It all started out so well.

The Black Canary, borrowing a page from the Batman Book of Etiquette, intimidates a criminal into going straight. Or so she thinks. When Oracle receives a message indicating the man will kill himself out of remorse, the Canary flies to the rescue -- only to be caught in a trap set by the cunning but continuity-challenged Savant and his overgrown sidekick, Creote.

Dinah Lance has been a captive at least once before. In Mike Grell's excellent Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters, the heroine was caught and unspeakably tortured before her archer/boyfriend came to the rescue; understandably, the incident left emotional scars that can be easily reopened.

But this is not the same Black Canary. More self-confident, more self-reliant and a better fighter than ever, she is better prepared physically and mentally to deal with the situation. Too, she has Oracle on her team, and Oracle has numerous resources to draw on. In this case, Huntress is unleashed to save the day. To get there in time, she has to accept a date with a parking garage geek, but get there she does -- and soon the book is all about a series of incredible fight sequences and some impressive long-distance computer hacking from home.

Of Like Minds marks some big changes for the Birds of Prey. This -- more than the JLA or JSA -- is the DC team to be watching.

by Tom Knapp
Rambles.NET
13 May 2006