Claire Roe

I am not very familiar with reading graphic novels. So, I think there were times in this that I struggled to make the intuitive leaps I should have. That being admitted, I think the immediacy of the form really works for this story. I mean, this is about the news, right? It should be fast-paced, succinct, a bit hard-edged. The use of newspapers, websites, text, email… all presented as visual media is fantastic – it makes them that much more immediate? concise? something to that effect. It definitely works.
The story itself is strong with interesting twists and turns and engaging characters. The art is awesome. The color is just incredible and I love the tonal shifts between scenes.
One thought, I get the noir connection is intended here. But the blond femme fatale is named Dahlia. Really? Isn’t that a bit too on the nose?

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the arc to review.
… (mais)

In the previous comic, Batgirl brings back the Birds of Prey with the Black Canary and the Huntress in her search for the Oracle, the person who took her moniker and has been giving Intel to mob bosses. There's one main mob boss that seems to be taking over the other rival gangs and her name is Fenice and she turns out to be Huntress's dead mom who is seeking revenge just like Huntress is seeking revenge on those who killed her family, when it turns out her mother set it up, to begin with, to kill off her father. They find out that Oracle is a kid named Gus who is a Batgirl fan who was trying to get her attention and gave away all the money he earned from his illegal deeds. But Gus is talking to someone secretly about the Birds of Prey and a deal they have with him giving the personal info on them for drugs.

In the "Blackbird" storyline Dick Grayson, aka Nightwing is saved from an attack by Gemini, a shapeshifter by the Birds of Prey. Apparently, Gemini works for a woman called Blackbird who takes in those with metahuman abilities. So, Black Canary goes undercover as Noir Nightingale to find out what is going on. It seems that Blackbird is sucking the powers of those she trains after she has seen them seek their highest potential leaving them human. She does this with Gemini who agrees to help the Birds of Prey and Nightwing, but Blackbird has sucked the powers of a young man who has hypnosis as power and is using it on Dinah and the others to battle against them while Blackbird has at least six different powers. Will they be able to defeat Blackbird and her metahumans?

In "Sourcecode" Barbara tells the Birds that she has been keeping an eye on Gus's transmissions and is aware that he is talking with someone and now that Gus wants them to meet this person. Barbara is very curious as to who it is and has Black Canary and Huntress hang him outside the window of the Clocktower until he spills the beans. It turns out that the Calculator contacted him as soon as he started up as Oracle looking for Oracle but he explained that he wasn't Oracle but that he could get Oracle to come to him. Barbara wiped Calculator's brain clean of who she was and had him believe that Oracle had died. Now Calculator needs their help. Catwoman asked him for the plans to Terracare's security and he gave them to her for a price. Catwoman stole a vial from them that was worth a great deal of money and now they've kidnapped Calculator's family and will kill them if he doesn't get it back but Catwoman doesn't have it she gave it to Poison Ivey who has no intention of giving it back as it is an evil concoction that is killing the bees. Now the Birds of Prey have temporarily expanded to include Catwoman and Poison Ivey as they seek to help save his family yet make the company pay.

The Birds of Prey will have to find a way to trust Gus as Oracle after he lied to them even though he had a good reason for doing so. This comic kicked ass with those special appearances by Catwoman and Poison Ivey, and yes, even Nightwing. This is a fabulous series that gets better with each issue as these tough women fight crime and help those in need and learn to lean on each other. I give this amazing book five out of five stars.… (mais)