This is probably old by now, but still deserves to be mentioned here, because I have been listening to this over and over again. In Batman: The Brave and the Bold latest episode Batman turns into a mobster after he's been stricken with amnesia. The Birds of Prey are on getting things back to how they were supposed to be and along the way perform this sizzling, jazzy number [or at least I think it's jazz]:
Writer Gail Simone [famous for Birds of Prey and Wonder Woman] has had major fun slipping in some heavy sexual references, which I am sure even pre-teens will catch on to, but somehow this has gone under the radar. Justice League members become ranked by hotness and skill, but some of the guys don't do so well. It's hinted that Aquaman is far from well endowed and that the Flash suffers from premature ejaculation... It's all very fun to listen to, the music is fantastic and the singing surprisingly up to bar.
Showing posts with label Birds of Prey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Birds of Prey. Show all posts
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Friday, January 15, 2010
Birds of Prey: Issue #100 - #127 [Jan 07 - Apr 09]
I decided to sum up years nine through eleven in one review. So what’s my motivation behind this decision, you ask? The short answer is practicality. The storytelling model in the series is under new management [Gail Simone departures are writer and Tony Bedard is the designated writer] and has undergone a few changes for the better. Simone used main arcs as stepping stones for the series to ascend higher up, while Bedard has taken the model one step further and fashioned an almost centralized plot. This sort-of-centralized plot is quite hard to dissect in three reviews, so I am sticking to just one review.
The cat has been dragged out of the bag; Gail Simone has stepped down from “Birds of Prey”, but she wasn’t thrilled either back in 2007. Past is in the past, but we can still marvel the way she left the series; with an atomic bang. Canary is gone, she might marry the Green Arrow and this leaves a vacant slot in the team, which has a long list of names, waiting to fill it: Big Barda, Hawkgirl, Infinity, Manhunter & Judomaster. There are many unpredictable variables attached with the newest assets, which translates to thousands of ways a mission can go downhill. Oracle faces a woman from her past. Katarina aka the Spy Smasher is hard core with needed clearance to do just about anything. She comes, sees and conquers Oracle’s Op without blinking, sending the team to Russia, where they face the Secret Six, notorious bad guys and mercenaries.
What I loved about Simone’s final work with “Birds of Prey” is Oracle’s emancipation [not so sure whether it’s the best fitting word, but has to do] from Katarina’s presence. There is a nice back story developed and Katarina has been showed to play hard and gain enough leverage to highjack Barbara’s operation. But when the gloves are off, the reader is treated to a Barbara Gordon, who is not ready to fight for what is rightfully hers; she is more than willing to cause a world of pain. I never experienced a sweeter victory in this format and my hat is off to Gail for the jolly good show. It was a stunning and electrifying departure.
Tony Bedard could’ve either fucked up the magic that made “Birds of Prey” so darn addictive or do the series justice and add a new flavor. Thank the gods, he does the latter alternative and the team reaches a new Renaissance. Bedard is confident and well read as far Simone’s work is concerned, bringing bits and pieces from previous arc to push the character boldly ahead. Prime examples include the Oracle/Calculator face-off, which is prompted by a salvaged part of hardware from the first [sadly, blown to bits] Clock Tower in Gotham. The information on it can reveal, who the urban legend Oracle is, which sets off Calculator.
Bedard reintroduces Tabby, a psychotic mob child from Simone’s previous work with maniac tendencies, which causes the death of thousands of people in Metropolis. Losing this battle is the catalyst for the series ending, forcing the team to change base and relocate in California to face their biggest enemy yet, the Silicone Syndicate. The reader can expect everything and anything as far as action is considered and that is putting it mildly. The Joker makes an entry, Gizmo comes back from the dead, influential companies are revealed to sponsor the Syndicate and the Calculator is stirring up the cauldron, which literally combusts. People die, others are hurt, third get their revenge and there are usually some, who backstabs in industrial quantities.
Conspiracy, Machiavellian schemes and all-out battles are all familiar to Bedard, but where he also excels is the secondary character development. His run has spotlighted Zinda Blake, the designated pilot and helping hand in any situation, and expanded her role in the series after Dinah’s departure. In an arc dedicated all to her, the reader is introduced to Zinda’s past that even the time gap couldn’t stop from catching up with her. Her character as happy-go-lucky and at the same time tough with a short fuse is further underlined, even when she has been drugged and should be vulnerable. This kind of resilience is one of a kind and I am glad that Bedard devoted these issues to expand the image the reader has of Zinda Blackhawk and at the same time let her and Helena bond.
Misfit, the youngest operative on the team and the black sheep so to say, undergoes a coming of age period, where she makes mistakes, learns that having superpowers is not all sunshine, kicking ass and serving ‘dark vengeance’. Being directly responsible for the disaster in the Metropolis district, Misfit enters a new stage of her development. Innocence is put aside and one can say that she has moved passed the tragedy point, which either makes her or breaks her as a superhero. In the future, I think, readers can expect a lot from Misfit in upcoming DC titles as a real hero that readers can relate to. Black Alice also is on the characterization band wagon as she tries to reintegrate with the Birds of Prey, although it doesn’t work out at all, but we are also treated to an interesting bit of information, from which the reader learns that Alice and Misfit are blood relatives. Sadly, we do not see, where this leads to as the series ends, but I hope it is picked up later on.
Art-wise, I couldn’t be happier with the artists, who illustrated the last three years of the series run. We are treated to the realistic and highly detailed style of Nicola Scott. After her there is Michael O’Hare and Claude St. Aubin, both of whom do as brilliant job in their distinct way.
Verdict: “Birds of Prey” is without doubt THE most endearing ensemble series I have come across. Period. Whether you look for action, strong characters and well written women, this is the series to come to. I never had more fun with a band of superheroes before and especially an all-ladies team [the first I have come across]. Definitely a must-read.
The cat has been dragged out of the bag; Gail Simone has stepped down from “Birds of Prey”, but she wasn’t thrilled either back in 2007. Past is in the past, but we can still marvel the way she left the series; with an atomic bang. Canary is gone, she might marry the Green Arrow and this leaves a vacant slot in the team, which has a long list of names, waiting to fill it: Big Barda, Hawkgirl, Infinity, Manhunter & Judomaster. There are many unpredictable variables attached with the newest assets, which translates to thousands of ways a mission can go downhill. Oracle faces a woman from her past. Katarina aka the Spy Smasher is hard core with needed clearance to do just about anything. She comes, sees and conquers Oracle’s Op without blinking, sending the team to Russia, where they face the Secret Six, notorious bad guys and mercenaries.What I loved about Simone’s final work with “Birds of Prey” is Oracle’s emancipation [not so sure whether it’s the best fitting word, but has to do] from Katarina’s presence. There is a nice back story developed and Katarina has been showed to play hard and gain enough leverage to highjack Barbara’s operation. But when the gloves are off, the reader is treated to a Barbara Gordon, who is not ready to fight for what is rightfully hers; she is more than willing to cause a world of pain. I never experienced a sweeter victory in this format and my hat is off to Gail for the jolly good show. It was a stunning and electrifying departure.
Tony Bedard could’ve either fucked up the magic that made “Birds of Prey” so darn addictive or do the series justice and add a new flavor. Thank the gods, he does the latter alternative and the team reaches a new Renaissance. Bedard is confident and well read as far Simone’s work is concerned, bringing bits and pieces from previous arc to push the character boldly ahead. Prime examples include the Oracle/Calculator face-off, which is prompted by a salvaged part of hardware from the first [sadly, blown to bits] Clock Tower in Gotham. The information on it can reveal, who the urban legend Oracle is, which sets off Calculator.
Bedard reintroduces Tabby, a psychotic mob child from Simone’s previous work with maniac tendencies, which causes the death of thousands of people in Metropolis. Losing this battle is the catalyst for the series ending, forcing the team to change base and relocate in California to face their biggest enemy yet, the Silicone Syndicate. The reader can expect everything and anything as far as action is considered and that is putting it mildly. The Joker makes an entry, Gizmo comes back from the dead, influential companies are revealed to sponsor the Syndicate and the Calculator is stirring up the cauldron, which literally combusts. People die, others are hurt, third get their revenge and there are usually some, who backstabs in industrial quantities.
Conspiracy, Machiavellian schemes and all-out battles are all familiar to Bedard, but where he also excels is the secondary character development. His run has spotlighted Zinda Blake, the designated pilot and helping hand in any situation, and expanded her role in the series after Dinah’s departure. In an arc dedicated all to her, the reader is introduced to Zinda’s past that even the time gap couldn’t stop from catching up with her. Her character as happy-go-lucky and at the same time tough with a short fuse is further underlined, even when she has been drugged and should be vulnerable. This kind of resilience is one of a kind and I am glad that Bedard devoted these issues to expand the image the reader has of Zinda Blackhawk and at the same time let her and Helena bond.
Misfit, the youngest operative on the team and the black sheep so to say, undergoes a coming of age period, where she makes mistakes, learns that having superpowers is not all sunshine, kicking ass and serving ‘dark vengeance’. Being directly responsible for the disaster in the Metropolis district, Misfit enters a new stage of her development. Innocence is put aside and one can say that she has moved passed the tragedy point, which either makes her or breaks her as a superhero. In the future, I think, readers can expect a lot from Misfit in upcoming DC titles as a real hero that readers can relate to. Black Alice also is on the characterization band wagon as she tries to reintegrate with the Birds of Prey, although it doesn’t work out at all, but we are also treated to an interesting bit of information, from which the reader learns that Alice and Misfit are blood relatives. Sadly, we do not see, where this leads to as the series ends, but I hope it is picked up later on.Art-wise, I couldn’t be happier with the artists, who illustrated the last three years of the series run. We are treated to the realistic and highly detailed style of Nicola Scott. After her there is Michael O’Hare and Claude St. Aubin, both of whom do as brilliant job in their distinct way.
Verdict: “Birds of Prey” is without doubt THE most endearing ensemble series I have come across. Period. Whether you look for action, strong characters and well written women, this is the series to come to. I never had more fun with a band of superheroes before and especially an all-ladies team [the first I have come across]. Definitely a must-read.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Birds of Prey: Issues #87 - #99 [Dec 05 - Dec 06]
Editor's Note: Yeah, so, the computer decided to glitch a bit and I was mad as a Mad Hatter after a most headache inducing day, so I said 'screw you' to the machine. This will shift the flow of reviews to denser days with content, but all will be good. Also blame my schedule for this untimeliness. 1000+ things on my to-do-list is seriously messing my time perception.
Year eight has come and gone, so let’s see what the twelve months of 2006 have left for the comic book crowd and potential readers. I have elevated Gail Simone to godhood status and with every next issue she expands her kingdom and strengthens her reign. One can tell that she’s taken these characters to heart and wants to do them justice with the very plot lines ever.
A funny trend I see in overall arcs per year is that there are three major arcs with one arc per main character from the Birds of Prey. I think that there is some sort of rotation principle or a similar mechanism involved, but one which evolved naturally is in sync with the rhythm of the series. To the regular reader that might not make an impression, but to the reviewer this is easy to spot and speaks volume about the quality of writing and plotting. Comic book series are a peculiar breed. They deal with large casts [though mostly superhero ones are the primary examples in this category] and usually the end is not in sight. It may come after 100 or 200 issues or it may come unexpectedly. Given these variable that aren’t in the writers’ hands [as far as superhero comics go] it’s pretty darn hard to move story and develop more than two key to the series characters. At least I imagine it being so. Maybe comic book writers are different as species from novel writers and they may not have issues with this, but nevertheless I think this is worth mentioning. Simone, my hat’s off to you.
The eight year is intense and I label it “Cataclysm Year”. Setting’s changed once again as the Birds of Prey settle in Metropolis. What’s of greater interest, however, is what happens to the team in the mean time. Barbara is paired against the Calculator, an OCD villain, who is the Oracle’s antithesis. It would seem that Barbara has met her match after taking control of the Lexcorp satellites. The resulting cat & mouse game progresses in violence, when Savant has been kidnapped and interrogated about Oracle’s true identity. Then we have the Gotham mob arc, where Helena has successfully gained access as a Capo within the families. Tension rises as Batman threatens to ‘retire them all’ and this is Helena’s moment to shine and gain prestige in the superhero society. Last, but not least we have Dinah becoming Lady Shiva’s apprentice and traveling to Singapore to become the next Shiva.
The results from these arcs affect the team in the same way an explosion’s shockwave has immediate effect on its surroundings. The Oracle/Calculator showdown’s a bloody promise of war [trust me on this] and the collateral damage comes in the form of Savant and Creote’s resignation from the team after the kidnapping episode. There is a sort-of irony in the way he leaves the team, since his involvement with the Birds had to do with him kidnapping and now he is the one, who is held in captivity. Perhaps, it’s karma, perhaps the cycle of the world. It makes for an interesting moment, especially when one takes into consideration about Creote’s romantic feeling towards his partner. So far this is DC’s first homosexual character I have encountered and always kept my eyes on him to observe where this would be taken. Savant is heterosexual, so the relationship remains on friends/colleagues level, but his behavior, when the kidnapping took place added some characterization to Creote, who largely remains as a secondary character.
The Mob arc resolves issues between Helena and Batman, which I never supposed existed, but the major gist of it is that due to her methods Batman doesn’t value Huntress’ work in the field and possibly as a hero. There is also the notion is that doing the right thing for the right reasons matters more in the end of the day than doing the right thing by becoming that which you fight. Old as the universe as a theme, but adequately handled, poignant and relevant to the Huntress as a character.
The Black Canary arc is spectacular, because we have Dinah go a bit dark side on the readers, because she has accepted the apprenticeship of Lady Shiva, who is not a sweet little lamb by anybody’s criteria. This choice leads down to a major crossroad, where Dinah’s identity is at stake. Acquiring the needed skills to become one of the most lethal assassins comes at the cost of the good, the kind and the pure. Dinah is standing with one foot on one side, where she is the fun and chatty Black Canary [who helped found the Justice League] and then there is the other side, the warrior. The decision is a bit obvious; there is not much suspense here whether she will go Rocky ruthless, but nevertheless the arc is interesting, because of the small Sin, who is meant to become the next Shiva. Dinah comes back to the US as the mom of a girl with some mean ninja skills and leaves the team… [Yeah, I was shocked and this event shifts the whole series into a whole other direction]
Art-wise, I am not even following the art that much, because the series have gathered enough momentum to carry me through every issue without thinking about how awesome the art is or whether it makes me cringe. Yes, I enjoyed the synergy between Simone and Ed Benes, who is not on the series anymore, but I also didn’t mind Joe Bennett doing the pencils. I was not thrilled that the art quality [for me personally] dropped, because Brad Walker, Paulo Sequeira and James Raiz didn’t come near to satisfying my aesthetic expectations as to what the Birds of Prey should look like. But again, the quality of the writing overshadows all complaints I can have about the writing.
------
Year eight has come and gone, so let’s see what the twelve months of 2006 have left for the comic book crowd and potential readers. I have elevated Gail Simone to godhood status and with every next issue she expands her kingdom and strengthens her reign. One can tell that she’s taken these characters to heart and wants to do them justice with the very plot lines ever.
A funny trend I see in overall arcs per year is that there are three major arcs with one arc per main character from the Birds of Prey. I think that there is some sort of rotation principle or a similar mechanism involved, but one which evolved naturally is in sync with the rhythm of the series. To the regular reader that might not make an impression, but to the reviewer this is easy to spot and speaks volume about the quality of writing and plotting. Comic book series are a peculiar breed. They deal with large casts [though mostly superhero ones are the primary examples in this category] and usually the end is not in sight. It may come after 100 or 200 issues or it may come unexpectedly. Given these variable that aren’t in the writers’ hands [as far as superhero comics go] it’s pretty darn hard to move story and develop more than two key to the series characters. At least I imagine it being so. Maybe comic book writers are different as species from novel writers and they may not have issues with this, but nevertheless I think this is worth mentioning. Simone, my hat’s off to you.The eight year is intense and I label it “Cataclysm Year”. Setting’s changed once again as the Birds of Prey settle in Metropolis. What’s of greater interest, however, is what happens to the team in the mean time. Barbara is paired against the Calculator, an OCD villain, who is the Oracle’s antithesis. It would seem that Barbara has met her match after taking control of the Lexcorp satellites. The resulting cat & mouse game progresses in violence, when Savant has been kidnapped and interrogated about Oracle’s true identity. Then we have the Gotham mob arc, where Helena has successfully gained access as a Capo within the families. Tension rises as Batman threatens to ‘retire them all’ and this is Helena’s moment to shine and gain prestige in the superhero society. Last, but not least we have Dinah becoming Lady Shiva’s apprentice and traveling to Singapore to become the next Shiva.
The results from these arcs affect the team in the same way an explosion’s shockwave has immediate effect on its surroundings. The Oracle/Calculator showdown’s a bloody promise of war [trust me on this] and the collateral damage comes in the form of Savant and Creote’s resignation from the team after the kidnapping episode. There is a sort-of irony in the way he leaves the team, since his involvement with the Birds had to do with him kidnapping and now he is the one, who is held in captivity. Perhaps, it’s karma, perhaps the cycle of the world. It makes for an interesting moment, especially when one takes into consideration about Creote’s romantic feeling towards his partner. So far this is DC’s first homosexual character I have encountered and always kept my eyes on him to observe where this would be taken. Savant is heterosexual, so the relationship remains on friends/colleagues level, but his behavior, when the kidnapping took place added some characterization to Creote, who largely remains as a secondary character.
The Mob arc resolves issues between Helena and Batman, which I never supposed existed, but the major gist of it is that due to her methods Batman doesn’t value Huntress’ work in the field and possibly as a hero. There is also the notion is that doing the right thing for the right reasons matters more in the end of the day than doing the right thing by becoming that which you fight. Old as the universe as a theme, but adequately handled, poignant and relevant to the Huntress as a character.The Black Canary arc is spectacular, because we have Dinah go a bit dark side on the readers, because she has accepted the apprenticeship of Lady Shiva, who is not a sweet little lamb by anybody’s criteria. This choice leads down to a major crossroad, where Dinah’s identity is at stake. Acquiring the needed skills to become one of the most lethal assassins comes at the cost of the good, the kind and the pure. Dinah is standing with one foot on one side, where she is the fun and chatty Black Canary [who helped found the Justice League] and then there is the other side, the warrior. The decision is a bit obvious; there is not much suspense here whether she will go Rocky ruthless, but nevertheless the arc is interesting, because of the small Sin, who is meant to become the next Shiva. Dinah comes back to the US as the mom of a girl with some mean ninja skills and leaves the team… [Yeah, I was shocked and this event shifts the whole series into a whole other direction]
Art-wise, I am not even following the art that much, because the series have gathered enough momentum to carry me through every issue without thinking about how awesome the art is or whether it makes me cringe. Yes, I enjoyed the synergy between Simone and Ed Benes, who is not on the series anymore, but I also didn’t mind Joe Bennett doing the pencils. I was not thrilled that the art quality [for me personally] dropped, because Brad Walker, Paulo Sequeira and James Raiz didn’t come near to satisfying my aesthetic expectations as to what the Birds of Prey should look like. But again, the quality of the writing overshadows all complaints I can have about the writing.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Birds of Prey: Issues #76 to #86 [Jan 05 - Nov 05]
Year seven, people, get with the program. Gail Simone continues to surprise delightfully with sophisticated and intense story lines, built upon former issues, until nothing is left unexplored and all of this dished out with the usual super hero wreckage and fist fights.
With the operation completely mobile, the team can be on the spot for every single mission. We start with Black Alice, a new supervillain in the making, who has the dangerous talent to copy and emulate other magic users’ talents and magic levels. The arc is short-lived and is used more as to set the scene for the new team dynamics, how the change in environment and methodology affects the actions and an introduction of Black Alice, who has immense potential to wreak havoc in the DC universe.
Then the mission objectives all shift towards women hell-bent on vengeance. After the Black Alice mission, it’s time for Kansas, where we have Harvest: sinister, supernatural and more of a Mid-American urban myth, who managed to slip away. After that the team heads off to Metropolis, where all the fuss is caused about Rose/Thorn, a woman with a split personality, who wars against crime in the city and has been framed by one of the big bosses so that she can be removed from the picture.
Soon, the Huntress catches on that the targets have been picked especially to correspond to her internal emotional conflicts. Apart from it being a dastardly clever backstage manipulation on Simone’s part, it also serves as a pivot point for the relationship Oracle – Huntress. On one side the reader is shown that Oracle’s mind games are not restricted to the missions anymore and on the other we have Huntress’ growth and the transition from violence as chief tool to deal with crime with other, finer methods.
Barbara’s mishandling and Helena’s emotional instability catalyze for great upcoming arcs. The Huntress attempts to join the Italian mobs in Gotham, which is a creative way to explore her roots as a mob child and reveal some additional background. At first glance Helena looks like she has gone dark side, especially when she uses Savant and Creote as her protection and hand against the mob families to receive the blessing to proceed and prove herself worth of a seat among the top mobsters. But, as usual, things are way a notch more complicated beneath the surface.
Themes involving Barbara all revolve around power. The mental and informational power she exerts over her enemies and allies alike, the power over her own operatives and the world around her. Simone has given Barbara power in the form of residue from the time she sparred with Brainiac and became briefly possessed. The residue is actually revealed to be an evolved virus that can grow on organic tissue and has been hacking into Barbara’s mind, while giving the illusion that she was in control. Such a situation is uncomfortable and a breaking point for someone, who is obsessed with control. The climax follows a successful operation funded by the JLA to remove the virus. Definitely a tearjerker episode.
The Black Canary is treated to a major arc as well, but her story serves the purpose to more or less underline her new superhero persona as more hardcore than bubbly and funny. She has become dangerous and capable on taking bigger foes. To make a point Simone send her and Ted Grant, the Wildcat and canary’s mentor to Singapore to sever the drug artery that feeds the Gotham streets. The designated enemies are portrayed by the Brothers of Silk, trained as lethal assassins. The fight moves from Singapore to Gotham and ends with a powerful brawl. I definitely enjoyed this arc, because it played well with traditional fictional assassin clans, ruthless warlords, tension and hardcore fistfights.
Art-wise everything is a smooth sale as far as I am concerned. Ed Benes continues to give me the easy-on-the-eye treatment and he’s joined by even more talented pencillers like Joe Prado, Tom Derenick, Bob Petreca, Joe Bennett, Adriana Melo, Bruce Timm and David Lopez, although that last name did not exactly impress me. I am not sure what else I can say in the art direction. I am contempt and am enjoying the synergy between art and story.
Verdict: I have no criticism. I’m in peace and in sync with the series, as if it was made for my personal enjoyment completely. It’s rare to find something that custom fits your every whim and preference.
With the operation completely mobile, the team can be on the spot for every single mission. We start with Black Alice, a new supervillain in the making, who has the dangerous talent to copy and emulate other magic users’ talents and magic levels. The arc is short-lived and is used more as to set the scene for the new team dynamics, how the change in environment and methodology affects the actions and an introduction of Black Alice, who has immense potential to wreak havoc in the DC universe.Then the mission objectives all shift towards women hell-bent on vengeance. After the Black Alice mission, it’s time for Kansas, where we have Harvest: sinister, supernatural and more of a Mid-American urban myth, who managed to slip away. After that the team heads off to Metropolis, where all the fuss is caused about Rose/Thorn, a woman with a split personality, who wars against crime in the city and has been framed by one of the big bosses so that she can be removed from the picture.
Soon, the Huntress catches on that the targets have been picked especially to correspond to her internal emotional conflicts. Apart from it being a dastardly clever backstage manipulation on Simone’s part, it also serves as a pivot point for the relationship Oracle – Huntress. On one side the reader is shown that Oracle’s mind games are not restricted to the missions anymore and on the other we have Huntress’ growth and the transition from violence as chief tool to deal with crime with other, finer methods.
Barbara’s mishandling and Helena’s emotional instability catalyze for great upcoming arcs. The Huntress attempts to join the Italian mobs in Gotham, which is a creative way to explore her roots as a mob child and reveal some additional background. At first glance Helena looks like she has gone dark side, especially when she uses Savant and Creote as her protection and hand against the mob families to receive the blessing to proceed and prove herself worth of a seat among the top mobsters. But, as usual, things are way a notch more complicated beneath the surface.
Themes involving Barbara all revolve around power. The mental and informational power she exerts over her enemies and allies alike, the power over her own operatives and the world around her. Simone has given Barbara power in the form of residue from the time she sparred with Brainiac and became briefly possessed. The residue is actually revealed to be an evolved virus that can grow on organic tissue and has been hacking into Barbara’s mind, while giving the illusion that she was in control. Such a situation is uncomfortable and a breaking point for someone, who is obsessed with control. The climax follows a successful operation funded by the JLA to remove the virus. Definitely a tearjerker episode.
The Black Canary is treated to a major arc as well, but her story serves the purpose to more or less underline her new superhero persona as more hardcore than bubbly and funny. She has become dangerous and capable on taking bigger foes. To make a point Simone send her and Ted Grant, the Wildcat and canary’s mentor to Singapore to sever the drug artery that feeds the Gotham streets. The designated enemies are portrayed by the Brothers of Silk, trained as lethal assassins. The fight moves from Singapore to Gotham and ends with a powerful brawl. I definitely enjoyed this arc, because it played well with traditional fictional assassin clans, ruthless warlords, tension and hardcore fistfights.
Art-wise everything is a smooth sale as far as I am concerned. Ed Benes continues to give me the easy-on-the-eye treatment and he’s joined by even more talented pencillers like Joe Prado, Tom Derenick, Bob Petreca, Joe Bennett, Adriana Melo, Bruce Timm and David Lopez, although that last name did not exactly impress me. I am not sure what else I can say in the art direction. I am contempt and am enjoying the synergy between art and story.
Verdict: I have no criticism. I’m in peace and in sync with the series, as if it was made for my personal enjoyment completely. It’s rare to find something that custom fits your every whim and preference.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Birds of Prey: Issues #62 to #75 [Feb 04 - Dec 04]
Year six and we are past the half of the 127 issues total. Gail Simone has established herself as the ruling deity in this universe and weaves one dangerous arc after another in perfect escalation and with no power subtracted whatsoever. The affinity to danger and unorthodox team-ups only leads to a spicier reading flavor and the art has been stellar. It’s fan boy heaven all the way for me.
The Huntress has been integrated as core member so the scope of the missions can broaden due to the increased manpower and Simone definitely explores the possibilities to push these ladies to the limits. For starters we have a central arc for each of the trio, starting with Oracle, who is in jeopardy once again, when Savant teams up with the Senator Pullman [mentioned in the last review] in order to flush her out and learn the super-hacker’s true identity. Barbara is interrogated along with other technically gifted women from Gotham, who fit Oracle’s profile and has to make an escape. Not the easiest thing in the world, when you need a wheelchair to get by, but we are treated an encore deserving performance that is both plausible and exciting.
Next stop we have the Black Canary, who travels to Japan to meet her martial arts sensei, who is on deathbed, but a peaceful saying of goodbyes leads to manhunt as Dinah teams up with the top assassin in the DC universe, Lady Shiva, to track down her sensei’s murderer. The prime suspect is Chesire [an oldie for this series], who has upgraded her reputation to Poison Princess. With such a formidable foe, who denies the crime and blames Senator Pullman for a frame, cane the Birds of Prey be sure that they are on the right track? There is backstabbing, intrigues about Chesire’s past are revealed and most naturally people do die.
The third arc is all about Huntress on her first solo mission as the lead and not second violin, which is a task Oracle has given her with strategic purpose. It concerns a certain sect that is behind the suicides of teens dressed as dead teen superheroes. The compound is led by a man with the power to mind control the children and serves the biggest DC villain ever, Brainiac. Huntress has to fight against Vixen [DC heroine with the power to channel animals] and then against a whole team of metahuman super heroes, who have gone MIA at one point. At the same the battle escalates to a new level as Barbara has to withstand against Brainiac himself in a virtual battle and not get possessed.
As you can see there is much plot involved and intricate plot with layers upon layers, which have to be mentioned in order for me to make you understand, where I am coming from with this adoration for the series. For starters, strategic warfare has been elevated to a dangerous warfare and the chess moves villains make against the heroes and vice verse held my breath. It was the mind games, blocks and traps that built the atmosphere and there is plenty of that, while the hand-to-hand combat and super power abuse is what pumps the adrenaline.
Then there are the behind-the-scenes stolen glimmers, which add color, dimension, moral complexity and dimensions to the adventures. Super heroes are people after all, they are not their powers and they cannot be saving the world 24-7. They crack, they break rules, they take the unfavorable odds and work with them, even if that means crossing lines and be in that undefined grey area. Simone does that to these women [and occasionally men]. She sets out to see whether second chances are worth giving as seen with Savant and Creole’s enrollment in the roster, when Oracle was in Pullman’s hands. The exploration of Savant is an interesting one as he is one of the generally conflicted people, who are messed up enough to be chaotic in his doing, unpredictable to a point.
With Savant on the team can Black Canary, now that she is more powerful than him after her numerous training sessions, hold off her anger and accept him and the chance given to him by Oracle? Can Huntress hold off her violence and show mercy, even when undeserved, but which is important as a cardinal rule for being a hero and not just a masked vigilante? Can Oracle really bring all three together as a team? These are just the core questions that are only partially answered and are left off for further issues.
But these can’t be explored, unless the setting is changed and the girls are taken off from their comfort zone. Gail is pretty radical in her decision to relocate the operation after making Oracle blow her Clock Tower and computers to save herself and Batman, when she’s attacked and the solution to the housing problem comes in the shape of a technologically pimped plane called Aerie One with one heck of a pilot and a new member aka Zinda Blake aka Lady Blackhawk, time traveling military pilot from WWII.
In one word: awesome.
Art-wise the situation has been more than beneficial. The comic gods have been generous with Ed Benes, Cliff Richards, Joe Bennett, Ron Adrian and Jim Fern. There have been more art teams per arcs, which is always exciting to witness and one way or another these guys did it for me from an aesthetic point of view, which is immensely hard to do. I am a fickle person after all and quite pretentious, capricious and specific in my art preferences. To be honest it can be debated whether or not Fern matched my tastes or not, but compared to other pencillers that have worked on the series, his work is way better.
Verdict: You are losing valuable time. Start reading. Now.
The Huntress has been integrated as core member so the scope of the missions can broaden due to the increased manpower and Simone definitely explores the possibilities to push these ladies to the limits. For starters we have a central arc for each of the trio, starting with Oracle, who is in jeopardy once again, when Savant teams up with the Senator Pullman [mentioned in the last review] in order to flush her out and learn the super-hacker’s true identity. Barbara is interrogated along with other technically gifted women from Gotham, who fit Oracle’s profile and has to make an escape. Not the easiest thing in the world, when you need a wheelchair to get by, but we are treated an encore deserving performance that is both plausible and exciting.Next stop we have the Black Canary, who travels to Japan to meet her martial arts sensei, who is on deathbed, but a peaceful saying of goodbyes leads to manhunt as Dinah teams up with the top assassin in the DC universe, Lady Shiva, to track down her sensei’s murderer. The prime suspect is Chesire [an oldie for this series], who has upgraded her reputation to Poison Princess. With such a formidable foe, who denies the crime and blames Senator Pullman for a frame, cane the Birds of Prey be sure that they are on the right track? There is backstabbing, intrigues about Chesire’s past are revealed and most naturally people do die.
The third arc is all about Huntress on her first solo mission as the lead and not second violin, which is a task Oracle has given her with strategic purpose. It concerns a certain sect that is behind the suicides of teens dressed as dead teen superheroes. The compound is led by a man with the power to mind control the children and serves the biggest DC villain ever, Brainiac. Huntress has to fight against Vixen [DC heroine with the power to channel animals] and then against a whole team of metahuman super heroes, who have gone MIA at one point. At the same the battle escalates to a new level as Barbara has to withstand against Brainiac himself in a virtual battle and not get possessed.
As you can see there is much plot involved and intricate plot with layers upon layers, which have to be mentioned in order for me to make you understand, where I am coming from with this adoration for the series. For starters, strategic warfare has been elevated to a dangerous warfare and the chess moves villains make against the heroes and vice verse held my breath. It was the mind games, blocks and traps that built the atmosphere and there is plenty of that, while the hand-to-hand combat and super power abuse is what pumps the adrenaline.
Then there are the behind-the-scenes stolen glimmers, which add color, dimension, moral complexity and dimensions to the adventures. Super heroes are people after all, they are not their powers and they cannot be saving the world 24-7. They crack, they break rules, they take the unfavorable odds and work with them, even if that means crossing lines and be in that undefined grey area. Simone does that to these women [and occasionally men]. She sets out to see whether second chances are worth giving as seen with Savant and Creole’s enrollment in the roster, when Oracle was in Pullman’s hands. The exploration of Savant is an interesting one as he is one of the generally conflicted people, who are messed up enough to be chaotic in his doing, unpredictable to a point.With Savant on the team can Black Canary, now that she is more powerful than him after her numerous training sessions, hold off her anger and accept him and the chance given to him by Oracle? Can Huntress hold off her violence and show mercy, even when undeserved, but which is important as a cardinal rule for being a hero and not just a masked vigilante? Can Oracle really bring all three together as a team? These are just the core questions that are only partially answered and are left off for further issues.
But these can’t be explored, unless the setting is changed and the girls are taken off from their comfort zone. Gail is pretty radical in her decision to relocate the operation after making Oracle blow her Clock Tower and computers to save herself and Batman, when she’s attacked and the solution to the housing problem comes in the shape of a technologically pimped plane called Aerie One with one heck of a pilot and a new member aka Zinda Blake aka Lady Blackhawk, time traveling military pilot from WWII.
In one word: awesome.
Art-wise the situation has been more than beneficial. The comic gods have been generous with Ed Benes, Cliff Richards, Joe Bennett, Ron Adrian and Jim Fern. There have been more art teams per arcs, which is always exciting to witness and one way or another these guys did it for me from an aesthetic point of view, which is immensely hard to do. I am a fickle person after all and quite pretentious, capricious and specific in my art preferences. To be honest it can be debated whether or not Fern matched my tastes or not, but compared to other pencillers that have worked on the series, his work is way better.
Verdict: You are losing valuable time. Start reading. Now.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Birds of Prey: Issues #50 to #61 [Feb 03 - Jan 04]
We have reached year five for the Birds of Prey. And guess what? This is the year, when the series comes of age so to say. Gail Simone is the writer-in-charge and it is under her reign that the series become a powerhouse and overall strong line from DC. Artist-wise the activity has slowed down to a more acceptable pace with just two artists changing positions.
Also this is the ideal chance for readers to hop on board without any hindrances to catch the plot without the need to read back issues. After Gail Simone heads the series [Issue #56] an arc serves as a base for further character development and with every mission accomplished the overall story and the trajectory of Oracle’s operation change in a general sense. Ideally the series should have been written by a woman right off the bat, because a team of superheroines can only be cracked psychologically by a woman. Compared to Dixon, Simone expands the series emotional capacity and the interactions between the characters become more genuine, while at the same time the action doesn’t suffer one tiny bit.
However before Gail Simone takes the mantle we have six issues by writer Gilbert Hernandez split in two arcs, one of which did not excite me much, because it mystified science to a point, where it appeared as magic. Black Canary had to deal with Metamorpho [another DC super hero] and his dysfunctional family after a science experiment gone wrong. Thankfully, that was resolved quick and we jump to the secondary plot line, which revolves around Oracle and Danko Twag [the first killer moth]. Hernandez touches upon the importance behind Oracle’s anonymous identity; a theme, which is expanded by Simone.
Under Simone the Birds of Prey add new member to their roster aka the Huntress makes her first appearance as an operative, even if right now she is not on permanent roll. This happens in the best arc so far in the series, which introduces a new antagonistic duo to the mix aka Savant and Creote [master black-mailer and his muscled help]. As the Birds trail a false lead fed to them by Savant, the Black Canary falls in Savant’s trap is captured, maimed and used as a hostage to extract from Barbara Batman’s identity. The Huntress is called in and both manage to survive, even if Dinah has her arm and two legs broken by Savant. The arc was intense, both because the stakes were high and because Gail Simone revisits a crucial piece of information about Dinah’s past, in which she has been held hostage and tortured before.
The arc has a huge impact on the characters and poses important questions. What is Dinah’s emotional wellbeing after reliving an episode that nearly destroyed her in the past? Is Oracle on the right track after keeping Savant’s information data base behind Dinah’s back? Why is a senator targeting the Birds after Savant’s capture and what exactly will Savant’s vengeance be when he tracks down Oracle [because he doesn’t get a long stay at the Arkahm Asylum]?
Some questions are answered. Dinah has taken upon herself to improve her martial arts skills in order to never be in a victim’s position, while Barbara decides to fire her as a measure to keep her safe [but that doesn’t last for long]. However for the rest of the questions one must keep reading on.
Art-wise things have been stable. Casey Jones is the artist, accompanying Gilbert’s writing, but I am left with mixed feelings about the overall impression of the art. In the first arc by Gilbert the lines did not impress me, but when inker John Beatty comes on board for the rest of the six issues, the art improves by a large margin. This is living proof that comic book art is not just the penciller, but it involves inkers, colorists and letterers. Even if an artist appeals to a reader, the other variables in the art department can minimize or maximize that level of appeal.
Along with Simone comes artist Ed Benes, who is possibly the best thing to happen to the series as far as art is considered. He is the whole package that makes me tick as an art fan. His work shows attention to detail, has sharp lines, adds fluidity to motion and explores angles, which is of great importance to fights. Plus, I simply enjoy how he draws the human body and face in the super-hero comic book vein, which I am a total sucker for.
The Verdict: You better start reading from Issue 50 and see for real whether this is not your cup of tea, because the series has reached maturity and along with action, adventure and adrenaline, there is an emotional depth and mad plotting skills involved. This was the point I converted entirely and thought that I had been an idiot to dismiss DC for so long.
Also this is the ideal chance for readers to hop on board without any hindrances to catch the plot without the need to read back issues. After Gail Simone heads the series [Issue #56] an arc serves as a base for further character development and with every mission accomplished the overall story and the trajectory of Oracle’s operation change in a general sense. Ideally the series should have been written by a woman right off the bat, because a team of superheroines can only be cracked psychologically by a woman. Compared to Dixon, Simone expands the series emotional capacity and the interactions between the characters become more genuine, while at the same time the action doesn’t suffer one tiny bit.However before Gail Simone takes the mantle we have six issues by writer Gilbert Hernandez split in two arcs, one of which did not excite me much, because it mystified science to a point, where it appeared as magic. Black Canary had to deal with Metamorpho [another DC super hero] and his dysfunctional family after a science experiment gone wrong. Thankfully, that was resolved quick and we jump to the secondary plot line, which revolves around Oracle and Danko Twag [the first killer moth]. Hernandez touches upon the importance behind Oracle’s anonymous identity; a theme, which is expanded by Simone.
Under Simone the Birds of Prey add new member to their roster aka the Huntress makes her first appearance as an operative, even if right now she is not on permanent roll. This happens in the best arc so far in the series, which introduces a new antagonistic duo to the mix aka Savant and Creote [master black-mailer and his muscled help]. As the Birds trail a false lead fed to them by Savant, the Black Canary falls in Savant’s trap is captured, maimed and used as a hostage to extract from Barbara Batman’s identity. The Huntress is called in and both manage to survive, even if Dinah has her arm and two legs broken by Savant. The arc was intense, both because the stakes were high and because Gail Simone revisits a crucial piece of information about Dinah’s past, in which she has been held hostage and tortured before.
The arc has a huge impact on the characters and poses important questions. What is Dinah’s emotional wellbeing after reliving an episode that nearly destroyed her in the past? Is Oracle on the right track after keeping Savant’s information data base behind Dinah’s back? Why is a senator targeting the Birds after Savant’s capture and what exactly will Savant’s vengeance be when he tracks down Oracle [because he doesn’t get a long stay at the Arkahm Asylum]?Some questions are answered. Dinah has taken upon herself to improve her martial arts skills in order to never be in a victim’s position, while Barbara decides to fire her as a measure to keep her safe [but that doesn’t last for long]. However for the rest of the questions one must keep reading on.
Art-wise things have been stable. Casey Jones is the artist, accompanying Gilbert’s writing, but I am left with mixed feelings about the overall impression of the art. In the first arc by Gilbert the lines did not impress me, but when inker John Beatty comes on board for the rest of the six issues, the art improves by a large margin. This is living proof that comic book art is not just the penciller, but it involves inkers, colorists and letterers. Even if an artist appeals to a reader, the other variables in the art department can minimize or maximize that level of appeal.
Along with Simone comes artist Ed Benes, who is possibly the best thing to happen to the series as far as art is considered. He is the whole package that makes me tick as an art fan. His work shows attention to detail, has sharp lines, adds fluidity to motion and explores angles, which is of great importance to fights. Plus, I simply enjoy how he draws the human body and face in the super-hero comic book vein, which I am a total sucker for.
The Verdict: You better start reading from Issue 50 and see for real whether this is not your cup of tea, because the series has reached maturity and along with action, adventure and adrenaline, there is an emotional depth and mad plotting skills involved. This was the point I converted entirely and thought that I had been an idiot to dismiss DC for so long.
Birds of Prey: Issues #38 to #49 [Feb 02 - Jan 03]
We are now reaching year four and the Birds of Prey are under new management [creatively] all most all the time. Year four marks perhaps the highest rotation of pencillers. Then we have Chuck Dixon writing his last arc for the series and we have a major crossover [by now you should expect this already] that concerns all Bat-related characters. The summary in just this one paragraph suggests elevated dynamics [on and off stage] and the need for stability.
Action: Year four decided to divide itself neatly my three categories, concerning story. Prime example here is the 4 issue The Island Forgotten by Time arc [July/October]. The location is the aforementioned island, which sometimes is in the world and sometimes is not, but makes sure to take a few souvenirs along the way like for instance dinosaurs and WWII warring soldiers, both US and Japanese. Cute picture, eh?
However it’s not a perfect vacationing spot and Black Canary learns this the hard way, when she is sent there during the island’s rare resurfacings. She has to compete with mercenary Deathstroke [Slade], government hired team Eddie Fyers, Connor Hawke [son of Green Arrow] and Camorouge [another mercenary, who is not a DC super star character, so it’s normal, if she doesn’t ring a bell]. The object: miracle cure for autoimmune diseases. This is every boy’s dream arc. We have battles with dinosaurs, back stabbing, martial arts, time paradoxes, prisoners of war, interrogation and even some unexpected sacrifices. Way to go, Dixon.
While on action, the arc provided by writer Terry Moore provides another look on the Birds of Prey, which does not involve time travelling or a planned mission. On a conference, where Lexcorp-funded doctor Atticus Blackaver presents young Madison, a metahuman with the power to control the chaos code aka heal and reverse the process of decay. The innocent front is that through her death and illness will be kicked, where the sun don’t shine, but then again nothing by Lexcorp is ever world-domination free. We have Black Canary fight her way from hired guns to get back to Oracle, while Barbara gives a few roundhouse kicks, after Madison performs a quick healing session.
Cast Development: The character web ensnares more and morevictims eh… I mean characters along its way [insert laughter] and I received a better picture about the heroes involved in the series. For instance the early hinted upon secondary plot line concerning Ted Kord and his electronics company is touched upon, expanded and concluded with superhero intermission [aka Power Girl], but also viewed in light of his recent heart condition diagnose and what its effects mean on his recent return from retirement as the Blue Beetle.
Then the reader is left a whole issue to learn Power Girl’s history with Oracle as the very first field operative Barbara has hired. Apart from receiving information about why Power Girl is apprehensive, when communicating with Barbara, we are also treated to a new nuance about Barbara’s character and the mistakes she has made.
Then we jump over to Moore’s arc, where we are treated to Barbara and how she is dealing with the sudden revival of her legs. The issue whether she feels or not powerless as a handicapped person is not touched upon [clearly she is not a victim, even in a wheelchair], but I was shown a bit of the Batgirl that Oracle was, before being put in a wheelchair. That bit certainly added another flavor and as a central character Barbara becomes more irresistible.
Last, but not least, Dinah has been shown to bond with a new teenaged vigilante Spoiler and aid her with family matters. The act, which although not in any case climatic in Dinah’s development, only establishes her as a charitable and humanitarian individual.
The Risk: Yes, the dreaded crossover is the only hazard that jarred my reading. This time the arcs revolved around Bruce Wayne and the issue whether or not the man is a murderer. A big arc, for certain, because as we all know he may very well be a tough/scary guy, but can he possibly be a life-taker as well? We never know, because the investigation takes over several series and we catch slivers of the action. The answer is obviously a dastardly frame and the culprit is also the one, who knows that Bruce Wayne is actually Batman. So, Batman fans of his series, do tell who the bad guy is and whether he gets away or not.
The Art: Year for does have a high amount of artists on board. Guice is nowhere to be seen and the pencils have been taken by:
James Fry [meh]
Rodney Ramos [closer to my personal aesthetics, but not quite there]
Rick Leonardi [basically the same as with the last one]
Glenn Fabry [a bit too retro for my liking and his artwork reminds me of the Watchmen]
Dave Ross [certainly has captivatedme with his lines]
Amanda Connor [first woman on board]
As you can see this is a busy year for DC artists and I also need to emphasize on how this is the year that the series gets to be illustrated by a woman for three issues [Moore’s arc]. You can immediately tell that a woman is doing the lines, because it is definitely girlish, but in the good way. Dead giveaways include the lips and the hair, which resemble how designers draw their fashion sketches. The art clicked with the energetic and slightly good-natured humor from Moore’s side and gave me pure pleasure.
Verdict: While I was reading the issues, I was praying to all gods that the crossovers stop already [they do eventually], but overall became hooked and reading the issues turned more fun rather than a task I set myself to complete every day [with 127 issues, one needs all the stimulation in the world].
Action: Year four decided to divide itself neatly my three categories, concerning story. Prime example here is the 4 issue The Island Forgotten by Time arc [July/October]. The location is the aforementioned island, which sometimes is in the world and sometimes is not, but makes sure to take a few souvenirs along the way like for instance dinosaurs and WWII warring soldiers, both US and Japanese. Cute picture, eh?However it’s not a perfect vacationing spot and Black Canary learns this the hard way, when she is sent there during the island’s rare resurfacings. She has to compete with mercenary Deathstroke [Slade], government hired team Eddie Fyers, Connor Hawke [son of Green Arrow] and Camorouge [another mercenary, who is not a DC super star character, so it’s normal, if she doesn’t ring a bell]. The object: miracle cure for autoimmune diseases. This is every boy’s dream arc. We have battles with dinosaurs, back stabbing, martial arts, time paradoxes, prisoners of war, interrogation and even some unexpected sacrifices. Way to go, Dixon.
While on action, the arc provided by writer Terry Moore provides another look on the Birds of Prey, which does not involve time travelling or a planned mission. On a conference, where Lexcorp-funded doctor Atticus Blackaver presents young Madison, a metahuman with the power to control the chaos code aka heal and reverse the process of decay. The innocent front is that through her death and illness will be kicked, where the sun don’t shine, but then again nothing by Lexcorp is ever world-domination free. We have Black Canary fight her way from hired guns to get back to Oracle, while Barbara gives a few roundhouse kicks, after Madison performs a quick healing session.
Cast Development: The character web ensnares more and more
Then the reader is left a whole issue to learn Power Girl’s history with Oracle as the very first field operative Barbara has hired. Apart from receiving information about why Power Girl is apprehensive, when communicating with Barbara, we are also treated to a new nuance about Barbara’s character and the mistakes she has made.
Then we jump over to Moore’s arc, where we are treated to Barbara and how she is dealing with the sudden revival of her legs. The issue whether she feels or not powerless as a handicapped person is not touched upon [clearly she is not a victim, even in a wheelchair], but I was shown a bit of the Batgirl that Oracle was, before being put in a wheelchair. That bit certainly added another flavor and as a central character Barbara becomes more irresistible.
Last, but not least, Dinah has been shown to bond with a new teenaged vigilante Spoiler and aid her with family matters. The act, which although not in any case climatic in Dinah’s development, only establishes her as a charitable and humanitarian individual.
The Risk: Yes, the dreaded crossover is the only hazard that jarred my reading. This time the arcs revolved around Bruce Wayne and the issue whether or not the man is a murderer. A big arc, for certain, because as we all know he may very well be a tough/scary guy, but can he possibly be a life-taker as well? We never know, because the investigation takes over several series and we catch slivers of the action. The answer is obviously a dastardly frame and the culprit is also the one, who knows that Bruce Wayne is actually Batman. So, Batman fans of his series, do tell who the bad guy is and whether he gets away or not. The Art: Year for does have a high amount of artists on board. Guice is nowhere to be seen and the pencils have been taken by:
James Fry [meh]
Rodney Ramos [closer to my personal aesthetics, but not quite there]
Rick Leonardi [basically the same as with the last one]
Glenn Fabry [a bit too retro for my liking and his artwork reminds me of the Watchmen]
Dave Ross [certainly has captivatedme with his lines]
Amanda Connor [first woman on board]
As you can see this is a busy year for DC artists and I also need to emphasize on how this is the year that the series gets to be illustrated by a woman for three issues [Moore’s arc]. You can immediately tell that a woman is doing the lines, because it is definitely girlish, but in the good way. Dead giveaways include the lips and the hair, which resemble how designers draw their fashion sketches. The art clicked with the energetic and slightly good-natured humor from Moore’s side and gave me pure pleasure.
Verdict: While I was reading the issues, I was praying to all gods that the crossovers stop already [they do eventually], but overall became hooked and reading the issues turned more fun rather than a task I set myself to complete every day [with 127 issues, one needs all the stimulation in the world].
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Birds of Prey: Issues #25 to #37 [Jan 01 - Jan 02]
Third year for Birds of Prey, the basis has been established and cemented and the complexity has risen up a few notches, which complicates my function as a reviewer. For the sake of not overly complicating the review and crop some paragraphs meant for transitions I’ll break my thoughts on issues #25 to #37 into several categories. I think it will be quite practical and help me better appreciate the story from all its angles.
Action: After strengthening their partnership after the events from the Blockbuster arc a few issues back, Oracle and Black Canary tackle bigger and more dangerous targets. Barbara’s well established network of connections in the super hero community [Robin, Nightwing, Power Girl, The Blue Beetle, Militia] and Black Canary’s survival instincts and fighting prowess ensure that missions will grow in scale and dynamics and Dixon didn’t let me down. My expectations were met as far as how the series progress as far as kicking-ass is concerned and mind you, that although subtle philosophic, emotional and intelligent undertones are needed to make a comic a worthwhile read, super heroes need their battles.
Dixon supplies those battles. Time traveling and getting to fight alongside Vikings against Native Americans to secure history doesn’t get screwed up? Yes, you have that my friend [even if I am one of those people, who are against time travel as an idea, because it has been done enough already]. Spoiling the wedding between an unsuspecting Black Canary and an ancient evil wizard with custom restoration pools on an exotic island location, know for profuse bloodshed in the past? You got that with all the kicks, fists and gun fire.
Cast Development: Originally, I wanted this to be called simply ‘Emotion’, because Dixon is really trying to shake things up in Oracle’s love life. The woman doesn’t get a break from employing her former fiancé Jason as a P.I. and then working shoulder to shoulder with Dick, who also comes in handy with his gymnastics. Not to mention Ted Kord [The Blue Beetle], with whom there is a spark, but due to the complicated geometric figure that all these relations create, it doesn’t lead to anything but cordial friendship.
There are also small touches here and there between the interactions between Barbara and her men and also some snippets about the lives of these episodic characters, which imply that their roles might expand [they do to be exact]. Oracle is still the main driving wheel, but the personal-life-exploratory limelight happens to fall on Dinah as well, who in the would-be-bride arc is developed more thoroughly. This is the arc with a tough dilemma involved, when both Oracle and Black Canary are hurt and only one can use the custom healing pool. If Black Canary goes in, she will be healed, her ovaries restored and her metahuman power returned. But if Oracle uses it, she will be able to walk again. In the series this is the crucial event, when the special bond between these two women is born and the Birds of Prey gains a whole new dimension. [I bet that you know how this ends, right?]
The Risk: Year three for Birds of Prey picks up steam for DC fans, but for those that are still in the introduction stages and have just that one series to get acquainted with the DC universe; this is a somewhat confusing year. Dixon’s work escalates and gives the readers more intricate and complicated arcs that spread over more issues, but the year is also marked by crossovers all over the DC world, mainly to do with the Bat Family [all series that are in touch with Bat themed and connected to Bat themed vigilantes].
To all hooked on getting on board the Birds of Prey, this review is a kind of warning sign to do their homework as to where this may cross over. The first occurs in the March issue and picks up a story about Catwoman, which has started and is eventually resolved outside Birds of Prey issues. The second concerns a major arc about the Joker taking over the Slab and then supposedly dying from Nightwing’s hand. This takes place around the early winter months and it’s a shame that I don’t know what happens in detail from the other series. But even if one doesn’t have the extra issues to see how the plot lines resolve, a quick Google search will clear all.
Art: Official pencils are handled by Butch Guice, who seems to have grown on me, because either he together with colorist Shannon Blanchard have perfected their styles gradually from the time they are working together or I grew accustomed to their work. I think it’s the former, because the art becomes easier on the eye with every issue. That is until the guest pencillers start making appearances with shocking results. First, it’s Mike Mcdonnell, whole art I think is god awful in the issue he has contributed [I know he is a professional and has his fan base, but I and his lines did not mix]. I’m not sure what to think of William Rosario’s contribution, but it didn’t wow me in any case. James Fry also didn’t push my love buttons and right about now I began to doubt whether DC examined their artists’ portfolio before commissioning them or not. Yes, I am that capricious, when it comes to art. However, Marcus Martin was there to save day with his amazing January 2002 issue, which blew my mind. If I had my way with the series, he would stick with the series to the very end.
[PS: Why is it so excruciatingly hard to locate artists' websites? If anyone finds anything that resembles an official page on any of these guys, post link.]
Verdict: One thumb up with minor inconveniences [the bloody crossovers]. The dialogues still have that sound, which makes you not take the issues seriously, but it’s not jarring and is on its way to being fixed.
Action: After strengthening their partnership after the events from the Blockbuster arc a few issues back, Oracle and Black Canary tackle bigger and more dangerous targets. Barbara’s well established network of connections in the super hero community [Robin, Nightwing, Power Girl, The Blue Beetle, Militia] and Black Canary’s survival instincts and fighting prowess ensure that missions will grow in scale and dynamics and Dixon didn’t let me down. My expectations were met as far as how the series progress as far as kicking-ass is concerned and mind you, that although subtle philosophic, emotional and intelligent undertones are needed to make a comic a worthwhile read, super heroes need their battles.Dixon supplies those battles. Time traveling and getting to fight alongside Vikings against Native Americans to secure history doesn’t get screwed up? Yes, you have that my friend [even if I am one of those people, who are against time travel as an idea, because it has been done enough already]. Spoiling the wedding between an unsuspecting Black Canary and an ancient evil wizard with custom restoration pools on an exotic island location, know for profuse bloodshed in the past? You got that with all the kicks, fists and gun fire.
Cast Development: Originally, I wanted this to be called simply ‘Emotion’, because Dixon is really trying to shake things up in Oracle’s love life. The woman doesn’t get a break from employing her former fiancé Jason as a P.I. and then working shoulder to shoulder with Dick, who also comes in handy with his gymnastics. Not to mention Ted Kord [The Blue Beetle], with whom there is a spark, but due to the complicated geometric figure that all these relations create, it doesn’t lead to anything but cordial friendship.
There are also small touches here and there between the interactions between Barbara and her men and also some snippets about the lives of these episodic characters, which imply that their roles might expand [they do to be exact]. Oracle is still the main driving wheel, but the personal-life-exploratory limelight happens to fall on Dinah as well, who in the would-be-bride arc is developed more thoroughly. This is the arc with a tough dilemma involved, when both Oracle and Black Canary are hurt and only one can use the custom healing pool. If Black Canary goes in, she will be healed, her ovaries restored and her metahuman power returned. But if Oracle uses it, she will be able to walk again. In the series this is the crucial event, when the special bond between these two women is born and the Birds of Prey gains a whole new dimension. [I bet that you know how this ends, right?]
The Risk: Year three for Birds of Prey picks up steam for DC fans, but for those that are still in the introduction stages and have just that one series to get acquainted with the DC universe; this is a somewhat confusing year. Dixon’s work escalates and gives the readers more intricate and complicated arcs that spread over more issues, but the year is also marked by crossovers all over the DC world, mainly to do with the Bat Family [all series that are in touch with Bat themed and connected to Bat themed vigilantes].To all hooked on getting on board the Birds of Prey, this review is a kind of warning sign to do their homework as to where this may cross over. The first occurs in the March issue and picks up a story about Catwoman, which has started and is eventually resolved outside Birds of Prey issues. The second concerns a major arc about the Joker taking over the Slab and then supposedly dying from Nightwing’s hand. This takes place around the early winter months and it’s a shame that I don’t know what happens in detail from the other series. But even if one doesn’t have the extra issues to see how the plot lines resolve, a quick Google search will clear all.
Art: Official pencils are handled by Butch Guice, who seems to have grown on me, because either he together with colorist Shannon Blanchard have perfected their styles gradually from the time they are working together or I grew accustomed to their work. I think it’s the former, because the art becomes easier on the eye with every issue. That is until the guest pencillers start making appearances with shocking results. First, it’s Mike Mcdonnell, whole art I think is god awful in the issue he has contributed [I know he is a professional and has his fan base, but I and his lines did not mix]. I’m not sure what to think of William Rosario’s contribution, but it didn’t wow me in any case. James Fry also didn’t push my love buttons and right about now I began to doubt whether DC examined their artists’ portfolio before commissioning them or not. Yes, I am that capricious, when it comes to art. However, Marcus Martin was there to save day with his amazing January 2002 issue, which blew my mind. If I had my way with the series, he would stick with the series to the very end.
[PS: Why is it so excruciatingly hard to locate artists' websites? If anyone finds anything that resembles an official page on any of these guys, post link.]
Verdict: One thumb up with minor inconveniences [the bloody crossovers]. The dialogues still have that sound, which makes you not take the issues seriously, but it’s not jarring and is on its way to being fixed.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Birds of Prey: Issue #15 to #24 [March 00 - Dec 00]
As with year one, year two of Birds of Prey had its ups and downs, but in general fared better than the initial starter. This is partially because the characters have been established, setting has been prepared and now all that is left is to delve deeper into the concept, the characters and write some weird masked adventures. Dixon definitely delivered on that account.
Issues #15 to #24 center more or less on Oracle as a character. All the secondary plot lines are focusing on Barbara both as the brain behind her operation and as a normal woman, which translates to leading a love life mainly. While I am on the topic of love life, I think that this is where Dixon didn’t succeed much in his characterization. At one point in the series we have an issue, where two past lovers, Jason Bard [P.I introduced in the first year] and Dick Grayson [Nightwing], and her current boyfriend Ted Kord [former Blue Beetle] come simultaneously to see her. Although there was an innocent comedic touch to stretching the probability theory to such a degree, I didn’t enjoy it that much, especially how easily Ted Kord guessed Barbara is Oracle. Not when years in issues later, Oracle’s identity becomes the biggest motive for the most valuable information in the world.
I do however give high props for his take on human ingenuity as shown in the first major arc that ran from March to May and involved the Joker. The greatest thing about big publishers, old as the art form series and a myriad of characters is that the reader can get neat, but also possibly weird surprises on how these characters resurface. In this case we have the Joker as an ambassador for a Middle Eastern politically warring with the USA country and the Joker has decided to nuke New York in order to make a point. In this case Oracle teams up with the Pentagon to disable the missiles, after placing the Joker at ground zero to make him talk.
The piece of resistance in this, however, is the Roland Desmond aka supervillain Blockbuster arc, who placed a contract on Nightwing’s life and planned to destroy Oracle by tracking her signal down and then hiring trained assassins after her. Although the cat and mouse game was most enjoyable I had a problem with the series jumping, because the hunt for Oracle spanned over two series total [Birds of Prey and Nightwing]. That is the danger with super hero series, especially, when they have solo series, but writers decide to team them up. Nevertheless the evasive maneuvers Dixon conjured impressed me. At one instance Barbara had to fight hand to hand and after that swim after abandoning her hideout at a submarine. I call that thrilling. There is also the skillful transition from partners to friends with Barbara and Dinah, when both finally do meet face to face.
It’s a rollercoaster ride from then on as the meeting lasts for a few minutes, when they are discovered by Desmond. From then on we have a role-switch with Black Canary posing as Oracle, while she is on a mission to retrieve a new heart for Blockbuster from Gorilla City. The team gathered for this mission consists of Black Canary as Oracle, Lady Vic [assassin], Deathstroke [assassin] and a traitor from Gorilla City, who is most naturally a talking gorilla. Unstable environment is an understatement in this case and the result is a high action packed survival game, where alliances and rules spin and change. Dinah manages to shine at her impulsive strategy at survival with the Oracle’s help and it was exactly this dynamic, diversified and almost epic adventure with gun and fist fights and obstacles all around that I began to warm up to the series immensely.
Art-wise, the situation is still a bit complicated, because I am a big Michael Turner fan and his art has corrupted my imagination in the best way possible, so whenever an art style seems more outdated or does not emulate Turner, my brain does not compute. In comparison to Land the new regular Butch Guice does a better job. His work seems to be in transition from the typical oldie 90’s comic lines and the new millennium style that can be seen now everywhere. I think that the coloring techniques also play a vital role with how the lines and inks will look like and in this case the colorist seems more old school in his approach, but then again I am talking about year 2000, which was far away in time and it would be rather pointless to talk about something that has been the norm back then.
Verdict: Definitely better. There is overall growth in the writer’s approach to the series with new and even more dangerous scenarios of big proportions come up the Birds of Prey’s way. I am not a fan, when arcs hop from series to series, but such is the risk I guess. If I had no clue what was happening next, I would be mighty curious about where the writer will take the team.
Issues #15 to #24 center more or less on Oracle as a character. All the secondary plot lines are focusing on Barbara both as the brain behind her operation and as a normal woman, which translates to leading a love life mainly. While I am on the topic of love life, I think that this is where Dixon didn’t succeed much in his characterization. At one point in the series we have an issue, where two past lovers, Jason Bard [P.I introduced in the first year] and Dick Grayson [Nightwing], and her current boyfriend Ted Kord [former Blue Beetle] come simultaneously to see her. Although there was an innocent comedic touch to stretching the probability theory to such a degree, I didn’t enjoy it that much, especially how easily Ted Kord guessed Barbara is Oracle. Not when years in issues later, Oracle’s identity becomes the biggest motive for the most valuable information in the world.I do however give high props for his take on human ingenuity as shown in the first major arc that ran from March to May and involved the Joker. The greatest thing about big publishers, old as the art form series and a myriad of characters is that the reader can get neat, but also possibly weird surprises on how these characters resurface. In this case we have the Joker as an ambassador for a Middle Eastern politically warring with the USA country and the Joker has decided to nuke New York in order to make a point. In this case Oracle teams up with the Pentagon to disable the missiles, after placing the Joker at ground zero to make him talk.
The piece of resistance in this, however, is the Roland Desmond aka supervillain Blockbuster arc, who placed a contract on Nightwing’s life and planned to destroy Oracle by tracking her signal down and then hiring trained assassins after her. Although the cat and mouse game was most enjoyable I had a problem with the series jumping, because the hunt for Oracle spanned over two series total [Birds of Prey and Nightwing]. That is the danger with super hero series, especially, when they have solo series, but writers decide to team them up. Nevertheless the evasive maneuvers Dixon conjured impressed me. At one instance Barbara had to fight hand to hand and after that swim after abandoning her hideout at a submarine. I call that thrilling. There is also the skillful transition from partners to friends with Barbara and Dinah, when both finally do meet face to face.
It’s a rollercoaster ride from then on as the meeting lasts for a few minutes, when they are discovered by Desmond. From then on we have a role-switch with Black Canary posing as Oracle, while she is on a mission to retrieve a new heart for Blockbuster from Gorilla City. The team gathered for this mission consists of Black Canary as Oracle, Lady Vic [assassin], Deathstroke [assassin] and a traitor from Gorilla City, who is most naturally a talking gorilla. Unstable environment is an understatement in this case and the result is a high action packed survival game, where alliances and rules spin and change. Dinah manages to shine at her impulsive strategy at survival with the Oracle’s help and it was exactly this dynamic, diversified and almost epic adventure with gun and fist fights and obstacles all around that I began to warm up to the series immensely.Art-wise, the situation is still a bit complicated, because I am a big Michael Turner fan and his art has corrupted my imagination in the best way possible, so whenever an art style seems more outdated or does not emulate Turner, my brain does not compute. In comparison to Land the new regular Butch Guice does a better job. His work seems to be in transition from the typical oldie 90’s comic lines and the new millennium style that can be seen now everywhere. I think that the coloring techniques also play a vital role with how the lines and inks will look like and in this case the colorist seems more old school in his approach, but then again I am talking about year 2000, which was far away in time and it would be rather pointless to talk about something that has been the norm back then.
Verdict: Definitely better. There is overall growth in the writer’s approach to the series with new and even more dangerous scenarios of big proportions come up the Birds of Prey’s way. I am not a fan, when arcs hop from series to series, but such is the risk I guess. If I had no clue what was happening next, I would be mighty curious about where the writer will take the team.
Birds of Prey: Issues #1 - #14 [Jan 99 - Feb 00]
I better say this outright. I am not a DC reader and apart from the Justice League Unlimited episodes I enjoyed on TV, my contact with DC comics was non-existent. Then I came across a loose television adaptation that ran for thirteen episodes and then was cancelled. That was 2002 I think. The idea for the team made me curious, I hopped on Wikipedia and got to know that the comic book series is far different than what was shown on TV, so I planned one day to read it from issue to issue. I also received motivation from a friend, who is a big Huntress, and I took the plunge. That being said as foreword, I will break down the series by years as far as the story arcs allow and present you a more summarized view on the whole year with various highlights.
I am not entirely sure on how to summarize a whole year [and somewhat above] in a review, so bear with me as I explore these uncharted waters. To me it’s most logical to speak a bit about the creative team behind this year.
Chuck Dixon has written all fourteen issues so far. From the small notes I have scribbled on arcs and story in general there are quite a few trademarks, which can define Dixon’s era in the series. For starters Dixon has a love for made-up countries, islands and all sorts of geographic landmarks, where he sends the team on their missions. In most cases we are talking about countries that are torn in political conflicts and the missions pattern involve Black Canary stealthily making her way to her objectives, which are usually prisoners or hostages, while Barbara Gordon aka Oracle manages behind the scenes.
I myself never minded this repeating pattern, because this is the first steps of the series. The readers need to get a good sense of the dynamic between the characters; get in rhythm, so to say. The better aspects around the story telling include the secondary plot lines, which show a bit of Oracle’s personal life: her relationships and the woman she used to be back in the day. I also liked the mystery one-sided partnership Oracle lead with Dinah Lance [Black Canary], which to a point reminded me [and still does later on] of Charlie’s Angels.
I didn’t like the banter and pun-talk as it sounded cheesy. The abnormal code names some characters had such as Pistolera and Lashina tested my patience, but that I guess was something characteristic for super hero comics in the late nineties or early 2000. I am not well read on the matter, so I may be mistaken. The least liked arc for the year involved a time travel scenario with a Soviet satellite. I didn’t get the time traveling theory very well and then the organization and coordination between the villains and mercenaries was laughable. [Issues April to June]
The strongest arc for the year involved sabotage, a guarded train with metahuman convicts, Catwoman as a guest character, a Boom Tube [teleportation device] to Apokolips [another dimension that resembles a technological hell with evil overlord Granny Goodness] and a full blown war between the metahumans and the demonic and technologically equipped native inhabitants of Apokolips. It may sound like a bad acid trip, but I certainly kept turning pages, waiting to see what happens next. The action packed inside certainly got the better of me and I am a great fan of catfights so no problems with me there.
Art-wise things are a notch or two more complicated. Greg Land was the official penciller, who started the series with his last issue being #10, but in between these issues we are treated to quite a few guest pencillers: Pete Krause, Dick Giordiano and Patrick Zircher. To be honest this is the area, where the series could have benefited more, because I didn’t enjoy the artwork that much and I am not sure whether or not this is because the style back in 1999 was typical for its time. Krause was my least favorite artist. Land didn’t generate an opinion. Giordiano was the same way. Zircher certainly surprised me pleasantly in issues #13 and #14 and this is prime example how story can only gain from the appropriate art style, even though it is all subjective and individual for every reader.
General Impression: I would have dropped the series, because I found it irritating that the artists would change every two or three issues. There were also instances, when one major story line was illustrated by three different people. Then I was discouraged by a few situations that happened here and there, but there must have been a reason, why this series kept coming out every month for a decade.
-----
Issues: #1 - #14 [January 1999 - February 2000]
Issues: #1 - #14 [January 1999 - February 2000]
I am not entirely sure on how to summarize a whole year [and somewhat above] in a review, so bear with me as I explore these uncharted waters. To me it’s most logical to speak a bit about the creative team behind this year.
Chuck Dixon has written all fourteen issues so far. From the small notes I have scribbled on arcs and story in general there are quite a few trademarks, which can define Dixon’s era in the series. For starters Dixon has a love for made-up countries, islands and all sorts of geographic landmarks, where he sends the team on their missions. In most cases we are talking about countries that are torn in political conflicts and the missions pattern involve Black Canary stealthily making her way to her objectives, which are usually prisoners or hostages, while Barbara Gordon aka Oracle manages behind the scenes.I myself never minded this repeating pattern, because this is the first steps of the series. The readers need to get a good sense of the dynamic between the characters; get in rhythm, so to say. The better aspects around the story telling include the secondary plot lines, which show a bit of Oracle’s personal life: her relationships and the woman she used to be back in the day. I also liked the mystery one-sided partnership Oracle lead with Dinah Lance [Black Canary], which to a point reminded me [and still does later on] of Charlie’s Angels.
I didn’t like the banter and pun-talk as it sounded cheesy. The abnormal code names some characters had such as Pistolera and Lashina tested my patience, but that I guess was something characteristic for super hero comics in the late nineties or early 2000. I am not well read on the matter, so I may be mistaken. The least liked arc for the year involved a time travel scenario with a Soviet satellite. I didn’t get the time traveling theory very well and then the organization and coordination between the villains and mercenaries was laughable. [Issues April to June]
The strongest arc for the year involved sabotage, a guarded train with metahuman convicts, Catwoman as a guest character, a Boom Tube [teleportation device] to Apokolips [another dimension that resembles a technological hell with evil overlord Granny Goodness] and a full blown war between the metahumans and the demonic and technologically equipped native inhabitants of Apokolips. It may sound like a bad acid trip, but I certainly kept turning pages, waiting to see what happens next. The action packed inside certainly got the better of me and I am a great fan of catfights so no problems with me there.Art-wise things are a notch or two more complicated. Greg Land was the official penciller, who started the series with his last issue being #10, but in between these issues we are treated to quite a few guest pencillers: Pete Krause, Dick Giordiano and Patrick Zircher. To be honest this is the area, where the series could have benefited more, because I didn’t enjoy the artwork that much and I am not sure whether or not this is because the style back in 1999 was typical for its time. Krause was my least favorite artist. Land didn’t generate an opinion. Giordiano was the same way. Zircher certainly surprised me pleasantly in issues #13 and #14 and this is prime example how story can only gain from the appropriate art style, even though it is all subjective and individual for every reader.
General Impression: I would have dropped the series, because I found it irritating that the artists would change every two or three issues. There were also instances, when one major story line was illustrated by three different people. Then I was discouraged by a few situations that happened here and there, but there must have been a reason, why this series kept coming out every month for a decade.
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