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The
Original is Still the Best:
Birds of Prey: Old Friends, New Enemies
DC Comics trade paperback review
By
Troy Brownfield
Writer:
Chuck Dixon
Pencils: Greg Land, Dick Giordano
Inkers: Drew Geraci, Wayne Faucher
More
Info: www.dccomics.com
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Birds
of Prey achieved a pop culture high-water mark earlier
this year by having a TV series adaptation hit the air. It
debuted with huge ratings, then plummeted to the point where
it was cancelled mid-season. This is another perfect arguement
that filmmakers shouldn't screw too much with the source material.
As it is, the one-shots and subsequent original issues of
the ongoing series by Chuck Dixon and his various artistic
collaborators are nearly perfect.
The
strong core of the comic remains the tentative alliance and
eventual friendship of our two female leads. Oracle is the
hero formerly known as Batgirl; after being shot by the Joker,
Barbara Gordon found herself confined to a wheelchair. She
turned her vast computer knowledge into a role as freelance
information broker for super-heroes. Black Canary is a second-generation
heroine; following in the steps of her mother, the original
BC, Dinah Lance is a first-class ass-kicker with membership
in both the JLA and JSA. In these early adventures, the duo
have never met face-to-face. Oracle communicates with Canary
via transmitter earrings and a bird pendant. It's a great
concept, with Oracle as control and Canary as ground operative.
It
helps that Dixon is one of the strongest action writers in
the history of comics. Every issue is a rocket ride of thrills
and humor. And though the art by the veteran Giordano in the
"Wolves" installment was solid, Dixon found his
true artistic partners with the team of Land and Geraci. Our
Indiana homeboy Land draws hot chicks like no man on Earth,
making him perfectly suited to the job. The creators give
us fully realized women; sure, they're beautiful, but they're
smart, tough, complex, and flawed. There was a school of thought
that this series might not fly on the strength of female leads.
Considering that it just hit issue #54, I think that one's
been put to bed.
Part
of the appeal of the early stories lies in seeing Oracle and
B.C. overcome adversaries that are either a) obviously stronger,
or b) male. It's also fun to see the operations of their villainous
counterparts, The Ravens. Batman drops in briefly, and gets
a stern lesson in expectations. Page after page is clever
fun, beautifully rendered.
Birds
of Prey is one of the those books that you can cheerfully
recommend for all audiences. It's got tough, admirable women
in the lead, and it's basically suitable for most ages. The
TV show may be gone, but the comic is still going strong.
Take the time to find out why.
Troy
Brownfield is the Editor-in-Chief. Dina Meyer? Hot. Email
him at psikotyk@aol.com
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