The Birds are back in town!

What a glorious day! One might even say the Brightest Day! My favorite title came in this week for the first time in a long. What a minute Mike, Justice League didn’t coming this week. No it didn’t, but it is possible to have two favorite titles. While you may argue that a choice must be made, I simply can’t do it. I can’t pick between Birds of Prey and Justice League of America. It’s like trying to pick between Buffy and Star Trek. Both are great in different ways. There is no bad choice. Best of all Gail Simone is back in charge of Barbara Gordon and is rounding up the rest of ladies to kick ass and take names once again. No more Bitchy Barbara! No more whiny indecisive Barbara! The real deal is back and it’s about time. The added bonus is Ed Benes is back on the title and delivers some great artwork. Nobody draws Black Canary better than him. When I think of the modern Canary I think of his work. Now I know Geoff Johns twisted Gail’s arm to get her back on this title and am I glad he did. Perhaps they could put “based on an idea by Geoff Johns” across the top of each issue you know sort of like when Grant Morrison invented Metal Men. Remember that nonsense? I am kidding about the Johns thing but anything to keep this title a float. Enough tweeting about Birds let’s get to the review and do I really need to tell you that this is Analog’s pick of the week?

First before I talk about the story I want to mention Ed Benes art again, Gail is correct in saying this is his best work to date. He started out great on Justice League but towards the end it devolved into a tits and ass book. One would turn the page and be hit in the face with a giant Black Canary or Vixen ass jumping out of the page and hitting you in the face with some other panels around it. As exciting as it sounds to have Black Canary’s butt in you face, it is quite jarring when you are trying to read a story. I like big butt and I cannot lie but that was ridiculous. None of that is here. We get beautiful drawn women who look smart and capable without any gratuitous cheesecake shots. Black Canary, Huntress, Lady B, and Babs never looked better.

Gail wastes no time in throwing Canary into a dangerous hostage situation in the middle of Iceland of all places. Little or no mention is made of her break up with Green Arrow and I for one am glad. Let’s close that chapter of her life, the marriage was ill advised I thought from the get go. Oliver Queen is a good down to earth hero that I would want having my back in any firefight or there to keep the really super powered grounded. That being said I wouldn’t want him near my daughter or to have him for a father. Canary also seems back to herself of being the strong and in charge woman that was unanimously elected leader of the Justice League. Gone is the weak leader that dissolved the Justice League and was undermined by flyboy Hal Jordan’s temporary league. She dispatches the bad guys quickly and saves the little girl hostage with the help of her working partner Zinda aka Lady Blackhawk. Gail even throws in nods to old subplots mentioning Dinah having to give up her adopted daughter Sin which is a nice touch for long time readers and it’s good to see Dinah still working with Zinda on cases.

As the pair recuperates from their icy adventure a familiar tweet is heard. An old friend is calling and guess who it is? I think you only need one guess. If you said anyone besides Barbara Gordon, go to the back of the class and write on the chalkboard “I will pay more attention in class” one hundred times. Barbara is in trouble and needs her pals ASAP. Despite being dumped by their boss, Canary says, “We’re on our way Oracle. Count on us!” Well the easy phone call has been made now it’s time for the tough one to the Huntress. This one isn’t so easy, Helena is still smarting from the break up but Barbara persuades her with the knowledge that they are all in danger.

We get an interlude with new characters that will be recruited to the team Hawk and Dove. I have never been a fan of any version of the characters, it doesn’t matter who is in the costume. I find them to be boring stereotypes. Maybe Gail will turn me around on this since she seems to be excited to be working with them. It’s going to be a hard sell Ms. Simone on that one. I just don’t dig them but I’m willing to put up with them in order to get my favorite women back in action. Whatever Brightest Day subplot has to do with Dawn Granger and Hank Hall is fine if it gets other people to read this title. Just keep it to a minimum and let the girls unleash hell on bad guys again. Zinda is sent to round of these two. For what we don’t know yet and I don’t frankly care right now.

Now that everybody has been rounded up, our three main characters are meeting on a rooftop in Gotham. Where else would you meet in Gotham besides a rooftop? While Canary tries to play it cool and not cry that the “Birds” are about to fly again, it’s tougher than nails Huntress who gets choked up admitting she doesn’t many friends female or otherwise. Canary begs to differ. I’m a little choked up myself seeing the three together again and ready to fight. So I totally feel you Huntress. So what’s the emergency that has reunited our crew? Well someone has personal info on all of the Birds and just about every superhero in their community. Secret Identities. Home addresses. Locations and names of every student Helena has taught in the last five years. Canary’s adopted daughter secret location along with Charlie aka Misfits’ foster parents. (Nice mention Gail, we better see some D-D-Dark Vengeance soon!) What is worse they are threatening to kill one person on the list every hour unless the three play ball with the person. Plus all the info will all be put online for the world to see. Even Super hacker Oracle doesn’t have files like these and can’t trace who did this.

What can they do? Well they wouldn’t be the Birds of Prey if they didn’t put up a fight but they may be up against someone they can’t handle. A signal is shown in the night sky of Gotham that summons the Birds to it a la the Bat signal. Who is behind this? Well I’m not going to spill that but I will say the Birds are about to face as the blurb says for next issue the “Wrath of the White Canary” It looks like Black Canary is finally getting the arch nemesis that she has always been lacking. Oracle has the Calculator and the Joker to a certain extent but Dinah doesn’t really have a person of that caliber. Count Vertigo just doesn’t cut it. Without saying too much, that void is about to be filled and Dinah and the rest of the gang are in for the fight of their lives. Is it time for next issue yet?