Superhero comics done right

fung0

"Birds of Prey" was a show that could have been little more than a guilty pleasure. But it turned out to be one of the best live-action comic-book adaptations ever done for TV. (Maybe *the* best - it's not exactly a competitive field.)

The mix of characters was obviously formulaic, but that's not a bad thing. The post-Batgirl Oracle, for example, made an interesting den-mother for the other ladies. Dina Meyer was barely up to the task, but she definitely looked the part, and in comics appearances are 90% of the job. Ashley Scott, as The Huntress, was the real star, and turned in a commendable performance in her more-complex role. Best of all was the older Mia Sara as Dr. Harleen Quinzel. The idea of a mad-as-a-hatter psychologist was clever, and Sara played it to the hilt.

The dark look of the series was perfect, and the writing was surprisingly strong. You never forget this is a comic book, but there are lots of neat plot twists and emotional surprises. Once you get used to it, the idea of focusing on the second-tier superheroes - like the Black Canary - is really intriguing. None of them is cosmically over-powered, making for much stronger dramatic possibilities.

The main thing working against the show was the whole Earth II setup. I'll admit, I hadn't followed the Huntress storyline in the comics, so I was as baffled as anyone, at first. If this is Gotham, where the heck is Batman? I did catch on eventually, but the average TV viewer might feel a bit challenged by the parallel-universe thing. Not to mention disappointed at the absence of familiar big-name superheroes. None of this is ever well-explained; it's a daring approach, but one with definite risks attached.

Nonetheless, it's worth sticking with this series. After a few episodes, you get caught up in these characters, and the backstory becomes a non-issue. I'd have loved to see a lot more Birds of Prey, but what we have is a really worthwhile piece of work - a reasonably true reflection of the higher-caliber mainstream superhero comics of the 1990s and 2000s.

score 9/10

fung0 25 August 2013

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2857690/