Yup:
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Good save guys. 
Thx for the heads up.
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Thanks, friends! 
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I know some are excited, but I am really frustrated with the âBirds of Preyâ story announced in Aprilâs Urban Legends. Birds of Prey should have Oracle, Black Canary, and Huntress (Bertinelli). The movie was frustrating, replacing Oracle with Harley, but at least it had Black Canary and Huntress, and I liked both portrayals. But this story says itâs Lady Shiva (who has an association, for sure, but is NOT the leader or inspiration of the team), Katana (who is an Outsider, and has very little association with the team), Miracle Molly (who is great, but no history whatsoever), and Ghost (ditto, though I forget what her story was, so I donât know if sheâs great like Miracle Molly or not).
Make a new IP, DC! Or maybe bring back the Ravens! Stop diluting and destroying the Birds of Prey brand. It used to mean specific things, and was really cool! Now it means a bunch of haphazard things connected to a bunch of pretty poor stories, and people wonât have the same love of the IP.
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Ladies and gentlemen
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Woo-Hoo!
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You know, on one hand, I have to say my hype was lessened a bit when I saw the new cast. On the other, I have to remember that the Birds are now like other superhero teams where they can really mix things up and change the established roster, sort of like Justice League Detroit or International.
Plus, a podcast I listened to made an interesting point that makes me feel better about this. While this new iteration of the Birds is different, I think we right now have a book that keeps to the spirit of the original team in the form of Batgirls. This is a book with Barbara Gordon largely working behind the scenes with two female heroes, each of them with a strong bond. Iâd say the only difference is that in Batgirls the bond was there from the start, whereas BOP had to work to get there.
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But the point was that the Birds werenât like other superhero teams! It was a brand built on the specific connections forged through carefully written character development by Dixon and Simone!
It is true that Babs mentoring/being surprised by Steph and Cass is more similar to the Birds of Prey spirit than anything weâve seen since Simoneâs second run 10 years ago, but I still think diluting the brand of Birds of Prey is a bad move, both in terms of the ongoing franchise concerns, and in terms of fans of the IP.
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I have thought about this when I first heard the announcement. If this becomes an ongoing series, I can see where it will be excellent. The reason for this is that they are building the Birds of Prey dynamic in Batgirls with Babs playing more as Oracle and less as Batgirl. On top of that, Deathstroke Inc. has a BoP vibe, at least the basic team roles. So now I am wondering if BoP will be the thing that brings together all 3 teams and we will get the superband version of BoP. I think that is the one thing that has been keeping me excited about the prospect of the new BoP team, it isnât the team but the possibilities.
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Co-signed. BOP is BG, Dinah, and Helena. This new (Bird Of Prey) team is to BOP what Young Justice is to the Teen Titans. Mm hmm. As Far as Batgirls goes, Iâm not expecting it to be BOP, and wouldnât want it to be. I enjoy the fresheness of BG (finally) being acknowledged as a capable mentor and am reading the series in this context.
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I truly hope not. Another version of the JL isnât whatâs needed right now AFAIC. Sure, Iâve got no problem with crossovers and heroes stopping by each otherâs stomping grounds, but if Batgirls/New Bop turns into a JLA kind of thing then that factor could serve to spoil the story intents of both books, and that would be unfortunate.
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I get it, completely. Birds of Prey is the book that has brought me back to comics many times. I have a pattern where I stop reading completely and then go back to Birds of Prey starting at issue 1. With that said, after the first series (Dixon, Simone, and my memory is bad so I canât remember other writers) I barely connected with the team. Vol. 2 and Vol. 3 (New 52) felt more like books that only existed for another book to tie in for a big event. I havenât read Batgirl and BoP yet, mainly because of that. That is actually next up on my reading list after I finish the Batgirl of Burnside Omnibus.
Speaking of Batgirl of Burnside, I sort of like it but I feel like there are a lot more misses than hits for me. There are a few story arcs that are great (ORACLE!!!) but then a lot of filler. The Babs, Luke Fox, Dick Grayson thing is just weird and uncalled for. (I now want to read Grayson because I didnât realize that was where Helena B. landed in New 52.) Maybe if this came first then Gailâs run, I would have different feelings on it but it often seems like a step-down. I am 5 comics/chapters away from finishing the hardcover and I understand the appeal because when the book is good itâs great. I just wish it was more balanced or had more high points.
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I havenât been reading Deathstroke Inc consistently, but I did catch this weekâs issue, and Iâd agree thereâs some strong BOP vibes there. I just donât think that DC has proven the Urban Legends stuff is very well handled or followed up on generally, though there are a few exceptions. And I also admit that I simply donât like 90% of the stories in Urban Legends.
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But with JL âdyingâ, the BoP need to step it up and take their place! (joking). 
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I think when done right, Urban Legends can be a great way to get people interested in storylines or new titles. Deathstroke Inc. is an example, maybe the only example of that. There are a few stories that are good like the Batwoman one but mostly it often feels like a $10 book of nothing. I am all for stand-alone stories but they have to be good and not just for shock or publicity value.
I collect TPBs/hardcovers so when a story starts in Urban Legends or letâs say as a backup in another book, I often worry that those stories wonât be included in volume 1. (Deathstroke Inc and Batgirls are my main worries)
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Simoneâs second run - vol 2, and the n52 run are pretty weak. Simoneâs run had a few great, great moments, but on the whole, she felt like she was really trying to figure something out, and didnât quite get it until the run was cancelled. Batgirl and the Birds of Prey was a fun title, but I wouldnât put it up next to Dixon and Simone (or McKeever, my third favorite writer on the title) - more on the level of Bedard. Not quite as bad as Moore or Hernandez or Andreyko or Swirzcynski, but just middle of the road. But Iâd be very interested to hear what you thought of it!
I really like when Batgirl of Burnside started to mentor Steph and Harper - I thought that was where she really started to connect to her strengths as a leader and veteran hero. Grayson was really fun, though the compression towards the end because of Rebirth coming is definitely something to be aware of, and Iâd personally recommend reading Nightwing by Seeley, which finishes up a lot of the plot points started in Grayson. Also Batman and Robin Eternalâs issues by Seeley, which function as him setting up what he wanted to do with the series before Rebirth changed his plans, and the Robin 80th Anniversary special, which gives you a little Grayson story that takes place near the end of the run.
And yeah - the Deathstroke Inc story was one of the ones I was thinking about in terms of being well done. In theory, Iâm not against little stories just showing the sides of Gotham weâre not seeing, but on the whole, the quality of the stories in UL just hasnât convinced me itâs worth so much money.
I also worry about collecting the backups in the trades - I feel like that should be a no brainer, butâŚthe trade department is often not in agreement. (I also think that Tim Seeleyâs Gotham Nights #12 story should be collected in the Robins miniseries trade, but probably wonât be 
)
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As much as I love DC, it often feels there are more misses than not in the collected editions. This ranges from cancellations, series not being finished, or books just feeling incomplete. Batgirl by Gail Simone omnibus was missing huge things because of the Court of Owls and Death of the Family crossovers. I remember reading it and just thinking, well this is a thing that is happening now. They could have included a page explaining the story and maybe an advertisement on how to read that story.
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