| Comic Review | Paul Milligan |
Birds of Prey #92
Writer: Gail Simone
Pencils: Paulo Siqueira
Inker: Robin Riggs
Colorist: Hi-Fi Design
It’s
One Year Later and the Birds of Prey are busier than ever. A
key member of the villainous Society (a group including
almost every major villain in the DCU) has defected and the
Birds are his only hope of protection. Meanwhile, Black
Canary is undergoing intensive training in another part of
the world and… Lady Shiva has taken her place!?
DC’s One Year Later event is exactly what it sounds like.
All of their titles have jumped ahead exactly one year from
the end of Infinite Crisis and readers are introduced to DC
Universe that is much different than it was before. This
gives the creative teams for each title a chance to shake
things up a bit, introduce new characters and elements and
offer up a little bit of mystery. So far (I’ve been reading
all of the initial One Year Later issues) it’s been pretty
successful, offering a brand new jumping on point for new
readers while enticing old readers with some startling
changes.
The One Year Later issue of Birds of Prey is one of the best
One Year Later issues I’ve read so far, not to mention one
of the best issues of Birds of Prey I’ve read in ages. Gail
Simone’s characterization of some of the top female
characters in DCU is spot-on as always and her portrayal of
villains like Killer Croc and Clayface is scary good. The
inclusion of Lady Shiva as the latest member of the Birds
was a heck of a twist. Her confrontation with Ventriloquist
might have been my favorite part of the book. Add in the
plot involving Society member Crime Doctor (my favorite
character in this issue) trying to defect to the side of the
angels, Black Canary’s secretive mission in Asia and the
introduction of a mysterious new member and you’ve got one
hell of an explosive introductory issue for new and old fans
alike.
This issue also features stellar art by newcomer Paulo
Siqueira (GYPSY), definitely the best artist on BoP since Ed
Benes left the title. He draws sexy women, deadly villains
and eye-popping action, everything this title demands.
Siqueira really sealed the deal for me ensuring that I’ll be
back to see what’s going on next month.
Special thanks go out to Jeremy Shorr, owner of
Titan Comics for allowing us to use his advance
preview books for review purposes.
