Anyways, I think that's enough weirdness for today. Let's just talk about creeps in shark jumpsuits with drug fetishes. Let's review Birds of Prey #116.
Birds of Prey #116
by Sean McKeever and Nicola Scott
by Sean McKeever and Nicola Scott
Check out that cover; do you notice whose name is on the writing credits? I'll wait. . .
. . . Misprint alert! I'm pretty sure Simone left the Birds after issue 109.
So in this issue, Lady Blackhawk has been drugged to become -- Queen Killer Shark! Pirate Pearl of the Pacific!
That name alone almost redeems getting drugged -- but not nearly enough. Remember how in this post I said Killer Shark was a douchebag? Well, the Killer Shark in this comic is his grandson, and on the flipside: he's not a douchebag. He's a stupid loser greedy fanboy with too much time on his hands.
Sigh.
So his backstory gets fleshed out here in McKeever's fourth and penultimate issue: this Killer Creep discovered that his grandfather was a legendary pirate. Although his grandpa told him plenty of stories, the man never told him where he hid Killer Shark's booty -- so the Killer Shark in this comic thought to wrest it not from Lady Blackhawk, but from -- Queen Killer Shark! Pirate Pearl of the Pacific!Meanwhile, we go to Black Alice and Misfit, who're still being angsty and childish until --
<-- Black Canary in a box breaks up the brawl! That is great; that is just great. Oracle, though, is still being kind of miswritten. She's not Batman and she should never be written as cold as he puts himself off as, although it's believable given the circumstances.Thereafter, Black Alice bounces out with an eerie message:
"I know where you live."and then Oracle says to Misfit ---->
That close-up on Barbara brings up something about the art -- the faces tend to be clones of each other! What is going on, artist Nicola Scott? Okay, fine, there's a child-girl face and an adult-girl face, but I'm sure you can do better. I give you props, however, for your paneling. It's very clear and eye-catching.
Meanwhile, on Killer Shark Island, Queenie takes them to the treasure, and Killer Shark gets absolutely ecstatic - like a jerk. He reveals that he'd originally planned to kill her once he found the treasure, but now that he sees it, he's too happy to.
What a jerk.
And then he reveals further that the Shark serum could only've been made in massive batches, so maybe Queenie would have to share him with Huntress, who'll no doubt get serum-ized.
. . . kids, that is what you call "creepy." Do not take candy from this man; it's most definitely drugged. Do not get in a car, submarine or plane with him -- even if it's shark-shaped. If you see a shark-shaped sub, your first instinct should be, "Run." Are we clear?
Good. So, throughout the entire issue, I no doubt wanted this guy to get shown up. He does, with an arrow in the butt:
Sigh. So later, Queenie's memories return to her, and she tries to reason out how Huntress got free from captivation:
This was both a very heartwarming moment and a very strange one.Heartwarming: it's really sweet to see that Zinda's subconscious wanted to save Huntress even when her conscious didn't want to.
I also love the clark bars. You can't go wrong with those.
Bad McKeever, go hide in the corner.
And that's the issue. There's some cliffhanger-y stuff that introduces the menace of the arc's very first issue, but that wasn't too compelling. Keep in mind, though, that Misfit's powers are magic-based. That should come in handy.
Overall, this was a really well-plotted issue. There are a ton of developments in the issue, yet nothing seems too crowded or cramped. There are lots of moments to be happy about, yet none of it's overwhelming.
Maybe I've just gotten used to decompression, but this issue really gives a lot of bang for your buck.
A three out of five Killer Shark teeth for this issue. Based on the writing, it should be more, but still, it could've used more Zinda Blake and less creepy Killer Shark.
I know, I know, this was from last issue, but I don't care. I love Zinda.
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