No more heels
Even before the Birds of Prey are officially a team, a party or parties of unknown are out to kill them. But the new Birds won’t have any of that.
The Good:
- High Heels: This book impresses me first and foremost with the complete lack of sexy costumes. I greatly appreciate that. Black Canary’s costume still looks like Black Canary’s costume, but this time, it actually looks like it could hold up in fight. Well done.
- Nei Ruffino: Nei Ruffino colours this book. I am madly in love with her work and I can tell it’s a Nei Ruffino without even looking at the credits. She manages to do colouring so much better, so much more moody and vibrant and – well – alive than most other colourists out there.
- Fast pace: The issue does not give you a breather. It dives right in while missing every trope associated with “diving right in” such as neglecting the actual set-up or the story. Here we get kickass action in a church, witty banter that is actually witty, introductions of new characters and known ones who need new intros and there’s still room for a decent story in there.
- Church: There are references and wordplays relating to religion and the church everywhere. They're not disrespectful, though. This makes the book even more fun.
The Bad:
- Short: it’s only this many pages. I can’t wait to read more.
- Masks: Apparently, everyone’s secret identity is out in the open. Neither Canary nor Starling wear a mask. Why is reporter-dude still surprised when he learns that the women who he was told were in a secret club of superheroes turn out to actually be in a secret club of superheroes?
The Verdict:
Get it, this could be the “Strong female characters” book everyone seems to be wanting. And even if you don’t want that, you want to read it because it’s a very good book.
