Birds of Prey #3 – Review

by Gail Simone (writer), Ed Benes (pencils & inks), Adriana Melo (pencils), Mariah Benes (inks), Nei Ruffino (colors), and Steve Wands (letters)

The Story: The Birds find themselves under siege as White Canary’s deadline looms.

What’s Good: I’ve enjoyed the Penguin’s presence throughout this arc and I loved his role this month more than ever.  The guy is absolute, pervy gold and Simone puts forth her Secret Six-best in writing him.  His delusional fantasies are hilarious and Simone has an entertaining grasp on his voice.  I don’t think that I’ll ever quite erase the image of the Penguin dressed as Superman, embracing Dove.  Pretty much everything having to do with the Penguin this month is awesome.

I also continue to find myself a fan of Hawk’s place on the team.  He’s just so out of sync with the rest of the team in power level and attitude and he’s so contrary to the team’s dynamic that it ends up being quite a bit of fun.  The guy is a complete jackass and his disdainful summary of the Birds’ adversaries as “cops and karate” was a great moment for the character.  Although he does take space away from the Birds themselves, I like his oddball role on the team so much that I really didn’t mind.

Beyond these two characters, the chemistry that is the lifeblood of Birds of Prey is still very much present.  Huntress and Canary’s friendship still feels really genuine and close and it serves to heighten the drama and desperation of this plot more than anything else.  Their concern for each other and the continuing contrast between their methods is well-played and works to highlight the Birds’ current dire straits.

I should also mention that the last page reveal of the mastermind’s identity is absolutely wonderful.

Birds of Prey #2 – Review

By: Gail Simone (writer), Ed Benes and Adrian Melo (artist), Ed Benes and Mariah Benes (inkers)

The Story: A mysterious enemy is gunning for the Birds, but she’s got something more sinister than the near-deadly frontal assault in mind. The Birds are in real trouble.

What’s Good: I think Janelle Seigel has lined up some first-ranks creative talent for this series. First of all, Simone is a favorite writer of mine. I think she’s done some very subtle and powerful work on Wonder Woman and Secret Six. She can deliver a strong plot, and as this issue shows, she can deliver a complex one, too. This issue is the last part of Act One, where the heroes find out just how bad things are before they have to start dealing with them. I don’t want to spoil anything, but this issue makes issue #1 look easy for the ladies. Simone brings crisp, dynamic and funny dialogue to the table, and grim silences and panicked worry where necessary. The monologues are effective in bringing us up to speed on character and as well as events.

Artwise, I know Benes inspires love or hate depending on the reader, but I’m going to put him and the art team on the strongly positive side here. His women (and men) are all obviously idealized, exaggerated and heroicized (I doubt those are all words, but you get my drift…) as superhero perfection. In Benes’ mind, no hero or heroine can be any stronger, sleeker or more attractive. That’s his artistic vision. Agree or disagree with his artistic vision, but he is skilled enough to put his vision on the page. Hair flows. Heroes move in dangerous and dynamic ways. Their muscles ripple and their clothing is textured and folds when they move. Some artists can only do this, and usually less well than Benes, but take a look at the police and the Penguin in this book. Benes can handles non-heroic expressions and physiques with the same skill.