Comic Vine Review

15 Comments

Birds of Prey #0 - First Flight

4

See the action packed event that made this trio join forces.

The Good

As someone who is unfamiliar with Birds of Prey, I really appreciate how well Duane Swierczynski wrapped up the group's formation in one concise and energetic story. The adventure moves at an effective pace, never truly slowing down as Black Canary takes center stage in her undercover investigation. We get bits and pieces throughout the read to give us a better idea of the main 3 characters, but ultimately this issue focuses on the origin of the team and not the individuals.

The pencil work by Romano Molenaar is more than able, especially when it comes to being able to deliver the impact behind a kick or punch. Little things -- like having a ring ripping off of Turaco after a haymaker from Dinah -- really helped immerse me in the scene. Side note: I'm pretty sure Turaco exists solely to get struck in the face. Also, there's a fantastic panel of the canary cry being used over a body of water.

The Bad

The #0 issues should be exceptionally friendly to new readers. While it was nice to see how the team came together, this issue left me with quite a few questions surrounding the characters. This origin issue remarked on Dinah's past (and relationship) quite frequently, but never went into any firm details. I felt left in the dark as Dinah had a vague internal thought or two about the man she loved and her dark past. The cliffhanger didn't help with my lack of knowledge either, seeing as it focuses around an individual discussed in minor detail.

Verdict

Birds of Prey's zero issue is worth checking out if you're already a fan of the title or want to learn more about the female squad. It's a thoroughly entertaining read and provides the basics to keep a firm grip on your interest. I would have liked a little more detail on the history of each character, but despite this it managed to make me want more and because of this I'll be adding it to my pull list.

15 Comments

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Booster_Bronze

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Edited By Booster_Bronze

I too think they're saving the fleshing out of Dinah's past for the Team 7 books and, if memory serves, the BOP series as she only recently mentioned the person at the end of the last book before Issue 0, so it seems to me like they're going to go into more detail on the topic in BOP in the future.

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SoA

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Edited By SoA

this was a good issue i think the book would be better if it was just starling , dinah, and batgirl(sorry katana)

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Zoch81

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Edited By Zoch81

I thought this was really good issue the art was really good and Dinah was hot in this issue the writing was also good the one problem I had with this issue was with batgirl and one year ago shouldn't she still be injured other then that this was a really good issue.

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That60sGuy

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Edited By That60sGuy

I've only read a couple of issues of BOP and it's been refreshingly entertaining. Anyone know if/when there's a TPB out?

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Jenkale

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Edited By Jenkale

didnt really like this issue. i know they are going to flush Dinah's origion out in Team 7 so they couldnt tell much here but they should have just focused on Starling instead especially since she is a brand new character and there is virtually nothing known about her

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wowlock

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Edited By wowlock

I miss the Huntress :(

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mpierce2690

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Edited By mpierce2690

@The Mighty Monarch said:

My question is, how can this take place 'One Year Ago' if Barbara's spine was still broken at the time?

I suppose you could say that Black Canary started working at the Iceberg Casino a year ago, but didn't meet Babs until later, but then it really begs the question of how they became so close that she'd call Babs "sis" in her appearance in Batgirl a while back. Shouldn't have made it so tight timeline wise, but then again, isn't that an issue across the reboot?

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The Mighty Monarch

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@Sovereign91001: Oh I wasn't trying to call you out or anything, just thought you'd be happy to know your hopes were already being fulfilled.

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Sovereign91001

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Edited By Sovereign91001

@The Mighty Monarch:

Oops, my bad ^_^;

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The Mighty Monarch

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@cagedleo730 said:

@The Mighty Monarch: Barbara had the surgery 1 year ago. It took her 1 year to get back to being Batgirl (present day)

So........ my question still remains then. How can she be Batgirl 1 year ago if it took her a year to get back?

@Sovereign91001 said:

Molenarr should be attached to this book permanently, the BOP haven't looked this good in a long time.

Molenarr is.

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Sovereign91001

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Edited By Sovereign91001

Molenarr should be attached to this book permanently, the BOP haven't looked this good in a long time.

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Mercy_

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Edited By Mercy_

Checking back in on this once I've read it. but I have high hopes.

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cagedleo730

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Edited By cagedleo730

@The Mighty Monarch: Barbara had the surgery 1 year ago. It took her 1 year to get back to being Batgirl (present day)

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The Mighty Monarch

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I'm pretty sure Black Canary's past with the man she loved and all isn't explored here because they're leaving it for Team 7.

My question is, how can this take place 'One Year Ago' if Barbara's spine was still broken at the time?

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jsphsmth

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Edited By jsphsmth

So in love with Swierczynski's work on the Birds. He has been doing a lot of work for the independents. I hope he doesn't leave this comic anytime soon.