Birds of Prey #4 and #5 - DC

Ok . . I was completely wrong about this one. I thought maybe this White Canary was associated, or even was, Sin or Cassandra. Somehow! But this actually goes back a few years to another one of Gail Simone's storylines. In issue #81, of the first series, these fighters appeared . . Twelve Brothers in Silk. There was a legendary fighter, Huang, who realized that he would eventually die . . or be killed. So he birthed 12 perfect sons and began training them with his mastery. We find out this issue that during the course of the creation of this tribe, one of the children was born a girl. Huang wanted 12 perfect sons, for the 12 signs of the Zodiac, so any that didn't fit his strict criteria, or were born female, were killed. However, on the way to the lake with this child, the mid-wife was struck down by lightning. Seeing this as a sign that someone, or something, very angry wanted her alive, Huang chose one of his sons to begin training her. Thus was born . . Sister in Silk. Anyways, Dinah and some of her friends had beaten the Brothers in Silk . . actually, more like they fought them to a stand-still. But this was outside of the Sister in Silks code of honor. So . . she hunted them down . . her brothers . . and, one by one she killed them. Now that she's the only one left . . her honor dictates that she take down Siu Jerk Jai . . Dinah. Which is why she's called her out. While this is going on, Babs is also dealing with Savant and Creote. They're the ones that are threatening to expose the 'super-hero' club with all of the information that they gathered while working for Barbara. Anyways, what happened is . . 2 years ago Savant was taken captive by the Calculator's henchmen and tortured for 2 days while trying to get information about Oracle. The problem is . . besides getting tortured . . Savant is so brilliant that the concept of time escapes him. What happened to him only lasted for 2 days . . 2 years ago. But because, in his mind, he relives it every day . . he thinks that he was tortured for 2 years. Anyways, Babs ends up talking him down . . he really wanted to kill her, and Creote finally admits that he loves Savant. Babs vows to try to get him the help he needs to get past this. And, Zindy and Helena are fighting with the Penguin. It seems that he was in on this whole thing with the Sister in Silk. He was promised the information for his involvment. So he's very eager to take down these members of the 'Birds'. With Zindy hurt, Dove is the one that ends up getting pissed off enough to punch him in the nose. Anyways, issue #5 is spent basically cleaning up the mess. Huntress wants to kill Penguin, but . . Oracle talks her down. Babs, Savant and Creote have tried to begin the next chapter of their lives. And it appears that Dinah has also beaten this Sibling in Silk. That or . . she may have just let her win. Dinah finds out from her that it was Shiva who set her up back in Finland. And she agrees to go to Bangkok with Sister in Silk to take care of her. The problem is . . in order to do so . . Dinah has to leave the 'Birds', and leave Gotham. Because of what she's agreeing to do . . she realizes that she'll probably never return. So she says goodbye to Babs and Helena. But Helena and Zindy decide that they aren't just going to let Dinah quit, so . . they head off to Bangkok after her. However once reaching there, they're told in no uncertain terms that they're not wanted in this city. And the enforcer kicking them out is . . Dinah, dressed in the White Canary outfit. We also get a little glimpse of the stuff that Hawk and Dove are dealing with. There should be a storyline revolving around them coming up pretty soon. Gail Simone, I think, does a fantastic job with this series . . and these characters. I love the group that she's got together right now. And it looks like they aren't going to go down . . or split up, without a fight. Ed Benes and Adriana Melo do the art for issue #4. With Adriana probably doing most of it. But . . it still looked good. However, Alvin Ledd takes on a more active role in #5. The pages that I see were Adriana's looked pretty good. However Alvin's stuff seemed a little to cartoonish for me. It's a shame Ed Benes can't stick on a book for more than a few issues. Art wise . . this book started out really great. But now . . I'm still holding out hope. Alvin will be around for the next issue. But after that . . Adrian Syaf and Vicente Cifuentes will be taking on the next chapter. Plus . . there may be a shake-up in this book with Batman returning. We'll have to wait and see what happens with that. Anyways . . I love this book. I love these characters. And I can't wait to see more.

Birds of Prey #3 - DC

Well . . we get a little further in our story this issue. We find out that Savant and Creote aren't really dead. They seem to be the ones behind all the information that's being threatened to be turned over to the news media. You know, all the files that basically dump any and all information on a whole host of heroes? Somehow they're tied in with this White Canary, but . . we don't really know how yet. Also, as far as the White Canary goes . . we don't know who she is either . . yet. However, we do know that she's not Cassandra or Shiva. As she's fighting her, near the end of the book, Black Canary seems to have a revelation about who she is, but . . she's not telling. I'm guessing, but . . I think it's Sin. Something has been done to her . . experiments . . surgery, I'm not sure what . . but that's my guess. There's also that whole murder charge that's hanging over Diana's head. Remember at the end of the last issue when the White Canary attacked Oswald? Well they're back at his lounge in the beginning of this issue, and he's having a fever dream about his guardian angels. It's hilarious. Dove asks, 'Is Mr Cobblepot all right?', to which Diana replies, 'Well, he was never 'all right', but . . I'd say he's happier in his dreams than his reality right now. Let him dream. Unless he starts fondling the furniture.' Anyways, Gail Simone writes a brilliant book. It's seems that the focus of this first story-arc is to show us that the team can't operate as it has before. Oracle is going to have to amp up her security, and her paranoia. It's a different world now . . from the one they previously operated in. Hell, they might even have Penguin as a team-member. Who knows how that situation is going to turn out? And I'm really enjoying Ed Benes art. My only concern is . . how long will he be on this series? The next story-arc, which begins with issue #5, they have Alvin Lee listed as the artist. I don't know his stuff, so I can't complain. But . . I will miss Ed. And the cover is by Cliff Chiang. I really like these characters, and I'm glad the series is back. No matter who does the art.

Birds of Prey #2 - DC

This first story-arc seems to be set up to show us that we aren't dealing with the same 'ol Birds of Prey here. This isn't just a continuation of the old series. Last issue Dinah and Helena were confronted by the White Canary. We don't know who she is, or her origin, but . . I'm sure that'll be coming. However, we find out this issue that's she's just a part of a very elaborate plan to discredit the Birds, and it's various members, and to force Oracle to change her methods of operation. They start out fighting, but this is really all just a stalling tactic. While that's going on, there's a news-story talking about how Dinah was responsible for a man's death on her recent trip to Iceland. And while that's happening . . police and news choppers are converging on their scene. By this time Hawk & Dove, and Zindy have also joined the fray. Of course they don't know what's going on, so . . they have no other choice but to confront the police so that they can get away and figure out what this is all about. Further escalating their their new 'outlaw' motif. And, don't forget, all of this started when the White Canary attacked Oswald Cobblepot. So when they try to drag him off to safety, they also look like they're consorting or protecting a known felon. The chips just keep stacking up against them. Also, to add insult to injury, Oracle gets a call from Creote. 'We were attacked by a woman. She . . she said we were guilty by association. Association with you, Oracle. You and your . . team.' Savant is dead. And for some reason, Creote decides to blow his own brains out. But . . all of that just gives Barbara some new resolve. 'Okay, I know what's happening. They're using our tools against us. Canary's fists . . my brain. They're using the grid against us. Five years ago, I was so far ahead of normal tech, no one could touch me. I got complacent. I let the machines do my work. No more tears. Not 'til I find out who did this to us. But whatever their weapons, whatever their tech . . they don't understand. I am the grid. It exists because I allow it. And tonight . . the grid fights back.' Just as a side-note . . I think . . this White Canary? I think it's Sin. You remember, the little girl that Dinah almost adopted. Something's been done to her . . or something. But somehow . . I think this is her. It's just a hunch. I don't have any proof. But . . we'll see. This was a fantastic issue by Gail Simone and Ed Benes. The story and art were both equally incredible. This always was one of my favorite books, but . . it seems like Gail's taking things to a whole new level this time. I can't wait to see what happens.

Birds of Prey #1 - DC

Barbara is putting the gang back together again. Finally! But to be honest, they never really went away. Barbara is still Oracle, afterall. So she's constantly in contact with them . . in one form or another. They just haven't 'officially' been a group . . for a while. But now something has come up and she's calling all the hens back to the coop. Of course Dinah, Helena and Zindy are there to back Babs up, but this time she also calls in Hawk & Dove . . Hank Hall and Dawn Granger. We don't really get the reason for their inclusion, but . . I kind of think that Babs thinks that she needs to keep an eye on them. I'm not sure why she feels that it's her responsibility, but . . whatever. What would comics be without a few leaps in logic. Right? Hank seems to be right back to his overbearing self. He and Dove take out a group of young 'wannabe' gangsters, the Sick Cheerleaders, and at one point Hawk is holding one of the girls over the edge of the building. Afterwards when Dove asks him about it, he replys . .'I was dead. You understand that? And I know why I'm back. It's the only thing that makes any sense. God wants a soldier.' So . . I wish Babs good luck with those two. She's gonna need it. Anyways, the reason she's calling everybody back together . . 'I received a dozen thick files, good guys and bad guys both. Each file contained a terrifying amount of data, this is just the harmless stuff, and . . even I don't keep files like these. It's names, addresses, secret identities . . secret everything. If any of these got out . . that's it. It's over for that person. They'd be dead or in jail in hours. Whoever did this wanted us involved. And yes, there's a file for each of us. He knows more about us than we do. He says he's going to make us pay. Says he's going to kill one of the names on these files every hour until we stop him. He says if we refuse to play, all the files go online immediately. Starting at midnight.' Anyways, Babs tells them that Zindy is support and that she's also brought in back-up. Is that what Hawk & Dove are? But then she makes a few guesses as to who might be behind this . . Blockbuster, Spy Smasher and Savant. Really? She went with these 3, and not Ra's, the Calculator or the Riddler? But it's all moot because shortly after they find out who the real culprit is . . the White Canary. Although . . I'm not really sure who she is. But she does seem formidable. She calls out the girls while confronting her first target . . the Penguin. She confronts Cobblepot before Dinah and Helena can show up. And when they do . . she stabs him in the neck. 'The fat one is dying, from her weapon . . come save him. If you can'. It's never good when a villainess refers to herself in the third person. I really enjoyed this issue. The villainess kind of reminds me of Shiva. Except, you know . . in a white costume. Hence the name. But she's got that Asian, ass-kicking kind of vibe going. I'm glad that Gail Simone is back on the scripts. I really enjoyed her last 60 or so issues of the previous series. But the icing on the cake this time is that Ed Benes is doing the art. At least for the foreseeable future. The art in this issue looks fantastic. This was always one of my favorite team books, and I think it's going to be right back at the top of my list very shortly. 'The Birds are Back in Town!'

Battle for the Cowl: Oracle - the Cure #3 - DC

I was always a Birds of Prey fan, so . . I was thrilled that this mini came out. I also think that Barbara is a fantastic character. However, this series . . or more specifically, this issue . . left me with some questions, and . . some mixed feelings. Last issue, when Babs was in Hong Kong with her hacker friends, the Calculator came after them through the computer. Luckily, with some quick thinking on Babs part, she went right for the circuit breaker and shut everything down. From there it was pretty easy to back-track him to the Alta Viva RPG. And . . where he was operating from . . Gotham City. As if that were a big surprise. However, while all of this was going on, Larry Rand didn't heed Oracle's warning and tried to go into the game to see what was going on. The Calculator's avatar took him down pretty quickly, and because of the crystals and the anti-life equation, what he affects in the game is also affected in the 'real' world. Larry isn't dead, but . . he's pretty close. So Babs flies back to Gotham and heads to the creator of the game, Corey Wynn. She figures since he created it that he might have some back-doors built in. She hoping to quietly put some code in that'll mess up the Calculator's plans. She does so, and from there it's only a matter of time before she takes the Calculator down. She also put in some nasty stuff to keep him out of the cyber-world for a while . . "Calculator, this whole equation is corrupt . . like you . . and now it's part of you . . or at least the residue is. It's linked to a series of alerts on the web . . they'll trigger the rest of the stuff inside you. You go online anywhere, you so much as send an e-mail and I'll know where you are . . so I'd lie low if I were you." Now some of the things I'm questioning . . when she got to Corey he was pretty helpful, without a whole lot of explanation. He claims it's because he remembers Barbara from when she was a librarian. He used to come into the library, because his mother couldn't afford a computer, and Babs would let him use theirs. But I think there's more to it than that. And I think there's more to Corey . . something we aren't being told yet. Also, with all of this build-up, it seemed like Babs took the Calculator down pretty easily. I also didn't like the way she went to the hospital to confront him. I know it was necessary, he was planning on using the crystals, and the equation, on Wendy . . his daughter. But it just seems like she pretty much confirmed his suspicions that she was Oracle. And, if he hadn't pieced it together, she pretty much told him so herself. It just didn't seem like the right move to make. Also, is Babs going to sympathize with Wendy? Now that she's out of her coma . . she can't feel her legs. "Daddy!! I can't feel my legs!! I can't feel them!! Daddy!!!" Does that remind you of anybody? Like, maybe Babs shortly after the Joker shot her. Anyways, luckily we're going to have an outlet for all of these questions because the next evolution of this character is a new Batgirl series coming out soon. I like what was attempted in this mini-series, the goal for the drama, but . . the execution didn't go down right. It just didn't feel right. It was entertaining, and it set up a lot for the Batgirl series, but . . as a separate entity, I don't think that it was all that good. But that's just my opinion. Kevin Vanhook wrote it and Julian Lopez did the art. Unfortunately, we don't know yet who the creative staff will be on the new book. Hopefully . . we should find out soon. Sorry, I'm back to re-edit . . I just read an article on CBR that said that Bryan Q Miller will be the writer of the Batgirl series. But that's really all it says. He doesn't give us to much information. I just wanted to let you know.

Battle for the Cowl: Oracle - the Cure #2 - DC

Basically, this issue is all about Oracle, and the Calculator. The Calculator is still trying to figure out who Oracle is, but right now he's busy trying to find a cure for his daughter Wendy. You remember, after that whole debacle at Titan's tower. Well, for some reason he's turned to the internet and has become obsessed with finding the anti-life equation. Apparently after Darkseid had broadcast it . . it stayed on the internet. But now . . now it's fragmented and in pieces all over the place. He doesn't even know for sure that it'll cure her. But, like I said . . he's obsessed. I don't think Barbara knows what exactly it is that he's looking for out there, but . . I think she figures if he's after something, she has to do whatever she can to make it as hard as she can for him to find it. Last issue, with a piece of the equation, he took out one of her helpers . . 'Cheese-Fiend'. This issue he's after another . . 'Chaos-Larry'. She contacts him and warns him to stay off-line. At the end of the Birds of Prey series, when the Calculator temporarily shut down the internet . . when it came back up, there were pieces missing. This issue, Barbara goes to Hong Kong to contact some of her support staff . . hackers. they have a VR program set up, they mapped the net before it went down, and now Barbara is trying to compare that map to the current net. "I want to do a 'similarity match' . . from the current state to the backup. We're taking the convergence points off-line . . removing them from the current internet. I want them downloaded to my drives." Meanwhile, 'Chaos-Larry' didn't listen to Oracle's advice and went into the game Alta Viva, which the Calculator is using for his virtual base of operations. The Calculator finds him and attacks him, but he also scares her hackers in Hong Kong. In his Killg%re persona, it looks like he's coming right over the internet for them also. Kevin Vanhook writes this series and Julian Lopez & Fernando Pasarin do the art. I think it's turning out to be a great little series . . it only has 1 issue left. But hopefully, Barbara . . and maybe the Birds, will end up someplace, in another title, after this. Hopefully! Please!

Battle for the Cowl: Oracle - the Cure #1 - DC

I know . . it's only been a month. But I'm really glad that Oracle, Babs, wasn't lost to us completely. The birds aren't anywhere in sight right now, but . . I think it's only a matter of time. Since the Batman is gone, the dynamics of all of these characters are changing. I think that Babs doesn't feel completely confident that if she spends to much time on the net that the Calculator will be able to find her. So she's working through others . . other hackers, and computer geeks. People that have no connection to her or anyone she knows. They're doing some of her leg-work, and then bringing the information to her. Right now, she seems to by looking for the anti-life equation. She's pretty positive that when it was spread across the globe on the internet that there were probably some remnants of it that were left behind. It's just a matter of her finding them. However, it appears that the Calculator has the same quest. He and Oracle haven't come back into direct conflict yet, but . . I have a feeling it's only a matter of time until their separate paths cross. And he's feeling pretty confident right now . . having gone up against Darkseid and living to tell about it. I thought this was a good first issue. Kevin VanHook does the scripts, with Julian Lopez on the art. Julian changes his style a little bit for this book, and I think it looks pretty neat. I'm glad that Babs didn't fall out of action. And I'm thrilled that she's moved back to Gotham. Bad memories or not, that's where she needs to be.

Birds of Prey #127 - DC

I can't believe that I have to read another final issue of a series that I love. Aarrggh! But . . hopefully there's some future here. Barbara is moving on to a mini-series that'll be coming out soon. From what I gather, she'll be sorting out what's become of her life, and the Birds, and figuring out where she wants to go to next . . . finding her next purpose, or mission. The only one of these characters that I'm not sure what'll happen to is Infinity. She's the one we know about the least, and for the least amount of time. So, I'm not sure if she has family, friends . . whatever. Will she just stay in touch with Barbara since apparently she was her mentor? Only the future will tell. Carlie is going to be staying with Helena. And Zindy will probably be hanging out in a bar somewhere . . looking for a fight. She's a hell of a scrapper. Anyways, the whole thing falls apart because of this Syndicate in Platinum Flats, but really . . it's all because of the Calculator. With his Uternet he's able to infiltrate the Birds headquarters. He still doesn't know Babs role in the whole thing, but . . he does know that she's an employee. He's got this trick now, that he learned from Killg%re, so he uses the machines around him and escapes. He warns Babs that he'll let the internet repair itself and when her boss, Oracle, next tries to log-in . . he'll be waiting for him. I thought Tony Bedard and Claude St. Aubin did a pretty decent job with this final story-arc. Also some great covers from Stephane Roux. I see from the coming attractions that Kevin VanHook, Julian Lopez and Bit will be handling the Oracle mini. It looks like the Calculator is heavily involved and the story has something to do with the anti-life equation. That's great and all, but . . I'm still going to miss this book. But it looks like the entire Batman universe is getting a make-over, or reboot, so . . . this is part of that family. We're just going to have to wait a few months and see where everything washes back out from all of this.

Birds of Prey #126 - DC

As with some of the other Batman books, this is the issue before the finale. Yes, next issue will be the final one for this Birds of Prey series. They already have an Oracle mini-series scheduled, but . . we don't yet know what the fate of the rest of these Birds will be after that. Tony Bedard has taken over the scripts for these final issues, and Claude St. Aubin does the art. It's ok, but . . nothing like the past. Luckily, Stephane Roux still does the cover. It looks fantastic. Anyways, this issue focus' on the Calculator. He doesn't really have any super-powers other than his keen analytical mind. He can put information together like nobody's business. Well all of that is going to change this issue. Really, it all comes down to Kilg%re. During his time with the Crime Syndicate, in Platinum Flats, he came to discover the place of Kilg%re source code. Kilg%re is after all a living program. Obviously he'd have to have a back-up should he ever become corrupted. Which is highly unlikely, but you always have to be safe. So anyways, Calculator has to find a way to access this programming which he tricks Kilg%re into doing for him. And he tricks Gizmo into jump-starting a Mother-box for him which he downloads Kilg%re's programming files into. "My portable transmits a rewritten version of the code to seize Kilg%re's body. Which brings us to me, pierced through the heart by a steel tentacle . . . the better to pump custom nanoprocessors throughout my body. The nanites instantly repair the cardiac damage, and that's just the start of it . . . they migrate to my brain, setting up a neural network amid the gray matter . . . cloning Kilg%re's program, adapting it to my brainwaves. Calculator 2.0." Now the Calculator basically has the same powers as Kilg%re so . . he's an even bigger threat to Oracle. At the end of the book he goes through the internet to confront her, and the rest of her team, at the clock-tower. This final issue, I think, is going to be a battle. Right to the very end. Overall, I thought the issue was ok. I'm sorry to think that there's only one issue left, but . . I'm glad that the Calculator has been turned into a legitimate threat. Now, we just have to wait and see where we go from here.

Birds of Prey #125 - DC

We get a special treat this issue. The cover for this issue is billed as Stephane Roux. And don't get me wrong, she's been doing some fantastic covers. But, from looking at it more closely, it really seems more like a Frank Quitely cover. But I couldn't tell for sure. They wouldn't muck-up the credits? Right? Well, I finally found, on the car in the picture, right on the front of the hood where the emblem would be . . it says Quitely. Seriously, I've looked at this cover about a dozen times thinking, how did she mimic his style so well? And why? I know. It's not that big of a deal, but . . things like that . . get me. So now I can say . . . look at that fantastic Frank Quitely cover. I love it! Anyways, with that out of the way . . . it appears that before this book is through . . . yes it's almost over with . . Oracle, with the rest of her birds, have decided to take down this Syndicate, one by one if they have to, before they leave town. And Black Canary is back to give Babs a hand. Personally, I think Tony Bedard writes some great action stories. He's also very good with the group books. It's interesting to see the morose that Babs is going through. Even with her doing this 'Thelma & Louise' thing in this car with her best friend Dinah. You can just see the writing on the wall. She loves this group . . they're all friends and family now, but . . she has some things that she needs to work out and I think she's only going to be able to do that on her own. But, before she goes out on her own . . eventually, I think, to put things to rest with the Joker . . she wants to wrap up what she's started her in Platinum Flats. So this issue they take out the Caretaker. And who better to wrap up these final issues than Scott McDaniel. Some people love his style . . some don't, but personally I think he fits in perfectly with these action themed stories. He has fantastic frame-flow which makes him perfect for these action sequences. This is one of my favorite books, and it hasn't let me down in quite a while. I'm hoping that after the short hiatus . . with Babs, Oracle's own mini-series . . that we'll be coming back to this title somewhere down the line. I'm going to keep holding out hope. It's what I do!

Birds of Prey #124 - DC

Finally, Barbara comes face to face with the Joker. It didn't go exactly how I expected, but . . with the Joker's randomness it's logical that would be the case. Remember the line from that movie, "Never bring a knife to a gun-fight!"? Well with the Joker, you never know what kind of fight it's going to be, and you definitely never know what kind of weapons he's going to bring. Anyways, Babs puts up a good battle and eventually batons Joker's facing crushing his mouth and breaking all of his teeth. This really pisses off the Joker and he nails her with a house-plant and then shove her down the steps. Oh yeah, while this is happening, Babs group of fem-fatales has fallen into a trap with the Syndicate, set up by the Calculator. Long story short, they basically fight to a stalemate, after Ollie and his gang are called in for reinforcements. They both end up retreating, and in the process it looks like the Calculator has joined the ranks of the Syndicate. Misfit runs off the Joker when she returns to the Aerie and informs him that the rest of the group will be returning shortly. I do have a question though. It appears that the Joker hasn't put together the pieces connecting Babs to the Birds. Which would mean that he hasn't figured out that she's Oracle. So, does he just assume that she's moved to the Flats for an office job? I don't think she's seen the last of him yet, and she definitely hasn't seen the last of the Calculator. She's decided that they should leave Platinum Flats, but . . she wants to take down the Syndicate first. I thought Tony Bedard did a great job with this story. My only complaint is that I feel like everything here is overshadowed by a dark cloud because there's only a few issues left. The only silver lining is that the end of this series is immediately followed by a mini-series with Babs. But I'm still going to hate to see the end of this book. It's really one of my favorites. Claude St Aubin was the penciller. It was ok, but nothing really noteworthy. The only thing I really didn't like was his depiction of the Joker. Anyways, I have to enjoy the issues that I have left. Oh yeah . . fantastic cover by Stephane Roux.

Birds of Prey #123 - DC

I love this book. It's one of my favorite team books out there. I think what I like about it is that it doesn't follow the traditional team-book formula. The core team is Babs, Huntress and Zindy. But then there's a half-dozen or so other characters that rotate in and out of the line-up, depending on the needs of the current operation. This issue, they include Misfit and Infinity, the new rather ambiguous character that Babs made the other team-members aware of last issue, and . . the Calculator. They need his help because there's information he's been withholding from them that he knows about the Silicon Syndicate. So, for this issue, and maybe the next one or 2, they're going to have to accept the help of a strange bedfellow. Their words . . not mine. Oh yeah, and what about the Joker. Well, he goes in to the building and confronts Babs, but . . . he doesn't remember who she is. She ends up convincing him that her only involvement is that she heard some motorcycles and found a Blackhawk jacket back in her alley. He appreciates her moxy . . she doesn't appear scared of him, which impress' him . . plus the arrival of actual police officers . . so he departs without any damage. However, at the end of the issue, as the Joker is driving to the airport . . that's where the Calculator has taken the team . . it dawns on him . . . "Hold the phone! Gordon's little girl. Right in front of me, and I didn't even recognize her?! I wonder what postage is on a severed head to Gotham?" So next issue, apparently, will be their actual confrontation. I do have one question though, is the Calculator working with the team, or with the Syndicate? The Birds think that he's offering to give up to the Syndicate, but when he lets them know that he's at the airport they immediately respond in force. "The Calculator has delivered our enemies. Converge on Hilby airfield. Bring all available back-up. I will engage them until you arrive. Failure to comply, and you forfeit Syndicate membership." Oh, and in case your wondering, when the team confronts the Calculator, they convince him that Infinity is actually Oracle. I like what Tony Bedard is currently doing with this title. I like the way that he's handling the characters and the story-lines. Michael O'Hare appears to be the new artist. His stuff is good, but I don't think his inker is doing him any favors. He's using a lot of heavy lines and shadows, and it kind of seems to be bogging down the work. I guess I just don't like the look that he's given the Joker. Anyways, I just think his stuff could be really good with the right inker. And of course we have another fantastic Stephane Roux cover.

Birds of Prey #122 - DC

First of all I have to say that Stephane Roux's cover are delicious . . er, I mean . . fantastic! This girl has really come a long way in a short period of time. The interior work is done by Michael O'Hare. It looks pretty good also. I'm not particularly fond of his interpretation of the Joker, but . . other than that . . I like the rest. Anyways, the Platinum Flats crime syndicate, with the help of their recruited advisor, the Joker, are making a play to find out just who their adversaries are. They set up a trap with the intent of putting a tracer on one of the girls and then finding out just who Oracle really is. I like the way Tony Bedard is using some of the peripheral characters sporadically, or on an as needed basis. In this book that includes ManHunter, Zatanna and Infinity. But we still don't really know all that much about Infinity. I'm sure her story will be coming up soon though. The biggest surprise in this story though is on the final page when Babs comes face to face with the Joker. She thinks that the syndicate gave their location to the police, because there's a car sitting outside. Actually though, it's the Joker dressed as a police officer. "Officer Slaughter, Miss . . . I'm here to see the Oracle. And, no, I don't have an appointment." I like this book. It's not like your typical team book. All of these character admitedly work better solo. But, when they do work together . . it's fantastic. And Babs, besides being the un-official leader, is also like the big sister or best friend to all of those that work with her. The relationships that they share are incredible. I think that any of them would lay down their lives for any of the others. But anyways . . . I can't wait for next issue.

Birds of Prey #121 - DC

This continues to be one of my favorite team-books. I don't know, maybe I just like all the 'chicks'. Whatever the reason, I really like these characters. I'm trying to get in to all of this Platinum Flats business. I understand the concept . . basically there's this crime syndicate that operates out of this town, but they've kept such a low profile, and their town so clean that nobody even know they're there. Well, except for Babs that is. Misfit gets a little history on the town to, when she goes to High School. I'm betting, in the future . . at least in this town . . Babs is going to be able to get a lot of intel from this direction. Where better to find the town gossip than at the local High School? Well, maybe hair-salons and banks, but I'm guessing mostly the from the kids. They never know how to keep their mouths shut, and they always gossip. Plus now, at the High School, we have a little mystery starting to ripen . . why is Black Alice there? Ok, I know what you're all asking . . so why is the Joker on the cover? Well, it appears that the ol' Jokester has gotten wind of this operation to and has decided to come on board . . I think as a kind of protection of some sort. But as Gizmo asks . . yes, he's still alive, sort of . . "Have you lost your flippin' mind, Visionary?" And speaking of that cover, isn't Stephane Roux turning in some fantastic covers? For some reason they don't recognize her in the credits, but that's definitely her work. And now, with Nicola Scott moving on to other projects, it appears that Michael O'Hare will be taking over the pencil chores. He definitely has a different feel to his work that Nicola, but . . I do like it. As with every artist that's done this book, I'm sure his stuff will only get better and better. This book seems to have a tradition of that. Anyways, I like the story that Tony Bedard is weaving here, but like I said . . I'm trying to get in to this whole Platinum Flats thing. It's an interesting concept, and I'm sure it'll play out well, but, right now, it just seems a little bit of a stretch. Hopefully it'll feel a little more comfortable with a little more explanation. In the meantime though . . 'chicks rule!'.

Birds of Prey #120 - DC

There's more than a few good things about this book lately. First of all, Tony Bedard has been turning in some good story-lines. He's been reestablishing the team in Platinum Flats, and we've been building on that for the last few issues. It seems now that all of our ducks are in place that the team is finally going to go after this syndicate that runs the town. Also Stephane Roux has been turning in some fantastic covers for this series. She's been on the covers for the last 6 or so issues and they all look wonderful. This one is no exception. Finally,

Nicola Scott has been doing a fantastic job with the interiors, but it looks like she's moving on to other things. This issue Michael O'Hare takes over on pencils. This issue looks fantastic. Michael definitely has a flair for drawing these women. Everyone looks fantastic . . including the new girl Infinity. I'm not sure how long Babs has been using her, but apparently she's the only one that knows about her. We also have 2 surprise guests this issue. First if Gizmo. He's still alive . . I guess . . even though he has a hole in his head. The Syndicate is keeping him locked up, using him for information. And on the final page of the book . . . the Joker is back. He wants to know who's been stealing his Joker-gas while he's been out of town. "I let him go, follow him here, all of which brings us to the zillion-dollar question: who the screamin' blue heck are you?" This continues to be one of my favorite books out there. I love the concept and I love the characters.

Huntress - Year One #5 - DC

Well, this is Helena's first encounter with . . . Bruce Wayne. Helena has kept her arrival in Gotham a secret, but then she hears about Tony's wedding and decides to crash the reception. As it turns out it's being held at Wayne Manor. Bruce is trying to bring down Nino, Gotham's crime boss, and Tony's father. He's holding the reception at his house because, as Bruce Wayne, he's trying to set him up. Unfortunately, when they're talking about their plans . . that's when Helena shows up. So she thinks that Bruce is just as dirty as Nino. Needless to say, thier first encounter isn't amicable. At the same event she meets Batgirl, Barbara, for the first time, and . . indirectly, Selina. None of them know what to make of this new girl on the scene. However, Catwoman is the first one to extend the hand of kindness to her. Helena asks her why, and she replys, ". . . because I don't want you getting beaten or co-opted by the Bat. You will be if you don't have a strong operation. We need more strong women in Gotham. Especially ones who answer to no one." Nino ends up dead, and Tony's going to be the new Dom. But the issue ends when Helena is looking into how the Mayor is connected to the family. He's got notes in his desk about how he helped during the recovery when Gotham's levies broke. The problem is . . that hasn't happened yet. Ivory Madison has given us a pretty thorough understanding of Helena's motivations. My only complaint about her writing is that I think some things are a bit over explained. I'm sure that's fine, especially for someone who may not be familiar with this character, but for those of us that are . . it was a bit long-winded. But, I do understand why she did it. I still think it's a great story. I'm also impressed with Cliff Richards pencils. I think the pace of this book may have gotten to him though . . . 6 issues in 12 weeks. The pencils on this issue are quite as strong as those on the first. I still think he's a pretty good artist though. That's a lot of pages to do in a 3 month period. Only 1 more issue to go though. Personally, I think the Huntress is strong enough for her own book, but . . I'm only one voice.

Huntress - Year One #4 - DC

This issue Helena kills the boss of bosses . . Signore Mandragora. He's the one that had her family killed when she was 8, and also the one that stole all of her inheritance. Well . . most of it. He left her enough to be insulted by. But now, not only does she feel guilty for crossing the line, but . . she's left . . unsatisfied, because the person who actually pulled the trigger is still out there. However, the Pope helps her by pointing him out to her. You have to ask yourself, what does he have to gain by this manipulation? Anyways, she follows him through Venice and eventually to Gotham. And when she arrives? She finds that Tony, her one chance at a normal life, is getting married to Nino's daughter. The unholy alliance has been consummated. She also finds herself in the company, purely by chance, of Batman and his operatives . . Alfred, Babs and Selina. Although, she hasn't actually met any of them yet. Right now . . she's just a face in the crowd. But I have a feeling all of that's going to change next issue. I really like the story that Ivory Madison is putting together here. It's very thorough . . and compelling. You can really feel the hurt and anguish that Helena is going through. I also have to give a 'hats off' to Cliff Richards for his amazing pencils. I've enjoyed this series since issue #1, but . . I really think it's getting better as it works it's way towards it's conclusion. By the way, I don't know who the cover artist is, but . . the covers have been amazing. Any help out there? Oops . . sorry. I found it on the web-site . . it's Matthew Clark. He's done a fantastic job. By the way, you should check out the DC web-site. They've made some pretty interesting changes there. I think you'll like it.

Birds of Prey #119 - DC

First of all, I just want to say that I really enjoy the art in these issues. Lately, we've had covers by Stephane Roux . . and they're always incredible. I am kind of wondering though . . when are we going to see her do some interior stuff on a DC book? They can't just be thinking 'cover artist' here. Can they? Anyways, on the interiors, since issue #100, is Nicola Scott. Right from the beginning she showed a lot of talent, but now? . . now her stuff looks fantastic. Doug Hazelwood is the inker, and together they make a incredible team. The art in this issue looked as good or better than anywhere in it's entire run. Nicola is really doing a hell of a job. Anyways, as of the last issue or two, the Birds are now located in Platinum Flats. We find out this issue that Babs has been keeping a secret from the rest of her team. One that could tear them apart from the inside . . if they ever found out. All they know is that she got some intel that there was a crime-boss operating out of this city. Actually it's a group of crime bosses, with ties to global crime, but they've kept the attention off of themselves by keeping the crime to little or none in the city where they're hiding . . Platinum Flats. Now the Birds just have to figure out how to get to them, and then get them to slip up and show their hand. All of that's what the girls know. What they don't know is that Babs got that information . . . from the Calculator. In a moment of weakness, when they had him against the ropes, he didn't know where else to turn, so . . he went to Oracle for help. In exchange, he gave them these pieces of information. In typical Tony Bedard fashion, he also has some other story-lines going on at the same time. There's the whole Dark-Side Club thing. Which is where Misfit learned that Black Alice is related to her in some way. There's the whole relocation and new city thing, with the Flats. And she's also got Manhunter keeping an eye on Black Canary, and her family, for some reason. But she's not as slick as she thought, and Dinah catches a whiff of her tail. She's afraid that it's somebody from the League of Assassins or something, but when she finds out it's one of Babs operatives . . they still decide to duke it out a little bit. These women seem to have an awful lot of agression built up. Anyways, I thought it was a fantastic issue, and I can't wait to see Manhunter and Dinah face off next issue. Girl fight! Girl fight!

Huntress - Year One #3 - DC

Before I get started, I just want to say that I really like this series. The Huntress is one of my favorite characters. Also, I'm really enjoying the story that Ivory Maddison is giving us here. I also really enjoy Cliff Richards pencils. However, there are some points I need to be critical of. So I just wanted it stated that I really do enjoy this book, I just have some comments. First of all, I don't know if it's because we're trying to shove so much of Helena's history in to this book, but the whole thing just seems a bit . . muddied. There's a lot of information coming at us, and most of it is important to the story, but . . I really think it might've been better if you let the reader fill in some of the blanks on some of it. I don't think it necessarily has to be quite so specific. It's hard. When you're done reading it, you are thoroughly filled in, but . . while reading it, it does seem like it goes on a bit at times. Like I said, I really like the book, and I like the direction that this series is taking with Helena's story. I don't feel like anything's been left out, but . . at the same time, that's kind of the point. Do you know what I mean? Besides that though, Birds of Prey is one of my favorite books, and the Huntress is probably my favorite character on that team. So it's nice to get some more of her history. The stories been told before, but not to this extent . . and with this amount of clarity. I do have one question though, when all's said and done . . will this be the history of our Huntress or the Earth-2 Huntress? Just wondering.

Huntress - Year One #2 - DC

This particular origin story is a lot more detailed than any other story that's been told about Helena Bertinelli. It started last issue, right after he parents had been murdered, in Gotham, and she was sent to Sicily to live with a family of assassins for her protection. After that, she lived in solitude on one of the family farms for the next 12 years. Now, she's close to being 21, and she's ready to accept her family's inheritance so she can begin doing something meaningful with her life. She doesn't really know what that is yet. But she does know that she can't continue on the path of her family. Inherently she wants to help people. But right now, she doesn't really feel that she has the power to do so. Sure she can fight. She can kill if she has to. But I don't think she really wants to . I think she wants to be a force for good. When she went to the Opera, as a young girl, she used to ask her nanny why there were no female heroes. "There was a female Pope once. She dressed in men's clothing. When she died, they discovered she was a woman, and ever since they've pretended she never existed. She's one of my heroes. In all the Operas, women only matter if they are young, innocent, and die. Men can't handle women their own age. Innocence is overrated. As for death, well . . . you must vow to outlive them all." And I think that is where her sense of right and wrong came from. However, when she goes to receive her boon . . she finds out that all she has left is barely $2million. The rest is to be divided up amongst others. And with that . . she has her first mission. Ivory Madison is the storyteller here. I like the way it's being drawn out so far. It's a little more detailed, and intricate, than I thought it would be. But, that's ok. As I said, we've never gotten this much information about Helena before. Cliff Richards does the pencils. At first, his work doesn't thrill me. But, by the end of the book, you'll see that he does an excellent job of creating, and maintaining the mood for the story. So I guess I'm saying . . I'm becoming a fan. Overall, I think it's a pretty good book, with a great story. It leaves me wanting more.