World Famous Comics: Birds of Prey: Dead of Winter
Birds of Prey: Dead of Winter
By: Gail Simone, Nicola Scott, Doug Hazelwood Publisher: DC Comics Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: DC Comics Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 128 Publication Date: February 27, 2008 Reading Level: Young Adult Release Date: February 27, 2008
Product Description: Acclaimed writer Gail Simones run on BIRDS OF PREY comes to its devastating conclusion in this cant-miss graphic novel!After being paralyzed by The Joker, former Batgirl Barbara Gordon became Oracle and formed a crime-fighting team with other female heroes, including the vigilante known as the Huntress and the mysterious Lady Blackhawk!In this volume, the Birds of Prey cross paths with the villainous group the Secret Six, just as Spy Smasher takes the dismantling of Oracle's operation into her own hands! Who will end up in control of the Birds of Prey?
The Birds bid Gail Simone adieu. This volume of "Birds of Prey" collects issues 104 to 108 of the ongoing DC series, and the final work by longtime series writer Gail Simone, after which she departed to try and rescue "Wonder Woman" from the wreckage of two years of DC editorial policy. The artist here is Nicola Scott (one of the few women in the business), who will continue on into the future with writers Tony Bedard and Sean McKeever (and then Bedard again).
Simone sepnt roughly fifty issues building the definitive iteration of the Birds: Oracle (Barbara Gordon), Black Canary (Dinah Lance), Huntress (Helena Bertinelli), and Lady Blackhawk (Zinda Blake). However, DC eventually intervened and, at issue 100, removed Black Canary in order that she might rejoin Brad Meltzer's "Justice League of America" (although she returns for occasional guest appearances). This change was covered in the last volume, when Simone, instead of bringing in a new steady member for the group, took a radically different approach and expanded the scope of the series into a much larger super-group composed of various female heroes recruited for different missions on a semi-rotating basis; apart from the aforementioned group, on hand for this volume's adventure are Big Barda (the New God); tagalong newbie Misfit, who insists on hanging around with the team; and, my favourite, Manhunter (Kate Spencer).
The preceding volume, "Blood and Circuits", ended with Oracle surrendering control of the organization to the blackmail of US government operative Spy-Smasher (Katrina Armstrong). Spy-Smasher was a rival of Oracle's in college, and now she is out to run the team as a branch of the government. The mission they are dispatched on takes them to the former Soviet Union, where they make a surprising discovery about the nature of the weapon they were sent to recover (I won't spoil it, but it will delight fans of the recently-much-maligned Giffen/DeMatteis JLI), and do battle with the Secret Six: Catman, Scandal Savage, Knockout, Deadshot, Ragdoll, and new member Harley Quinn. Simone's "Villains United" and "Secret Six" miniseries introdued this band of rogues, and it is fitting that her final effort with the Birds also brings in this group (who were shortly to be torn apart by various editorial edicts) for a grand finale. The whole affair is freewheeling big action, of the kind that makes me want to see Simone write the Justice League. After the action is over, Simone has a brief final moment with the original team, who, as Lady Blackhawk acknowledges, will never be together again liike this.
This is highly recommended for anyone who enjoys witty superheroing (especially with well-written female heroes).
Fun fiction, smart story - what else could you want? This trade paperback handily collects Birds of Prey #'s 104-108, "The Dead of Winter."
You really get your five issues' worth here, of characterization (When she has BULLETS IN HER LEG, Big Barda nonchalantly goes, "Oh. Well, how about that"), of fun (Lady Blackhawk's talk to her "friend," Spy Smasher), of guest stars (the Secret Six, a band of mercenaries who have their own colorful personalities - like Catman, who shows his affection by licking people). . .
. . . and of story! (the return of a once-dead, always-beloved character, the fight between the Six and the Birds, and the latter's leader struggling for control of the Birds).
The two groups (Six/Birds) play off each other with hilarious consequences, and it's pure fun to listen to the characters talk to each other. They sound very real and down-to-earth, even when they're smashing people with their mighty Mega Rod.
The art is fun as well, and poignant to boot. There's a beautiful duo of two-page spreads that's very uplifting about the Birds' sense of friendship and empowerment.
The pacing is wonderful, and your money definitely isn't wasted here. You're set up for a daunting tale, and by the end of it, you'll feel more than satisfied. Overall, this is a very fun, character-driven and insightful arc absolutely filled with story. This is also kind of the end of an era, as writer Gail Simone ends her tenure with this arc.
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