Customer Reviews

Birds of Prey Vol. 6: Blood and Circuits

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Birds of Prey has been fortunate first that Chuck Dixon started the book and then that Gail Simone later took the reins. The typical fate of books featuring secondary characters is that they're lucky to get a few years before getting canceled and relegated to the dustbin of history. BoP has built a reputation for excellence thanks to these writers that has kept fans devoted to the book. Gail Simone is coming to the end of her run on Birds but rather than resting on her laurels, she shakes things up and continues trying to push these characters to new heights.

Unlike many paperback collections, this one does not cover one large story arc but several smaller ones (from issue 96-103). The book opens with the Birds trying to keep a young girl named Black Alice from getting recruited by a group of super villains. Both sides get more than they can handle when this immensely powerful but unstable girl loses her temper. Next up is a story featuring a pretender to the title of "Batgirl" and Oracle tries to teach her that being a hero is more than fun and games. Yet another story focuses on Black Canary packing her things as she prepares to leave the team and this sets up a trip down memory lane for her character. Finally, the second half of the book brings some new operatives to the team after Canary leaves and they go on their first mission.

Obviously, this book suffers in some ways because it does not read like one story. It is a collection of shorter stories. The good news is that each story is well worth reading in its own right. It may not be Simone's best work but it is still well above average. The art is decent but nothing special. The covers are the worst part as inker Brian Miller butchers Jerry Ordway's pencils and turns the faces into a facsimile of bad mannequins. Fortunately, the covers are a small part of this volume and do little to detract from enjoying it.

In summary, this certainly shouldn't be the first Birds of Prey volume you buy but if you've been following the story, it's certainly worth buying this one. There's no telling whether the quality of BoP will stay at this level after Simone has moved on so enjoy these last tales while you can.

This book starts with "Headhunt", a loose collection of stories that hint at and lead to changes in the current Birds of Prey lineup. It begins with the Birds trying to foil an attempt by evil magicians to recruit the dangerous child known as Black Alice. Alice proves herself to be more than a match for both her friends and her enemies, even if she isn't sure which is which. Then another dangerous woman from the Birds' past is out to get Huntress and a completely unexpected wildcard shows up in the guise of a new Batgirl. Meanwhile, one of the most prominent members of the team decides to leave for personal reasons.

The storyline "Blood and Circuits" begins with a new team of field operatives including Manhunter, Big Barda, Judomaster and Gypsy. Their attempt to rescue an innocent girl from a Mexican prison gets the attention of Spy Smasher, who decides to shut down Oracle's operation once and for all. Her first move: sick Lois Lane on her. I was a bit disappointed that the conclusion to this story was something less than fully satisfying - you'll have to read additional volumes to find out how the struggle between Oracle and Spy Smasher ultimately turns out. Rounding out the book, there's a short Black Canary solo story, basically recapping the character's history for future writers.

The mission to Mexico is my favorite part of this book, and showcases what could have been a new paradigm for the Birds: keep Oracle as the focus and have her choose a new team based on the needs of each job. This would provide the opportunity for some little-used characters to get some much-needed exposure, and add more variety to the title. But as events transpired it was not to be.

Lots of artists contribute to the various chapters, but my favorite is probably Nicola Scott, whose females exhibit a toughness that many illustrators miss when drawing heroines. And while I love the personal interplay between the various characters, the actual stories themselves aren't much better than average. Three and half stars.