Liked it a little better than volume 1 but paradoxically it is because the story wasn't as strong. That allowed the graphics to tell more of the story and made it a little better graphic novel overall. Probably won't bother with any more of the series at this point. ( )

There are some issues with this book/story. There is a lot going on and they keep dropping some major story points. At the end of one issue Black canary drops a big bomb and say she will explain it to the rest of the team. Start of the next issue, it's as if the resolve happened off-stage. Annoying.

I do like Batgirl being in the book even though she hasn't joined the team. Katana is pretty cool too, I hope they use her more and we get to see the woman behind the mask at some point. ( )

Access a version of the below that includes illustrations on my blog.

I just reread my review of Duane Swierczynski's previous volume of Birds of Prey, which indicates I enjoyed it quite a bit. I'm sad to say that the same cannot be said of this muddled, unfocused volume. The book begins by tying up the story begun in the previous volume. I think so, anyway, as it's been three years since I read it, and Swierczynski does little to reorient the reader. It's pretty unsatisfying. I thought Black Canary formed the Birds of Prey to take down some bigger threat, but here the bad guys are just after her-- for murder! (Of her husband, no less.) Which hardly makes them "bad," though their methods are pretty over the top. But one giant fire/explosion, and this plot line is completely over, which seems a little easy.

The book then becomes a series of weird detours, made worse by the fact that regular artist Jesus Saiz departs and is replaced by Travel Foreman, who is just... not great. His action is blocky and without energy, and his characters start out looking a little too posed and get worse and worse across the course of the volume. His first story is about a "Talon" of the "Court of Owls": all derived from an exciting Batman crossover, I'm sure, but it comes out of total left field within this book. It hooks into the ongoing narrative of Birds of Prey, though, as it ends with Poison Ivy being grievously injured taking out the Talon, and Black Canary fulfills a promise she made to her ("months ago," apparently, even though I think this team could only have possibly been together a couple weeks by internal chronology) to take her to the jungle. Batgirl comes along too-- I guess she's joined the Birds?

This results in a pretty underwhelming plotline where Poison Ivy turns on the team. A big betrayal doesn't really seem to work when the team has only been together weeks at most. Ivy uses biotoxins to force the other Birds to do her bidding, taking down environmental polluters and stuff. They end up freeing themselves, causing Black Canary to rue "this is not why I formed this team."

But why did she form this team? This incarnation of the Birds doesn't have as clear a purpose as the previous, Oracle-driven ones. (Like, why is Katana even there?) Swierczynski tries to clarify this with one final issue that flashes back to the first meeting between Black Canary, Batgirl, and Ev Starling. At this point, Black Canary is working undercover at the Penguin's lounge, fighting crime on her own; Starling is an enforcer for the Penguin because she has nothing better to do; and Batgirl is a recent crimefighting debut on the Gotham scene. The three end up working together to take down an arms deal, Black Canary ponders what it would be like to be "on the right team," Ev says she'll stick by Canary, and Canary poses in her underwear for the reader. It's okay, but doesn't really give you a sense of why these characters would want to work together. Hopefully the next volume presents a better reason for this team to exist than this one.

Birds of Prey: « Previous in sequence | Next in sequence »

Loving Swierczynski's take on the Birds of Prey. This volume poses a potential teammate ousting at the end, and I'm interested to see if she is kept on the team or not. Otherwise, Black Canary is a great leader for the team, and the supporting cast of Batgirl, Starling, and Katana are just awesome. If you're looking for a team of badass superhero chicks, this is the book to read. ( )

While the first volume surprised me by being really good, this one was awfully bad. I feel it's all been said better already in other reviews. But there's one thing I just have to point out, I absolutely loved Jesus Saiz artwork in the first volume, whoever thought that Travel Forman is a good substitute must be fucking crazy, because it was a punch to the eyes. Everything about his art felt rushed and sloppy to me, but hey, maybe it's his unique style. Either way, I did not like it at all. It's a good thing that by the end he got replaced by Romano Molenaar, who, while still not being the same caliber as Jesus was at least a better fit for anyone who enjoyed the first volume. ( )