Birds of Prey #14 – Kelly Thompson, Writer; Sami Basri, Artist; Adriano Lucas, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: Kelly Thompson’s oddball team book has been one of the most entertaining books in DC’s stable since it launched, and its technique of constantly refreshing the team for every mission keeps things fresh. This arc turns the focus on Cassandra Cain, who has gone deep undercover as an infamous martial artist named Shen, who is taking a gig for the incredibly shady corporation the Ninth Circle. This tech corporation has developed a reputation for unique beauty products – and they’ve also been tied to the disappearance of five Amazons. Nubia has called in the Birds as a way of evening the score for the Sin mission and the Amazons’ help during Absolute Power. While it’s clear the two groups don’t trust each other yet, they’re working together and have gotten Cass deep into her role. Now she just needs to get them to trust her enough to take her into the inner sanctum.
The fight scenes are some of the best in this series, and this issue has two top-notch standouts. First, you have Cass battling her way through an army of goons to get a meeting with her soon-to-be-boss, impressing him with her brutality along the way. It seems Cass rarely gets to show off like she did in the old days, so this was a lot of fun. Even more fun, though, is Big Barda’s regular sparring sessions, which are more like a Superhero Fight Club, as she brings in fellow powerhouses Grace and Onyx for a brawl. This is the kind of banter I love to see in the book, and Barda in this book is the funniest she’s ever been. This is a fairly light issue – until the last few pages, when we discover just how evil this corporation is, and how far Cass might have to go to stop them. Nothing big has changed in this new era for this title, but when it’s this good, why should it have to?
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
