Birds of Prey

While we were discussing the “comic book for women” thing in class today, I thought of a comic book I’d read over the summer called, “Birds of Prey.” Birds of Prey takes place in DC’s Batman universe and revolves around three of DC’s lesser known females, Black Canary, Oracle, and Huntress.

The reason I’d recommend this for anyone who takes this class and is a fan of comic books, is that it’s an interesting blend of action and interpersonal relationships (very few of which are actually romantic). The clashing of the opinions of the two main females Dinah (Canary) and Barbara (Oracle) is according to the creator, Dixon: “Oracle … is very “means to an end” oriented. She sees that sometimes you have to kill to save lives. She’s not comfortable with that but accepts it… That pragmatic aspect of Babs’ character, contrasted with Dinah’s more idealistic approach, is at the heart of this book.”

Also, Oracle remains one of my favorite DC females. Formerly known as Batgirl, a “run-in” with Joker left her paralyzed, in a wheel-chair, and unable to interact with much of the outside. Instead of crumbling, she took up the job of Oracle and became the coordinator for superheroes, becoming a “net goddess,” if you will.

I enjoy this comic series, and am always willing to talk about it with anyone interested.

Note: I firmly recommend NOT watching the discontinued TV series of the same name.