Birds of Prey #0

First Flight

I’m not going to sugarcoat it; Birds of Prey #12 was an unmitigated disaster. Of the thirty plus comics I read over the past month, it was definitely the worst (although Arkham Unhinged certainly makes a good run for that prize). Though Birds of Prey has never been one of my favorite series, I did enjoy the old title, but Birds of Prey #12 was such a mess of ridiculous plot points wrapped in a lackluster presentation that it pained me to read it. The idea of even having an eco-terrorist on the team is ridiculous from the get go, and helping Poison Ivy commit her nut job attacks is even worse. Still, one bad issue does not a trend make, so I tried to read the zero issue with an open mind. Did this issue add to the dirt on Birds of Prey’s casket, or does it redeem the series to some degree?

In this issue, we see Black Canary working undercover at the Iceberg Lounge one year ago. Dinah is looking to stop a terrorist organization from selling a powerful bomb, but before she can make a move on the buyer, Batgirl shows up to ruin the party.

What a Transformation!

It is not an exaggeration to say that this issue is light years better than the last. Unlike the ridiculous multistage conflict with Poison Ivy in the last issue, the conflict in this issue actually makes perfect sense. Furthermore, Dinah comes off as a likable character rather than as the incompetent boob she appeared in issue twelve. There are several surprises throughout the story which I did not see coming, and I am very eager to see how things develop. Even minor complaints I had with the last issue like the awkward rendering of Dinah’s canary cry have been improved via this story. Dinah’s cry now looks like a wave rather than like some sort of bizarre mouth laser. This issue was such an immense improvement over the last that I was surprised to see that it was the same writer as the last issue, Duane Swierczynski. Perhaps I underestimated you Mr. Swierczynski. I will be delighted if you continue to prove me wrong.

Who Watches the Batmen?

Whoever is editing Batman comics seems to be doing a terrible job for there is yet another apparent continuity error in this issue. My understanding was that Barbara had just recently recovered from her gunshot wound and once again donned the Batgirl outfit at the beginning of her DCNU series, but this issue clearly shows that Batgirl was mobile and kicking one year earlier. What the h***, DC?

Mr. Bat Editor, MAKE A FREAKING TIMELINE FOR EVENTS!!! The mistakes are beginning to become embarrassingly frequent.

Ect.

I really cannot find much else wrong with this issue. Perhaps Black Canary had a bit too much exposition, but that is perfectly forgivable. Also, all the women in this series still seem to peculiarly possess the exact same measurements, but again, this is a minor complaint.

Starling continues to be by far the most compelling character in my eyes, and I look forward to getting to know her better.

Conclusion

Birds of Prey went from being the worst comic I read last month to being one of the best I’ve read this month. I have no idea what to expect from the future, but I would recommend this month’s Birds of Prey to anybody who loves comics.