Birds of Prey v2 #10

[sailorlibra]

Four pages from the latest issue of BoP.



Everyone who read last month's issue remembers the horribly fake death of Oracle helicopter explosion scene. This issue doesn't waste too much time making it clear she was just faking it.









Apparently Babs is responsible for some of the really annoying events that have happened in Generation Lost so far, insofar as she could have stopped them, but choose not to. Thanks a lot, Oracle.

Catwoman stops by to see Hel and Dinah for the sole purpose of making it clear she's not fooled.

Comments

[airawyn]

Well. I like that Oracle's not going to be at the beck and call of every hero with a cell phone, because there are other people who can do that. But I hate that montage with her leaving all those people without an info source. It would've been better if we'd seen Proxy and other info jockeys stepping in to take over at that moment, because otherwise that's some major Bird-dickery.

Steph is still taller than Tim. Heh.

[darkknightjrk]

Whoof. I think this arc suffered from two things: Overhype, and fill-ins. Maybe it was my own expectations, but I'd think with a story-line called "The Death of Oracle," it would be a bit more epic than this and focus more on, you know, Oracle.

Also, the fill-ins here were really bad--at least with the last two arcs, the fill-ins reasonably matched Benes' art--but here we went from Syaf to March to, well, THIS. I really, really, REALLY hope Seiz can stay on for a long time, because I'm not sure if I could take another round of this.

The actual plot and dialoge of this is solid, but those two things really pulled it down for me, IMO.

[gargoylekitty]

Dang, that's worse than Tumblr made me imagine even.

Ignoring* the bullshit in not telling Cass(ummm... even if they couldn't have her in the issue, why couldn't she state that Cass was informed and just couldn't make it or something? I don't understand how, from what I've heard, 'she can't be in the issue' = 'she can't know'.)

Haven't been up on DC, but has Misfit met Steph before? Specifically as Batgirl? Just wondering how that conflicts with the whole 'superheroing is dangerous, Steph died' bit.

*okay, not really

[darkknightjrk]

Yeah, that could make it a little less dick-ish--focus instead on one hero contacting Oracle and having it transfer to Proxy, who tells them that Oracle isn't around anymore, but she can help them out.

[sinisterlink]

Soooo...okay, I'm not really getting this. What is Oracle doing, now? Is she only gonna help the Bats out with stuff or is she not helping ANYBODY and just gonna watch everything until she sees an event that she actually wants to get involved in, or what? Honestly, I've tried to like Oracle but I just can't. Along with other things she just always seems to have this coldness with her that I don't like.

[turtlefu]

1) So is Dinah and Helena not in on new Oracle now? She just kicked out two of her closest friends altogether?
2) What is Oracle even going to be doing now? Like, if she's not going to be info-jockey/support for heroes, what's her purpose?

[starwolf_oakley]

I've never liked Barbara that much, and I can understand her prickly personality given the Joker shot her just to prove a point about the nature of mental illness. She is TERRIBLE when it comes to mentoring younger heroes. Something involving Stephanie and/or Charlie is going to go horribly wrong. It is SO obvious!

There are things Oracle is good at. Now she doesn't *want* to do one of the things she is VERY good so criminals will get reckless. Or something.

To what degree Proxy and others can fill in for Oracle when and where needed.... well, that will probably be a topic in BATGIRL... maybe.

[darkknightjrk]

"ummm... even if they couldn't have her in the issue, why couldn't she state that Cass was informed and just couldn't make it or something? I don't understand how, from what I've heard, 'she can't be in the issue' = 'she can't know'"

I can see that--maybe Babs could say something like, "she's busy with what's she's doing in Hong Kong right now, I'll let her know that I'm not dead as soon as I can find a more secure way than e-mail."

Also, the closest I can think of to Misfit meeting Steph was the whole Wonder Woman #600 thing, but that was a huge group shot and they might not have even spoken to each other.

[lencannon]

I'm not a big fan of the new plan. I know the internet is arguing about Cass being/not being included but I'll let other hash it out for now. It seems like an odd direction and I'm not sure about where this is going.

Oh well, I really liked the scene with Catwoman and the rest of the book was really great too. We'll just see where things are going. Still one of my favorite books every month.

[darkknightjrk]

"What is Oracle doing, now?"

A. Fighting cyber-crime with the Birds, but more anonymously.
B. Being Batman's operative in the VR "Internet 3.0."

[darkknightjrk]

I like Oracle as a character, but I have to agree--it's odd that people give Batman so much shit when it comes to "bat-dick," when lately she's been just as bad, if not worse.

[lencannon]

They are definitely in. The Birds inner monologue in the books make it clear that they were aware of the plan from the first issue of the arc.

[darkknightjrk]

"So is Dinah and Helena not in on new Oracle now? She just kicked out two of her closest friends altogether?"

Remember the Catwoman scene that was posted--they said that she was dead, But Selina could tell that they were lying.

"What is Oracle even going to be doing now? Like, if she's not going to be info-jockey/support for heroes, what's her purpose?"

The latest issue of Batgirl spelled it out more plainly, but she's basically doing the same thing, but more anonymously, as well as being Bruce's operative in the VR "Internet 3.0."

[icon_uk]

Agreed, leaving people who have need (not want, NEED) of her assistance in the lurch like that is a fairly shitty thing to do. You want to make a point Babs, indicate that Proxy is already providing that service.

[starwolf_oakley]

Indeed. To me, the worst of Bat-dickery is when Batman is a jerk to other superheroes. Now Oracle is being a jerk by not helping them when they call for it. Yes, she is going to have Proxy and others pick up the slack, but still...

[sistermagpie]

Not really getting the burden this would be to Cass...much less what else she's got on her plate that makes it too much. Which I guess is the idea. Cass is in limbo but I should imagine there's a very important reason and she's very very busy in Hong Kong. And one day somebody will make one up.

[mrstatham]

Actually, I'd argue Stephanie has grown and become way, way more competent since the days of War Games. Misfit, on the other hand, IS a bad choice because she's a complete idiot who basically treats going to war with supervillains as a game.

That she's even in this scene shows some bizarre favouritism on Simone's behalf for someone who should never have even been with the Birds in the first place. They're an elite, covert team, they don't need some idiot who screams 'Dark Vengeance' everytime she punches someone.

Stephanie's proved herself. Charlie hasn't. There's a difference. And this isn't even a matter of mentoring younger heroes - She's talking about involving them in her affairs as whatever 'Oracle 2.0' may be. Charlie has no part in that.

[thanekos]

Bruce isn't there; they just propped up a standee.

And, judging by everyone's reactions to her, Misfit is out of phase with reality.

[mrstatham]

The biggest reason I dislike Oracle is because this basically sets her up for more of the same shit that she got involved in when Simone first started her run. Oracle is someone who sticks her nose in where it doesn't belong, frankly, and it gets her into trouble, just like it did when they ran afoul of Savant and then the Senator who turned out to be Cheshire's father.

Only this time, if Oracle steps into something too big for her and the Birds, who the Hell's she going to turn to? And who would help someone who's been this big a bitch and turned their backs on them?

"I was never a whiz with computers anyway."

[jarodrussell]

People gather data not software. Uh-oh, someone better tell Google they're doing it wrong. Ha ha ha.

Am I the only one who thinks her reasoning is fucked up? How in the age of Anonymous, WikiLeaks, and Daniel Suarez's Daemon can anyone say that the best way to deal with the mess Oracle's lack of secret identity is to rewind back to the 90's when she was a secret? Blow up big time, Babs. Put of face on digital crime fighting.

But what can you expect from someone who thinks the first step into going underground is to build a giant spire in the middle of Gotham City? Answer: expect Birds of Prey.

[jarodrussell]

Or not...

O’Shea: How important is Proxy’s presence in terms of allowing the series dynamics to gel and further set the series apart from the other Bat books?

Miller: Though she’s very important to how Batgirl’s world operates, Proxy has some personal issues coming up that may start to get in the way of her duties in Firewall.

http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2011/03/talking-comics-with-tim-bryan-q-miller/

[proteus_lives]

She is ultra-creepy.

Another world, she's best secret police head around.

Re: "I was never a whiz with computers anyway."

[mrstatham]

What gets me is that Oracle states what you've cropped out there and then says that there's only 'one Oracle'. But if you're not helping people and you're hiding from the villains again, then what fucking good are you, and why the Hell do you have such an over-inflated sense of self-worth, Barbara?

Re: "I was never a whiz with computers anyway."

[jarodrussell]

then what fucking good are you

She's not any good, and that's what bugs me. Oracle used to be cool, because she was the super-node of the super-hero community. Now, I'm not sure what she is. From what I've gathered from the bits I've seen from the last two arcs, her primary function is setting gay men up in relationships, which could be an interesting comic, but I don't think that's the direction the books is taking.

Re: "I was never a whiz with computers anyway."

[mrstatham]

That's kinda my point, yeah. Birds of Prey used to be cool because you used to have something of a rotating cast of operatives with Canary, Oracle and Huntress at the centre. We got cool stuff like Gypsy getting a decent look and revamp. Here, we've got ineffective Oracle basically denying everything she's been the past few years - IE, being a unseen force for the heroes that makes villains shit themselves, in favour of being the exact same thing, basically. Oh, and the cool rotating cast has become two boring people and some of Simone's pet characters. Way to go.