Birds of Prey 8

Today, Patrick and Drew are discussing Birds of Prey 8, originally released April 18th, 2012.

Patrick: Birds of Prey found such a strong, clear voice early in its run. I knew who Dinah was, I knew who Eve was and I understood their dynamic. They even had a cool villain that could control minds and make heads explode. As the team grew, so did my enthusiasm for the series. But the narrative waters are getting murky, and when my expectations grind so violently against the book that was delivered, my enthusiasm wanes. Continue reading

Birds of Prey 7

Today, Drew and Patrick are discussing Birds of Prey 7, originally released March 21st, 2012.

Drew: Issue 2 of Birds of Prey opened with Katana standing over a roomful of Yakuza she had just killed. When we first see her in battle alongside the birds later in the issue, she is running through one of Choke’s henchmen. Dinah comments on how Katana is “everything I’d hoped for. Lethal. Disciplined. Able to watch my back.” Dinah even reminds her that they need “at least one of them alive,” which strikes me as permission to kill all but one of the goons they’re fighting. In fact, they kill a lot of people during that scene, so Dinah’s insistence in issue 7 that “Rule number one” is “We don’t kill people,” is a bit of a stretch. Continue reading

Birds of Prey 1-6

Today, Patrick and Drew are discussing Birds of Prey 1-6, originally released September 21st, October 19th, November 16th, December 21st, 2011, January 18th, and February 15th, 2012.

Patrick: You know how the common perception of Aquaman is that he’s lame and talks to fish and is generally useless in a peer group that includes the likes of Superman and Batman? That is exactly how I’ve always seen the Black Canary. Too frequently in the old continuity she was made to function solely as the Green Arrow’s wife or ex-wife or ex-wife-that-still-fucks-him-from-time-to-time. After being marginalized by a hero as boring as Green Arrow, the very mention of the character’s name signaled petty, tedious bullshit. This largely-domestic history, coupled with a super-sonic scream super-power, paints the image of the ultimate shrew. I never imagined that I’d be reading a book that features the character so prominently. And I certainly never thought I’d be enjoying it this much. Continue reading