Reviewer: Andy Campbell
Story Title: Hero Hunters Part 4: She Rides the Eye of a Hurricane
Written by: Gail Simone
Art by: Ed Benes
Colored by: Hi-Fi
Lettered by: Jared K. Fletcher
Assistant Editor: Rachel Gluckstern
Editor: Joan Hilty
Publisher: DC Comics
I’ll come out with this right away: I love Birds of Prey. I really do. Black Canary is one of my favourite characters, and for my money, nobody writes her as well as Gail Simone, and nobody draws her as well as Ed Benes.
Batman is another of my favourites. So, it comes as no surprise that I absolutely loved the beginning of this issue, which saw Black Canary confront Batman about his treatment of Huntress and Oracle. The characterization is perfect, and it really shows just how much of a handle Gail Simone has on these characters.
This installment of Hero Hunters sees the BoP tracking down Thorn, a criminal with multiple personality disorder. Well, that’s my overly-simplified version of her anyway. One of the best parts of this book was reading the portrayal of Thorn. I haven’t had a chance yet to read Gail Simone’s Rose and Thorn mini-series, so this issue was my introduction to the character. I think she’s a fascinating character, so I can’t wait for next month’s installment to see what becomes of her.
Ed Benes has been accused of being a “cheesecake” artist, focusing mostly on T&A. I have to disagree, as I think he’s just a straight-up good artist. Are his women extremely sexy? Absolutely. However, that certainly doesn’t take away from anything. He’s got great design sense, he really knows how to convey emotion, and his fight scenes are incredible. The attractive women are just icing on the cake! (I TOLD you I liked Black Canary!)
This is as good a time as any to climb onboard, as these Hero Hunters stories can be read stand-alone. In short, if you’re not reading this book, you should be. You won’t regret it!
