Art by: Javier Pina
Colors by: Jordie Bellaire
Letters by: Clayton Cowles
Cover art by: Leonardo Romero, Jordie Bellaire
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: March 5, 2024
Birds Of Prey #7 begins the hunt for a time traveler who may be targeting the Birds of Prey, past and present. How far will the team go undercover to get to the truth?
Is Birds Of Prey #7 Good?
Birds Of Prey #7 is a weird comic. It's not necessarily terrible, but it doesn't do anything to grab you. Several points aren't explained or don't make sense, but the negatives aren't as off-putting as the first arc, so at least this issue is an improvement... maybe.
When last we left the Birds OF Prey (BoP), Meridian, aka Maps from the future, hand-waived the rationale behind why Oracle couldn't be involved in the first mission and several other glaring plot flaws using the magic of foreknowledge from the future. In every path the BoPs could have taken, Barbara Gordon dies, so Meridian jumps to the massive conclusion that a time traveler is manipulating the timeline to get at the BoP.
Now, Meridian hands Barbara, aka Oracle, a massive amount of time traveler data so Barbara can find a pattern to the time manipulation (because Oracle's technology is somehow more effective than advanced tech from Meridian's future?). Oracle deduces Meridian's time travel tech taps in the Green and that a similar series of "spikes" appears in the Red.
In need of expert advice about the Red (because Meridian apparently has no access to knowledge of the Red or the events unfolding now?), the BoP enlists Mari McCabe, aka Vixen, for help. However, Vixen has a problem of her own when she recently woke up in the middle of a mansion while trying to rob it. Dinah believes Vixen's recent trouble may also be connected to the Red, so Vixen hatches a plan to draw the time-traveling troublemaker out of hiding by sending the BoP undercover as runway models for a lingerie fashion show(?).
Watch our Birds of Prey #7 Video Review
What's great about Birds Of Prey #7? Putting the plot aside, Thompson infuses the interaction between the team members with a certain easy charm and chemistry. They like and respect each other, and it shows.
What's great about Birds Of Prey #7? Thompson's plot is a wacky jumble of plot developments that come out of nowhere with little explanation or setup, ranging from mildly annoying to serious.
On the mildly annoying side, we find Barda, Cass, and Megaera/Sin in fight training, but we don't know where or what they're doing. You could eventually figure out they're fight training in a laser tag arena, but it's not clear. A simple location caption should have cleared up several minor annoyances like this one.
Growing in seriousness, why doesn't Meridian know anything about what's happening? She's from the future and uses advanced tech she built, so why does she need Oracle's help to figure out what's happening? Why doesn't Meridian know anything about the Red? How is Oracle in a better position to analyze Meridian's time travel data than Meridian?
Finally, what on Earth does a lingerie fashion show have to do with the Red or finding a potentially malicious time traveler? Yes, the issue ends on the runway show as a cliffhanger, but this feels like an excuse for the BoP to play dress-up, which is not how anyone should hit the ground running in a new arc when the previous finale stumbled so badly.
Collectively, Thompson is not thinking things through. A problem or scenario crops up, but Thompson doesn't put in the work to explain what happened or make the reader believe why a character would go left instead of right or make choice A instead of B.
How's the art? It's better. Leonardo Romero's style is not suitable for action-oriented superhero comics., so moving to Javier Pina is an improvement. That said, Jordie Bellaire's persistent use of diffraction to make it seem like the coloring is out of sync is still weird and mildly off-putting. Experimentation has its place, but not when you're trying to get a rebooted title off the ground.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
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Bits and Pieces:
Birds Of Prey #7 is an oddball way to kick off a new arc. Meridian's placement as a time traveler makes little sense when she doesn't seem to know what's happening now (her past). The story jumps from scene to scene with little setup or transitions. Everyone jumps to huge conclusions that happen to be right, and Vixen's plan appears to be an excuse to play dress-up in skimpy outfits.
5.5/10
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ReplyDeleteI agree with all your points - the problem is that Bat Family has grown too big and they are now derivatives of derivatives (Like Harley Quinn and Punchline and Flatline) they need to focus on a narrative motivation and great foes for the BoP or admit there is no reason for this comic to exist....
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