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-
