Batgirl and the Birds of Prey Volume 1: Who is Oracle?

What's the title? Batgirl and the Birds of Prey Volume 1: Who is Oracle?

Who wrote it? Julie Benson, Shawna Benson Art by Claire Roe

When was it written? 2017

What star rating would I give it? 3.5/5

Would I recommend it? Yeah, definitely. It’s a great entry point for entering the world of reading Big Two comics. Thanks to DC’s recent Rebirth, the stories don’t have a whole lot of context and backstory weighing them down. What little you need to know is shared succinctly, so I can’t imagine a reader feeling lost. Also, the main cast of characters is fun and engaging. I imagine at least one of the team is going to speak to you. As far as plot, there’s a nice little mystery with a satisfying resolution. The art’s functional, but pretty. All around, Oracle is a solid and enjoyable read.

What's it about? (non-spoilers) Barbara Gordon is currently kicking criminal butt as the vigilante, Batgirl, but she once fought for justice as the hacktivist Oracle. When she discovers that someone has stolen the Oracle name and using it to sell intel to the mob, she cannot let this stand. She asks her old teammate Dinah Lance, aka Black Canary, to help her track down the mobsters that lead to the Oracle imposter. But Babs & Dinah aren’t the only ones looking to hunt down these mafiosos, and the Huntress shoots to kill.

What did you think? (spoilers) I by no means claim to be a comics expert. Honestly, I don’t claim to be a movie or book expert either, but I really don’t claim to be a comics expert. My introduction to the world of reading comics is fairly recent, only in the last few years or so have I started picking up trades (and, yes, nearly all my comics reading has been through trades). I am a comic newb. Most of the comics I picked up were ones everyone recommended. Matt Fraction’s Hawkeye. G. Willow Wilson’s Ms. Marvel. Al Ewing’s Loki: Agent of Asgard. You may notice these are all Marvel titles. I like Marvel, but I like DC more (the characters, not the movies) and I wanted to dip my toe into that world but I wasn’t hearing a lot about easy entry points for new readers.

Then Rebirth happened. With DC wiping its slate (relatively) clean, and a slew of first volumes coming out, it seemed like a good time to jump in. I just needed to pick a title. Given the cultural moment that Wonder Woman is having, the obvious choice would have been Greg Rucka’s current run on the character. While I’ve certainly got Diana down on my TBR, her’s wasn’t the title that caught my eye. Diana is great, but she’s not my favorite DC heroine. She’s not even Top 3. You know who does make the Top 3? Helena Bertinelli and Dinah Lance, two-thirds of the Birds of Prey. I also really like Barbara Gordon, who makes up the final third of the team. Another point in Oracle's favor was that it had a female creative team. So, while I had heard literally nothing about Oracle or its team but I decided to take a risk.

And it paid off. I don’t think Oracle is groundbreaking or anything like that, but, from my limited experience, it’s a solid volume. There’s a nice arc for each of the ladies. There’s solid team building action, and each of the team members has a strong and distinct personality. Barbara is a know-it-all, goody-two-shoes trying to live up to and distinguish herself from the crime-fighting men in her life. Dinah is the powerhouse, cool-chick who is there for her friends. Helena is the uber-violent, ultra-competent lone wolf. They are all great.

I called the reveal of Helena’s mother, but I was generally surprised by the reveal of who had stolen the Oracle moniker and was excited for what that reveal would mean for future issues of the story. The art was unique enough. I get pretty bored with the boiler-plate comic book style. I like to read comic books that have a distinct artistic style. Claire Roe’s art fits well in the comic book genre but is enough of its own thing that I enjoyed pouring over certain panels.

Like I said, I read my comics in trades. I am confident in this decision and do so for a variety of reasons that I will not get into here. But Birds of Prey would be a series I would subscribe to at my LCS (local comics shop) just to encourage DC to keep this story going. I had a blast reading this story. I love these characters. I want more. I think if you’re looking for an accessible, fun, engaging comic book, Oracle is what you need.

Images: Goodreads

#readsreels #recommendations #comics #women