Birds of Prey Begins - Oracle and Canary's first team-up

[thebigapricot]

With BoP ready to relaunch, here's a look at the one-shot by Chuck Dixon called "Black Canary/Oracle - Birds of Prey" from 1996 that launched the team and the title.

At the back of this 54 page issue there are two pages (these are not in the trade) introducing the characters. It makes for interesting reading. I thought these lines summed up the situation of the book's two leads well:
"For a while, Black Canary and Oracle have been meandering about the DC Universe, helping out the super-hero community on occasion and otherwise doing their own thing. The time has finally come for them to shed the label of "supporting character" and strike out on their own, together. Given a chance they'll shine."

First issues of any book offer a variety of difficulties for a writer. But firsts with well-known characters are particularly tricky. The writer must give the readers who know the characters their due but not at the expense of new readers. And here part of the book's value is that they are legacy characters, so how much history do you show?

Interestingly, Dixon actually gives Canary very little history. Oracle, on the other hand, gets Bats logos on her wheelchair and practices throwing ninja blades at a picture of the Joker. She also gets a full page flash back that includes her time as Batgirl and the events of the Killing Joke (but no flying coffee cup).

So on to the book. The first few pages introduce the plot which I will be covering very little of here. It’s decent enough, though. There’s a third-word country and a rich tycoon who wants to modernize it and potentially evil eco-terrorists who oppose it.

After this intro, you get a cold opening introducing the reader to Canary. I think Dixon did a great job on setting her story up in about 6 pages, edited for your enjoyment here:




What an efficient opening. Despite the lack of any narration you find out a lot about Dinah very quickly. She's in debt, a tough ass and her life is clearly in need of change. Even if you knew nothing else about her life as Black Canary, this is an interesting person.

And now her other half. Here we find out a few things about Babs. On a page not shown here there is tiny Batgirl toy to tip her former identity. But if you didn't catch that her Dad provides some quick identification. But no time to talk. Her date, operative is arriving.

Dinah has certainly had some low fashion moments but even the jumpsuit and headband can't top her walking through an airport dressed in fishnets, cowboy boots and a fringed leather jacket.

Want to bet Babs sent the flowers? She knows how to treat her dates operatives right.

"A ladies' man kind of lady" Oh, Babs. But Dinah let's hear a little bit more why you have been selected by this mysterious voice in your ear. This person who knows everything about you including what size clothes you wear. Who passes judgment on your life and clothing choices. Yet, Dinah is so bored, unhappy and unsatisfied with her life that she's not the least bit skeeved out by this.

And that's how Dinah stopped having to drag that wig around with her everywhere.

Nice. But within minutes Nick's enemies attack the party and Dinah swings into action.

I love that panel. Dixon could have her fighting in her evening gown. He could have had her start off in the gown and and then had it ripped in the fight. But no as soon as she senses trouble she just tears the bottom of that sucker right off. A nice piece of business that gives the reader more insight into Dinah.
She checks-in with Babs on the way back to the hotel.

Oh Babs, jealous already? One thing to note is that while today we're used to seeing Oracle working at her computer panel after panel early on they really tried to mix it up. Babs is seen speaking to Dinah from a pool swimming, while toweling off (as seen above) and in the gym lifting weights. We also begin to see some good chemistry.

Dinah is suiting up there into her new costume. More chemistry here and Babs is collaborating with Dinah here a bit more. And while Dinah is technically an operative you can see again that she's not content to let Oracle manage her every move. We'll see more of that in a bit.

And there she is the new Black Canary II in her Babs' designed costume.
Protective leg covering would have been nice. But really with Canary the ship sailed on that issue a long time ago. And I'm sure Babs just wanted Dinah to feel comfortable in a costume similar to her previous one, right?
As Dinah investigates the case she gets in fight with the Nick’s other bodyguard, Lynx. And that leads to Babs and Dinah's first fight.


Heh. Love that look on Babs’s face. Wonder what's she thinking?
Alas, Lynx gets the better of Dinah and we see this interesting page.

Now, BoP history states that Dinah does not officially find out out who Oracle is until issue 21. But you can see in their very first appearance Babs outs herself. Did Dinah not make the connection? Did she ignore it or not hear it clearly? Or did editorial just decide to forget it?

So that's a glimpse at the first BoP story. The book ends with the duo planning their next adventure. This issue came out in March of 1996. Birds of Prey would return towards the end of the year with a mini called "Revolution". The first official issue of BoP appeared in 1999.

Tags:
char: batgirl/oracle/barbara gordon, char: black canary/dinah lance, creator: chuck dixon, title: birds of prey

Comments

[halloweenjack]

I dunno, guys, I think that there may not be enough cheesecake in this.

[birdofprey]

awesomeness all around. and while i love dinah as a blonde, it's refreshing to see her dark hair pre-dye days.

[promethea4]

Great stuff! I read it for Babs, but was hooked by Dinah just from that intro with the carjackers & at her apartment.

And good call about the attempts that were made to show Oracle doing other things than sitting around monitors.

BOP makes me so freaking happy!

[corrinal]

The carjacker intro (truncated here but still awesome) is a great Canary moment.

Dixon at his best, I think.

[sistermagpie]

These two really do come off great here. They totally do make you want to read about their further adventures in a comic with Canary hanging around and suddenly getting a voice from beyond telling her they're going to send her on a mission.

Although her outfit is still distracting. I just can't look at her walking around in a strapless bathing suit in an airport. It just makes me feel uncomfortable.

[shadowpsykie]

i take to think tha Dinah just thought of it as motivational speech. i mean she was hurting at the time.

and Lynx? seriously? guess this was before she started he "Black canary II-2.0"

[jarodrussell]

I like to think those last frames in the last page are Oracle entering into the final stage of rampancy: jealousy.

[kingrockwell]

Birds #21 is just when they finally met in person. By that time Babs had already let Dinah in on her former Batgirl status and even her name.

[jarodrussell]

That was well after NML, wasn't it? I recall BOP #8 being during NML, but forget when Gotham cleaned up.

[kingrockwell]

Yes, it was.
#8 was published during NML, but Gotham's current state of affairs was completely absent from Birds (that one especially, being that Dick and Babs travel freely between Gotham and Bludhaven). The first mention of NML in the title I know of was well after the fact in #15.

[jarodrussell]

Mm-hm. Mm-hm. That fits. Thanks.

[thebigapricot]

Okay maybe I'm getting confused. BoP 21 is where Canary saves Babs and Babs says, "Call me Barbara". Than in BoP 28 Canary goes to the Clocktower to chat with Babs and finds out she was Batgirl.

[kingrockwell]

Hmm. Well, maybe I was wrong about that part. I guess the Birds of Prey: Batgirl one-shot might've confused me, though that was all an illusion anyway. Worth noting that Dinah picks up on it pretty quickly, so the hinting here might've clued her in. #28 was he first time they got to hang out off the job, after all, so maybe it just never came up?

also i could totally see Dinah playing surprised when she's guessed at something that's supposed to be secret, that's just the kind of person she is

[thebigapricot]

Maybe, but it's hard to tell. In 28 she finds out when Barbara tells Dinah that they had met before when her dad disappeared. When Babs says Dinah had some help finding him, Dinah, who is also holding a Batman plushie, immediately gets who she is and says "No Way. It explains a lot." She does seem surprised. Of course, she also immediately asks "so who's Batman" which is ridiculous given Canary's history. But none the less a conceit carried through to "Bruce Wayne Fugitive"

[ravenous_raven]

Maybe she was testing Babs to see how wide her net was spread. Sure, she was the former Batgirl and now is a hacker, but Canary might have wanted to gauge just how close Batgirl was to Bats or just how sneaky Babs would be to find out on her own.

[mystery]

This is a nice intro. I feel intrigued about their personalities. I am put off by the bathing suit, though. It's just so off-putting seeing her be dressed in cowboy boots and a bathing suit out with the valets, the airport, being shown into a hotel room. And wow, that's a lot of cheesecake amidst the character development.

[sarno001]

Check out the nasty expression on the girl wearing red in that party panel. Is she mad that the Fabric Fairies like Dinah better or something?

[iskander]

Fishnets.......................................................wow.

[ravenous_raven]

oh, wow...I remember this. this was in the first book that got me seriously into comics. back then, I had no idea Oracle used to be Batgirl, who Lady Shiva was, first met Dinah and Helena...more please?

[autumn_lily]

I love the way this artist draws hair, so shiny, so pretty!

[zordboy]

And we went from *this* to Misfit and Black Alice? Sad face.

[koschei]

That's some seriously pretty art, and Babs is definitely channeling Gillian Anderson in some of it.

[ladymirth]

Ah, the comic that had me questioning my sexuality. Dinah's evening gown does things to my girl-parts.

This was the first comic I ever read that made me feel like I was watching a movie.

[rhythmbandit]

Yesssss this is so great. Thanks!

[ceebee_eebee]

Seriously late to the party on this one, but DAMN. I love your comments even more than I loved the comic and that's really saying something. BoP is, and will forever be, my favorite series. Hands down. And you've nailed everything that makes it so special to me.

More! More!