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Birds of Prey (2010)
Birds of Prey: The Death of Oracle
Oracle, Black Canary, Lady Blackhawk, Huntress and Dove: A collection of the world's most notable heroines, and one of the DC Universe's most impressive superteams. In an effort to conceal her identity from the world at large, the data specialist Oracle plans to fake her own death, but we all know what happens to the best-laid plans of mice and women...When her evil, scheming mirror image, the Calculator, hires a team of superpowered heavies to take out his nemisis, Oracle's plan puts her teammates right in the line of fire. Has the world's premire infojack completely lost control, or is it part of her master plan? Only the Oracle knows for sure.
198 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 13, 2011
14 people are currently reading
453 people want to read
About the author
Gail Simone
1,078 books1,237 followersGail 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".
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
March 20, 2024
"Wow. We're kinda losing here, right?" -- Helena Bertinelli, a.k.a. 'Huntress'
"I'm more comfortable saying we're victory-impaired." -- Dinah Lance, a.k.a. 'Black Canary'
When executed correctly - such as this volume Birds of Prey: The Death of Oracle - graphic novels featuring costumed crimefighters are a pure joy to behold and read. Or, as I quipped to a GR friend earlier today that this book was just FUN. Featuring the (mostly) female vigilante squad of Gotham City in a quartet of solid stories, writer Gail Simone - who has always been a dependable scribe for the leading ladies of DC Comics, bringing them fully down to Earth and perfectly rendering them in relatable terms - and a talented roster of artists deliver non-stop action sequences and bantering dialogue, or what I like to refer to as 'kicking ass and cracking wise' . . . which, with Simone at the helm, is a specialty for the Birds of Prey. Also, don't let that unsettling subtitle fool you - team leader Barbara 'Oracle' Gordon (also formerly known as Batgirl) is not really deceased; she's simply pulling a similar trick like James Bond did in You Only Live Twice, minus that trip to Japan. 😆 Even fleeting but effective cameo appearances by Batman and Catwoman are pure icing on this agreeable cake. I wish Ms. Simone well with her new gig as head writer for Marvel's Uncanny X-Men series, but books like this one make me pine for her to keep delivering Birds of Prey tales (tails?😉) 'til the end of time.
"I'm more comfortable saying we're victory-impaired." -- Dinah Lance, a.k.a. 'Black Canary'
When executed correctly - such as this volume Birds of Prey: The Death of Oracle - graphic novels featuring costumed crimefighters are a pure joy to behold and read. Or, as I quipped to a GR friend earlier today that this book was just FUN. Featuring the (mostly) female vigilante squad of Gotham City in a quartet of solid stories, writer Gail Simone - who has always been a dependable scribe for the leading ladies of DC Comics, bringing them fully down to Earth and perfectly rendering them in relatable terms - and a talented roster of artists deliver non-stop action sequences and bantering dialogue, or what I like to refer to as 'kicking ass and cracking wise' . . . which, with Simone at the helm, is a specialty for the Birds of Prey. Also, don't let that unsettling subtitle fool you - team leader Barbara 'Oracle' Gordon (also formerly known as Batgirl) is not really deceased; she's simply pulling a similar trick like James Bond did in You Only Live Twice, minus that trip to Japan. 😆 Even fleeting but effective cameo appearances by Batman and Catwoman are pure icing on this agreeable cake. I wish Ms. Simone well with her new gig as head writer for Marvel's Uncanny X-Men series, but books like this one make me pine for her to keep delivering Birds of Prey tales (tails?😉) 'til the end of time.
February 28, 2015
The main story covers the death of Oracle and why it had to happen (this isn't a spoiler as it's in the title).
I liked that this was mostly focused on the female superheroes and even introduced a couple I didn't know, including Lady Blackhawke (a female pilot time warped from WWII).
A side story drops the overall story quality (it is at the end) but not enough to drop it from four stars.
Strong artwork presentation. A good organization of a female superhero point of view and written by a female author, Gail Simone.
OVERALL GRADE: B plus
I liked that this was mostly focused on the female superheroes and even introduced a couple I didn't know, including Lady Blackhawke (a female pilot time warped from WWII).
A side story drops the overall story quality (it is at the end) but not enough to drop it from four stars.
Strong artwork presentation. A good organization of a female superhero point of view and written by a female author, Gail Simone.
OVERALL GRADE: B plus
January 21, 2020
The art in the majority of this volume wasn’t my favorite. The ArtGerm covers were absolutely gorgeous! However, the inner art wasn’t what I was expecting and some of it was just downright obnoxiously sexualized. Again - there’s a difference between sexualized and sexy. See this compared to Sunstone for example.
There about 4 or 5 different stories. The last are 3 issue and 2 issue arcs because I think this was gearing up for the New 52 reboot. This is the last of Babs as Oracle, if I’m not mistaken. I really loved seeing her continue to lead in this book.
I liked the support between Dinah and Helena and Babs and Creote and Helena and Renee. Question and Huntress wasn’t a pairing I’d ever thought of but I really, really loved them here! Considering their age difference in the upcoming Birds of Prey movie, I don’t know if I’ll get similar interactions but I hope so. That was endlessly entertaining!
The WWII story was great. I actually wished it was longer. I love how dedicated Andreyko is to classic female comics book characters!
I missed the more diverse line up. I wished Cass was here but it was still fairly enjoyable when you got past the art.
There about 4 or 5 different stories. The last are 3 issue and 2 issue arcs because I think this was gearing up for the New 52 reboot. This is the last of Babs as Oracle, if I’m not mistaken. I really loved seeing her continue to lead in this book.
I liked the support between Dinah and Helena and Babs and Creote and Helena and Renee. Question and Huntress wasn’t a pairing I’d ever thought of but I really, really loved them here! Considering their age difference in the upcoming Birds of Prey movie, I don’t know if I’ll get similar interactions but I hope so. That was endlessly entertaining!
The WWII story was great. I actually wished it was longer. I love how dedicated Andreyko is to classic female comics book characters!
I missed the more diverse line up. I wished Cass was here but it was still fairly enjoyable when you got past the art.
September 30, 2011
Such a wonderful book that keeps you on the edge of your seat as Oracle and her surrounding cast of characters are placed in dire jeopardy resulting in a climax unlike few in comics.
August 29, 2021
Birds of Prey: The Death of Oracle collects the last seven issues of the 2010 Birds of Prey series (Birds of Prey #7–13) and the three storylines: "The Death of Oracle", "Which Reason Knows Not Of", and "Hostile Takeover".
"The Death of Oracle" is a four-issue storyline (Birds of Prey #7–10), which has Barbara Gordon as Oracle's attempt to deal with the Calculator once and for all. Although she may have underestimated the help he can call on. Barbara Gordon has devised a nifty solution to her problem.
"Which Reason Knows Not Of" is a one-issue storyline (Birds of Prey #11), which deals with Helena Bertininelli as she goes against Thomas Blake as Catman and her attraction towards the feline villain that compound matters for her.
"Hostile Takeover" is a two-issue storyline (Birds of Prey #12–13), which is an action-thriller returning some tension and unpredictability, where a deranged and implacable foe against Dinah Lance as Black Canary.
Gail Simone penned the entire trade paperback. For the most part it is written rather well. Simone's characterization has been consistently convincing. However, the narrative of the titular story seems rather straightforward with little twists and turns and the single Huntress-centric story continues the inexplicable attraction of Huntress to Catman, which felt off – narratively. Simone ends with a bang with the action-thriller story centering on Black Canary.
Inaki Miranda (Birds of Prey #9–10), Ardian Syaf (Birds of Prey #7), Guillem March (Birds of Prey #8), Pere Pérez (Birds of Prey #11), Jesús Saíz (Birds of Prey #12), and Diego Olmos (Birds of Prey #13) penciled the trade paperback. For the most part it was penciled moderately well. With the exception of Miranda, who illustrates two complete issues, the rest of the trade paperback was penciled by a different penciler, which made the artistic flow of the trade paperback rather poor. Furthermore, March penciled rather odd face expressions. Pérez, Saiz, Syaf, and Olmos are all good – in their own and different manner, but with different styles.
Overall, this particular Birds of Prey series is written and constructed rather well. Being the only writer, Gail Simone played her strength with characterization and the relationship between the team and villains. While there are a couple of rare missteps for Simone, this series was written rather well. Artistic-wise it's a mess with no real main penciler, which made this series visually unappealing for the lack of artistic flow.
All in all, Birds of Prey: The Death of Oracle is a moderate conclusion to an above average series, which was cut tragically too soon.
"The Death of Oracle" is a four-issue storyline (Birds of Prey #7–10), which has Barbara Gordon as Oracle's attempt to deal with the Calculator once and for all. Although she may have underestimated the help he can call on. Barbara Gordon has devised a nifty solution to her problem.
"Which Reason Knows Not Of" is a one-issue storyline (Birds of Prey #11), which deals with Helena Bertininelli as she goes against Thomas Blake as Catman and her attraction towards the feline villain that compound matters for her.
"Hostile Takeover" is a two-issue storyline (Birds of Prey #12–13), which is an action-thriller returning some tension and unpredictability, where a deranged and implacable foe against Dinah Lance as Black Canary.
Gail Simone penned the entire trade paperback. For the most part it is written rather well. Simone's characterization has been consistently convincing. However, the narrative of the titular story seems rather straightforward with little twists and turns and the single Huntress-centric story continues the inexplicable attraction of Huntress to Catman, which felt off – narratively. Simone ends with a bang with the action-thriller story centering on Black Canary.
Inaki Miranda (Birds of Prey #9–10), Ardian Syaf (Birds of Prey #7), Guillem March (Birds of Prey #8), Pere Pérez (Birds of Prey #11), Jesús Saíz (Birds of Prey #12), and Diego Olmos (Birds of Prey #13) penciled the trade paperback. For the most part it was penciled moderately well. With the exception of Miranda, who illustrates two complete issues, the rest of the trade paperback was penciled by a different penciler, which made the artistic flow of the trade paperback rather poor. Furthermore, March penciled rather odd face expressions. Pérez, Saiz, Syaf, and Olmos are all good – in their own and different manner, but with different styles.
Overall, this particular Birds of Prey series is written and constructed rather well. Being the only writer, Gail Simone played her strength with characterization and the relationship between the team and villains. While there are a couple of rare missteps for Simone, this series was written rather well. Artistic-wise it's a mess with no real main penciler, which made this series visually unappealing for the lack of artistic flow.
All in all, Birds of Prey: The Death of Oracle is a moderate conclusion to an above average series, which was cut tragically too soon.
January 2, 2013
If you're new to the Birds of Prey series, I recommend starting with one of the earlier books before reading this one. I've liked the series quite a bit and parts of this book worked for me as well. But it's not so much a graphic novel as it is series of unfinished short stories. The art ranged from the "wow!" to the "is that a leg? At that angle?"
Recommended if you're already familiar with the characters and the stories.
Recommended if you're already familiar with the characters and the stories.
October 20, 2018
It’s just very easy for me to like Gail Simone and the Birds of Prey. Easily one of my favorite teams and favorite versions of the team. I can see how some people might see it as aimless or not like it, but I had a good time with this as I did with the first volume.
February 18, 2025
The main story has terrible art, especially the digital gradient colouring everywhere. This book has a lot of shoehorned in ideas but nothing really gets truly fleshed out. The run was already complete but this is just painfully dragging it out. Is this supposed to be a sum up of birds of prey or a bad advert for secret six?
Don’t waste your time on this.
Don’t waste your time on this.
July 15, 2015
Need to find the first volume. They restart these titles wayyy too often. There are way too many different volume ones and twos of everything. Trying to read them in anywhere close to the correct order is going to drive me crazy.
Still, love Oracle!
Still, love Oracle!
December 18, 2024
3.5 stars
The Death of Oracle marks the end of an era for the Birds of Prey. The final hurrah for the team before their permanent shake up in the New 52. And while it's sad to say goodbye I'm happy to say this era ended on a high note.
In this volume the Calculator has recruited super-powered goons in hopes of taking down the Birds of Prey and kill Oracle. But Barbara has a plan to fake her own death to her nemesis and the wider superhero community and get back underground. This arc also introduces some interesting new villains like Mortis, a woman with the power to project anyones deepest regrets with one touch. As with any good fear-power based villain this leads to some fascinating introspective moments for Dinah.
In this arc Gail Simone teases out the romantic tension between Huntress and former assassin and Secret Six member Catman. There were elements I liked about Catman and Huntress' dynamic here, I'll always be down for doomed superhero romances. However, I think Simone leaned into the assumption that her readers were familiar with the context of the Secret Six in a way that left some of their interactions feeling a little shallow. For fans of both I'm sure this hit but as someone without the full context of Catman's tragic past it wasn't as impactful for me.
The last two issues of the volume sees Marc Andreyko take over as writer in a nostalgic throwback story featuring golden age heroes Phantom Lady the original Black Canary and Lady Blackhawk. As someone who has recently read a bunch of golden age Black Canary adventures and adores when comics engage with the concept of legacy heroes this two parter felt specially crafted for me. Throughout the story weave between Zinda, Dinah (Drake) and Sandra's 1950s spy mission and the present day as the Nazis they fought then rear their ugly heads again. This send up to the legacy of female superheroes felt so at home in a Birds of Prey comic.
I especially loved seeing Dinah interface with her own mother's legacy and Kate Spencer Phantom Lady's granddaughter and on and off Birds of Prey member as Manhunter forging that connection with her own history. Sometimes rah-rah girl power stories read as insincere but this one genuinely hit my in my feelings.
So while I'm sad that this era of Birds of Prey is over I am happy to have been along for the ride.
The Death of Oracle marks the end of an era for the Birds of Prey. The final hurrah for the team before their permanent shake up in the New 52. And while it's sad to say goodbye I'm happy to say this era ended on a high note.
In this volume the Calculator has recruited super-powered goons in hopes of taking down the Birds of Prey and kill Oracle. But Barbara has a plan to fake her own death to her nemesis and the wider superhero community and get back underground. This arc also introduces some interesting new villains like Mortis, a woman with the power to project anyones deepest regrets with one touch. As with any good fear-power based villain this leads to some fascinating introspective moments for Dinah.
In this arc Gail Simone teases out the romantic tension between Huntress and former assassin and Secret Six member Catman. There were elements I liked about Catman and Huntress' dynamic here, I'll always be down for doomed superhero romances. However, I think Simone leaned into the assumption that her readers were familiar with the context of the Secret Six in a way that left some of their interactions feeling a little shallow. For fans of both I'm sure this hit but as someone without the full context of Catman's tragic past it wasn't as impactful for me.
The last two issues of the volume sees Marc Andreyko take over as writer in a nostalgic throwback story featuring golden age heroes Phantom Lady the original Black Canary and Lady Blackhawk. As someone who has recently read a bunch of golden age Black Canary adventures and adores when comics engage with the concept of legacy heroes this two parter felt specially crafted for me. Throughout the story weave between Zinda, Dinah (Drake) and Sandra's 1950s spy mission and the present day as the Nazis they fought then rear their ugly heads again. This send up to the legacy of female superheroes felt so at home in a Birds of Prey comic.
I especially loved seeing Dinah interface with her own mother's legacy and Kate Spencer Phantom Lady's granddaughter and on and off Birds of Prey member as Manhunter forging that connection with her own history. Sometimes rah-rah girl power stories read as insincere but this one genuinely hit my in my feelings.
So while I'm sad that this era of Birds of Prey is over I am happy to have been along for the ride.
February 9, 2020
Birds of Prey has been a favourite of mine for years, prior to “New 52”. I loved the idea of a team of super heroines proving they can kick ass as much as the male driven teams. In this volume Oracle (Barbara Gordon) decides that it’s time for her moniker to die & go back to being anonymous in her fight against evil. Only a handful of the Bat-family is in on the secret minus her team consisting of Huntress, Black Canary, Lady Blackhawk, Dove with appearances from Hawk & Manhunter. This volume was the last before the reboot in 2011 before the aforementioned “New 52”. The art work is beautiful & Gail Simone’s writing is consistent with her usual level of brilliance. My one & only complaint is the last story felt very rushed.
March 7, 2017
This is a collection of multiple stories, starting with Oracle faking her own death. The stories were fine, but I had no emotional investment in the characters & none were really elicited from the stories. Meh. I don't even want to give a synopsis. I wonder if a lot of my unhappiness at the book boiled down to there being entirely too much T&A and the artist having a poor grasp of human anatomy. (Legs are attached by joints, not kind of flapping around on some skin & muscle. Women actually have internal organs!) If you're already a fan of the Birds of Prey, know all their background, and love loads of cheesecake, I'm sure this is a very enjoyable book.
February 10, 2024
"But no more playing with this idiot. Now we���re birds. And he’s our prey.”
3,5/5!
Barbara Gordon has decided it is time for the Oracle to die and that her final battle should be against Calculator, a villain partly of Barbara's own making. This volume also includes a few shorter stories, one about an explosive date Huntress goes on with Catman, a two-part story about a job that gets totally out of control as the team faces an enemy far scarier than they anticipated and a two-issue story that takes the reader back to the 1950s.
I had great fun with this book too. It was perhaps not quite so good as the first volume - I would've loved for the big story, the Death of the Oracle, to have a few more issues – but it was a lot of fun. Over the course of this sadly rather short series I have grown very fond of this team and all the ladies on it. Their team dynamic is so lovely, as they truly trust each other, would fight to the death for each other and support each other even if they do not always agree on everything. They are a very solid team, and I love that there are no huge egos constantly clashing: they work for the same goal. This volume also included some moments between the girls that were just delightful because they were such normal things friends do for each other – for example, when Babs is sick, Dinah makes her chili. It's cool seeing them, sometimes, just be normal pals.
All the characters had stand-out moments in this volume. I really enjoyed getting to see Barbara grapple with her role as the Oracle and decide that it is time for that role to die, because it has become more of a hindrance than a strength, as people know who she is, know that heroes have her help. I loved seeing more of Huntress and her delightfully gray view world. She has her own limits and she won't cross those, but those limits might not be ones shared by some other heroes. I, for example, really loved this line from her: “I don’t care much about saving rich people from losing money they’ll never even know they lost. I don’t care much about bank robbers or inside traders. Sue me. That’s Oracle stuff. But these four guys, they didn’t just steal some dusty relics. They shot a guard. And they took a hostage. And that means… they get hunted.” She really is someone who fights for people who have no one. This quote was also intriguing, considering that Helena comes "from gold". Also, seeing her navigate her feelings for Catman and deal with all that was intriguing, cause you don't really think of her as someone who would ever want a relationship or know how to be in one. I liked how that story was concluded and how it ended up not being so much about romance after all, and more about them as individuals and where they stand around that moral line that separates heroes and villains. This was My favorite moment for Dinah was that scene where Zinda is a delight and while I do not feel like I know her as well as the others yet, even after 15 issues, I still liked her a lot. Seeing her, back in the 1950s, fighting to take down a creepy Nazi scientist with her friends was cool.
The villains in this volume were nice. I like how different they all were. Mortis was a completely new character for me, and I loved how fucking creepy her power was. was also a creeper, and I really enjoyed getting to know them. Calculator is not the most impressive villain - his name is, for starters, rather dumb – but I don't think he is meant to be cool, scary or anything like that. I would've loved to know more about what happened between him and Babs, what she did to him, so maybe one day I will check out the issues the writer mentioned you should check out if you wanna know more about their backstory. Calculator's best moment was in the very beginning, where he thought about why Gotham specifically is so full of these insane villains. Why not some other city? What is it about Gotham - is it some kind of innate rottenness? I love the city of Gotham specifically because it seems to create both heroes and villains, trap them in an eternal battle. There's something off about Gotham.
My main gripe with the series is still the way the women are often drawn. The art can be quite hyper-sexualised and the outfits are sometimes plainly ridiculous. Who would ever wear a glorified bikini to a battle? This is a gripe I have with pretty much all comics I ever read. Would it really be so difficult to give a woman a proper fighting suit? I promise a story can be great even if the leading ladies do not have their tits out all the time.
I am so happy I decided to read this series. I would've loved for it to be longer cause there could've been so many more cool stories told about these ladies. I will definitely pick up more Birds of Prey comics in the future and continue getting to know all these ladies. This series made Huntress one of my fave DC characters ever!
3,5/5!
Barbara Gordon has decided it is time for the Oracle to die and that her final battle should be against Calculator, a villain partly of Barbara's own making. This volume also includes a few shorter stories, one about an explosive date Huntress goes on with Catman, a two-part story about a job that gets totally out of control as the team faces an enemy far scarier than they anticipated and a two-issue story that takes the reader back to the 1950s.
I had great fun with this book too. It was perhaps not quite so good as the first volume - I would've loved for the big story, the Death of the Oracle, to have a few more issues – but it was a lot of fun. Over the course of this sadly rather short series I have grown very fond of this team and all the ladies on it. Their team dynamic is so lovely, as they truly trust each other, would fight to the death for each other and support each other even if they do not always agree on everything. They are a very solid team, and I love that there are no huge egos constantly clashing: they work for the same goal. This volume also included some moments between the girls that were just delightful because they were such normal things friends do for each other – for example, when Babs is sick, Dinah makes her chili. It's cool seeing them, sometimes, just be normal pals.
All the characters had stand-out moments in this volume. I really enjoyed getting to see Barbara grapple with her role as the Oracle and decide that it is time for that role to die, because it has become more of a hindrance than a strength, as people know who she is, know that heroes have her help. I loved seeing more of Huntress and her delightfully gray view world. She has her own limits and she won't cross those, but those limits might not be ones shared by some other heroes. I, for example, really loved this line from her: “I don’t care much about saving rich people from losing money they’ll never even know they lost. I don’t care much about bank robbers or inside traders. Sue me. That’s Oracle stuff. But these four guys, they didn’t just steal some dusty relics. They shot a guard. And they took a hostage. And that means… they get hunted.” She really is someone who fights for people who have no one. This quote was also intriguing, considering that Helena comes "from gold". Also, seeing her navigate her feelings for Catman and deal with all that was intriguing, cause you don't really think of her as someone who would ever want a relationship or know how to be in one. I liked how that story was concluded and how it ended up not being so much about romance after all, and more about them as individuals and where they stand around that moral line that separates heroes and villains. This was My favorite moment for Dinah was that scene where Zinda is a delight and while I do not feel like I know her as well as the others yet, even after 15 issues, I still liked her a lot. Seeing her, back in the 1950s, fighting to take down a creepy Nazi scientist with her friends was cool.
The villains in this volume were nice. I like how different they all were. Mortis was a completely new character for me, and I loved how fucking creepy her power was. was also a creeper, and I really enjoyed getting to know them. Calculator is not the most impressive villain - his name is, for starters, rather dumb – but I don't think he is meant to be cool, scary or anything like that. I would've loved to know more about what happened between him and Babs, what she did to him, so maybe one day I will check out the issues the writer mentioned you should check out if you wanna know more about their backstory. Calculator's best moment was in the very beginning, where he thought about why Gotham specifically is so full of these insane villains. Why not some other city? What is it about Gotham - is it some kind of innate rottenness? I love the city of Gotham specifically because it seems to create both heroes and villains, trap them in an eternal battle. There's something off about Gotham.
My main gripe with the series is still the way the women are often drawn. The art can be quite hyper-sexualised and the outfits are sometimes plainly ridiculous. Who would ever wear a glorified bikini to a battle? This is a gripe I have with pretty much all comics I ever read. Would it really be so difficult to give a woman a proper fighting suit? I promise a story can be great even if the leading ladies do not have their tits out all the time.
I am so happy I decided to read this series. I would've loved for it to be longer cause there could've been so many more cool stories told about these ladies. I will definitely pick up more Birds of Prey comics in the future and continue getting to know all these ladies. This series made Huntress one of my fave DC characters ever!
December 12, 2012
I haven't read a lot of Birds of Prey - more the individual characters as they've appeared in various Bat family titles. Nice artwork in this volume, and interesting storyline. I really liked the flashback story.
December 17, 2012
The first half was great, the last half was really hit and miss.
February 23, 2020
The release of the Birds of Prey movie inspired my comic book club to set this as required reading. I was keen, although (or perhaps because) my knowledge of DC comics is v limited.
Random thoughts while I was reading:
*Batman hugs and strippers – what an opening!
*The henchman-boyfriend is now their receptionist eeee
*Wait, so Savant works for them too? Traitor (mild spoilers: turns out I was mistaken)
*Sorry, did Dove go to a stripper bar in her superhero costume?
*Best quote so far … “WAAAUGHGH” -Penguin (2010)
*Okay Dove has magical clothes-changing powers. Hawk also has clothes change powers. They yell out their name and their clothes appear. Very practical. We should all have such powers.
*Batman leaves a photocopy of his logo on top of a pile of defeated baddies, nice.
*Oracle aka Batgirl wears batman pyjamas and bunny slippers omg
*I sure hope Catman's identity was already public, because Huntress just yelled out his name in front of a criminal.
*The Question has no face. Hokay then.
*Catman makes dinner in his superhero costume. I mean, how else would we know who we were looking at?
Well that was interesting, although the art was inconsistent, oscillating between “meh” and “awesome”. I think I preferred Of Like Minds, although I'm intrigued by some of the characters in The Death of Oracle (Question and Hawk & Dove in particular).
Random thoughts while I was reading:
*Batman hugs and strippers – what an opening!
*The henchman-boyfriend is now their receptionist eeee
*Wait, so Savant works for them too? Traitor (mild spoilers: turns out I was mistaken)
*Sorry, did Dove go to a stripper bar in her superhero costume?
*Best quote so far … “WAAAUGHGH” -Penguin (2010)
*Okay Dove has magical clothes-changing powers. Hawk also has clothes change powers. They yell out their name and their clothes appear. Very practical. We should all have such powers.
*Batman leaves a photocopy of his logo on top of a pile of defeated baddies, nice.
*Oracle aka Batgirl wears batman pyjamas and bunny slippers omg
*I sure hope Catman's identity was already public, because Huntress just yelled out his name in front of a criminal.
*The Question has no face. Hokay then.
*Catman makes dinner in his superhero costume. I mean, how else would we know who we were looking at?
Well that was interesting, although the art was inconsistent, oscillating between “meh” and “awesome”. I think I preferred Of Like Minds, although I'm intrigued by some of the characters in The Death of Oracle (Question and Hawk & Dove in particular).
August 20, 2023
Death and old enemies
I really liked this book. This is one of my favourite Birds of Prey books so far. The book three story arcs and a one shot story.
Oracle is too well known now. The only way to fix that is for her to die. However, not everything goes to plan. Actually, nothing goes to plan. A fake death might end up being real and taking the test of the team with it.
Huntress and Catman go on their first date, but business before pleasure.
The two hostile take over story was my least favourite of the book. Mainly because it makes no sense that the best fighters get beaten by a ghost lady.
Ghosts from the past haunt the vetrens of the team and their friends. A then and now story.
A great chapters for the Birds of Prey, a bit of rearranging in the team and "secondary" members. As usual, the ladies look great, good stories, and have guest stars as well.
I really liked this book. This is one of my favourite Birds of Prey books so far. The book three story arcs and a one shot story.
Oracle is too well known now. The only way to fix that is for her to die. However, not everything goes to plan. Actually, nothing goes to plan. A fake death might end up being real and taking the test of the team with it.
Huntress and Catman go on their first date, but business before pleasure.
The two hostile take over story was my least favourite of the book. Mainly because it makes no sense that the best fighters get beaten by a ghost lady.
Ghosts from the past haunt the vetrens of the team and their friends. A then and now story.
A great chapters for the Birds of Prey, a bit of rearranging in the team and "secondary" members. As usual, the ladies look great, good stories, and have guest stars as well.
July 15, 2017
It's official: I've come to love Barbara Gordon as both Oracle and Batgirl. Maybe not as much as Batgirl since I still know less about Oracle, but I'll accept what I can get. Whoever she is - whether or not she shows her face or walks - Barbara is amazing. Calm, intelligent, resourceful, and more than capable, she is a high pedestal for other female superheroes to look up to and achieve in greatness. Even when she falls victim to the terror trope which all fictional females dread - the Woman in the Refrigerator - she rises above it and comes back on top thanks to good writing.
And in this volume, 'The Death of Oracle', she plans to fake the death of her alter ego - the online, green-masked Oracle: computer genius and go-to info girl for all DC superheroes. This is because Oracle has become too well known among supervillains as well, and she wants to protect as many people as possible with the power she still possesses. She faces up against her match in the form of a man called Calculator, whom she had manipulated in the past. Despite my being relatively new to comics in general, I can confidently call Barbara Gordon one of - no, THE smartest woman in the DC universe.
I love the artwork. It is an improvement on the previous 'Birds of Prey' volume in that there is little to no fanservice whatsoever, and Oracle's facial expressions are a delight as they truly show her inquisitive and compassionate sides. She cares about all heroes and citizens, but it is her Birds who she holds near and dear to her, and who she shares a greater connection to. Except for Batman, of course.
Speaking of, Batman is very compassionate himself in Oracle's last appearance. In the beginning he even offers her a hug, right there in one of the alleyways of Gotham. Their long history together is given away beautifully in those little touches.
Other characters have a marked improvement on their portrayal as well, such as Dove and Lady Blackhawke, in that they are given more to do. More of their history is revealed, and I now understand why they are considered worthy members of the Birds of Prey; they are admirably strong-willed and brave. Black Canary and Huntress don't have as strong a presence as in the last volume, but they are still written as three-dimensional ladies exceeding normal physical, emotional and mental abilities while managing to be empathetic.
Huntress is given her own little story in the middle of 'The Death of Oracle' volume. I've yet to find a bad representation of her in all the comics I’ve read with her in them. Here I have found out about one of her canon love interests, and I am still gobsmacked that there actually exists a superhero named Catman. I haven't read any 'Secret Six' comics, I admit. But personally, if I were Huntress, I wouldn't associate myself with someone who calls himself Catman with a straight face. Even his costume looks dumb.
But anyway, 'The Death of Oracle' isn't just about the last the Oracle appears publicly. Her "death" gets resolved rather quickly and easily in the first few issues. Apparently this was forced on writer Gail Simone in order for DC to launch their New 52 titles. But with what time she had, she did a decent job of ending Oracle's run, even if it is rushed. The subsequent issues are about the Birds of Prey still doing crime fighting work, with the help of Barbara at the computers in secret. The ending issues are filler stories with a different writer and artwork, but they're really entertaining nevertheless. It's always a positive to learn more about the Birds than I did beforehand.
This volume is also where Stephanie Brown gets a cameo as Batgirl, and so do a lot of DC superheroes in showing how they fare with Oracle being "dead". I'd never even heard of Misfit until now. Catwoman only appears for two pages but she is feisty, fun and full of abandon and mystery, like in 'Huntress: Year One'. Junior does seem as terrifying a supervillainess as her reputation among DC heroes says. Additionally, ‘The Death of Oracle’ is the first I’ve seen of the female Question, aka Renee Montoya, and my word she is badass. Her banter with Huntress is a joy to behold. Manhunter is... okay. Not really memorable, but... she’s okay.
Like its predecessor, 'The Death of Oracle', with all its high points, still has its share of unmistakable flaws. As mentioned already, it is a little rushed and uneven. After the first few issues, the end of Oracle doesn't seem as big a deal as the volume's title foretells. Barbara Gordon still does what she does best as a human search engine, computer hacker and network infiltrator, and as the leader of the Birds of Prey. Mortis, a Gothic woman with the ability to make people relive their dark past and face inner demons with a touch, appears menacing and in control on the cover, but she is wasted by the end of the actual 'Death of Oracle' story arc. She can make anyone commit suicide just by touching their skin, yet she is weakened and quite literally pushed aside in favour of the downfall of the male supervillains. All done by the awesome Birds of Prey, yes, but it is an anticlimax all the same. Character arcs, such as for Black Canary, are also left unresolved.
But the dramatic and emotional moments in 'Birds of Prey, Vol. 2: The Death of Oracle' make up for this. It is darker and scarier than 'End Run', though it gets just as cheesy and silly. Barbara is the best-written character in Gail Simone's stories. The rest of the cast in their multitude range from playing their roles decently to very well.
Yeah, upon further reflection, despite it suddenly ending like it did, 'The Death of Oracle' rocks.
Final Score: 3.5/5
And in this volume, 'The Death of Oracle', she plans to fake the death of her alter ego - the online, green-masked Oracle: computer genius and go-to info girl for all DC superheroes. This is because Oracle has become too well known among supervillains as well, and she wants to protect as many people as possible with the power she still possesses. She faces up against her match in the form of a man called Calculator, whom she had manipulated in the past. Despite my being relatively new to comics in general, I can confidently call Barbara Gordon one of - no, THE smartest woman in the DC universe.
I love the artwork. It is an improvement on the previous 'Birds of Prey' volume in that there is little to no fanservice whatsoever, and Oracle's facial expressions are a delight as they truly show her inquisitive and compassionate sides. She cares about all heroes and citizens, but it is her Birds who she holds near and dear to her, and who she shares a greater connection to. Except for Batman, of course.
Speaking of, Batman is very compassionate himself in Oracle's last appearance. In the beginning he even offers her a hug, right there in one of the alleyways of Gotham. Their long history together is given away beautifully in those little touches.
Other characters have a marked improvement on their portrayal as well, such as Dove and Lady Blackhawke, in that they are given more to do. More of their history is revealed, and I now understand why they are considered worthy members of the Birds of Prey; they are admirably strong-willed and brave. Black Canary and Huntress don't have as strong a presence as in the last volume, but they are still written as three-dimensional ladies exceeding normal physical, emotional and mental abilities while managing to be empathetic.
Huntress is given her own little story in the middle of 'The Death of Oracle' volume. I've yet to find a bad representation of her in all the comics I’ve read with her in them. Here I have found out about one of her canon love interests, and I am still gobsmacked that there actually exists a superhero named Catman. I haven't read any 'Secret Six' comics, I admit. But personally, if I were Huntress, I wouldn't associate myself with someone who calls himself Catman with a straight face. Even his costume looks dumb.
But anyway, 'The Death of Oracle' isn't just about the last the Oracle appears publicly. Her "death" gets resolved rather quickly and easily in the first few issues. Apparently this was forced on writer Gail Simone in order for DC to launch their New 52 titles. But with what time she had, she did a decent job of ending Oracle's run, even if it is rushed. The subsequent issues are about the Birds of Prey still doing crime fighting work, with the help of Barbara at the computers in secret. The ending issues are filler stories with a different writer and artwork, but they're really entertaining nevertheless. It's always a positive to learn more about the Birds than I did beforehand.
This volume is also where Stephanie Brown gets a cameo as Batgirl, and so do a lot of DC superheroes in showing how they fare with Oracle being "dead". I'd never even heard of Misfit until now. Catwoman only appears for two pages but she is feisty, fun and full of abandon and mystery, like in 'Huntress: Year One'. Junior does seem as terrifying a supervillainess as her reputation among DC heroes says. Additionally, ‘The Death of Oracle’ is the first I’ve seen of the female Question, aka Renee Montoya, and my word she is badass. Her banter with Huntress is a joy to behold. Manhunter is... okay. Not really memorable, but... she’s okay.
Like its predecessor, 'The Death of Oracle', with all its high points, still has its share of unmistakable flaws. As mentioned already, it is a little rushed and uneven. After the first few issues, the end of Oracle doesn't seem as big a deal as the volume's title foretells. Barbara Gordon still does what she does best as a human search engine, computer hacker and network infiltrator, and as the leader of the Birds of Prey. Mortis, a Gothic woman with the ability to make people relive their dark past and face inner demons with a touch, appears menacing and in control on the cover, but she is wasted by the end of the actual 'Death of Oracle' story arc. She can make anyone commit suicide just by touching their skin, yet she is weakened and quite literally pushed aside in favour of the downfall of the male supervillains. All done by the awesome Birds of Prey, yes, but it is an anticlimax all the same. Character arcs, such as for Black Canary, are also left unresolved.
But the dramatic and emotional moments in 'Birds of Prey, Vol. 2: The Death of Oracle' make up for this. It is darker and scarier than 'End Run', though it gets just as cheesy and silly. Barbara is the best-written character in Gail Simone's stories. The rest of the cast in their multitude range from playing their roles decently to very well.
Yeah, upon further reflection, despite it suddenly ending like it did, 'The Death of Oracle' rocks.
Final Score: 3.5/5
September 3, 2019
The first Birds of Prey series was almost uniformly excellent, this reboot hasn't been as good. The first half was ok but this half is just a bit bland, and I don't know why. Gail Simone is an excellent writer so why I didn't enjoy her issues I really don't know. I cant quite put my finger on what is actually wrong with them but they just didn't bring me into the world of the Gotham heroes.
The Andreyko two part story I actively disliked, again I don't know why as again he is a great writer (see his Manhunter series). It wasn't a bad story but it just didn't fit with my own image of the Birds.
The Andreyko two part story I actively disliked, again I don't know why as again he is a great writer (see his Manhunter series). It wasn't a bad story but it just didn't fit with my own image of the Birds.
May 10, 2020
This was the only volume of BoP by Gail Simone available online, so I was a little confused, having not read volume 1. It was a pretty good read overall. I got a little confused with the many blonde characters out of costume and there were too many characters for an introduction (which this was not). hoping to find a copy of vol 1 I can legally read online so this'll all make more sense. I did love Mortis as a villain and would love to see more of her in other comics.
There was also a stroyline that took place in the 1940's and present simultaneously. Very confused by that one.
There was also a stroyline that took place in the 1940's and present simultaneously. Very confused by that one.
February 21, 2019
It looks super serious. It sounds super serious. But it's really just a few really fun Birds of Prey stories. The "death" isn't the way it sounds. I always like Simone's writing. Her storytelling is so fluid you can just move from one issue to the next and before you know it, it's 2AM and you're writing a review on Goodreads.
I hope they release the rest of her run in trades again. This volume wasn't enough by Canary cry.
I hope they release the rest of her run in trades again. This volume wasn't enough by Canary cry.
January 10, 2025
This was not Gail Simone's best work. The final book before the series is rebooted in the New 52, Simone shoehorns some tired ideas together, foregoes logic, and delivers a stinker. I will always like her dialogue but the plot here was just plain bad. Added to that was a worse story by Marc Andreyko. These characters deserved better. The art was also not great for most of the book. Overall, a sad ending for readers.
August 13, 2017
All I am going to day is that, once again, Gail Simone proves that she is the best at writing Batgirl and Oracle comics.
October 22, 2017
Interesting read but weird combination of heroes this time around. I did enjoy the Phantom Lady story even if I did wish for more World War Two story.
March 11, 2025
not bad. expected more, i guess. still fun tho
October 21, 2025
A great followup and ending to this run!
Want to read
December 23, 2025Individual Issues Rated Below -
Birds of Prey #7: 4.5/5 Stars
Birds of Prey #8: 3.5/5 Stars
Birds of Prey #9:
Birds of Prey #10:
Birds of Prey #11:
Birds of Prey #12:
Birds of Prey #13:
Birds of Prey #14:
Birds of Prey #15:
Birds of Prey #7: 4.5/5 Stars
Birds of Prey #8: 3.5/5 Stars
Birds of Prey #9:
Birds of Prey #10:
Birds of Prey #11:
Birds of Prey #12:
Birds of Prey #13:
Birds of Prey #14:
Birds of Prey #15:
July 27, 2020
I’m obviously on a Birds of Prey kick right now. This is from 2010 and features a bunch of female superheros that I really liked. I wanted to read more about all of them and I started shipping a romance between Huntress and Black Canary and the art didn’t help. HOT WOMEN KICKING ASS! Sorry. I like comics…
September 13, 2013
I was really looking forward to this. I've read two volumes of the New 52 Birds of Prey and a lot of people told me that I really needed to get my hands on Gail Simone's version, that it was better. But honestly, I disagree and was disappointed. The art was beautiful, and I loved all the character designs, but I was bored, and the story didn't have the pacing I wanted.
There were times when this could have been really cool, but then it just didn't pan out. For example, the bad girl Mortis with her weird and scary power to bring people to their knees because they have to relive every awful thing they have ever done. She uses said power on Black Canary, she is killing Canary in her mind. Then, she says the wrong thing about her friends and suddenly Canary has this badass moment where she snaps out of it and kicks Mortis's butt (all in her head). All we see is Mortis writhing around. That's it? Lame.
There are some other really interesting characters like Junior (a serial killer female who sort of looks like Scarecrow) and Question (a detective with no face) seem really cool too, but there just isn't enough about them in this volume. I'll probably try to read the follow-up to this so I can learn more about them, but if I'm as bored with the next one as I was with this one then I'll probably call it quits on this run and just stick with the New 52. Besides, in the New 52 there is a tattooed girl. Who doesn't love a tattooed girl?
I had really high hopes for this because not only is it all about badass girls, it's also written by a girl. At least the looked cool...
Oh, a final note: this was the first time I've ever seen Catman. Lame. Is he cool in any other comics?
There were times when this could have been really cool, but then it just didn't pan out. For example, the bad girl Mortis with her weird and scary power to bring people to their knees because they have to relive every awful thing they have ever done. She uses said power on Black Canary, she is killing Canary in her mind. Then, she says the wrong thing about her friends and suddenly Canary has this badass moment where she snaps out of it and kicks Mortis's butt (all in her head). All we see is Mortis writhing around. That's it? Lame.
There are some other really interesting characters like Junior (a serial killer female who sort of looks like Scarecrow) and Question (a detective with no face) seem really cool too, but there just isn't enough about them in this volume. I'll probably try to read the follow-up to this so I can learn more about them, but if I'm as bored with the next one as I was with this one then I'll probably call it quits on this run and just stick with the New 52. Besides, in the New 52 there is a tattooed girl. Who doesn't love a tattooed girl?
I had really high hopes for this because not only is it all about badass girls, it's also written by a girl. At least the looked cool...
Oh, a final note: this was the first time I've ever seen Catman. Lame. Is he cool in any other comics?
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