Peeling Back The Curtains — Reviewing ‘Birds Of Prey’ #22

Divided from within and without, the members of the Birds Of Prey are fracturing at the absolute worst possible moment. Some villainous team is picking them off, one by one, leaving the group no closer to answers or freedom.

Pieces from previous arcs are all coming together as Kelly Thompson, Sami Basri, Vicentre Cifuentes, Adriano Lucas, and Clayton Cowles put their team through the wringer.

While very light in some respects, this title is very hefty and character rich in others. Allowing it to remain a solid read so many issues in, a point where most series have already begun to wind down or are long over with.

Despite the tiff between Canary and Oracle coming off as odd at first, the character beats are pretty intriguing. As are the fractures growing within the team — chiefly a worry for Barda — some cross words are being exchanged. Thompson does a good job of making sure no one side is “right” fully. Engaging in the dynamics of these characters from how they act to what they would know on the page.

It is in interesting how the various references and drops from previous arcs are playing into this one. At the same time, because they were from six months or more ago, some of the references were a small pause and head-scratcher. Velvet Tiger and such rang no bells until Cela, the daughter of this villain we met a few arc ago, showed up.

This is not a swipe at Thompson’s writing or anything similar. More an observation of how the timeline of comic release can make longer-form storytelling and pulling the piece together tougher.

Even with the tense dire stakes, there is still a light refreshing feeling to the work that Basri brings to life, Very superhero-vibed in appearance and presentation. Feeling very smooth, slick, and explosively dynamic in the presentation. It gives tons of depth and detail to the world and characters equally. Inks from Cifuentes accentuate and enhance the weighted solid feeling of the art overall.

Colorful and bold for superheroes is quick becoming the absolute norm. Lucas has the right eye and given color palette for a book such as this. Smooth and slick, these colors surround them all, giving even the darker spaces a glossy feeling where more vibrant and striking color tones. This world feels lush and fantastical but also not unobtainable in looks and feeling. This particular part of Gotham (when they are there) has its own unique feeling, as they are all given by artists.

Plenty of fun can be found in the lettering too, which is how it should be. Cowles nails each of the bits of emotional energy, personality, and tone through each letter brought to the page. Flowing naturally through the page to hit with the most impact. Various characters have voices that are much more vibrant and often ancient compared to others. Steeped in shifting fonts and fun color shifts that come with their speech.

Birds Of Prey #22 is now available from DC Comics.