Birds of Prey

I think it's fantastic to have the original Huntress back! This is great!! I've missed her. As for Batman being missing? Not the first time. Batman's been known to just vanish from time to time (usually leaving Robin in charge). Why the Clocktower? What was wrong with putting Barbara in the Wayne Foundation Penthouse/Batcave?? And with such a young Black Canary... can we assume Ollie's still shipwrecked on a island with pirates???

As for Batman and Catwoman having a daughter -- it began in The Flash #123 (1961), with the Golden-Age Bat-Man and Catwoman getting married in Brave and the Bold #197 (1983), and Helena Wayne becoming the Huntress in All-Star Comics #69 (1977). A more revised Catwoman history states that Selina gave up a life of crime to become a professional adventurer, and thus began dating Bruce Wayne.

The most important thing here to remember is the comics have their version and the film productions have theirs (back to the parallel universe). No one version is right or wrong. It just is. With the film production team's primary job being to draw in and hook that audience that wouldn't be caught dead reading a comic book.

Birds of Prey is set years after Batman's final victory against The Joker; a battle with a terrible price. Catwoman was killed, and Batgirl (Dina Meyer) was confined to a wheelchair for life. Batman disappears...apparently, too stricken with grief to continue. In his absence, Barbara Gordon (Batgirl) becomes "The Oracle," acting as the eyes and ears of her protégée, The Huntress (Ashley Scott). The Huntress has a personal vendetta against the criminals of Gotham; she's Catwoman and Batman's daughter. So continues the Bat-legacy.

Enter `bird' #3: Dinah Lance (Rachel Skarsten), a young psychic who arrives to Gotham to explain the strange dreams she's been having. Of course, comic book buffs will know that Dinah Lance is the name of The Black Canary, thereby completing the "Birds of Prey" trio. However, for now, she's just a young novice, learning to be a super-heroine as the series progresses...

While comic-purists whine about comic-book inconsistencies, there is a lot to love about this "alternate" Bat-city. For one, their arch-nemesis is Harley Quinn (Mia Sara), who was once The Joker's main squeeze. The premiere also had the fun of Mark Hammil as the voice of the Joker, which he performs as brilliantly as he did in the cartoons. Best of all, though, is how The Huntress' eyes turn into feline slits before a fight; it may not be like The Huntress of comic lore, though who cares? It's a cool shot, plain and simple.

Regardless, some comic purists insist there is no way Catwoman and Batman had a child. What's the alternative, kiddies? That the rumors about Batman preferring the company of young boys are true.? Of course he and Selena Kyle were more than `just friends,' as we've seen in movies, TV, the comics, and even the cartoons. So yeah one thing led to another and Huntress was born. It could happen. Accept it.

Of course, you can never tell what series will be accepted by younger audiences. Back in the 1970's, "The Six Million Dollar Man" lasted four seasons, while "Bionic Woman" lasted only two; go figure. In today's pop culture, will a young Superman in "Smallville" be considered cooler than Batman's daughter in "Birds of Prey"? If so, that's a shame. There is a lot to like about this series. I look forward to seeing Birds of Prey as long as it lasts. I hope that's a long while.

I liked this show. It's too bad it didn't last very long. I liked the matrix-like action sequences, the dialog, the twists and turns that each episode took. It's a bummer that the last episode was such a cliffhanger (of course they usually are). It's true the meta-human thing was a bit unrealistic, but they had to play with things a little to make it so that it wasn't too much a copy of other Batman stories. I would have liked to see Dina's character more developed as she discovered her abilities. I would have liked to see Oracle get the use of her legs back if possible. It would have been neat to see if the Alfred character would develop further. Of course the Huntress character had a lot of development options. I wish they'd bring this show back. I don't care what all of the negative people might say, I liked it and miss it a lot. I wish somebody could do something to bring it back.

The show had a good start. Some comic book fans are groaning because they strayed from the comic book storyline. Most are glad to see that the series exists.

Dina Meyer gave a strong performance as Barbara Gordon. She was a believable leader of the crime fighting trio. The other characters still need to settle in their new roles a bit. Ashley Scott has a good start with her Huntress metahuman abilities. She had decent fight scenes. Dinah (Rachel Skarsten) will probably draw in younger viewers to the show.

Harley Quinn is a character that should be used like in the Batman cartoon, otherwise this is a waste of a character. Mia Sara's portrayal is too sinister so far. It left me asking when the Harley Quinn we know and love will pop up. Possibly, this might happen when she sees the Joker? (I wonder what Kevin Smith thinks....)

Kudos for using Mark Hamill as the voice of the Joker.

I like that Batman is hidden in the shadows, because it builds up mystery for the dark knight. This is not the "Batman" show. Its about characters that have a connection to Batman and Gotham City.

I'm hoping Birds of Prey gets a chance this season to build up its storyline. This WB show probably has the ability to knock UPN's Buffy out in the same timeslot. Its is fresh and probably has a following started already. (Its also filling the void leftover from the cancellation of Witchblade).

I will be tuning in next week....

For those who don't follow the comic books:

1. Barbara's reason for being in a wheelchair was shown almost like it was in the tradepaper back "The Killing Joke". The Joker was trying to drive her father, Commissioner Gordon, mad not Batman.

2. In the Birds of Prey comic, Huntress is Helena Bertinelli. Her family was gunned down by a rival mob organization. The Batman/Catwoman story was used to pull in viewers who were not familiar with the charaters. (Its possible that this was mentioned in an alternate comic book timeline). They've tamed down her outfit (like the Xmen movie) to make it less "comical" and more "real world".

3. Dinah Lance was the Black Canary, who is the third member. The Dinah Lance in the tv series is a bit young. This will probably be explained in a future episode.....

4. Don't expect to see much of Batman, he's not a main player in the comic book series. He's more of a guest star.

If you want to know the real deal, get "Black Canary/Oracle/Huntress: Birds of Prey" Book 1 if you still can.....

While not a dead on comic adaptation,and far from ideal effects and stories,Birds of Prey set out to give viewers a good comic related action show and was succeeding,as the Thousands of unhappy and protesting fans that wrote and emailed the WB prove. While not without its flaws,the show had good action and good plots for the medium.Enjoyable acting ,fast pace,and effects consistent with tv action/fantasy.As to the comic fans who are rabid over the differences:while we'd all love to see it,no comic based movie or tv show has ever been a perfect adaptation.File it away to alternate realities if you must,but be open minded.Just because Star Wars Episodes 1-3 Made most of it's "history" bunk doesnt mean Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire books were any less enjoyable The WB and Fox both owe their very existence to shows that didnt take off immediately,Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Married With Children come to mind and they are not the only ones.Yet in recent years both networks have developed a "better ratings now" philosophy that insults viewers and television industry people alike.Any show that isnt cookie cutter crap or an instant hit with whatever demographic they are aiming for is quickly eliminated,almost unerringly,giving no time to grow a large and loyal fanbase(like the aforementioned shows did).But fanbases do exist for these shows and are kept alive via the internet,and word of mouth.Given another year for people to tune in and a little tweaking this show could have been another Buffy like hit,but sadly it wasnt to be.So remember kiddies:tape those first runs,the show might not make it to reruns