DC’s Batgirl and The Birds of Prey #17 delivers lots of female hero action! And men need to beware!

The new issue of this title, written by Julie Benson and Shawna Benson, with art by Roge Antonio and colors by Marcelo Maiolo, begins with Batgirl and the Birds of Prey being held prisoner by Patient Zero. As patient Zero explains her backstory, we empathize with her to a certain degree, all the while beginning to understand just how insane she is!

She hates all men, and wants to exterminate the entire gender!

Wow, her strongly held beliefs on the need to kill all men certainly ramp up the tension in the tale, well told and executed by the Bensons and Antonio. The coloring is really good, too!

This is a thrilling tale that reminds me of Batman stories of the 70’s (yes, that’s 4 decades ago), with a strong villain with a twisted death wish. But darn, Patient Zero, you’re yet another bright, talented mind gone to waste. Fermented before its time, etc.

My only qualm about this issue, the first I have read of this title, is that the writer(s) seem to feel that everyone needs to talk, all the time. Panel after panel of conversations, most of them really not necessary to the flow of the story. For example, on one page, there are 11 characters facing each other on a concrete floor. And 8 of the 11 characters are talking, one after the other. Talk about equal time for getting the last word in, whew!!

Lots of fun action, team work, drama and a compelling story, check it out!

DC Batgirl And The Birds of Prey #17, $3.99 for just 21 pages of content, rated T for Teen

By Alan Spinney

After a career of graphic design, art direction and copywriting, I still have a passion for words and pictures. I love it when a comic book comes together; the story is tight, and the drawings lead me forward. Art with words... the toughest storytelling technique to get right. Was this comic book worth your money? Let's see!!