Review: Birds of Prey #20
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: Kelly Thompson
Art: Sami Basri and Vicente Cifuentes
Colors: Adriano Lucas
Letters: Clayton Cowles
Reviewed by: Matthew B. Lloyd
Summary
It’s a new mission for the team as the split into separate teams with missions in Gotham, Tokyo and the UAE. Has Oracle miscalculated? Nothing is going well!
Positives
Twenty issues in and Kelly Thompson has finally figured out how to write a Birds of Prey comic. Barbara is behind the computer, ALL the operatives have something to do AND she figures out how to make some smaller moments be important character beats.
That may not seem like a lot, but those big pieces are a huge part of making Birds of Prey #20 feel like a BoP comic. The basics are all here, though not many of the details really work. One that does is Cass pointing out the similarities between herself and Sin. FINALLY! This was a no brainier, but it took Thompson far too long to figure it out, or rather far too long to get through all the stuff that wasn’t working in this series she felt compelled to include.
Negatives
It wouldn’t be a Kelly Thompson DC comic if there weren’t problems with the characters, so let’s look at that. First, the tone seems all over the place and she even seems to acknowledge it and make it a joke within the issue itself. She clearly thought this was funny, but it’s an indicator of Thompson’s overall tone with things. The “jokiness” of this series has been a problem for a while. It comes off as Thompson’s audition for writing a Guardians of the Galaxy movie. One thing about Birds of Prey historically, is that it’s always had a serious edge to it even when there are humorous moments at times. Thompson can’t find that serious edge and just like Starlord…Thompson lets her predilection for being funny ruin moments that could have greater depth and meaning.
Thompson writes Big Barda like an oaf. She’s not grunting anymore, but she’s not much beyond “Hulk smash!” and “Hulk is strongest of all!” Barda is a much smarter and refined character. She can be a heavy hitter and powerful, but there’s a lot more to her than wanting to hit things
Negatives Cont’d
Thompson can’t find the proper sass level for Dinah in Birds of Prey #20 either. You can tell she wants to be funny, but it comes off more like simple contradiction. Perhaps, there are just too many people in the room at times and not everyone has to say something. It’s another indication that Thompson is just trying too hard to make it funny which is affecting the overall tone of the issue.
Finally, as Cass and Sin have a moment where they connect, Thompson brings up some of the Mageara foolishness. This aspect of Sin’s character has not worked since it was first introduced back in the first arc. I know she introduced the concept so it’s her “baby,” but it’s more of a distraction than anything else and feels like it belongs in a different comic entirely, like Doom Patrol or Hellblazer.
Verdict
Overall, Birds of Prey #20 is one of if not the most satisfying issues of this series. Thompson shows she’s either listened to criticism or just finally figured out what a Birds of Prey comic is. Her work with character still leaves a lot to be desired, but at least things have improved on some level. The only question is will she be able to continue to improve?
