After the last issue of Birds of Prey, I was concerned that one of my favorite team books was going to limp to the finish line. Thankfully that previous issue was a small speed bump, as Birds of Prey #27 is a much-needed course correction for the misfit vigilante team. This penultimate issues offers some revelations behind the Shadow Army’s plans for the Unreality game, as well as the purpose of the game’s creation. While a lot of these revelations could have been presented to us a bit sooner, the stakes Kelly Thompson and artist Sam Basri plant for the final issue are looking to be ones that will pay off in thrilling ways.
As Barda, Batgirl (Cassandra Cain), Black Canary, and Magaera make their way between the Unreality and the real world, they encounter “The Seam”, a nexus point between realities that serves as a space for supernatural beings to visit and sell their “illegal” wares. The team discovers that this is the spot that the Unreality creator Vivi has been searching for, and also a potential location for the Shadow Army to set the final stage of the game. As Cassandra confronts Vivi at Unreality headquarters to try and stop the game from her end, she learns Vivi’s reason for creating the game. When Vivi was a child, she and her sister somehow got access to The Seam, and while Vivi got out, her sister was lost forever. The Unreality is Vivi’s way of trying to access the seam to find her sister via technology, and she hopes that the players in the game can help her with finding it. The two then make the startling discovery that the Shadow Army have already started the final phase of the game, releasing their military grade hallucinogenic gas on the crowds in hopes to start a riot for when the game characters enter the real world. As Barda, Canary, and Magaera enter the final location in game, the final shoe drops that we were all kind of expecting: Inque isn’t as reformed as we expected, and has sold out the team to Daemon Prime, essentially cutting off Oracle’s attempts to lead the team from the chair.
While the whole idea of The Unreality still makes my head hurt a bit, it’s a welcome change of pace to finally get some more solid ideas of not only why it was created, but why the Shadow Army is looking to control it. Reveals like Vivi’s reason for creating the game and even Inque’s not so sudden betrayal feel like elements that were put in to help raise the stakes before the final issue, and I’m not entirely convinced that it was always the plan to have this story be four issues (and the final storyline, for that matter).
That being said, Thompson’s script, while overloading us with exposition at times, still makes time for the element of Birds of Prey that makes the book shine: the interplay between the characters. Whether it’s Barbara leading the team with reconnaissance or Barda and Cassandra scoping out The Seam, Thompson fills the issue with great moments that not only highlight what makes this roster fun, but efficient as well. After so many missions, the core Birds team knows exactly how to get results, even when the odds are stacked against them. It’s refreshing to see a group of characters face a challenge that gets increasingly more difficult this confidently, even if I’m a little worried about one particular member by the end of the issue. Thompson even leaves room for moments that are genuinely hilarious as well, like Vivi’s reaction to Cassandra appearing in her office or Barbara’s reaction to Inque’s backstab. Both are excellently crafted and funny, yet also feel completely in line with how the characters would react.
DC
Selling that action and humor even more is Sam Basri’s art, who’s on solo duty this issue. That makes for a consistent look throughout the book, and it pays off exceptionally well with some really fun and engaging set pieces for the characters. The standout is easily Barda and Cassandra’s stake out of The Seam, where Basri has a blast showing Cassandra’s stealth skills in inventive and creative ways. But the humor is also a welcome surprise from Basri, as Vivi’s reaction to the already mentioned surprise from Cassandra is one of the funniest panels I’ve seen this year, and a really exciting element to his work on the title. Basri also gets to cut loose within the Unreality, showcasing a wide range of character types: from trolls and dragons, to Neo from The Matrix, to Legolas from Lord of The Rings, there’s panels here that are a feast for the eyes if you want to play “guess the IP”.
While this final storyline hasn’t been the most consistent one in the series, I’m very happy that Birds of Prey #27 is a welcome change from the previous issue. While it doesn’t feel like next issue is the final one, it does seem like Thompson and Basri are setting up a big conclusion to The Unreality story, and I’m excited to see how it all ends, even if it means one of the best comics on the stands will be no more.
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