Kelly Thompson ended her first story arc in her Birds of Prey run with a major cliffhanger. That cliffhanger centered around the idea of some unknown person from the future traveling to the present to kill Barbara Gordon. As of now only Black Canary and Batgirl Cassandra Cain know about Barbara’s possible fate. With this knowledge can Barbara’s best friend and protégé prevent her future? And will Barbara learn about her supposed fate? Let’s find out with Birds of Prey #7.
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Kelly Thompson
Artist: Javier Pina
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
SOLICITATION
“NEW MISSION! NEW TEAM! Sin is alive and back with Black Canary in Gotham, and the world didn’t get destroyed, but the cost was high and nobody’s exactly sure what it means yet. Shocking revelations in the wake of the Birds’ first mission lead Dinah to… a conspiracy against the Birds of Prey and a whole new mission. New mission, new team. Hold onto your butts.” – DC Comics
REVIEW
Right away Birds of Prey #7 addresses whether Barbara Gordon will be brought in on her possible future death. The answer being that Dinah Lance and Cassandra Cain tell Barbara and work together to investigate it was the correct direction. Keeping this a secret would’ve gone against Dinah and Cassandra’s relationship with Barbara.
Kelly Thompson and Javier Pina avoid stretching the mystery out by having Barbara learn about her possible fate. There is an immediate sense of urgency with how Barbara operates in full Oracle mode throughout Birds of Prey #7. We see Barbara methodically going through all of the information provided by Meridian. In the process we get to see why Barbara as Oracle is such a fan favorite and why her exclusion from the first Birds of Prey story arc was so noticeable.
Along the way Barbara and Dinah’s chemistry shines. While they are both great leaders, they are even better leading together. They know how to blend their friendship with professional work. We see that with how their back-and-forth keeps the story going as they find out where to go next with their investigation. They throw in subtle lines while strategizing that creates a natural flow to their dialogue.
This transitions well into having a more focused core roster of Black Canary, Batgirl, and Barda. Bringing it down to this trio made the addition of Oracle and Vixen work much better. There was enough room to make Oracle and Vixen be additive to the chemistry Thompson already established. The focus was still on the dynamic without feeling that there was forced dialogue so each character could get a quip in.
Adding Vixen to escalates this story to not just impact Barbara. There are signs that others are also being targeted. This helps to naturally bring in the rest of the DCU to be part of the Birds of Prey to increase the scale of this story. Even if Vixen is only a temporary member, having a rotating roster does show the resources the team has. In the process, Thompson can showcase different settings for missions that the Birds of Prey take on. Which we see with the fashion show infiltration that plays into Vixen’s individual work.
Black Canary having Batgirl and Barda training Sin was a strong sub-plot to add to this series. While Sin has gained new power it doesn’t mean she is suddenly a field ready superhero. Throwing her into missions with the Birds of Prey would’ve been reckless. Especially since Sin still does have full control of her power, much less the training of the others. Being mentored by the core members of the Birds of Prey makes for a much more natural integration into the team. This will let readers get to know her character, giving a greater sense of payoff when Sin becomes a full-time member of the team.
Javier Pina’s artwork was a visually pleasing style. Pina continued the look that Leonardo Romero established and made his own adjustments. The way Pina framed Oracle’s screen gave this opening a distinct look. The same goes for the ending where we see the different styles of the Birds of Prey at the fashion show. Pina also showcases his strong sense of action choreography with Batgirl, Barda and Sin’s training. That along with Vixen’s fight, work as good teasers for what we can expect in action heavy scenes in the next issue.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Birds of Prey #8 waste no time in getting right into the mystery surrounding Barbara Gordon’s future fate. The chemistry between everyone with Oracle and Vixen added to the team shines throughout this issue. It all gets you further invested in this series.
Story Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10