Birds of Prey #108
Posted: Tuesday, July 24
By: Ken
Rating: 4.5
"Swan Song" (Whitewater Epilogue)
Writer: Gail Simone
Artists: Nicola Scott (p), Doug Hazlewood (i), Hi-Fi Designs (colors)
Publisher: DC Comics
Finally, the original Batgirl graces Birds of Prey!
It was fun and enjoyable while it lasted. Before moving on to her regular gig writing the Wonder Woman series, Gail Simone leaves on a positive note. This issue is one of the best, if not THE best, in her 50+ consecutive run on Birds of Prey. I am sure fans of the series want to thank her for creating a stellar run that makes the reader care about the characters in this series.
Plot: The BoP field team are on their way back to Oracle's HQ in Metropolis. Katarina versus Barbara. One fight to a finish. The prize is complete control of Oracle's operation. The loser gets to leave town with smeared mascara and a bloody nose.
Comment: The prologue sets up an interesting and possible relationship in the future. Gail Simone understands her characters well. They have been transformed into a tight group of "sisters" intensely loyalty to each other. The banter between the girls near the end of the issue genuinely captures how girls act and talk during their last time together before going their separate ways. People will miss Gail's portrayal of these women. At the same time the humor in the dialogue will be missed as well. When a former BoP member threatens to break someone's ankles, Huntress tells her she's bluffing. At which the former BoP responds that Huntress was right, she won't break the ankles; instead she will most likely start with the fingers. This way there is less bending over for her. I started laughing as T & A art from former series artist Ed Benes came to mind.
Aside from the core group, there is good foreshadowing on a new core member: The Manhunter who is smart, silent, and deadly in the way Gail shows her in this issue. The Manhunter's silence shows exactly why the silent ones are the deadliest. Huntress has grown into the mantle of field leader rather smoothly. It was a nice progression since Black Canary's departure from the team, and one can look forward to some violent chemistry and friendship between Huntress and Manhunter in future issues. One can only hope that the permanent writer can take Gail's baton and have a successful run for this series as well.
The classic "hard worker puts one over the boss" scene was done well. BoP fans and readers of the current arc have been sick to their stomach watching Spy Smasher's portrayal as the bullying boss. I am sure those same fans want to pummel or see someone give her the beating she rightfully deserves.
Rightfully deserving praise is Nicola Scott's art. I wish Nicola Scott had a long tenure on Birds of Prey. Her work on this issue is nothing short of phenomenal. From the cover page, she captures the intensity of what is waiting for the readers inside the book. She captures Huntress and Manhunter's intelligence and level of danger. In the plane ride back to Metropolis, their silent discussion in the tail end along with their verbal confrontation with Spy Smasher at the cockpit planted seeds of just how dangerous these two can be. Scott's art portrays the whole sequence perfectly conveying Manhunter as a silent dangerous enforcer to Huntress's defiance to authority. Readers of the Manhunter series know she is not beyond maiming or even possibly killing an enemy. Huntress at one time was open about killing an enemy as well. The seeds they planted saw fruition at Oracle's Maiden Tower Headquarters by blatantly dishing out a "Pearl Harbor job from the blind side" to Spy Smasher. This sets up one of the greatest confrontations of all time in Birds of Prey history: Oracle, and her vendetta against Spy Smasher. This time the playing field is even after the assault from Huntress and Manhunter. The fight sequence was paced perfectly. Nicola Scott's art presents the battle like an acclaimed Broadway marathon. The reader will just want to flip the pages back and forth and view the fight sequence over and over and over. The art conveys Barabara's rage as if jumping out of the paper. The reader can feel her justified raging emotions. Furthermore, with Katrina bullying Barbara the previous BoP issues, the readers cannot help but cheer for Oracle and savor each blow she lands on the wicked witch from the DEO. On top of this deliciously baked cake that is Nicola Scott's art, she wins the Blue Ribbon with that 5 page sequence. The gathering of those close metahumans just shows the friendship and loyalty that Oracle inspires. Those five pages alone are worth the price on this issue. Finally, the arts work better showing empowerment instead of exploitation.
Final Word: Last summer I purchased an issue of Birds of Prey. After reading that issue, I was hooked and proceeded to acquire back issues written by Gail Simone on this series. One rarely comes across a writer who genuinely understands the characters. From the sincere sister-like interaction between Oracle and Black Canary to Huntress's razor-sharp edgy superhero style, Gail has imprinted her mark on this series. For many readers, the mere mention of the series title is followed immediately by the name Gail Simone. This was not caused by accident. Gail earned this distinction by constantly producing quality work from her debut on the title up to her finale in issue #108. I daresay this might very well be the best issue of this whole run. Don't miss out. BoP fans will miss Gail's work. It is always best to depart at your best, reminding fans how much their support for the series was very much respected.
