GRAPHIC NOVEL
Birds of Prey
Old Friends, New Enemies

Author: Chuck Dixon
Artists: Greg Land & Dick Giordano

Titan Books
RRP £13.99
ISBN 1 84023 608 6
Available now


Meet the crime fighting, female detectives known as the Birds of Prey. There is Oracle - the computer genius who used to fight crime as Batgirl, now paralysed but still in action, and Black Canary - the young adventurer who feels she has something to prove to the World...

In Old Friends, New Enemies, Oracle and Black Canary investigate a vicious slave trader, run into some deadly female mercenaries, take on the powerful Kobra crime organisation, fight a prehistoric monster, try to bring a war criminal to trial and hook up with Dick Grayson , the former Robin - now the superhero known as Nightwing.

This is a fairly impressive collection of Bird of Prey stories gathered here - and an excellent buy for the uninitiated - although the first story may be a little on the confusing side until near it's conclusion.

To really appreciate this collection all you really need to know is that Oracle was once Batgirl, before the Joker took away the use of her legs with a well placed bullet, and that she and her partner, Black Canary, fight crime. Oracle's identity is kept a secret, even from her partner. The only contact they have is through the latest state-of-the-art technology which allows Oracle to see what Black Canary is up to, as well as communicate verbally with her.

I also thought that the finally story was a little on the disappointing side. We have a Russian space vessel under the ocean, a collection of prehistoric monsters, some mysterious female vigilantes and an army of robots and the story never really does anything with any of them. They are just there and under used - a clear case of too many factors crammed into too small a story.

Other than that, this collection is entertaining.

Nick Smithson

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