Birds of Prey: The Battle Within

Oracle sends Black Canary and Huntress on a series of missions to apprehend vigilantes who have crossed the line. First, they must contend with a teenage mage who is picking off criminals in her neighbourhood. Then, they venture to a backwoods town where a mysterious vigilante known as Harvest is meting out punishment against men who have evaded justice for their past crimes. Lastly, they investigate the murder of a metahuman gang member allegedly killed by the disturbed Thorn.

Birds of Prey: The Battle Within collects Birds of Prey #76-85, written by Gail Simone and illustrated by Ed Benes, Tom Derenick, and Joe Bennett.

The Battle Within contains two arcs. The first, “Hero Hunters,” features Black Canary and Huntress investigating morally corrupt vigilantes Black Alice, Harvest, and Thorn for their alleged involvement in criminal activity. Within this first arc, writer Gail Simone plays with genres and continues to push her characters to their limits. Black Alice’s introductory issue presents itself like a magic-themed teen drama a la The Craft, the Harvest issues are horror-tinged and read like an homage to Jeepers Creepers, and the Thorn investigation is gritty and noir-esque as it deals with a corrupt police force. Beyond the entertainment factor, I love that Simone uses this trio of stories as a means of having Huntress reflect on her past and reputation as one of the most infamously unorthodox vigilantes. She also uses it to create a rift between two characters, which leads to a rather explosive exchange.

The second arc, “The Battle Within,” sees Black Canary venturing to Singapore with Wildcat in order to orchestrate the takedown of a major drug running organization. Meanwhile, Huntress is acting independently to destroy Gotham’s mob scene from the inside out and Oracle is battling a cybernetic infection brought on by her past encounter with Brainiac. It’s very much a quintessential Birds of Prey storyline involving international intrigue and plenty of action. In addition to taking on a drug lord, Black Canary must face off against the Twelve Brothers of Silk, a band of martial artists whose abilities could very well rival those of Lady Shiva. It’s a neat addition to the narrative and reminds readers of just how much of a badass Black Canary is. Of course, we also get some great character moments as well. The dynamic between Black Canary and Wildcat is really fun. As her unofficial uncle, Wildcat fills the role of father figure without being portrayed as overprotective. He trusts her and allows her to be in charge. We also get some poignant scenes between Black Canary and Oracle while the former battles her Brainiac-induced illness. These exchanges are always very important and help to showcase what makes Birds of Prey such a special comic. It’s a reminder that their sisterhood is at the centre of all the hacking and Canary Cries.

Ed Benes returns to pencil some of the issues in this collection. He handles the art chores on the Black Alice and Thorn issues in the “Hero Hunters” arc. As mentioned in my previous reviews, I enjoy his artwork and feel it suits the series well. Tom Derenick provides the art for the Harvest issues in “Hero Hunters.” Sandwiched between Benes’ work, Derenick’s art comes across looking lazy and uninspired. It’s passable, but the characters are mostly unattractive and lack distinction. Their anatomy is also wonky, but not even in a way that feels deliberately stylized. Joe Bennett takes over the reins for the rest of the issues in this trade. While his art isn’t quite as electric as Benes’, it pairs well with Simone’s writing. He particularly excels in scenes that require a bit of comedic flare and he really injects a lot of vitality into Black Canary while drawing her.

From a purely biased perspective, Birds of Prey: The Battle Within holds a special place in my heart. It was one of the first Birds trades I owned and I’ve re-read it countless times. I really appreciate the way that Gail Simone employs a variety of genres to tell her stories. I love that she’s not afraid to go a bit dark, but always manages to find the funny when tension needs to be broken. The Harvest and Thorn issues are especially memorable to me, as are the scenes of Black Canary and Wildcat in Singapore. While the art varies in quality, the writing remains top notch and it really highlights why Birds of Prey is such a seminal comic book series.

RATING: A-

Review - Birds of Prey: Between Dark & Dawn

After three teenagers commit suicide while dressed as fallen superheroes, Oracle sends Huntress to investigate a religious cult that they were affiliated with. The crossbow wielding vigilante soon learns that the cult’s followers are under mind control, including a group of powerful metahumans that are unleashed on her to prevent her from leaving the compound. Huntress must use her wits and resources to break them free from their psychic bondage in order to survive.

Birds of Prey: Between Dark & Dawn collects Birds of Prey #69-75, written by Gail Simone and illustrated by Ron Adrian, Ed Benes, Eric Battle, Jim Fern, and Eduardo Barreto.

Between Dark & Dawn is a Huntress-centric arc that focuses on her first official solo mission for Oracle. It’s an admittedly twisted and dark storyline, further enhanced by moody artwork, which sees Huntress infiltrating a religious cult known as Second Heaven. Its leader, Mr. Brusaw, has instilled the belief that metahumans are angels and demons in his followers. Huntress’ objective is to prove Second Heaven’s role in the suicides of three of its followers, but she may not live long enough to do so as Mr. Brusaw tasks one of his superpowered charges with eliminating her. Given the setting and the use of a religious cult as the primary antagonist of this arc, Gail Simone employs a lot of intriguing themes that pair well with Huntress. Faith is integral to the overall storyline, with Simone smartly contrasting religious zealotry (Second Heaven) with religious antipathy (Huntress). As someone who was raised Catholic and subsequently turned her back on God, Huntress’ placement within a setting of religious extremism is truly riveting as it forces her to confront her beliefs. Simone also touches upon the unique vulnerability of teenagers and how easily they can be preyed upon during their formative years by authority figures. Though it’s not as fleshed out as I’d have preferred it to be, this aspect to the narrative is crucial and actually makes the case personal for Huntress (she is a teacher, after all!).

The dialogue, as should be expected from something written by Gail Simone, is impeccable. The thing that struck me with this arc in particular was just how funny Huntress is. Her sarcasm and penchant for throwing shade practically challenges the reader not to laugh out loud. What I love even more than that is that she meets her match in the storyline’s special guest star – Vixen. The pair trades some playful jabs and it’s quite entertaining. It’s a bit catty, but it’s done in a very light-hearted way. On the subject of humour, there are a couple instances where Black Canary pokes fun at Batman. They’re small and seemingly disposable, but it helps to emphasize her personality and illustrates how little she buys into the mythologizing of him as a hero. There are other great character building moments, particularly in relation to the subplot regarding Oracle being affected by a malicious force after hacking into Second Heaven’s website. She experiences an intense seizure and then begins acting strange once she’s recovered from it. During this time, we see Canary step out of her role as Oracle’s comedic foil and into big sister mode. We know that she’s an excellent caretaker and as someone who is incredibly empathetic, but it helps to emphasize just how deep and meaningful her friendship to Oracle is. It’s poignant and adds a touch of humanity to all the action.

Artists Ron Adrian and Ed Benes are the primary contributors to the issues collected in this trade. Adrian’s art style attempts to mimic Benes’, likely in order to maintain a sense of consistency across the arc. As such, you can bet that the action is full of energy and the characters are all gorgeous. However, Adrian does struggle to keep the work uniform. At times, the characters faces look a bit off and the Benes-esque aspects drop away to show something a bit more generic. The issues that Benes illustrates show a slight shift in his work. His anatomy has improved, but the lines are heavier and sketchier. Still, I’m really drawn in by his art. There’s a sequence in issue 75 that I find really evocative. It opens with Canary and Huntress consoling Oracle as she gazes upon the ruins of the Clocktower (it was destroyed outside of this series in the massive Batman event War Games). It’s pretty much devoid of dialogue and relies upon Benes’ ability to really convey the sense of grief and mourning through the body language of these characters. Eric Battle and Jim Fern also contribute art, but I’m not what you’d call a fan of their output. Eduardo Barreto pencils a Lady Blackhawk vignette that serves as a bit of a prequel to the events of issue 75. His art is more typical of the genre, but it suits the narrative since it’s centered on a character like Lady Blackhawk.

As a fan of Huntress and as someone who loves Vixen, Birds of Prey: Between Dark & Dawn was a really enthralling read for me. I thoroughly enjoyed the dynamic between Huntress and Vixen, so much so that I wish there were more team-ups between them. The set-up and overall thrust of the story is pretty standard (going undercover at a cult), but writer Gail Simone puts a neat superhero twist to it and makes the story relevant to its lead protagonist. The two standalone issues that proceed the primary arc serve to wrap up loose ends and do so effectively, particularly with issue 75. It begins amidst the aftermath of a major crossover and pivots that into a new beginning for the characters. Between Dark & Dawn is an excellent collection that I recommend highly. It’s not quite as suspenseful as Of Like Minds or as epic as Sensei & Student, but it’s an impressive arc nonetheless.

RATING: A-

Review - Birds of Prey: Sensei & Student

Black Canary and master assassin Lady Shiva travel to Hong Kong to visit their ailing martial arts teacher. When he and his students are abruptly poisoned, the clues lead the pair to the venomous villain Cheshire. She claims she’s being framed by an American senator that she’s determined to eliminate, which prompts Canary and Shiva to investigate the veracity of her claims. Then, Oracle is seemingly kidnapped by government agents on charges of terrorism. With Canary out of the country, it’s up to Huntress to find and rescue Oracle.

Birds of Prey: Sensei & Student collects Birds of Prey #62-68, written by Gail Simone and illustrated by Ed Benes, Cliff Richards, Michael Golden, and Joe Bennett.

Sensei & Student is one of my all-time favourite comic book storylines and is one that I’ve re-read many times over. Writer Gail Simone and artist Ed Benes take us to the colourful streets of Hong Kong, where Black Canary and Lady Shiva form an unlikely alliance in order to locate Cheshire. Though they’re reluctant to believe that she’s innocent, they allow her to lead them towards the evidence that will allegedly absolve her of the crime. Meanwhile, Oracle is held captive by individuals claiming to be with the US government. She’s one of nine women they’ve kidnapped in an attempt to determine the true identity of Oracle. Without her usual partner to help her out, everyone’s favourite redheaded hacker has to rely on Huntress to save her. As with most of her work, Simone blends together seemingly disparate genres to craft an action-packed story that’s filled with intrigue and plenty of interesting twists. She’s gives us a bit of Hong Kong action cinema mixed with political thriller and a bit of film noir. It’s beautifully layered and quite brilliant.

As with Of Like Minds, there’s a dynamic energy to how Simone portrays her characters. She’s truly one of the best in the industry when it comes to character building and writing dialogue that sparks to life. I love the way her characters interact, especially in this arc. The relationship that Canary and Shiva has is absolutely riveting to me. They’re positioned in the story as seemingly two opposites –one is an apprentice and hero who cherishes life, the other is a master assassin who dishes out death like a grandma gives out Werther’s Originals. Despite this, they’ve managed to form a sort of kinship through their shared grief over the loss of their former mentor. It’s very poignant and helps the reader to see Shiva as a three-dimensional character, which is admirable since most other writers portray her as a stereotypical dragon lady. Shiva is actually my favourite character from this arc. I find it really neat that Simone is able to add a comic element to her character without actually making her funny and I’m obsessed with just how much of a boss she is overall. You really don’t want to mess with this woman. Of course, there’s no shortage of great women worth rooting for and laughing with. Oracle shows off just how resourceful she is, Huntress comes to the table with bravery and some fantastic quips, and Black Canary remains as clever as ever. We even get some cameos from Catwoman, Katana, and Cindy Reynolds. With that said, there’s some uncomfortable dialogue in issue 68. Oracle and Canary both make mean-spirited comments that come across as judgmental towards Huntress’ sexual activities. Though both characters later acknowledge that they’re being harsh and unfair, the fact that they use her penchant for casual sex as a weapon to chastise Huntress is not a good look for either character.

Ed Benes continues to excel as Simone’s partner in crime with this arc. He pencils the majority of the issues collected here, which contributes a lot of vitality to the story. It’s really neat to see how his compositions help affect the overall tone, especially when it comes to adding humour or heightening drama. There’s a sequence on an airplane that’s fairly memorable, as well as a bar brawl that takes place early on in the arc. Part of what makes these sequences so memorable is how he uses Shiva’s expressions and body language to both convey how badass she is, as well as get a little comedy out of it. Truthfully, I’m really fond of his Shiva. She’s very striking visually due to her sternness. Of course, it wouldn’t be Benes without a bit of cheesecake. There’s a rather gratuitous sequence where Canary and Cheshire duke it out in a pool while the latter is wearing a flimsy nightie. Its inclusion is odd and quite jarring. Benes is aided by Cliff Richards in some issues. Richards drew Oracle’s abduction and interrogation scenes. They’re pretty standard and don’t quite match the energy of Benes’ panels. Michael Golden provides the art for the flashback issue (66). Ordinarily I’d criticize the style, but it suits the tone of the issue. It’s set in the past and is stylized as if it were taken place sometime within the ‘40s or early ‘50s. It’s not quite as polished as the art in the other issues and has a slight muddy quality to it, but it really works in its favour. My one issue is that I wish that the scenes set in the present that bookend the issue had been done by Benes. The final issue in this collection is done by Joe Bennett. His style differs from Benes’, but still pairs well with the story. It’s an epilogue of sorts that deals with Huntress’ date with a parking attendant, as well as Canary sparring with Wonder Woman to work through her issues with Huntress joining the team and Oracle getting some advice from her father. It’s a quiet issue that requires Bennett to get creative with drawing the reader in via expressive character interactions and some low-stakes sparring. Overall, I quite like his style.

Birds of Prey: Sensei & Student is an absolute must-read. From its art to its punchy dialogue, it’s an engaging arc that challenges its characters on many levels. There’s some really intriguing interpersonal drama between the series’ heroines, which helps to show us that they’re far from perfect. Writer Gail Simone also engages with morality, particularly with whether murder is ever justified. Even on a superficial level of action, this arc delivers that in spades. Honestly, Sensei & Student perfectly illustrates why Birds of Prey is so frequently cited as a gateway comic. Gorgeous art? Check! Dynamic character interactions? Check! A twisty, turny plot? Check! Action galore? Check!

RATING: A+

Review - Birds of Prey: Of Like Minds

When Black Canary is kidnapped during a mission gone awry, she is used as leverage in an attempt to get Oracle to divulge one of the most precious secrets in the world. Canary’s captor – the handsome yet dangerous Savant – wants the hacker supreme to tell him what Batman’s true identity is or he will kill her partner. With time running out and Savant’s patience wearing thin, Oracle enlists the help of the unpredictable Huntress to find and rescue Black Canary before she is executed.

Birds of Prey: Of Like Minds collects Birds of Prey #56-61, written by Gail Simone and illustrated by Ed Benes.

As the introductory arc to Gail Simone’s seminal run on Birds of Prey, Of Like Minds is a tense and tightly crafted story that is entirely character-driven. It begins with Black Canary in the middle of a mission. After Oracle gains intel that a CEO is intending to cheat his employees out of their retirement funds, she assigns Black Canary to scare him straight. Everything appears to go well until the target goes home and sends suicidal messages to Oracle. Before Oracle can talk him down, Black Canary goes to his house to intervene. When she arrives, she discovers that the whole thing was a set-up. She is attacked by the criminal Savant and his assistant Creote, then held hostage at another location. This initiates an anxious tête-à-tête between Savant and Oracle as the pair negotiate for what they want – Batman’s secret identity and Canary’s safe release, respectively. Unwilling to give away such an important secret, Oracle recruits Huntress to save Canary from Savant’s clutches.

Despite the simple set-up, this story arc is absolutely gripping. Simone has such a firm grasp on who these characters are and teases out their personalities in a way that makes them very palpable to readers. Black Canary and Oracle are presented as near polar opposites. The former is impulsive and thinks with her heart, while the latter is methodical and incredibly rational. This causes friction, particularly in the aftermath of Canary’s capture, as Oracle fears that her partner’s rashness could get her killed. The reason this is such a riveting conflict is not simply because these characters are opposites, but because of how much they love one another. This sense of sisterhood permeates this arc (and the rest of Simone’s run) and makes Canary’s captivity that much more distressing. Of course, while the situation may be distressing, our girl Canary is never a damsel in distress. Unlike in Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters, her kidnapping is intended as motivation for the male character. Here, Canary is actively working towards rescuing herself by manipulating her captors and slowly freeing herself from her bonds. Simone makes it very clear that Canary is not a passive victim.

While there’s a lot of strong character work done on Black Canary and Oracle (and the villain Savant), the true standout for me was Huntress. I absolutely love her voice as a character. Her dialogue drips with sarcasm and wit, while her unpredictable nature makes her an incredibly dynamic and engaging heroine. The banter between Canary and Huntress is especially hilarious. The way they playfully make fun of one another is really cute and displays a certain level of comfort between them. She isn’t all sass either. There’s a lot of heart behind her stomach-less outfit. Simone does something really neat with Huntress’ introduction that really shows the vulnerability of the character. When Oracle contacts Huntress, she’s tracking down a kidnapped baby. Oracle helps her out and Huntress successfully rescues the baby. We get an adorable scene where Huntress takes off her glove and gives it to the baby to play with. It’s a seemingly innocuous moment, but it shows her soft spot for kids. We see a lot of her tenacity as well. Huntress is not the most skilled fighter, a fact even Canary points out, but she’s unwilling to admit defeat and won’t give up until Canary is safe. She’s a boss.

Ed Benes’ art is really stunning. His characters are absolutely gorgeous – men and women alike. I like the slight anime influence to his work and the effort he puts into musculature, facial expressions, and hairstyles. He also really knows how to draw fantastic action sequences (of which there are a few rather memorable ones in this collection). In fact, his art from this arc has become so ingrained within me that those images still pop up in my head when I think of the Birds. However, his art is not without its flaws. The women all seem to have the same face, there’s some awkward perspective here and there, and there are some strange things about characters’ anatomy (Black Canary’s torso seems overly long and her waist far too thin). Aside from that, Benes’ work is also known for its cheesecake-like quality. There are a lot of butt shots and we see Canary’s derriere hanging out of her costume a little too often.

Of all the comic book runs I’ve read (and re-read!), very few fill me with joyful exuberance quite like Gail Simone’s Birds of Prey tenure. Her opening arc is clever, emotional, and filled with a lot of fantastic character moments. Simone really knows how to make you love the characters she writes by giving readers electric dialogue and relatable interpersonal interactions. Ed Benes makes for a great creative partner for Simone (despite his T&A tendencies) as his attractive and vibrant art really enhances the story. Birds of Prey: Of Like Minds is a stellar read and is an essential trade for anyone’s collection.

RATING: A