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October 01, 2024 #234 Feathers and Foes: Birds of Prey #28 and #29

Feathers & Foes is back to talk about this double header from the New52 Universe. Let us know your thoughts at [email protected]

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Birds of Prey vol. 3 28

Cover Date: April 2014

Writer: Christy Marx

Penciler: Daniel Sampere and Romano Molenaar

Breakdowns: Scott McDaniel

Inkers: Jonathan Glapion and Jordi Tarragona

Colorist: Chris Sotomayor

Letterer: Carlos M. Mangual

Assistant Editor: Darren Shan

Editor: Rachel Gluckstern

Group Editor: Mike Marts

28 – The Wings of Truth

Welcome to Gothtopia! Gotham City, America’s safest city, America’s happiest city. Huh?

We the reader realize this is a new reality but the Birds don’t realize they have been transformed. They now wear white uniforms and new code names. Batgirl is now Bluebelle. Strix is Artemis. Condor is Eagle. And Black Canary is known as Warbler. Together they are the Wings of Truth.

At a display of the many flying blimps of the city, Bluebelle, Artemis, and Eagle are joined by Warbler on her motorcycle. The four head to a children’s charity event at the circus where they perform for the kids. Later at their headquarters, movie night is interrupted by word that Batman has gone berserk.

The Wings of Truth head toward the fight to capture Batman where they learn Batman thinks everything they’re seeing is a lie. Not to worry, says Dr. Crane. Batman will be taken to the Crane Center for Health and Wellness where he will be well cared for.

The Wings of Truth take up the slack of superheroing in Gotham until Batman attempts to break out of the Crane Center along with Poison Ivy. The team joins the other heroes and a fight, of course, breaks out. Ivy tries to tell Warbler they need to wake up, can’t they see they’re filled with poison.

Bluebelle reassures the others Batman is under control and she will stay while the other three return to HQ. They are asleep on the couches when someone sprays a gas into Warbler’s face. She awakens confused. When her head clears she can now see the crappy apartment they are sleeping in and realizes who they really are. She is Black Canary once more.

She is greeted by Ra’s al Ghul who explains the entire city has been dosed with a chemical by the Dr. Crane, aka the Scarecrow. Ra’s has awakened Black Canary to tempt her with a vial containing a tiny iota of the Lazarus Pit, the source of his regeneration. It is a sample to prove he can save her husband Kurt if she is willing to betray Mother Eve.

After Ra’s leaves, Black Canary tricks Condor and Strix into a speedboat. When they are far enough away from the city, the others regain their minds. However Black Canary can’t return for Batgirl. The antidote she was given is no longer working.

Batgirl finally makes her way back to the barge. She wants to know how Black Canary was in Gotham after she refused to leave Kurt’s side. Black Canary explains she realized she’d made a mistake turning her back on the team and headed into Gotham to join them only to come under the spell of Scarecrow’s drug.

Batgirl then confronts Black Canary over her lack of leadership since Kurt’s return. Black Canary agrees and asks Batgirl to lead instead. Batgirl hesitates, she has her own life to deal with, but finally agrees.

Later by Kurt’s bedside, Black Canary struggles over what to do with the vial. She told everyone she was temporarily cured by Poison Ivy instead of Ra’s, hiding the fact she may be making a deal with the devil.

Birds of Prey vol. 3 29

Cover Date: May 2014

Writer: Christy Marx

Penciler: Robson Rocha

Breakdowns: Scott McDaniel

Inkers: Jonathan Glapion and Marc Deering

Colorist: Chris Sotomayor

Letterer: Dezi Sienty

Assistant Editor: Darren Shan

Editor: Rachel Gluckstern

Group Editor: Mike Marts

29 – The Eve of Battle

Condor is upset that the discovery of Black Canary’s comatose husband Kurt has put a damper in his own relationship with Black Canary. He hears her screaming in pain as bad news about Kurt’s condition has reached a crisis point.

Uplink sees Condor in the hallway and tells him about trying to teach Strix to read on a tablet. On the last one Strix scratched out Gone Find Batgirl then disappeared. Condor heads to Gotham to look for both women.

Black Canary returns to Kurt’s side. After the removal of the nodes in his head, Kurt is in a permanent vegetative state. Black Canary decides to secretly give him the vial of Lazarus Pit essence that Ra’s al Ghul tempted her with last issue. Miraculously Kurt starts asking for water. Black Canary now knows Ra’s could cure Kurt as long as she’s willing to betray Mother Eve.

Hearing about Kurt’s miraculous turn around, Mother Eve knows Black Canary is likely compromised but has made a decision to trust her regardless. She checks in with her staff. Ra’s ships are on their way.

Meanwhile Condor is contacted in the city by a drone projection of Ra’s al Ghul. He tempts Condor with a bargain: let Ra’s reach Mother Eve and in exchange Ra’s will have Kurt killed. Condor says it must happen at the beginning of the battle and then they’ll have a deal.

As Ra’s ship nears Mother Eve’s, both sides prepare for the coming battle, it will be a fight with sword and fist.

Mother Eve heads to the regeneration chamber where she will be helpless during Ra’s attack. She says it must be Black Canary that guards her door. Batgirl and the others remain on deck with Mother Eve’s forces. The regeneration of Mother Eve begins just as the first wave of Ra’s assault reaches them.

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