Birds of Prey, Vol. 4: Sensei & Student

Birds of Prey (1999) (First Editions)

by Gail Simone

Now stars of their own TV show meet the beautiful Birds of Prey. They are Oracle - a computer genius who used to fight crime as Batgirl until she was paralysed by the Joker, Black Canary - a young adventuress with a voice that can shatter stone and Huntress - a formidable vigilante with something to prove to the world. Whilst Black Canary is in Hong Kong paying her last respects to her dying sensei, she is confronted with another of her his former students, Lady Shiva, who makes Black Canary an offer that could change her life. Back in Gotham, Oracle has just discovered that her 'unbreakable' computer system has been compromised! This latest edition also features gorgeous artwork by Ed Benes and a cover gallery.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book, Fiction

168 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2005

About the author

Gail Simone is a comic book writer well-known for her work on Birds of Prey (DC), Wonder Woman (DC), and Deadpool (Marvel), among others, and has also written humorous and critical commentary on comics and the comics industry such as the original "Women in Refrigerators" website and a regular column called "You'll All Be Sorry".

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe it's too early (in the run of the series) to say, but I think the pairing of writer Gail Simone and the 'Birds of Prey' ladies is my favorite from any graphic novel title I've read in the last two years.

In Vol. 4: Sensei and Student, Black Canary journeys to back China to pay respects to her dying sensei. Also present is Lady Shiva, another former student who is sort of a dark opposite to BC. Of course they're quickly thrown into an action-filled story, which also features the deadly and truly evil Cheshire. On the other side of the world Oracle (Barbara 'Babs' Gordon) is hacked and then imprisoned in a continuation of the previous volume's story. This is where Huntress jumps in to lend a hand and kick ass. There are also cameo appearances (the sparring scene with Wonder Woman was especially nice) and a flashback story featuring Black Canary's parents and a young Jim Gordon.

Speaking of Commissioner Gordon, he gets a great line of dialogue during a present-day dinner scene -- "A cop's life is huge stretches of boredom, punctuated by moments of sheer terror." Truth!

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't feel the writing was as tight in this volume. This seems to be the beginning of opening up the team to a larger group of heroines from the DC universe on an as needed basis, giving the book a bit of a Mission: Impossible feel. Benes's art is still problematic and cringey, drawing the ladies costumes to only cover half their butts. The highlight of the book continues to be the character interactions.

[Katherine (Kat) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whewww this one was intense, so good.

Once again I was pretty bummed with the over the top sexualization of the gals but it was expected.

[Chelsea 🏳️‍🌈 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

I adored this volume as well! I can't seem to read these in order but you really don't have to. There were maybe one or two lines about prior stories but I didn't feel lost reading this arc.

There's something about Gail Simone's Birds of Prey that puts it above the Dixon run in my eyes. There's such a great feeling of sisterhood and I just love the way the women all relate to each other. There are so many great, complex relationships and everyone has their own strengths.

I adore her Dinah Lance! She is a kick ass, honorable, kind character. I love seeing her interact with Shiva, Babs and Helena. I kind of ship it, not gonna lie. Her relationship with Shiva is built on mutual respect of the other's skills and Shiva, who doesn't have a lot of regard for anyone, cares about Dinah. Her relationship with Babs is built on trust and love and Babs calls her out when she's being unfair. Her relationship with Helena is built on a thin form of loyalty based on the fact that they've saved each other a few times. It's growing and I can't wait to see where it goes.

The plot was slightly confusing but even so, I was never bored. The flashback to the first Black Canary was so cool to see! Normally I hate flashbacks but this was so well done and Dinah was fascinating! I would honestly read a book about her as well.

I loved the cameos from Cass and Diana! Simone fits in as many female characters as she can manage and it's much appreciated.

I love Babs the most as Oracle and this is the Babs I fell for! She is kick ass, independent and brilliant as ever. She saves herself and Simone just gets her the way no recent run of Batgirl seems to. This is the Babs I love and the recent run of Batgirl and the Birds of Prey just makes me sad. I want this Babs back!!

Anyway, if you can find this run, read it! It was hard to find these volumes but I managed to find them at my local comic shop. This is my all time favorite run of the Birds of Prey.

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fun but not as good as I hoped.

This time we have the birds kind of going through different things that all come together by the end. We have Black Canary dealing with a evil poison queen and also trying to figure out if she wants to join forces with one of the greatest assassins ever. Then we have Oracle getting kidnapped and put on trial for being Oracle but it doesn't go well that way. Last one is huntress trying to find her place and help Oracle.

Good: The dynamic when there, especially last issue, is really good. Dialog is still solid too, everyone sounds and feel reals. The fights are pretty fun and put the characters in dire situations.

Bad: The story felt like it dragged a bit. I was starting to get boring around half way through with the pacing. Also, the art doesn't always match the tone of the story.

Overall a decent story, and cool character moments, but bland story and art hurt it. So a 3 out of 5.

[David - proud Gleeman in Branwen's adventuring party · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second book in Gail Simone's sublime "Birds of Prey" run! As good as her debut was, Simone manages to improve just about every aspect of her storytelling this time around! The heroines (especially Black Canary) are given more backstory and are amazingly well-developed as a result. Even more impressive, Simone took Lady Shiva and Cheshire, two villains I always found bland and one-dimensional, and managed to make them far more chilling and compelling than ever before! More action, more drama, more laughs, anyone who is looking for a great adventure starring charismatic and intelligent women needs to check out Gail Simone's BOP run!

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could almost copy my review of the previous volume for this one. I love the way Simone writes the book. A comic book with female characters at center stage! And they take the spotlight because they are genuinely imposing, both physically and mentally! It's worth noting that Simone writes Wonder Woman better in one scene than some writers have managed over lengthy runs. Her writing is why I'll be happily continuing this series.

But the art is frustrating. It's not that it's bad. It's just that the artist didn't seem to get the memo that the female characters in this book aren't being treated as sex objects. I had the exact same issue with the art in the last book, and I would love to see some improvement in the next volume. Not exactly crossing my fingers, though.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another solid outing from Gail Simone. The Birds cast expands (Helena becomes a regular, Savant and Creote semi-regulars) and the Senator Pullman storyline is wrapped up. The character interaction remains the best thing about this series.

[Ann DVine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Birds of Prey continue on their fantastically entertaining course as written by the inimitable Gail Simone.

The bulk of Sensei and Student focuses on our protagonist Black Canary, as she travels to China to meet with her dying mentor. While there, she uncovers a deadly plot already in motion, and she must team up with the volatile Lady Shiva, who is, basically, the world's deadliest assassin. It's an uncomfortable alliance driven by the same goals - to see justice done for their beloved teacher. Meanwhile, Oracle gets kidnapped by government thugs, and deals with it... well, in a way befitting Oracle.

Birds of Prey is phenomenally written. Simone's penchant for writing strong, identifiable women in comics seems to come to a head, with her lending such a unique voice to every single member of the Birds of Prey. From Oracle, who she clearly totally adores, to Lady Shiva, a ruthless and merciless killer who is somehow made to be completely justified in intent, if not execution, every woman (and what few men show up) are written as likable, fully developed human beings, with empathy for their plights coming stupidly easy. With Black Canary as the heart of the piece, everything else branches out in an organic way - even when the action starts ramping up, and the players already on the field are joined by unexpected friends (and foes).

The exciting plot, of revenge, death, murder, and... well, powerful women beating up bad guys, is strung along on a quick pace, and never lets up. It's full of surprises, twists, turns, but it never lets go of purpose as the scope widens and the cards on the table are flipped over for some truly killer reveals. Backing up the story is some quite well-detailed art, that represents action scenes with aplomb; punching, kicking, and shooting is all given a visceral, bloody edge, and it suits the no-holds-barred attitude of the Birds of Prey perfectly. Unfortunately, it is with the art that I take the most issue - and it's with my critique of the art that I fall into a hole of self-doubt and judgement questioning.

I don't like the art. It's fetishistic to a detriment, and this is coming from someone who wholeheartedly approves of shameless fetishism. The women characters that Simone so successfully writes as three-dimensional people are almost completely reduced to cheap thrills T&A, with a focus on bulging cleavage, thighs, and arses clearly coming as the primary goal of the artists. It's extremely disconcerting, and makes me question if DC understands the appeal of Gail Simone's scripts - especially when you realize that Greg Land, of all people, provides the cover art for this collection. Greg Land, of course, is most infamous for being a man who consistently traces over pornography when illustrating women - a truly uncomfortable and unfortunate habit that sees a lot of his female characters given disgusting, mid-orgasm expressions on their faces, usually in the most inappropriate of circumstances (if any circumstance can be said to be appropriate).

That said, with the Birds of Prey such a strong conduit for genuine female empowerment, in particular taking Simone's fantastic dialog into account, I can't help but wonder if the sheer, gratuitously lustful approach to the art direction isn't actually helpful to those ends. The female form is, after all, clearly held up here as a beautiful, powerful thing - even if its done so with a male gaze in mind. And I certainly don't want to condemn anything that, even if not explicitly, has Gail Simone's stamp of approval on it. I'd like to imagine that, if she was uncomfortable with the depictions of her characters, should we have done something about it. It's purely conjecture, and almost entirely attempted mind-reading regarding artists and writers I've never met, but it's where my mind wanders to when dissecting how the art in this book makes me feel.

At the end of the day, if you want to read a book about strong female superheroes, doing fantastically imaginative things, from the perspective of a woman who understands not only women but the minutiae of quality storytelling like a sixth sense, Birds of Prey represents an absolute gold standard in that field. The actual visual depictions of the story may be questionably erotic in focus, but that doesn't in any way reduce the intent of the author - and it doesn't, really, make it any less fun to read, even if it is shameless. Sometimes shamelessness is important. Whether or not it's important in this context... well, I'll have to leave it up to you, because I'm still of two minds on it.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gail Simone has written a great story as usual. I wish I could say the same for the art by Benes and Land.

Sadly, whilst there are many panels that are drawn well, I'd prefer less of the unrealistic (even by superhero standards) hot pants and Michael Bay-esque butt angles.

I was hoping after the last trade I read -
Of Like Minds - that someone on the editorial staff at DC would ask these artists to tone it down, and give up tracing buxom ladies from their not-so-secret stash of Playboys hidden in the office toilets. I'm pretty sure someone forgot to circulate that memo.

I hold out hope that the next one will be less butts and boobs and more of the strong, ass-kicking female characters that should be the focus of this series.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the most part an enjoyable series, fun, not too serious, but with plenty of dark turns to lend the title some grit. Only drawback is that even though it's a series with multiple female heroes written by a woman, characters still dress in thongs and tit-window outfits. Fuck me if I'd go out fighting crime looking like Zardoz. It's ludicrous when you see this picture [image error] so it's just as ludicrous when it's a woman. Could you really kick ass with your boobs going all bazonga and a near-constant cameltoe? I don't think so.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the writing; the art is a little bit "wet t-shirt contest" for me...

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the writing, hated the illustrator. Lots of Escher Girls and THO abound. After the first handful of incidents involving vulgar poses or headlights, I found myself feeling embarrassed for the characters.

There was this fabulous moment where we're given a flashback to Black Canary's mom. We get an awesome illustrator with fantastic artwork, but that ends when the flashback ends.

I'm sure there are comics out there somewhere that aren't meant to be softcore porn, but I'm having a difficult time finding them.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's become almost de rigueur to observe that Gail Simone writes great female characters, which I think is obvious but also damning-with-faint-praise. She writes great characters and tells great stories about people. The corporate editors dictate what characters can be used, what they can do and when and where and how they can do it; it's all part of making sure their universe is consistent, but it also must put great limitations on the writers. That Simone creates such consistently terrific character-driven stories in the face of those constraints is amazing. In this Birds of Prey volume, Canary is the main focus and apart from the main group for much of the action, meeting up with Cheshire and Lady Shiva in Hong Kong to investigate the death of her old teacher. Barbara is alone and under attack by parties unknown. Huntress comes to the rescue, aided by several unlikely allies. Canary returns (wearing a Superman t-shirt!), finds help from her mother in a very cool sequence, and the day is saved. The dialog is clear and snappy, and you get the sense that the characters really are talking to one another and care about one another; they're not just posting exposition to the reader. In the final section (with a special appearance by Wonder Woman!), Barbara masterminds a very touching team-building stratagem for Huntress and Canary, and everything is wrapped satisfactorily. You close the cover with a smile. The art is very good throughout, and I especially liked the covers produced by Greg Land & company.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll admit this story doesn't make too much sense, but I love Gail Simone's upside world too much to gripe about that. Her work on the Birds of Prey continues with an introduction to Black Canary's sensei and her hilarious forming training partner Lady Shiva. Usually Lady Shiva is not all that funny, but her murderous priorities are used to entertaining effect by Simone, who loves misanthropes so much more than regular folk. All in all, this volume of Birds of Prey is worth it, as Simone continues her rehabilitation of Black Canary, a hugely victimized character, and Shiva is howlingly funny throughout (to me, at least). The plot itself crumbles upon analytical inspection, but that's not why I read Birds of Prey; I read it for surprising characters and fun relationships.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second collection of Birds of Prey comics written by Gail Simone is even better than the first. Oracle, Black Canary and Huntress are joined by female assassins, Lady Shiva and Cheshire. Even Catwoman makes an appearance.

[Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best comic books in the comic book industry that features strong female characters. Gail Simone is one of the best writers in the industry period. I really enjoyed this book and sad that the storyarc ended. I am looking forward to the next volume.

[Sans · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need to pick up the first three volumes of this, but I didn't feel like I really was in the dark about who was doing what. Great writing, lovely (if not a little too T&A focused) art, and I've got some potential new favorite characters to read up on.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

LADY SHIVA is all anyone needs to know about this volume. SO GOOD.

[tony dillard jr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Black Canary is summoned to Hong Kong. Her sensei is near death and she's come to pay her last respects. There's another student coming to bid farewell to the martial arts master: Lady Shiva! It looks like these two foes are going to battle it out until the sempai calls for peace between the two.

An uneasy truce between Black Canary and Lady Shiva is arranged until the mentor's death. However, when their teacher is murdered by an unknown assailant, the two rivals become allies to avenge the senseless killing of a man already near death. Only this unlikely pair have differing ways of finding answers. One is willing to let her hands and feet talk for her. The other is willing to take a life in order to get answers.

Meanwhile back in Gotham City, someone has hacked into Oracle's mainframe, claiming to know her secret identity. With Canary overseas, Barbara Gordon must rely on the Huntress. But with Helena Bertinelli's past romantic history with Dick Grayson, there's more than enough bad blood between the two. Now with Barbara in the custody of Federal agents for terrorism charges and violations of the Patriot Act, the Huntress might be Oracle's only hope, whether she likes it or not.

This is a book that's been sitting on for a very long time. I inherited it from my best friend after he died over a decade ago. I just couldn't bring myself to read it. Not out of mourning. Mostly just cause I wasn't really a fan of this series. But I figured I'd give it a try someday. That day just happened to be recently.

The events in this book seem to be occurring during a transitional time for the Birds of Prey. One of the team just left and while I know that Huntress joins them, at this period in time Canary, Oracle and Huntress kinda all hate and distrust each other to varying degrees. So I'm not really sure if the book follows the formula of the issues featured in this book or if they start to trust and rely on each other. (This volume also doesn't inform me if the series prior to this time of change was any good or not.)

The writing by Gail Simone was decent. But man are those birds a trio of biddies. Lots of action. But too much of a pissing contest. I thought this was bad in the books that primarily starred alpha males. But here, it's down right annoying.

The art is also decent. provides some very alluring art along with some action packed images led by Michael Golden and Ed Benes. Unfortunately, some of these artists draw in that beefy style of late 90s-early 2000s DC where you can't tell if the more muscular characters are well built or eating too much pie. Superman: Our Worlds At War was notorious for this look and it isn't becoming here either.

The Greg Land covers, like the one used for this volume, are breathtaking!

The ending was fantastic. It's a who's who of characters affiliated with the Birds of Prey as they answer the call to save Barbara Gordon and her Oracle secret identity from a corrupt politician with a damning past and a connection to the original Black Canary! Now that's a series I want to read more about as the pre-modern era filler story was much more interesting despite a bad case of convenient plot device at the middle of that segment.

I'd give the Birds of Prey another try if I found them at the library or something like that. But I'm not going out of my way to find more volumes, nor will I shell out any cash for it either.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Birds of Prey: Sensei and Student collects the next seven issues (Birds of Prey #62–68) of the 2003 on-going series and covers two stories: "Sensei and Student" and "One Day, Well-Chosen".

"Sensei and Student" is a six-issue storyline (Birds of Prey #62–67) that has Dinah Lance as Black Canary returns to Hong Kong where the man who taught her much of her fighting technique is dying. What she didn't previously know is that he'd also trained Lady Shiva, one of the world's deadliest assassins. Keeping them from each other soon becomes the least of their problems as they are confronted with someone skilled enough to match either of them. Meanwhile, someone has done the impossible infiltrate the Oracle system and shut it down. At the end of the storyline, Helena Bertinelli as Huntress joins the Birds of Prey.

"One Day, Well-Chosen" is a one-issue storyline (Birds of Prey #68) has that has the Birds of Prey taking a day off. Barbara Gordon spends her time with her father, Dinah Lance spends her time sparing with Wonder Woman, and Helena Bertinelli goes on a date.

Gail Simone penned the entire trade paperback. For the most part, it is written rather well. Simone ties the plot into not just her own debut work, but also picks up on what preceded her run, which other creators have done and most new creators ignore when starting their run. Furthermore, Simone unites strange bedfellows, and their interaction is well portrayed and unpredictable, requiring several interesting moral decisions on Dinah’s part. Everything pulls together beautifully and some extra allies make the conclusion.

Ed Benes (Birds of Prey #62–65, 67), Cliff Richards (Birds of Prey #62–63), Michael Golden (Birds of Prey #66), and Joe Bennett (Birds of Prey #68) penciled the trade paperback. For the most part, the penciling was done rather well. Benes is an excellent penciler, despite the objective style, Richards, equally good, and less likely to throw in a sexual pose, but the real treat is seeing Golden's work. However, Bennett is not subtlety is objectification as his women are twisted into ridiculous poses.

All in all, Birds of Prey: Sensei and Student is a good continuation to what would hopefully be a wonderful series.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much better than Simone’s first volume. I’m now fully into this series. The sense of stakes and danger gets raised significantly in this story, all while exploring the Birds as characters and giving them more singular definition on their own. The last volume had them all kind of talking the same and behaving in the same sarcastic way, but it feels like Simone is beginning to drill down more on what makes each of these gals unique. Canary is an incredibly skilled fighter with a sense of humor. Oracle is serious as hell about her work but very caring when it comes to her team. Huntress is an ice cold blunt instrument with a lot of room for growth. It all makes them feel very distinct and gives them specific roles to play in this dynamic, and really feels like it builds out the relationship without feeling too archetypical.

I also love that this plays around in an (albeit slight) moral grey area. Canary is on a mission of justice, paired up with Shiva, the most dangerous woman in the world, who is on a mission of bloody vengeance, both out for the same person. It lets Simone play around with their different perspectives, and show Canary’s devotion to justice, without feeling saccharine or overly familiar. This isn’t Batman we’re dealing with, it’s Canary, and she’s very much her own person.

Looking forward to the rest of these!

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Gail Simone's Birds Of Prey and this is another example of the kind of storyteller she is. She weaves a bunch of threads together into this elaborate work of fiction and it comes out extremely well. This volume lets get into the head of Lady Shiva, Black Canary's past, all the women's feelings about each other, Huntress and Oracle's similar taste in men, clever villains, and more. It was very fun and I flew through it. I did think it was random when some off panel recruiting was done but I can overlook it as I think it will lead to more stories. The artwork, mostly by Ed Benes was very good. Overall, a super solid book that is just plain comics fun.

[MetaComix · Rating 3 out of 5]

I honestly don't get how some parts of this story ties together. Especially the issue about Black Canary's mom seems totally irrevelant, the writer just decided to throw it in for no logical reason. The characters are definitely cool, there are many memorable moments between Canary and Shiva, but the whole thing is just poorly written overall. Oh, and the sexist art of Ed Benes is still quite cringeworthy.

[Neo · Rating 4 out of 5]

i haven’t read a comic in a really long time that made me feel as excited as this one did. i think this run really understands the dynamics and intricacies of these characters in a way i haven’t read before. the biggest problem i have with it is ofc the over sexualization of every woman in this book but other than that this run would be five stars

[Abhinav · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can find the full review over at The Founding Fields:

http://thefoundingfields.com/2013/05/...

Shadowhawk reviews the third and fourth trade collections from the first run of Birds of Prey which was originally penned by Chuck Dixon.
Volume 3 collects issues #56-61 and Volume 4 collects issues #62-67.

“Excellent work all around, from the script to the art, these two collections offer a unique insight into the Birds of Prey that is matched only by Duane Swierczynski’s New 52 run. If I wasn’t already reading Gail Simone’s current Batgirl run, I’d say that these two trades are her best work ever. And the same goes for Ed Benes and his New 52 work on both Batgirl and Red Lanterns.” ~The Founding Fields

I’ve read some of Gail Simone’s work on Birds of Prey before, but that was her second volume for the second series, The Death of Oracle. In the last few months, I’ve also read her work on the current Batgirl series, and I’ve been a big fan of her work for a good while now. There’s something very approachable and easy-going about her work that really appeals to me. There are complexities in the scripts and characters but they never get overbearing. The attitude of the characters is always spot-on. The pacing is always perfect or near-perfect. Reading her comics is like reading something really fun, light-hearted, and yet challenging as well since her work often forces a degree of self-introspection.

The same applies to her first two story-arcs (numbers three and four on the main continuity as trade collections) on the first series of Birds of Prey, which she took over from Chuck Dixon. Duane Swierczynski’s New 52 run on Birds of Prey has been really, really good, and it was absolutely thrilling to read the more “classic” stories, which show how these relationships all started off in the early days. Having already seen the short-lived live-action series of the same name, and loving the Birds of Prey comics so much, I’m definitely a huge fan of the all-female superhero team now. As characters and team-members, Black Canary, Batgirl/Oracle, and, Huntress bring a lot to the table for the reader to enjoy.

In Sensei and Student, the Birds of Prey go global as Black Canary travels to Hong Kong to meet her former sensei one final time before his impending death. There, she also meets Shiva, her (former) fellow student and the most dangerous assassin in the world. Shiva is also shown off as someone who is orders of magnitude more dangerous than Black Canary as far as their martial arts skills are concerned. This is reflected really well in the scene where Shiva extends a limited-time offer to Black Canary wherein the latter would apprentice under the former and thus become the heir to all the skills and knowledge that Shiva has accumulated over the years. That was another one of those small moments in the script that Gail handles so well. The story progresses from the meeting between the two women to a murder mystery when they return from a dinner to find that the dying sensei has been murdered, and they set off to find the person who did it, eventually confronting renowned poisoner Chesire. And in an interesting turn of events for me, it turns out that Black Canary is godmother to Chesire’s daughter, so that makes this confrontation even more damning and personal.

05 Birds of Prey Sensei StudentOf course, once again, nothing is as it seems, since there is a much deeper and involved mystery at work, so the three women team up to get to the bottom of things. And back in Gotham, Oracle is… compromised and is eventually picked up by some sort of top-secret government agents who pretty much haul her off to a remote location. She is not alone however, for several other Gotham women have been picked up as well, and they are all suspected of being Oracle, which puts Barbara Gordon in a really tough place.

Essentially, there is a lot going on in Sensei and Student. On one hand we have a team-up of Shiva, Chesire, and Black Canary, three of the most dangerous women in the world and all of them ostensibly fighting for the same goal. On the other hand, we have a team-up of Oracle and Huntress where once again the latter steps in to help the former, directly this time, eventually becoming a formal member of the Birds of Prey.

Once again, Gail shows that she has a really good handle on all her characters. The relationship between Shiva and Black Canary is explored in quite a bit of detail, and serves to show off more of the backstory involving both of them. Shiva’s role as a sort of anti-hero focused on her own needs/wants clashes with Black Canary’s role as a defender of the weak and someone who is out there to save people. The temporary truce between the two is always just a hair’s breadth away from going nuclear, so the tenseness that this imparts to the narrative made for an absolutely thrilling ride. I’ve never really cared about Shiva as a character before, whether from her brief one-episode appearance in the live-action Birds of Prey TV show or her two-issue appearance in Kyle Higgins’ ongoing Nightwing series. But after reading Sensei and Student, she has become another favourite DC villain, someone that I would love to read about.

[Debra Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great adventure.

[Simon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mostly incoherent. And the art stands as an example of the very worst excesses of pornstar posing in comic books.

I feel like I know all the Birds of Prey pretty intimately now.

[Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Haviva Avirom · Rating 3 out of 5]

The continuing saga of awesome lady friendship and objectifying vapid art.