Never Split The Party — Reviewing ‘Birds Of Prey’ #21

A team can be powerful, even unbreakable. If separated, though, they can become far more vulnerable.

A far too easily clocked trap became something more as the Birds Of Prey find themselves attacked from all sides. Their strongest member is down and a plot against them has gained a powerful new weapon. Nothing gets easier in this next chapter from Kelly Thompson, Sami Basri, Vincente Cifuentes, Adriano Lucas, and Clayton Cowles.

I’ve come to really enjoy Basri’s artwork over the past few years, having covered quite a few DC Comics’ books he’s worked on. He really delivers a style that hits a lot of the superhero house style sort of vibes, while adding his own unique flavor. A lot of natural depth and detail really gives every moment the life it deserves.

This effect is aided by the strong inks of Cifuentes. They create that right mix of real and whimsical that befits so many superhero related stories, never losing an ounce of the dread and edge required for the story tone nor any of the lighter more fun energy inherent in these stories.

Following that thread is the color palette. Lucas always handles the tonal shifts that are present in these stories with ease, giving us a palette which favors some heavier and darker colors this time around. There are plenty of the more vibrant splashes still there to keep the fantastic feeling exactly that way. It never lets up on the overall heart pounding emotions these moments are meant to evoke.

There is a tightness to what happens here. There are only a few overall scenes or situations, all of them speaking to how tense and off-balance things are for our heroes. Oracle tries to regain control when facing a foe they don’t even know yet. Some really good character drama and situations are presented here.

This exhibits once more how well she knows these characters, bouncing them off each other and their foes perfectly. Both the characters and the audience are on the edge of our seats as things become more and more dire. The final shot we get of Barda and the villain who felled her, Inque, is so chilling.

Quite a few characters are really unique in their visuals and abilities here, meaning that their voices should carry similar energy. Cowles never lets that moment pass as the modifications here really go all out to show how different these individuals sound from a baseline “normal” level.

Additionally, every bit of emotional energy is clear in the words, as they bounce and flow around the panels fluidly. They deliver everything they are meant to while helping keep the eyes focused when moving through any given page.

Birds Of Prey #21 is now available from DC Comics.