Reviews

Batgirl and the Birds of Prey Vol. 1: Who Is Oracle? by Shawna Benson, Julie Benson

njdarkish's review

3.0

I am yet to be notably impressed by any of DC's Rebirth titles, and this continues the streak of "meh."
The story is actually half-decent: somebody is using the Oracle moniker, but for crime, and that means Batgirl and Canary are pissed and want to do something about it. That said, I felt like the story often was too silly, and that really detracted from things in general. The Snakes are really some of the worst villains to fight, especially multiple times in a volume. Huntress's revised backstory relative to the overall plot should have drawn me in-- but Huntress is constantly an interesting jerk and so I didn't really care about the emotional core of her story. Then, the "new" Oracle was also pretty silly, especially considering how much more interesting a more serious approach to the character could be in terms of story.
The art was pretty cheaply done, which definitely was a drawback of the book. The characters didn't have consistent appearances at all.

boards_books_and_brews's review

adventurous funny slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Batgirl and the Birds of Prey, Volume 1: Who Is Oracle? 

Written by Shawna and Julie Benson 

Art by Claire Roe 

Book 89/250 

Genre: Fantasy, Superhero 

Format: Digital, Graphic Novel 

Pages: 168 

Published: 2017 

Rating: 8/10 

Art: 5.5/10 

 

Collects Batgirl and the Birds of Prey (2016) Rebirth & 1-6 

 

This started off slow, but I really came to enjoy this volume. The reveal at the end was great and has me invested enough to read more! I was not a huge fan of the art. 

krakow54's review

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

madelynhope's review

4.0

rounded up 3.5
black canary!! i love her sm

daileyxplanet's review

5.0

Fun and well-written. Seems to be DC's answer to Ms. Marvel and the like, which is a good thing. I am not super familiar with the Birds of Prey, but I was able to keep up. I look forward to the next trade.

xsleepyshadows's review

4.0

I love this book! I really enjoy having kick-butt superheroes that have great character, a story that's action pace, and very well illustrated. This volume Oracle is back...except it's not Barbara. There is another Oracle that is taking the name and Bat girl recruits Black Canary to help her solve the case! They happen to run into Huntress who happens to be following the same trail they are and decide to team up. This volume in particular let's bat girl really gets to shine having to see who has stole her identity. I especially love bat girl's dads (I mean Jim Gordon and her Father Figure she sees in Batman) and the interactions she shared with them, even if they were brief. The characters are spot on, this novel is really fun and action filled. The pacing is really excellent, I read it so quickly because I was captivated. They do a bit of exposition on each character from their history and what has happened in New52 to Rebirth to their characters.

This was such an excellent read. I can't wait to get the next volume. ~Ashley

readingwhereitrains's review

adventurous challenging lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

w0nd3rl4nd's review

3.0

I think I might have enjoyed this series more than the DC's Rebirth Batgirl. The humor is still there, but it's more smart and witty than the Batgirl series. This series also seems to take itself more seriously. Perhaps it is because of Black Canary's appearance, but this series reminds me a bit of the Green Arrow series in terms of story and commentary.

Admittedly, it took me some time to get through this volume. It wasn't exactly boring, but it wasn't exciting to read compared to Green Arrow. However, I see potential in this series, especially if other female superheroes/villains make an appearance (PLEASE CATWOMAN!).

The art was a little different, more harsher and grungy, but I really liked it. It fit the tone of this series very well.

punkydory's review against another edition

4.0

I loved, loved, loved this! Am I making my feelings obvious enough? Disclaimer: I am a relative newbie to comics, having started with the Wonder Woman New 52 run last year (are you rolling your eyes yet? lol). So, I can't say how closely this sticks to the original Batgirl origin story. I think of that as a positive for me, since I am coming into this with a fresh perspective. Comics purists might bristle at this, but I'm enjoying it, and in my humble opinion, that's what matters. I really enjoyed this introduction to Batgirl; and, despite some of the negative comments regarding Black Canary, I found her character interesting and hilarious to read. I'm excited to get started on volume 2.

moonbites's review

4.0

Honestly I am sucker for some good ole' kickass heroines. I like it even better when those kickass heroines create a badass squad. I never had the pleasure of reading the older Birds of Prey comics, but this book makes me wish I did. The writing is pretty good, doesn't feel super stiff when characters talk and the story makes for a good team introduction. I am glad I gave this one a try and look forward to reading the next one. My hopes are that it will get even better!