Batgirl & The Birds Of Prey #4 –
DC ComicsWritten by Julie & Shawna Benson
Art by Roge Antonio
Colos by Allen Passalaqua
Letters by Deron Bennett
Cover by Yanick Paquette & Nathan Fairbairn
During the staggered launch of the DC Rebirth initiative, we reviewed the initial issue of Batgirl & The Birds of Prey. It was definitely one of the most charming Rebirth books, but our only worry was that Huntress would overpower the story. That has not been the case, but it has made us want a Huntress comic from the Benson team. Let’s dive into this latest issue and see if all of those things still hold true.
If you’ve been reading this series, minor spoilers of previous issues lie ahead. We know that the team has been on a mission to track down the Oracle imposter. Huntress was always a reluctant member of the team, and we know there was a bit of a fracture there. So now Huntress has gone off on her own, to a certain extent, and once again adopted her lone wolf ideals. What I didn’t expect, was the amount of setup and back story that we would get on Helena and the Bertinelli family. We get a lot of information on what happened to the family and what happened to Helena at a very young age. It really ties her motives together and also explains her relationship with Batgirl and Black Canary very well. Minor spoiler (that you should see coming), they reconcile and find that the mission to find imposter Oracle may be involve more than they first thought. The final few pages of the issue will definitely make Batman fans smile, and give you a nice final page to set up, what I suspect will be, a big reveal coming.
This book has been very stead and consistent. The team dynamic that Julie and Shawna Benson have given us is one that is both heartwarming and badass. Those aren’t things that always go together, but these three ladies just work so well as a team on the page. I still want a Huntress comic, but I’m not sure I ever want this team to break off on their own. They can all stand on their own, but are just so entertaining and strong together, it makes me look forward to this book even more with every passing issue. The art has been very consistent as well, and I loved the detail in the final pages during the action sequences. The setting of the flashbacks were also spot on and really lent to the larger story. Julie and Shawna Benson not only know how to write some of the strongest female characters in comics, but they show that they know how to craft a story that can be funny, interesting and action packed. I’m not sure how comic book fans can ask for any more than that.
RATING: PULL / BUY