YoGo
04-25-2005, 08:35 AM
From http://www.buzzscope.com/reviews.php?id=4132
Birds of Prey #81
Simone and Co. haven’t really disappointed or missed a beat since day one.
Available: 2005-04-20
Publisher: DC
Price: $2.50
Writer: Gail Simone
Artist: Joe Bennett
REVIEW by Harold Bloomfield
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I can’t think of another superhero book, other than “The Ultimates” that is as consistently good as this one. Coming off of what probably was the weakest arc of her run so far Gail Simone rebounds with a strong opening chapter of a new storyline. Keep in mind that things are relative so that Simone’s weakest arc was still a pretty good story, just not on the level of her best work on this book.
Canary and Wildcat travel undercover to Singapore for a sting against a drug kingpin. While the set up echoes Canary’s recent kung-fu overseas adventure this one revolves around a drug syndicate and a mythical group of ninja like assassins. The highlight here is the interaction between Canary and Wildcat. Simone plays Wildcat’s old style machismo just right. She gets humor out of the situation but not through ridicule as she makes clear the genuine warmth Canary feels for him. Simone does play his costume for laughs as she doesn’t ignore how jarringly out of place it looks in such a realistic setting.
While the very slowly developing storyline of Oracle’s increasingly personal interaction with automation is ignored the exit of the Huntress last issue isn’t. Simone handles it beautifully leaving the development open to a number of possibilities, all of which are equally plausible. That so many explanations are available and equally valid is a tribute to the character development Simone has been doing. She also holds the Huntress denouncement until the very end making for a fine double shot cliffhanger.
Joe Bennett replaces Ed Benes as the regular artist on this series. Benes work on this book was under appreciated in many quarters as it rose above mere cheesecake (most of the time) to mesh perfectly with Simone’s style. Bennett, while not imitating Benes, seems to be trying to keep a similar tone and is so successful in doing so that I think he’ll make a very good replacement.
I don’t know how many different ways I can use to say how enjoyable this series is but Simone and Company haven’t really disappointed or missed a beat since day one. I really look forward to reading this one every month.
Birds of Prey #81
Simone and Co. haven’t really disappointed or missed a beat since day one.
Available: 2005-04-20
Publisher: DC
Price: $2.50
Writer: Gail Simone
Artist: Joe Bennett
REVIEW by Harold Bloomfield
http://www.buzzscope.com/scores/bplus.gif
I can’t think of another superhero book, other than “The Ultimates” that is as consistently good as this one. Coming off of what probably was the weakest arc of her run so far Gail Simone rebounds with a strong opening chapter of a new storyline. Keep in mind that things are relative so that Simone’s weakest arc was still a pretty good story, just not on the level of her best work on this book.
Canary and Wildcat travel undercover to Singapore for a sting against a drug kingpin. While the set up echoes Canary’s recent kung-fu overseas adventure this one revolves around a drug syndicate and a mythical group of ninja like assassins. The highlight here is the interaction between Canary and Wildcat. Simone plays Wildcat’s old style machismo just right. She gets humor out of the situation but not through ridicule as she makes clear the genuine warmth Canary feels for him. Simone does play his costume for laughs as she doesn’t ignore how jarringly out of place it looks in such a realistic setting.
While the very slowly developing storyline of Oracle’s increasingly personal interaction with automation is ignored the exit of the Huntress last issue isn’t. Simone handles it beautifully leaving the development open to a number of possibilities, all of which are equally plausible. That so many explanations are available and equally valid is a tribute to the character development Simone has been doing. She also holds the Huntress denouncement until the very end making for a fine double shot cliffhanger.
Joe Bennett replaces Ed Benes as the regular artist on this series. Benes work on this book was under appreciated in many quarters as it rose above mere cheesecake (most of the time) to mesh perfectly with Simone’s style. Bennett, while not imitating Benes, seems to be trying to keep a similar tone and is so successful in doing so that I think he’ll make a very good replacement.
I don’t know how many different ways I can use to say how enjoyable this series is but Simone and Company haven’t really disappointed or missed a beat since day one. I really look forward to reading this one every month.