Birds of Prey #30 Review

Written by: Christy Marx
Art by: Robson Rocha
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: April 16, 2014

Don't Blink or You May Miss It

Birds of Prey is a book that seems to be running to stand still.  DC cares enough about it to include it in major events (Zero Year and Gothtopia recently), but it's these events that have killed any momentum the book's main story line has tried to build.  Not this month.  Christy Marx has had a  couple of months to settle in and tell her story.  The battle between Mother Eve and Ra's al Ghul is in full swing, but is it any good?



Christy Marx has done a good job setting up this battle of Ra's and Mother Eve.  Ra's is a man with a plan and the plan is to attack Mother Eve when she is most vulnerable.  For her part, Mother Eve has recruited the Birds of Prey to protect her.  That's just the tip of the iceberg.  Like Ra's does, he's tried to stack the odds in his favor.  For their help, he's promised Black Canary that her husband, Kurt Lance, will be saved, but also promised Condor that Kurt will die first.  Oh Ra's, you devil!   To make matters even more interesting, Mother Eve trusts both, actually placing Canary as her last defense.  The setup to this battle has been one of the highlights of the series.

Unfortunately, the battle itself is pretty lackluster.  There is action, but it's generic.  This may be because the Birds are fighting masked ninjas.  The generic aspect doesn't end there.  The issue's tension all came from what Canary and Condor would do during the battle, but what happens happens too fast and there is really no surprise.  Then the battle just ends.  It's as if Ra's and Mother Eve take their toys and go home.  Game over.  So much for the buildup.

Of course there is a cliffhanger ending showing the next villain, but it didn't interest me much.  I think I was still in disbelief at the lame ending to the battle.

Robson Rocha is back again this month and I really like his art.  He does the team really well and his action scenes (even with generic ninjas) are good.  I hope he stays on to give Christy Marx a consistent creative partner.


Bits and Pieces: 

Birds of Prey #30 seems more like a missed opportunity than an epic battle.  Christy Marx set everything up and then let it end with a whimper.  Robson Rocha's art is good, but the issue ends up being mediocre overall.

5.0/10