Birds of Prey #26 – Kelly Thompson, Writer; Sami Basri/Vicente Cifuentes, Artists; Adriano Lucas, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: Unfortunately, we’ve gotten word that this excellent team book will be coming to an end in December, so this is the final arc. But Kelly Thompson is determined to send us out with a bang. This issue finds the Birds of Prey at a crossroads. The addition of the super-thief Inque has set Barda on edge, given the villain’s targeting of her in the past arc. Meanwhile, a mysterious hacker is developing the most immersive game the world has ever seen – using the world as a canvas – and it might be the key to the mystery that the Birds are trying to unravel. As this story begins, the Birds are set to enter the game – but Cass suggests that they shouldn’t skip right to the final boss battle. There might be clues they need along the way. So, donning their best disguises (including Barda as a massive gargoyle that is sure to be a fan favorite), they join countless other gamers on a city-wide adventure.
I don’t know if Kelly Thompson has any involvement in MMORPGs, but if she doesn’t, she does an amazing job of capturing the unique vibe of these immersive games. Some of the puzzles along the way are particularly clever, essentially making this an interactive issue where you can guess along with the characters (although the Birds are smart and usually figure it out pretty quickly). The visuals are clever as well, but the real magic of this issue – and the title as a whole – is the way the characters interact and the time-worn running gangs and banter they have. It’s really rare to see a team book that actually feels like the characters are friends, even if they don’t always sync up, and that’s what’s made this easily the best take on the Birds since
Gail’s famous run. I’m not sure what’s next for KT once this title ends, but DC needs to greenlight anything she’s interested in writing for them.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
