Birds of Prey, Vol. 8: Blood and Circuits

Birds of Prey (1999) (First Editions)

by Gail Simone, Paulo Siqueira, James Raiz

Popular writer Gail Simone introduces an all-new Birds of Prey team in this action-packed volume! After being paralyzed by the Joker, former Batgirl Barbara Gordon became Oracle and formed a crime-fighting team with other female heroes including the martial artist with a devastating sonic scream, Black Canary, the vigilante known as the Huntress and the mysterious Lady Blackhawk! In this collection, the team is shaken up as members depart and new teammates are added to the roster. Who will be asked to join Oracle in her all-new Birds Of Prey? Who will refuse, and who will fly the coop for good?

Collects Birds of Prey #96-103

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

208 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2007

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]

A nice breath of 'Simone-ized' fresh air, especially after my lukewarm reception on two of her books (Wonder Woman, Vol. 3: The Circle and Domino, Vol. 1: Killer Instinct) earlier this month. Lots of action!

The first half of Blood and Circuits is stronger, as it involves the core team plus recent ally Gypsy. They again travel to suburban Ohio in regards to Lori "Black Alice" Zechlin, a teenager who could give Stephen King's Carrie White a run for her money. Attempting to keep the errant super-powered high school outcast on the right path, the BoP has to contend with the villainous trio of Talia al Ghul, Cheetah, and Dr. Felix Faust, who are trying to recruit Black Alice for their faction. Additionally, my fav Black Canary gets a lot of page time, both with backstory and a well-intentioned but life-altering decision. Oh, and there's an adorkable Batgirl wannabe / imposter / #1 fan popping up in Gotham.

The latter storyline - sadly, minus Black Canary - presents a bolstered (some would say crowded) line-up including Big Barda, Judomaster, and Manhunter. The ladies head to a questionable Mexican prison to break out a falsely-imprisoned young adult daughter of an American crime boss. Things just don't go awry, they sort of go downhill like a train without brakes, courtesy of the involvement of the American government (including well-meaning / patriotic folks, and those that are corrupt). Probably the best part of this tale - besides a cameo appearance from intrepid reporter Lois Lane - was Barbara "Oracle" Gordon dueling with long-time frenemy Katarina "Spy Smasher" Armstrong.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Birds of Prey heats up as Black Canary and Huntress with the help of others face off against their biggest threat yet!

So poor black Alice is trying to be used once more, but this time by bad guys. We knew this was going to happen so Black Canary tries her best to convince her she's a good person. We also deal with Black Canary trying to be a mother figure to Sin. Misfit shows up as the new Batgirl! Last but not least we have a member leave and a few new ones enter. The biggest, and most badass one, is Big Barda. How well does this crazy collection work?

Good: The art stays pretty solid throughout. I liked the pacing, really never boring on this one. The Big exist for one of the team members is both touching and very well done. The new team is pretty interesting, especially including Big Barda. Probably the most entertaining addition as well as good chemistry with the team.

Bad: The second half takes a bit to get used to. What used to be a three woman team grows almost double the size so it doesn't gel right away.

Overall, a very solid and fun addition to the series. While Birds of Prey never blew me away it always remained good to great. I'm excited for this new team. A 4 out of 5.

[The Sapphic Nerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is where Black Canary leaves the Birds of Prey to live a normal life, raising Sin as an adopted daughter. The good-byes really got me. There's so much love between Babs, Helena and Dinah, and from the delightful banter at the start of the book, to when Dinah finally leaves, it makes me miss her already.

Then Oracle puts the call out to assemble a new Birds of Prey team with more people.i have to say I love Big Barda's introduction. I cheered! And the whole jailbreak story is exciting with some interesting twists, and the reveal of Oracle's rival! There's also a face-off between Babs and Lois Lane that's badass.

This is good stuff.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Birds of Prey: Blood and Circuits collect the next eight issues (Birds of Prey #96–103) of the 2003 on-going series and covers two stories: "Headhunt" and "Blood and Circuits".

"Headhunt" is a four-issue storyline (Birds of Prey #96–99) has the Birds of Prey dealing with Black Alice returns and finds herself in a struggle between good and evil. The Birds of Prey want to make sure she uses her powers over magic for good, but mysterious enemies want to make sure she doesn't. At the end of the storyline Black Canary leaves the team.

"Blood and Circuits" is a four-issue storyline (Birds of Prey #100–103) has Barbara Gordon as Oracle trying to expand her team – The Birds of Prey and have sent out several invitations to fill out the team. Meanwhile, the current Birds of Prey are out on a mission at a Mexican Prison. A mafia boss's daughter has been arrested on false charges and they're breaking in to rescue her.

Gail Simone penned the entire trade paperback. For the most part, it is written rather well. Simone's scripts are very strong on character. She's utterly convincing about the friendship between Oracle, Black Canary and Huntress, and the scenes where they’re interacting out of costume sparkle as much as those when they're in action.

Nicola Scott (Birds of Prey #100–103), Paulo Siqueira (Birds of Prey #96–97), and James Raiz (Birds of Prey #98–99) penciled the trade paperback. For the most part, the penciling was done rather well. Sequeira continues from the previous book, and Raiz provides storytelling that also works amid knocking himself out on the detail. With the arrival of Scott at the halfway point has for the first time having a primarily female creative team.

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

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is quite late into the series, and my first encounter with this superhero team-up, but I still loved this book. It doesn't really stand alone - a lot of momentum is carried over from past storylines and there's a lot that builds towards future resolutions - but this was a nice, chewy chunk of superheroic storytellin, equally long on character and combat. It's just a bit too talky at times, but then again it has Big Barda! If only more of DC's titles that this tone - grounded in believable, engaging characterisations but with no stinting on the heroics. But why should writers invest time and effort on characters that are just going to be snatched away from them or completely revamped in some new company-wide reboot both of which fates would await this title? The problem with the American comics industry is the American comics industry.

[Chelsea 🏳️‍🌈 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great! Very heavy on the female friendship and support here.

This starts out with a really wonderful scene of the girls having brunch together with Sin, Dinah's new adoptive daughter. These are the kind of scenes I love seeing in this universe. The moments of downtime where the characters are allowed to just be for a brief moment before they have to get right back in the spandex and fight bad guys.

Then we get more of the Black Alice story which was interesting but certainly not my favorite storyline.

This + Babs' comments about Dinah not doing right by Sin lead to Dinah deciding that its time for her to leave the team. She wants to focus on being around for Sin and not making her feel the way Babs and Dinah did growing up and watching their parents put their lives on the line day after day. It was a really sweet scene and, surprisingly, it was her goodbye to Helena that made me tear up. It's clear Dinah was the first person that really seemed to believe Helena could do the job and it was hard watching them say goodbye.

Afterwards, Babs has to put together a team for a job and it's difficult without Dinah. She ends up putting Gypsy, Zinda, Helena, Manhunter, Big Barda and Judomaster together for the job. Two of these women I know nothing about (Gypsy and Judomaster). It was really interesting to see them work together. My crush on Big Barda knows no bounds (call me). I love Manhunter from what I've read of her here and in some of the other DC books. I'll have to check out her solos.

I must say, having Nicola Scott on the art was a dream come true! Her work is wonderful and she puts so much life into the characters.

Definitely a recommend!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Birds of Prey lost Black Canary, only to gain a much larger cast of characters, and a much bigger canvas for Simone and company to draw on. With Canary leaving, Oracle draws up a new roster, and for her last two volumes on the title, she delivers BIG stories with HUGE action set-pieces. The jailbreak here is audacious, and Barda's reaction to be riddled with bullets is hilarious. A breath of fresh air for a long-running series. All of the heart, ten times the zaniness.

[Matt Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Black Canary does her best to be a mother to Sin, the Birds try to help Black Alice from being used by Talia Al-Ghul et al, we meet Misfit who tries to be Batgirl, Black Canary leaves the team, the Birds break a young girl out of a Mexican prison so that her father will provide evidence against the Mob, and Oracle must face her old foe, Spy Smasher.

A lot of detail here and I haven't read much in the series. Nonetheless, this was fun and well-done. Especially the cliff-hanger ending.

[Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely my least favorite Birds of Prey volume so far. The team loses a bit of their chemistry here with Black Canary dropping out and a couple new capes being added suddenly. Also, some of the art was horrible, especially the faces. I'm assuming there was an artist change responsible for this because I hadn't noticed the art being particularly poor in any of the previous volumes. The way Oracle seems to concede so easily at the end to Spy Smasher just felt a bit off to me as well.

[Annice22 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't find this in the trade edition (since it's pretty much out of print), so I had to go to various comic book stores to find all the issues in this volume. And it was so worth it.

This was great. Gail Simone has a real knack with writing these characters and creating an exciting group of story.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's some dreadful art and the storytelling's erratic, but Simone's great at writing fully developed characters, and that's mostly what carries this book. The second half picks up, with the character interactions as compelling as the plot.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gail Simone's Birds Of Prey book makes some big changes and they're not all a hit for me. The lineup changes here, and due to other books, these changes have to happen but it doesn't mean I have to like it. We also get a return of Black Alice who I wasn't clamoring for. I also wasn't a fan of the introduction of Spy Smasher. All that being said, I love Gail Simone's dialogue. This is how I imagine female superheroes speak to each other. The Barbara/Dinah/Helena relationship is always top tier. The book was full of amazing artwork for a handful of superstar artists. Overall, the book was an entertaining read that went some directions I didn't expect but might not be in favor of.

[Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd like to right a good long review of this but I just cannot manage it. Simone is such a great writer and so perfectly suited to BOP that all I would do is gush uncontrollably.
This series is one of the best DC was creating at the time and is still as great now as it was then. Highly recommended

[Rabiaah Abdalreda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just read this because I wanted to read a story with Big Barda in it. It was good and fun. The girls joking about her mega-rod was hilarious.

[Olivia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I mean, it's fine.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gail Simone is a great choice for this title because it's female characters that sound and talk and act like female characters far more than any male comic book writer would ever have managed.

[Malena · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75/5

[romy ★ · Rating 5 out of 5]

(considering this as the entire run)
4.5 rounded up <3

[Ann DVine · Rating 4 out of 5]

More Birds of Prey from Gail Simone and co., in a volume that, funnily enough, has more Birds of Prey.

Oracle's got a problem. Her usually infallible data bank is spitting out more and more falsities to heroes on the field that could really use some genuinely reliable information - with hilarious results! Meanwhile, Black Alice, a powerful teenager who wields magic beyond even her own comprehension, is vied for, by the Birds of Prey, and a rather evil society of witches, wizards, magicians and mystics who would use her mysterious and deadly abilities for their own nefarious schemes. And a fresh new face shows up in Gotham, claiming to be Batgirl - and Oracle isn't happy about it.

The coolest thing about this volume, save for the typical Simone wit and charm, and the familiar faces of Oracle, Black Canary, Huntress, and the like, is the way characters are shuffled in and out of the story, and how they add new points of interest to the plots. These stories could have been told with any cast, from a break-in to an prison that sees the Birds targeted by their own government, to Oracle's personal and professional PC problems. Instead, women of the DC universe come and go like they're a commodity, and it's particularly refreshing to see girls focused on this time that don't fit the typical "DC kick-ass female" roles.

In particular is fan-favourite Misfit, who, besides having a seemingly endless set of uncomplimentary powers, is a bright, bouncy, enthusiastic young girl who really just wants to help, especially when she's told she shouldn't. She's a major deviation from what we've seen of the Birds of Prey, usually confined to buxom lasses relentlessly kicking major ass, and while I shan't complain about that proven, successful formula, it's certainly pleasing to see that Birds of Prey doesn't restrict its roster to the traditional, voluptuously attractive comic book superheroine. Another cool addition is Big Barda - whom, incidentally, all the other Birds all find hilarious when told her primary weapon is called a "Mega-Rod". Other ladies on the team, from a female Judomaster, to the out-of-her-time Lady Blackhawk, offer Simone a chance to spin varying perspectives into the tales (though, honestly, a lot of it is just used for sheer variety, the spice of life that it is).

I much more warmed to the art in this volume than some previous Birds of Prey arcs, and I also further appreciate the techno-thriller genre bents. All in all, this is a volume of Birds of Prey that speaks to a lot of my personal biases, so I was much more enthused overall. I love, in particular, the "gremlin in the system" stuff with Oracle's computer troubles, and when, later on, an old acquaintance presents unforeseen complications, using her very, very strong ties with the United States government to call severe strikes against the Birds, making them fugitives for a time. With the issues collected here surpassing the hundredth, Birds of Prey feels comfortable with itself - Simone's run, long-running in and of itself - and it really shows here, with a confidence presented through the pages - the artist's, author's, and editor's cohesion of vision clearly evident, in a rare aligning of priorities for DC comics.

There's a not a lot truly "new" here - it's volume 8, and it shows - but it represents the point of long-running series where it is comfortable to introduce a little spice to the status quo, if not turn it completely around. Simone writes, as usual, characters that are as charming as they are human, in situations as absurd as they are impractical, with a tone that is comfortably light-hearted in presenting themes and ideas that are indubitably mature in nature. I, myself, though, find the characters and scenarios in this volume appeal intrinsically to my genre interests - so I'd rate this as a cream of the crop Birds of Prey.

I like it, a lot; you should know by now if you'll like it too. My advice? I think you will.

[Oliver Hodson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a break 'em down and build 'em up sort of an arc with ghosts from Babs' past coming back and trying to control the birds. It was also the first arc with babs and huntress as the main members of the team, and I liked how it wasn't just a case of switching in huntress for dinah, there was a different dynamic, and huntress' loyalty to babs is real, but they don't bounce off each other the same way. Huntress does that better with other characters and that remained true here. I liked the scene with lois and babs as well.

The new wider team elements of the book, were hard to control, but again, they should lead somewhere interesting, so despite being different from what was established earlier in the run, it was still a very fun comic.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The good-Gail Simone widens the Birds cast and Kate Spencer and Barda play significant roles in the story. Barda is given a sense of humor, and not the character has never had one-most writers just ignore her dry wit. Spencer remains a good character who depends on her brains and not brawn. Some small plot twists makes this an above average entry in the series.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This ends on a particular depressing note. I'm not looking forward to having the end this series, but I'm thankful it's been as good as it has.

[John Yelverton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author takes her original concept and cranks it up on steroids to some effect.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite Birds of Prey volume. Black Canary leaves partway through, which starts a storyline that I'm not wild about. That said, Big Barda also joins the team, and I love Big Barda.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

By the end, it became too disjointed

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another compelling story by Gail Simone.

The character art is significantly different in this volume which took some getting used to to keep track of the characters.

[Jedhua · Rating 2 out of 5]

ABSOLUTE RATING: {2.5/5 stars} (Rounded Up)

STANDARDIZED RATING: <2/5 stars>

[Cassie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just okay. It lost some of its magic with Black Canary's departure.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final Black Canary story is great. The next one is an interesting setup, but needs to gel.