cheering over how inclusive this series is. But then you pair it was art like this and all that is for naught:
Oh and I have I mentioned the obscene amount of panels taken up by ridiculous ass shots?
But then there was an abrupt change in art. Their clothes became less revealing (though unfortunately their costumes didn’t change) and we spent more time looking at their faces than we did their butt and chest. It made for a much more enjoyable and interesting read and totally saved the comic for me.
Final Thoughts
Despite my reservation about the art in the first half, I did really enjoy reading this collection and I will be picking up part two. I love the action and I love the way they work together. I think it’s a great cast and I’m excited to see what other Gotham regulars might be incorporated into the series. Plus I think it’s important to support a talented female writer and strong female characters in what is traditionally a male-centric industry/genre.
Background
I can’t remember where I first heard of The Birds of Prey but I do know as soon as I learned that it had a female writer and was a superhero teams made up almost entirely of kick ass girls, I had to have it. The Birds of Prey team was first convened in 1996 by Chuck Dixon and it is part of the Batman universe. But I think it was under Gail Simone that the team really took off. This particular comic series – End Run – is part of the second era of the team, but it is still written by Simone. At this point the team is made up of the following characters – Oracle (formerly Batgirl a.k.a Barbara Gordon), Black Canary, Huntress, Lady Blackhawk, Hawk & Dove. It was eventually cancelled in 2010, but has since been relaunched as part of DC’s New 52 event.
Story
This volume collects Issues #1-6 of Birds of Prey II. In this particular arc, the team is dispersed by Oracle is doing her best to reassemble them. They (and some other Gotham residents) are being threatened by new enemy. They’re forced to align themselves with some of Gotham’s own criminals in order to ensure their survival.
I found this story pretty easy to follow, even though I’ve never read a Birds of Prey comic before. Because it’s set in the Batman universe there were some familiar names/places (like Penguin or the Batcave) which helped eased me into. It is, however, incredibly fast paced and I had to force myself to slow down a little so that I wouldn’t miss anything crucial.
Characterization
Gail Simone is a fantastic writer, and I think the main thing that makes her so fabulous is how well she writes her characters. Each member of the team has a distinct personality and I loved the internal dialogue of Black Canary. She is truly the star of the volume, and I found her very easy to relate to despite the fact that I’ve never been in a situation even remotely similar to what she’s going too. In addition, I loved the friendship between her and Huntress. They were so loyal to one another and I think the sense of female camaraderie isn’t something we see enough of.
I liked Oracle too, though we didn’t get to see as much of her as I assumed. I mean she’s basically the glue that holds the team together, but she really takes a back seat to Black Canary, Huntress and Lady Blackhawk. I do like that this is a disability positive comic though, and that she faced with real obstacles because of that.
The only two I didn’t really care for were Hawk & Dove. Hawk is the only male member of the team and well…he’s kind of an ass. He’s so stubborn and self important it’s hard to feel anything another than annoyance toward him. And while Dove’s personality is better, I find she really doesn’t DO all that much. I could have done without both of them to be perfectly honest.
Artwork
The artwork in this volume is a little peculiar. It’s pretty obvious that partway through they switched artists and I’m glad they did. Because if the first one had carried on I probably would have stopped reading altogether.
Why? Well this series is very female positive. Strong female characters, dynamic relationships, no unnecessary boy drama. And then you throw in a kick ass character in a wheel chair and a (male) gay couple and I am cheering over how inclusive this series is. But then you pair it was art like this and all that is for naught:
Oh and I have I mentioned the obscene amount of panels taken up by ridiculous ass shots?
But then there was an abrupt change in art. Their clothes became less revealing (though unfortunately their costumes didn’t change) and we spent more time looking at their faces than we did their butt and chest. It made for a much more enjoyable and interesting read and totally saved the comic for me.
Final Thoughts
Despite my reservation about the art in the first half, I did really enjoy reading this collection and I will be picking up part two. I love the action and I love the way they work together. I think it’s a great cast and I’m excited to see what other Gotham regulars might be incorporated into the series. Plus I think it’s important to support a talented female writer and strong female characters in what is traditionally a male-centric industry/genre.