Review – Birds of Prey #21: One Down
Birds of Prey #21 cover, via DC Comics.
Ray: Last issue kicked off the most high-octane mission of the Birds yet, as the entire team was deputized to prevent a tech heist. But whatever the technology at play was, it became clear this was about something much bigger. Black Canary and the duo of Cassandra Cain and Sin both came under attack by coordinated supervillain teams, while Big Barda was infiltrating a building in Dubai when she found out that the entire building was a disguised rocket that blasted of, then detonated with her in it. Enough to kill just about anyone – but not Big Barda. It is enough to knock her out cold, though – which means she's in her armor as she rockets down to Earth like a meteor and creates a crater. Which is exactly what the villain was counting on. That's about when Inque steps in, testing the best way to inject Barda with…something and get her nice and docile for the main villain's master plan. Moving fast. Via DC Comics.
Of course, the addition of the ruthless Batman Beyond villain is a big fan-favorite development here. More and more elements of that future continuity have been working their way into the DCU in recent years. But she's not the main villain here – that's Daemon Prime, a mysterious techno-villain who has been puppeteering everyone around the world. There's a sense of urgency to this issue that's hard to find in superhero comics, as the heroes realize they haven't just been outfought – they've been outplanned, and the villains are one step ahead of them the whole time. From the tension between Oracle and Black Canary to the uneasy bonding between Cass and sin, this crisis is bringing out both the best and the worst in the team – but nothing prepared me for the reveal of exactly what the villains needed Barda for. The stakes are sky-high in this arc, and that makes it one of the most entertaining arcs yet.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes. Liked it? Take a second to support GeekDad and GeekMom on Patreon!
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