Written by Gail Simone
Art by Ed Benes; Adriana Melo; Mariah Benes; Nei Ruffino; & Swands
Cover Art by Ed Benes & Nei Ruffino
SUMMARY:
Published by DC Comics as a Brightest Day tie-in for August 2010, this second installment of the four-part “End Run” storyline is entitled “The Rage of the White Canary.” In a darkened Gotham City alley, Black Canary’s narrative explains why she and a wounded Huntress are outmatched vs. the White Canary. The Birds get back-up in Zinda and Hawk & Dove. Barbara deduces that Dinah Lance/Black Canary is being set up for a high-profile murder. The White Canary predicts the Birds will all die within a matter of hours, either by her hand or by suicide.
Dragging a wounded Penguin with them, the five Birds forcibly retreat from a battle with Gotham cops. A dispirited Barbara learns of Savant & Creote’s grim fates. As the team flees to Penguin’s Iceberg Lounge, a mortified Dinah finds her turbulent private life (including her secret identity) exposed by the news media. A defiant Barbara realizes that the Birds’ own vast technological resources are being used against them.
REVIEW:
Capably supported by Ed Benes’ dynamite artwork (including a stellar cover image), classy writer Gail Simone ignites an impressive phase for the Birds franchise. Putting the team (even with Hawk & Dove’s added firepower) on the defensive, this issue has a fresh, unpredictable energy. The edgy storyline re: the news media instantly becoming the team’s worst nightmare and converging Gotham cops makes for a compelling read.
The unstoppable White Canary also proves a worthy adversary for the Birds (especially Dinah). Dinah’s narrative adds credibility to her confusion as to the White Canary’s vengeance, let alone how this villainess quickly topples the Birds in a series of deadly personal strikes. Simply put, the combination of Simone’s spot-on scripting (though it’s more violent than her usual fare) and Benes’ artistic magic makes this issue certainly worth finding.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
Including a cover image, a six-page preview explores the Jonah Hex: No Way Back graphic novel. DC’s Batman Group Editor, Mike Marts, hypes the Joker’s Asylum mini-series and a new Harley Quinn series in the single-page “DC Nation” column.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 8½ Stars
