Panel by Panel: Where's the bourbon?

Birds of Prey #114
by Sean McKeever and Nicola Scott

Last issue, I was kind of afraid for the birds. Misfit messed up, and Superman really gave them a telling. In this issue, Oracle takes it really harshly and takes it out on Misfit. A lot of people are angry over how Oracle could be acting out of character, but I'm willing to believe it (superman is still a prick though), and I'm willing to keep reading.

Now is a good a time as any to talk about the covers. I don't know when Stephane Roux started doing them (#101?), but they certainly work well. I love his expressions.

In this one, you really get a retro feel. All the colors are muted and warm. The banner is a pretty easy throwback. Also, the two characters were WWII-era heroes!

Unfortunately, the cover isn't too representative of the pages inside, but at least it's better than Marvel's (in my opinion) because they actually tell stories. Am I right? Am I right? Tell me I'm. . . never mind.

Anyhow, S.R. = awesome.

In this issue, Oracle sends out a crapload of secondary birds to see if they can find anything out about the energy blast in last issue. Obviously, they find nothing, and Oracle is SUPER-SUPER-BROODY.

SO broody that she makes Misfit clean all the dishes, even though Barbara's been eating takeout for the past week. But hey, at least it put a squiggly line on top of Misfit's head. Those are so cute! The world would be a better place with more squiggly lines.

The characters have changed since the writing shuffle, but I think it's believable. It makes sense that Barbara would behave this way. Unfortunately, it also makes sense that Misfit (I'm calling her by her name - Charlie - from now on.) wouldn't be as perky. Which kinda sucks. I hope her spirits return to her.

With all this characterization, you really get a feel of what McKeever is doing. He really has a sense of direction for these characters. If Gail Simone's Birds was about the rise of Dinah (Black Canary), maybe McKeever's Birds will be about the rise of Charlie?

There's a great subplot with Helena (Huntress) and Zinda (Lady Blackhawk). They go to a bar, and Helena, being a teacher and all, gets really drunk really fast.
From there, they start talking about Zinda's time displacement (she's from WWII remember?). See, here's the difference between Marvel and DC. Marvel will make time displacement tragic and painful (Captain America), while DC makes it fun. I may be a Marvel fan first, but this scene is great:
When they leave the bar, Helena takes a cab, and then Zinda feels like she's being watched. . .

. . . by KILLER SHARK! They have a tussle; Shark makes some cryptic foreshadowing, and. . .
I don't exactly know who this guy is, but anyone who has a glowing fish for an airplane is ok in my book.

Yadayadayadayada. . . Oracle "trains" Misfit, although it's more like torture, and then they get interrupted by. . . Black Alice!

Again, I don't know who she is, but if the solicit is any clue, I'm definitely going to enjoy next issue.

Awwww, what a cute blurb.

I love that cover, love the blurb, and really enjoyed this issue. Looks like I'll be waiting on hands and toes for number 115.

McKeever's gonna take us for a ride, and it definitely looks fun: five out of five bottles of bourbon.