Hidden Oracle

Birds of Prey (Volume 2) #10
Written by Gail Simone
Art by Inaki Miranda

Cassandra Cain gets name dropped again as Tim asks why she doesn’t have access to Kord Tower. I don’t know that I am completely satisfied with the answer that she has too much going on now because well…we are never shown what the hell she has going on. I hope this wasn’t a throw away line and Gail or DC editors plan to show us what is going on with Cass soon enough. This was an otherwise fantastic issue that showed off how tough the Birds are and how it was a good plan to fake Oracle’s death. Loved the bit with Catwoman too!

Birds of Prey 8 and 9

Birds of Prey (Volume 2) #8
Written by Gail Simone
Art by Guillem March

Black Canary is in trouble and as always the Birds are in a terrible situation. That is one thing that is great about the Birds – they always seem to be in these situations where I have no idea how they are going to get out of them but they always succeed. That is what makes them great to read about. Huntress’s reaction to seeing Bruce was great too!

Birds of Prey (Volume 2) #9
Written by Gail Simone
Art by Inaki Miranda

I like these Inaki Miranda’s art. I know she or he is not staying on this title but DC should put him or her somewhere. Anyways, this was a good issue as Dinah proves too strong for Mortis and Calculator believes he has killed Oracle (But we all know he hasn’t.)

Kord Tower

Birds of Prey (Volume 2) #7
Written by Gail Simone
Art by Ardian Syaf

This was a great issue as we learn more about the new Birds base: Kord Tower – it is pretty damn awesome and apparently Oracle wants to fake her own death. Hmmm…how? Mortis has an interesting power for a supervillain and the Birds go to a strip club! Great stuff! I was sad to see Cass left off the list of people that have access to the tower – but I suppose we can chalk that up to her being in Hong Kong now it wasn’t needed.

A Good Friend

Birds of Prey (Volume 2) #6
Written by Gail Simone
Art by Alvin Lee and Adriana Melo

 

The Huntress shows just how good of a friend she is by deciding to fight Lady Shiva in the place of Dinah. This is pretty much suicide and I loved the moment where she turns to God – Helena has always been a strict Catholic and Simone really got her characterization well here (as she always does) and it was great to see Sin again and I am glad she is alive and well. Can’t wait to see what the next arc will be like!

Needs A Consistent Artist

Birds of Prey (Volume 2) #5
Written by Gail Simone
Art by Alvin Lee and Adriana Melo

 

Well this certianly got odd quickly. The art is all over the place and a confusing mess even without Benes. Can we just have once consistant artist on this book please? Anyways, Black Canary heads to Bangkok and is followed by Huntress and Lady Blackhawk but they soon discover that Black Canary is now wearing the White Canary costume and being called a mistress by a bunch of students??? What the hell is going on? Interesting and Gail’s writing is still top-notch but damn they need a new art team for this book. I love that Oracle is now working out of Kord Tower – a nice nod to her relationship with Ted Kord. I wonder if we will ever see Platinum Flats again though?

Sister In Silk

Birds of Prey (Volume 2) #4
Written by Gail Simone
Art by Ed Benes and Adriana Melo

Black Canary defeats White Canary using her sonic scream in a freaking awesome moment you won’t want to miss. I loved it! The intensity of this story arc was amazing. If only it had all been handled by an artist that drew backgrounds! Ugh! We find out who White Canary is and it is a big pay off for long time fans of the Birds. In fact, this whole story arc had really been a look back at Gail’s previous run on the book with Savant and Creole and Dinah’s training in Singapore and all that. Now that we know Lady Shiva is involved it can only get more crazy.

Penguin Party In My Pants

Birds of Prey (Volume 2) #3
Written by Gail Simone
Art by Ed Benes and Adriana Melo

 

Shit this is the most intense suspenseful edge-of-your seat comic DC is putting out right now. Every page was filled with revelations and shocking moments. Creole and Savant alive and working for the White Canary! The White Canary is somehow Sin! (I think) The Penguin is also working for the White Canary and financed her plans! Hawk is injured! The GCPD have a tank! It’s all so awesome, go read it! Cassandra Cain gets another mention and Dinah knows Cass wouldn’t say she would piss on corpses, loved that! Oh and I loved how Penguin hallucinates and declared a Penguin Party in his pants haha the only downside to this is Benes still won’t draw backgrounds ugh.

Birds of Prey: Wanted

Birds of Prey (Volume 2) #2
Written by Gail Simone
Art by Ed Benes and Adriana Melo

Um pretty much EVERYTHING goes to hell for the Birds of Prey in this issue. Black Canary is blamed for the death of the Iceland guy from last issue and is now a wanted criminal and the Birds ended up fighting the cops. The White Canary is pretty awesome whoever she is and seems to be behind this. I sure hope it is not Cassie (But I don’t think it is anyways). Creote and Savant are murdered. There goes another gay character. Come on Gail, you of all people are not who I would expect to be killing off the few gay characters in the DC Universe. That bothered me. Oracle decides it is time to go to war with whoever is behind all this and Black Canary’s secret identity is revealed to the world! I have a feeling this has something to do with Sin. Could Sin be the White Canary somehow? I don’t know. The only bad thing about this issue was the damn art. Benes couldn’t even finish the issue and he didn’t draw backgrounds for the pages he did run. They are in Gotham and we are supposed to believe their are no backgrounds!

The Birds Are Back In Town – And Maybe Cassandra Cain Too!

Birds of Prey (Volume 2) #1
Written by Gail Simone
Art by Ed Benes

 

Okay first of all let me get something out of the way, I am still really annoyed that no one is mentioning that Hawk – before he died and came back to life – was fucking Extant! The genocidal mass murderer why is he being allowed to act like a hero and no one is mentioning it! That better be explained soon. That being said, I fucking adored this issue! It is so great to have the Birds back and Simone really brought them back in style. She reintroduced them for new readers and made sure that old readers would enjoy all the references to their past. I did not realize how much I missed this team – they just work together and they need to be part of the DC Universe. But the greatest part of this issue, the one that makes me want to kiss Simone write on the lips – was the reveal at the end of the “White Canary”. An asian woman who Dinah guesses is either Lady Shiva or —- Cassandra Cain! Now I don’t think she is Cassie but I love that Dinah knows that if they were fighting  Cassie  – “There is a good chance neither of us will make it out of this alley tonight.” That shows that  Simone respects Cassandra Cain and this is the first respect we have seen from a writer since well – Frank Tieri on Outsiders. I am sooo happy right now.

Lame Ending For A Great Series

Birds of Prey #127
Written by Tony Bedard and Kevin Van Hook
Art by Claude St. Aubin and Fernando Pasarin

Meh….this series ended after ten years with a rather lame story about Calculator gaining some Kilgore powers and blah blah blah. Barbara has had mission go wrong a lot, and now she decides to disband the Birds? I don’t buy it. It was all too rushed and didn’t give a proper end to this series. And if DC even think about making her Batgirl again….I will scream! She is Oracle, she has grown as a character, let’s not live in the past. Not to mention we all know Cassandra Cain is the one true Batgirl. What a lame ending to a great series.

True Faces Of Evil

Birds of Prey #126
Written by Tony Bedard
Art by Claude St. Aubin

This was another fantastic issue of Tony Bedard’s run which is sadly coming to an end next issue. Out of all the Faces of Evil issue, this one was the most “faces of Evil”-ish of them all. Most of the issue, in fact, all of the issue is dedicated to the Calculator. This must take place after Final Crisis, as we get mentions of the internet going down like it happened during Final Crisis. The true evil that is Matchmaker is also shown this issue as he matches a young serial killer with a victim. Luckily he is stopped by Huntress. I’d like to reiterate that I really hope these Platinum Flats characters are used in other places around the DCU. They are really great villains.

Keep Her In The Chair

Birds of Prey #125

Written by Tony Bedard
Art by Scott McDaniel

I had a hard time getting through this issue, since I am not a fan of McDaniel’s art at all, and I have liked the art previously on this series. I DO like the Caretaker, who is a creepy villain that I think more people should use after this series ends. Same with the town of Platinum Flats, It is just a great concept. The writing is as good as ever, with Bedard being the most underrated writer on DC’s roster. But, I hated Barbara’s last line, as it is foreshadowing Didio’s plans to bring Babs back as Batgirl (Which is completely retarted may I add) and that doesn’t make me happy at all. I am getting more and more interested in the character of Infinity and I hope we find out more about her before the final issue. It is cool that she can read the minds of the dead. Not a power I have heard about in any other hero.

Knocking That Smile Off His Face

Birds of Prey #124
Written by Tony Bedard
Art by Claude St. Aubin

The news that Didio wants to bring back Barbara Gordon as Batgirl (A total step back for the character, and a complete insult to Cassandra Cain) made it very hard for me to enjoy this. Not to mention the Birds are wrapping up their time in Platinum Flats which was a setting I have rather enjoyed. Seeing Oracle go toe-to-toe with the Joker and get her revenge was pretty cool. I am just sad that this series is wrapping up after a decade of Oracle and her operatives fighting the good fight. Everything else in this issue was just decent, nothing to write home about. And that is not necessarily a bad thing. The new artist I liked a lot and I think he fits the series well. I have never heard of him before though.

Manhunter 35 and 36

Manhunter #35
Written by Marc Andreyko
Art by Michael Gaydos and Carlos Magno

Eh I don’t feel like a lot happened here….this arc is taking a little longer then I would like. Manhunter basically fights some dudes and the Crime Doctor finds out about Suicide Squad’s deception. The only thing that stood out about this issue was Cameron saying she was pregnant. Was the art always this bad? I don’t remember hating it this much until this issue.

Manhunter #36
Written by Marc Andreyko
Art by Michael Gaydos

Now this was more like it, I loved the politics and right-wing bashing in this series because comics need more right-wing bashing. And if that offends conservative readers I really don’t care, because I don’t want you reading my blog anyways. Kate’s speech to the press was awesome and shows how much of a hero and brave women she really is taking out such a large corporation. She is right about how sad it is that one white girl goes missing and it is front page news for weeks but hundred of mexican women go missing and no one pays attention. That is just wrong. I look forward to the next arc which will sadly be the last one of this series.

Nuttier Than Squirrel Poop

Birds of Prey #123
Written by Tony Bedard
Art by Michael O’Hare

This was a thrilling issue. This series is JUST as good as it was under Simone’s pen. Pick it up people! The Joker calls Oracle “Nuttier than Squirrel Poop”! I mean come on that is amazing. These new villains are some of the creepiest and interesting to be created in the last decade of comics. Especially Matchmaker, who is all parents’ worst nightmare…he matches pedophiles with their perfect victims online. I like all of these villains are really invested in 21st century techno-culture and web 2.0. The Joker not recognizing Barbara was hilarious and the ending I did not expect, but I am glad that he didn’t recognize her right away because it really shows how off his rocker he is. Is it just me, or does the Calculator look very different then his previous appearances in this issue? And does anyone know when Barbara was referring to when she said she had only come face to face with the Joker once since the shooting?

Birds of Prey 110 – 122

Birds of Prey #110
Written by Tony Bedard
Art by Nicola Scott

It really doesn’t feel like Simone has left this title as Bedard continues the great writing that she did on this title. I liked Oracle’s references to past Birds “try-outs” and who knew that Black Orchid could even be used in the regular DCU anymore with the unfortunate Vertigo embargo. Oh and by the way, in case you didn’t notice, this issue shows how much The Huntress kicks ass.

Birds of Prey #111
Written by Tony Bedard
Art by Jason Orfalas

These are some good Done-in-one issues that Bedard is writing. This issue has Oracle attending a nerd convention where she runs into the Calculator. I like how he still thinks she isn’t Oracle and believes now that all the nerds worked together to be Oracle. Oh….that’s classic.

Birds of Prey #112
Written by Tony Bedard
Art by David Cole

This was a fun story spotlighting Lady Blackhawk, who goes on a cross country road trip just to put up a picture of Big Barda in a memorial for “fallen heroes” at the Edwards Air Force Base. Very sweet and fun.

Birds of Prey #113
Written by Sean McKeever
Art by Nicola Scott

Wow, that was a big disaster. Was it completely Misfit’s fault or did I miss something? McKeever’s run begins with a literal bang….but a distrubing one at that. Superman is understandably upset.

Birds of Prey #114
Written by Sean McKeever
Art by Nicola Scott

I don’t know how I feel about Oracle being such a bitch to Misfit, I mean sure Misfit screwed up and she is Misfit’s guardian, but what makes Black Alice a better choice for the Birds over Misfit?

Birds of Prey #115
Written by Sean McKeever
Art by Nicola Scott

So if Black Alice can steal Misfit’s powers, that means that Misfit’s powers have to be magic-based, correct? I like the whole Killer Shark thing….but in this one I am more angry at Misfit then Barbara. She should have let them get stuff done instead of starting a catfight.

Birds of Prey #116
Written by Sean McKeever
Art by Nicola Scott

Yay for Platinum Flats! One of my favorite things about the DCU, if not THE favorite thing, is the fictional cities. Platinum Flats looks really awesome, it really is a city for the 21st century and not just another New York stand in. The Killer Shark was fun too. And I am glad that Barbara changed her mind about Black Alice.

Birds of Prey #117
Written by Sean McKeever
Art by Nicola Scott

Yay! The Birds are moving to Platinum Flats! The Metahuman Mafia was really cool and it should be fun to see the Birds face off against them again. I did not see the whole Tabby thing coming at the end either.

Birds of Prey #118
Written by Tony Bedard
Art by Nicola Scott

Okay Granny Goodness’s death was quite disgusting….ewww. Anyways, Bedard begins his run as permanent writer this issue which is exciting cause I so liked his fill-in run before McKeever came on. I don’t know how I feel about Black Alice and Misfit being related though, seems kinda forced.

Birds of Prey #119
Written by Tony Bedard
Art by Nicola Scott

I like how Oracle’s company is Clocktower Systems….and nod to the old Gotham Clock Tower she used to work out of. Platinum Flats is a reall cool locale and I can’t wait to see it develop. I really could care less about seeing Black Canary and Manhunter fight though.

Birds of Prey #120
Written by Tony Bedard
Art by Michael O’Hare

Haha I did not expect to see the Joker at the end of this. I wonder about Infinity though, who is she? There are so many great female characters to be used in the DCU, why create a new one? And will she stay a member of the team? The new artist wasn’t half-bad either. The whole Oracle spying on Black Canary thing kinda bugs me though.

Birds of Prey #121
Written by Tony Bedard
Art by Michael O’Hare

Okay…well…the whole outcast in high school thing has been done way too many times (plus who’s high school is actually like that) but somehow the idea that the geeks are the popular ones in Platinum Flats is a fresh take. The Joker’s appearence hear is hilarious, especially when he shoots the annoying Wizkid in the head. I am kind of sick of Black Alice though.

Birds of Prey #122
Written by Tony Bedard
Art by Michael O’Hare

That was an intense ending if not a little creepy. This was a good issue. Birds of Prey is definitely as fun as a read under Bedard as it was under Simone, if not more so cause we have Platinum Flats now!

Manhunter 31 – 34

Manhunter #31
Written by Marc Andreyko
Art by Michael Gaydos

The critically-acclaimed series continues here after a long break. It took a while to get used to the new art, but I think I like it now. Exploring the mystery of Jaurez, Mexico seems like the perfect place to take this series. I don’t quite understand why Manhunter is so afraid of Iron Monro, he is not her father, I don’t buy that she would be afraid of him just because of what her father did.

Manhunter #32
Written by Marc Andreyko

Art by Michael Gaydos

Andreyko always shows his appreciation for the DCU as a whole in this series and once again he shows this. He created a new female Crime Doctor for this series. I like the character, incredibly creepy, but the original killed himself. I had forgotten that Bones was black and I like that Manhunter brought this up to him when he dismissed the deaths of the girls in Jaurez. And I couldn’t help but smile when Kate broke the racists’ hand.

Manhunter #33
Written by Marc Andreyko
Art by Michael Gaydos

A lot of great moments this issue – Ramsey having superpowers, the surprise arrival of the group formerly known as the Suicide Squad, and the Birds of Prey. I am excited for the next issue. Oh and I have to reccomend any comic that makes a Pee Wee’s Big Adventure reference (:

Manhunter #34
Written by Marc Andreyko

Art by Michael Gaydos

Oh how I love Andreyko’s writing….not only does he bitch slap Republicans in this issue, but he actually has Gay Kissing! Hell ya, it’s about time we get some man-on-man action in the DCU. Okay besides my perverted side, this was really good, but this series usually is. I love how much he utilizes the DCU and pays attention to it in his writing.