"Full Circle" part one! In addition to her vigilante life as Batgirl, Barbara Gordon also fought crime behind the scenes as Oracle. Now she's taking it one step further-working to stop crimes before they happen. Her first target? Bringing down the Calculator's intricate network of super-villains. Huntress and Black Canary are concerned she might be going too far, and it could put them all in the crosshairs when a new evildoer arrives to settle the score on behalf of the Calculator.
The Bensons perfectly balance butt-kicking fun, heartfelt moments, and a gut-wrenching conclusion, and Antonio's art seamlessly transitions between all three of those things. Read Full Review
Its always exciting to read the beginning of a new story and this weeks start to Full Circle was no exception. Although the ending was heartbreaking, it leaves the reader highly anticipating issue 20 and how these characters will respond to the major event that ended the comic. Read Full Review
As Barbara struggles with the consequences of underestimating the Calculator, another teammate addresses some overdue issues. What this bodes for the nearfuture remains to be seen, but I expect the next several issues will further the value of one of DCs under-appreciated properties. Read Full Review
The artwork for this issue was pretty solid on the whole. I didn't really like Burnate's design (or his name), though he was certainly dangerous. I love how much raw emotion the artists were able to capture, especially towards the end. Seeing Barbara's breakdown"it was heartbreaking, and the artwork fully supported it. Read Full Review
This is a great start to a new story arc. The opening sequence hits all the right notes as Oracle and the Birds are in classic form. The story itself raises some serious moral dilemmas that should prove captivating as Barbara attempts to sort out what's happened. It appears that Helena will do some growing as well as she has reached out to her mother. Read Full Review
Batgirl and the Birds of Prey #19 is a good set up issue that does a seamless job at balancing Barbara's role as Batgirl and Oracle. Read Full Review
We begin a new arc with this issue and the Bensons are coming out like they have something to prove because goddamn, this is probably one of the best issues they have written, where they actually show us stakes to the whole superhero life and what it means to be a part of the Birds of Prey. The art is great besides for a few confusing scenes, but overall, I look forward to getting more issues like this one here. Read Full Review
Regular listeners of The Definitive Crusade and The Dynamic Convergence, as well as readers of my previous reviews know how I feel about this current iteration of the Birds. But for the first time in a long while, I am cautiously optimistic that the book is moving in the right direction. Please, Julie, Shawna and Roge, do not prove me wrong! Read Full Review
This is a capable story with a dangerous antagonist. The drama and conflict within the team seems forced and the bad guy robot is inexplicably on fire. I strongly want to know who the girl Helena is and what the next issues story will be about. Read Full Review
This issue read like Barbara's prelude for the actual Full Circle story, and I am excited to see how the Birds recover from this. Read Full Review
Overall, this issue seems to set up a final showdown with Calculator, but it mainly blows up the segment where the book was at its best. Read Full Review
While not worth the asking price, let alone your time and attention, it may offer Batgirl And The Birds Of Prey's long-suffering fans a slight glimmer of hope. Read Full Review
Batgirl and the Birds of Prey #19 establishes a lofty premise, but never leaves the ground in an attempt to reach it. Poor storytelling from writers and artist make it a slog to get through, and you would do well to move along and read something else. Read Full Review
decent comic, looking forward to more
It wouldn't be easy to lead normal, everyday life as just a regular human being, as well as being a masked vigilante. That's one of the oldest tropes in comic books, where heroes so often struggle with the idea of revealing their secret identities to people who are close to them.
Batgirl has to add one more layer to her life, where it's revealed she doesn't tell everything to her team members. While such betrayal has to result in some tensions between the main trio, this issue focuses on laying down foundation for the near future.
It may not be a flawless masterpiece of comic book art, but I've enjoyed it for what it is - something pretty decent.
I've been enjoying this series, but this issue was the second to detour significantly from what made the series enjoyable to begin with. The story and art aren't bad, but the presentation is weak. Dialogue is replaced with narration, fun weigh grief, and plot development with quick unconnected story beats. And I'm not the biggest fan of the art style, but I could live with it if the story were more enjoyable. After hearing of this series cancellation this week, I know understand the rush to wrap up loose ends and the less detailed art. This series is done, unfortunately.