When I first heard of the Birds of Prey comic book series, I was intrigued. As a fan of the television series I was interested in obtaining a little more background information on the trio that would work to save Gotham. For those of you unfamiliar with the former Batman protégé, Barbara Gordon, AKA: Batgirl, has became paralyzed from the waste down thanks to a bullet by the legendary Joker. Like her mentor Gordon devises a different means of fighting crime. Using her vast computer knowledge, Gordon assumes a new identity - that of the all-seeing, all-knowing Oracle. As the Oracle, Barbara Gordon assists other superheroes with their fight against crime, supplying them with information on criminal activity that might otherwise go unnoticed. Gordon however, is not alone, in her quest, as she joins forces with Dinah Lance, known better as the Black Canary, and former wife of Oliver Queen, a.k.a. the Green Arrow. Lance joins Gordon, after leaving behind life bliss, destroyed in an instant during an investigation where she is raped and left without the ability to use her sonic scream, the Canary Cry, or have children. Soon after, she and Queen divorce, and Lance is left with little direction in life..
So, when I happened to acquire a copy of trade paperback Black Canary / Oracle: Birds of Prey, I was pleased to find that the compilation contained seven of the 50 plus stories that made this series famous. The first story, Birds of Prey #1, chronicles the beginning of a crime fighting team. Dinah Lance is down and out in Seattle, raped and recently divorced. She is unhappy, lost, and being stalked by creditors. She needs direction, and a steady cash flow. Then comes the fated phone call - Oracle has a job for Black Canary. Someone is sabotaging Third World entrepreneur Nick Divine's moneymaking projects. Oracle wants Black Canary to go undercover and get close to Divine to find out why. The answer is not as simple as it seems and is more devastating than anything Black Canary and Oracle ever expected.
Revolution finds Black Canary undercover as a hopeful singer answering an ad in the local newspaper. Several other hopefuls have answered that ad - and disappeared. What's the story behind this ad? A slave ring with ties to Santa Prisca. With Oracles help, Black Canary travels to Santa Prisca to destroy the slave ring at its root. However, when Black Canary runs into a mysterious man with an uncertain past, will she allow herself to become distracted from the main goal of the mission? Showcase '96 # 3 opens in a warehouse in Metropolis, Black Canary and Oracle have tracked a slave ship from Santa Prisca to the warehouse. It seems that Lois Lane was investigating goings on in the same warehouse, which is actually a front for a slave-labor operation. With Oracle's guidance, Black Canary and Lois Lane assist the laborers in a staging an uprising against a foreman with superhuman powers.
Manhunt #1-4 starts off as a mission of revenge. Black Canary was duped by a con-man/gigolo. With Oracle's help, Black Canary tracks him down and discovers that he's more than the average con man. Archer Braun is a first class thief, having stolen over one billion dollars from the Bengston Mint in Bristol. Things get out of control when two more slighted women show up. The Huntress has a personal debt to pay, having been romanced by Braun and then dumped. Meanwhile, Catwoman has a professional vendetta - Braun stiffed her on payment for her assistance with the alarm system at the Mint. They decide to team up, against Oracle's advisement. Oracle's advice proves prophetic, when Braun kidnaps Canary. She's taken to a remote island. What's worse is that Canary has removed her transceiver earrings. Oracle can hear Canary, but she can't speak to her. Where are the earrings? Ask Catwoman! Oracle is forced to work with Catwoman and The Huntress to save Black Canary from Braun and his evil acquaintance Lady Shiva.
The artwork in these stories, with the exception of Showcase '96 #3, is excellent! (I found the artwork in Showcase to be rather rushed and flat.) The banter between the defiant Black Canary and Oracle, the voice of reason (Canary once calls Oracle her Jiminy Cricket) is hysterical. It's great to see the relationship between the two women grow. More amazing is how much Black Canary trusts Oracle, a woman she has never met. The stories are captivating and full of action. I especially enjoyed Birds of Prey #1 and Revolution. These two stories in particular were extremely well written and gave the reader a chance to see the rocky beginnings of a partnership built on trust. The reader was treated to new insights about their favorite characters, such as how hard it is for Barbara to play the behind the scenes role. The characters learn things about each other and themselves.
With over 200 pages full of action and suspense, areas of comic relief, and special appearances by Batman, Lynx, Catwoman, The Huntress, and Lady Shiva, I'd say that money I spent on this comic was well worth it. I was completely engrossed from beginning to end - which of course means that I will now have to track down the rest of the series!
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