Gail Simone sets aside the relationship between the Black Canary and Oracle for a bit and delves into a much more different interpersonal dynamic here. I'm surprised at how the writer is able to humanize one of the most stoic female antagonists in the DC Universe here, and at the same time, she offers an accessible script that nevertheless offers fun to the longtime DC reader in its exploration of the publisher's significant stable of characters and rich storytelling history. Benes's artwork has left the cheesecake leanings behind as well, and I'm pleased to see that Simone and editor Lysa Hawkins turn the disadvantage of two disparate pencillers' style in the same book into an element that enhances the storytelling.
Dinah Lance is summoned to Hong Kong. Her onetime sensei is dying of cancer, and he wishes to see his best student before he moves onto the next world. Actually, he wishes to see his best students. Another mistess of the martial arts has studied under the same sensei, and she's the most dangerous and ruthless woman on the planet: Lady Shiva. Meanwhile, Oracle goes about her usual business of providing vital information to the Batman and other costumed heroes, but given the results her information yields, it turns out to be far from an ordinary day for her.
I love the movie-poster design of the cover for this issue. It's striking and should help this accessible jumping-on point grab the attention of new readers. The interiors are strong as well. Benes instills a soft, kind and attractive quality in his splash-page introduction of Dinah. There's a sense of the everyday in the way she carries herself.
I realize that in comics today, monthly comics are going to require the employment of fill-in artists to maintain a schedule. I like how Hawkins makes it work here, though. The regular artist, Benes, still contributes, but backup penciller Cliff Richards pitches in as well. What makes it work, even though their styles are radically different, is the fact that each handles completely different plotlines and characters. It's not an unheard-of approach, but it is a smart one. I also quite enjoyed Richards's work here. I am reminded me of the realistic linework that Greg (Sojourn) Land brought to this book when it debuted five years ago or so.
Simone doesn't fall into the old trick of throwing Canary and Shiva into a typical fight scene before their eventual joining of forces. I like that about this script. I'm also quite taken with how Shiva is brought down to earth. Her attempts to hide her grief and anger over her sensei's condition is something to which the reader can relate, is something s/he can recognize. The enigmatic and deadly assassin thing can make for exciting sequences, sure, but the story is more engaging when Shiva is a character as opposed to a walking weapon. Simone has also brought a wonderful level of tension to the story with Oracle's plight. She builds up to the suspense by opening with a bit of humor, and the tension is enhanced by the isolation of this seemingly vulnerable heroine.
