BIRDS OF PREY #119 (Spoilers/Discussion)

[Alexx1]

-Huntress takes down a nuisance named Carface (Haha Huntress reaction when she finds out his name, "Lemme Guess: You always tell people not to 'get up in your grill"?) when Platinum Flatts PD can't reel him in. Instead of being grateful, they and bystanders want Huntress out of their city. It doesn't look like Huntress wants to be there either.

-Visionary shows what happens when he's lied to and one tries to circumvent his agenda. He's quite lethal and literally has no regard for human life.

-The ladies move into their new home, camaflouged as Clocktower System. Babs has definitely hooked the Birds up. Zinda's impressed with the bells and whistles and doesn't see the need to question Babs agenda. Huntress is leary of this new move and its relative closeness to Black Canary. Babs tries to assure them they're there for a very important reason and to trust her intel information.

-Babs notices a melancholy Misfit who confides she found out about her suppose relation to Black Alice. It surprised Babs to who tells Misfit she'll look into it if she wants. She not sure she wants to know.

-Manhunter is on a job for Oracle (who doesn't want the other BIRDS to know about) spying on Black Canary and her family.

-Oracle doesn't seem conflicted that she's keeping people in the dark about somethings while she seems anxious that there's a secret that could tear her operation apart. Her intel, the person giving her all her information, is none other than CALCULATOR.

-In Star City, Manhunter's been spotted by a very unhappy Black Canary who doesn't like the idea of Oracle sending a known killer to spy of her family. I think next issue will open will Black Canary giving Manhunter a beat down.

This was definitely a set up issue by Tony to what looks like a whole lot of STORY for the BIRDS in the very near future! It all looks very promising!!! This was also the last issue from Nicola Scott whose going to be missed on this title.

[WorstThingUS]

Eh. I'm not feeling "Platinum Flats." I realize Tony may have no choice as this plotline originated with Scott McKeever, but it contains something I hate in my comics: civilians "noticing" that super-villains come after super-heroes. To me this is practically a fourth wall violation because the reason heroes come first and villains second is because that's the very process of creation in a comic book. Your hero can't show up for the first time in issue #12. You might as well have them notice that every male or female face essentially looks the same because artists simply don't have the time to make ever single fact distinctive or that they've had a dozen Christmases and little Timmy is still 3. It's annoying me about the new Batman movie too.

So, I'm all for a return to Gotham. Super-heroes in Silicon Valley just isn't working for me.

[Agent_Torpor]

Eh. I'm not feeling "Platinum Flats." I realize Tony may have no choice as this plotline originated with Scott McKeever, but it contains something I hate in my comics: civilians "noticing" that super-villains come after super-heroes. To me this is practically a fourth wall violation because the reason heroes come first and villains second is because that's the very process of creation in a comic book. Your hero can't show up for the first time in issue #12. You might as well have them notice that every male or female face essentially looks the same because artists simply don't have the time to make ever single fact distinctive or that they've had a dozen Christmases and little Timmy is still 3. It's annoying me about the new Batman movie too.

So, I'm all for a return to Gotham. Super-heroes in Silicon Valley just isn't working for me.

I just don't understand the need to move to the DCU "Silicon Valley". If the writers had any clue, they'd know the real Silicon Valley is the most antiseptic, boring locale around. Not much going on there except after-work drinks at Chevys in one of the multitude of strip malls around. And right now, Platinum Flats is as trite as one of those strip malls.


Get back to Gotham. NOW.

[pariah-1972]

I think we are all going to miss Nicola Scott but i have faith B.O.P usually has very consistent artists.

I don't mind them moving to "Silicon Valley" since Babs is sort of a geek anyways, it seems like the kinda place she would love.
Besides they pretty got kicked out of Metropolis by Supes and Gotham seems a bit crowded nowadays.
although i miss the clock tower.

I think i'm getting a little tired of Misfits moodiness i like it when she was spunkier
she's starting to remind me too much of Babs they are even now starting to dress alike which is a little scary.

[jerrymcl89]

I dislike overly contrived hero fights, so I wasn't fond of all the machinations it took to get Manhunter and Canary at each other's throats. But I was fine with the issue otherwise. I think it's good to give the Birds their own city to work in.

[titanfan]

I don't mind them moving to "Silicon Valley" since Babs is sort of a geek anyways, it seems like the kinda place she would love.

Ditto. As a fellow geek, I actually like the concept of Platinum Flats. There should be a scene with Babs integrating with the local geek community at the coffee house or something.

More Carface!

[pariah-1972]

Ditto. As a fellow geek, I actually like the concept of Platinum Flats. There should be a scene with Babs integrating with the local geek community at the coffee house or something.

More Carface!Totally agree that should probably happen once they get there business open.
What is there business going to be anyways?


Yes more carface.:redface:

[Dard]

I dislike overly contrived hero fights, so I wasn't fond of all the machinations it took to get Manhunter and Canary at each other's throats.I don't think an attack on a killer who spies on your family is too contrived.

Calling Manhunter a killer is reasonable giving her Kate's past in her costume.
Oracle using Manhunter for the job is also reasonable considering how Kate developed over time.

I think as infighting goes, I think is was one of the better justified.

[LungerTony]

I liked this issue. But I tend to enjoy all the BoP issues anyway. So far, I am all aboard the Platinum Flats locale (not a fan of the city name, but who cares). I really like the Visionary as a villain and his whole secret syndicate he has set up. Not too stellar about the Oracle/Manhunter hero fight, but it seemed fairly justified - if heroes didn't have such a habit of fighting each other in comics I would not have noticed any problem with it.
I really looked forward to where this is going.

[Alexx1]

I don't think an attack on a killer who spies on your family is too contrived.

Calling Manhunter a killer is reasonable giving her Kate's past in her costume.
Oracle using Manhunter for the job is also reasonable considering how Kate developed over time.

I think as infighting goes, I think is was one of the better justified.

I totally agree!

Manhunter's encounter with BC reminded me a little of her encounter with the BIRDS in Russia. She really does makes the worse first impressions. Either you're put off by her or you admire her moxy. No matter what or whose involved though, Manhunter's going to do the job she's paid to do and see it through. And her needling Oracle about moving closer to her 'EX-Bird of Prey' and all the undertones was cute.

Bedard's got the characterization of the Birds down. He gets that Oracle is controlling and secretive but it never overshadows her concern and support for her teammates. That Zinda lives in the present, never dwells on the past, and goes with the flow. Zinda under Tony is cool as hell. That Huntress isn't a 'yes mam' kind of girl, she bucks against the system and isn't as easily convinced. I can't tell you how happy I am to see Bedard writing Huntress this way. Misfit as moody and uncertain and inquistive. Tony writes a great, lethal, no playing Black Canary. Nicola draws a kick ass Black Canary. Can we please get her to show up more often.
.
As for the move to Plantium Flats I'm not adverse to it as others. I thinks it a good idea for DC to extend the DCU. Not everything has to happen in Gotham or Metropolis for things to be interesting. I'm looking forward to creation of new villians and characters that may eventually impact the greater DCU picture. I feel BoP fans are lucky the title in a sense gets to set the precedence for all that.

[Agent_Torpor]

Ditto. As a fellow geek, I actually like the concept of Platinum Flats. There should be a scene with Babs integrating with the local geek community at the coffee house or something.

More Carface!

Yeah, integrating with geek communities makes for a thrilling book read. LOL!

"Hey, uh, Babs, did you download the newest Ubuntu distro? Jailbreak your iPhone yet? HYUK HYUK, snort!"

I'd rather see the team busting heads back in the old (crowded) stomping grounds. Besides, Zinda? Utterly wasted here.

[Static-Pulse]

Yeah, integrating with geek communities makes for a thrilling book read. LOL!

"Hey, uh, Babs, did you download the newest Ubuntu distro? Jailbreak your iPhone yet? HYUK HYUK, snort!"

Spoken like a true Birds of Prey fan, if I've ever heard. The closest thing to "geek culture" we need to see coming from this book is eight million, eight thousand, three hundred fifteen. The more of that, and the less computers, the better this book will sell!

[titanfan]

Yeah, integrating with geek communities makes for a thrilling book read. LOL!

Well, if you're a geek....

[Alexx1]

Someone on the DC board mentioned they thought Joker was one of the shadowed people sitting at Visionary's table. I assumed the people at the table where Visonary's goons we'd seen earlier. On closer inspection, it sure looks like the Joker. Joker and Visionary sounds like a nightmare. I wonder who the little man at the table could be and what fresh hell the BoP have walked into.

[Schornforce]

Wow. It totally DOES look like the Joker on the left. The little guy looks like Doctor Sivana to me.

[Agent_Torpor]

Well, if you're a geek....

I guess I am, but i've never really wanted to get all the tech stuff in my BoP reading. Besides, I always found the times when BoP has delved into that, it's contrived and completely cornball.

"LOOK OUT, that computer virus has manifested itself as a SNAKE! I'll use my ORACLE HEAD-manifestation countervirus to attack!"

Yeah, I know the point is Babs is a proto-geektress, and she's got the processing power of a Google server farm (not quite sure where it is, mind you, and how she managed to pack everything up and move on. Offloading somewhere?), but anytime they try to do more with it, it comes off really, really bad. At least from my tech bent.

[Alexx1]

The little guy looks like Doctor Sivana to me.

The villians who's who list gets more intriguing and juicy!

[DonC]

Do we really need a gratuitous hero fight? This isn't even a misunderstanding, it's "I wanna kick your ass for no reason at all."

[pariah-1972]

Do we really need a gratuitous hero fight? This isn't even a misunderstanding, it's "I wanna kick your ass for no reason at all."

Manhunter wanted to distract her and also see how good she really is.

Thats a good enough reason.

[Alexx1]

I didn't think IGN liked anything:

http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=226414