Birds of Prey #5

                It is no secret that this is one of my favorite titles written by one of my favorite writers.  I must do something rare and brag on the cover this issue.  I really like it.  The way Huntress and Lady Blackhawk are presented on the cover just pops off the page.  It has some grit to it that fits these two characters.  This is the aftermath of the White Canary story.  The Penguin has really taken a harsh blow to the Birds.  He placed two in the hospital and one quits the team.  Still our women remain strong.  I like how Huntress gets angry and ready to just chuck it all and then calms down after venting a bit.  It fits her personality.  I have just finished reading the 19 issue run of The Huntress from 1989.  She is the skeleton for our Huntress today.

                Lady Blackhawk is another excellent character.  She is sometimes ditzy and very flirty acting.  This is an act in many ways.  This is great writing on Simone’s part.  The character is one that gets underestimated.  She might look twenty, but in reality she is much older.  Zinda Blake is a displaced in time WWII fighter pilot.  When she sets her mind to something she gets her way.  Now that is her and Huntress going to Bangkok and getting Black Canary back.  They really are very different from the old days of Oracle and Canary that Chuck Dixon started with his Birds of Prey series.  I bet many people would not believe the series to still have life now.

                The addition of Hawk and Dove is interesting.  It makes for yet another layer.  Barbara Gordon is becoming more adept than Bruce Wayne at gathering those needing special attention and rehabilitation.  The way Savant and Creole have been re-gathered into the fold is nice.  The way hawk fits I am not sure.  I know they needed somewhere to drop him and Dove during the Brightest Day period.  They fit in the way that these characters are interesting but do not fit in any other team or in an ongoing series format.  They at the very least fit the Birds of Prey title.

                I am just glad to have this book back and rolling along.  It is one of my look forward to reads every month.

BDS