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Post by adrini on Dec 12, 2014 20:10:58 GMT -5
Ouch! thanks for the heads up!
BC1 works with the birds, Ted does, Shiva? She never plays anything straight.
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Post by cross on Dec 13, 2014 10:22:36 GMT -5
The Shado story did come out of nowhere but if that was her introduction, I wasn't a fan. It was just placed in the middle of the story and there wasnt much context of what was happening. Her family escaped something but that was about it. Obviously it's just an intro so no big deal. I'm sure you'll do fine bringing her in more but it may have worked better if her intro paragraph was placed at the beginning of the issue instead.
The action and espionage parts were good. Not much action but seeing Babs go Oracle was fun. I think the part at the beginning would have been better if you had explained out how batwoman beat the abusive man. It would have added to the action quota.
I think that the story is good. I like the hunt for Black Canary storyline. Overall I thought the issue was good. I'm still very much enjoying BOP. I've said multiple times that your best trait as a writer is that you can create some amazing characters and make us feel for them. You have great dialog and I can tell the difference between the birds easily. The problem is the lack of action in the book. It's not a big enough problem for me to drop the title but it's still a problem. I'm excited for your planned action coming up though so keep up the great work. I'm still loving the title
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Post by ericthepilot on Dec 19, 2014 13:04:20 GMT -5
There's probably not a lot I can say here that I didn't cover in the Green Arrow review, as this series matches it in terms of well handled execution and tone.
I had actually started to read this series as the first from this site when I got here. After a few issues, I started to feel that without a greater grounding in the mythology being built on the site, I wasn't quite getting everything out of this one as I ought to have. Which is not to say that I didn't enjoy it, but I got the impression I could be getting more from it. Having come back to it now that I have a greater grounding in the Bludhaven and Green Arrow mythos established here, I appreciated it a lot more. It does a great job at adding depth to characters that already have a lot of it in the first place (no easy feat), and I suspect telling these stories here allows you concentrate on other things elsewhere.
You do a great job building the sound friendships and familial connections here, and the progression of the characters remains quite grounded, but perhaps most importantly, diverse. Every one has a voice, and as they all get rocked by the turbulent events that have unfolded, they've evolved, but stayed true to that.
One of the more impressive feats here is that you're still able to craft quite a bit of tension out of the storylines even though we know that they ultimately get resolved. You know things are coming, yet they still have the impact that they should: when the original Black Canary passes, you still hope against hope that this isn't her time, and when the latter goes missing, the desperation to find her safe and sound is palpable as much to the reader as to the characters.
All in all, another great effort, can't wait to see where it goes next. That we know the ultimate destination doesn't cheapen the ride one bit.
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Post by adrini on Jan 28, 2015 16:37:36 GMT -5
Birds of Prey 10 posted.
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Post by ericthepilot on Jan 29, 2015 18:06:14 GMT -5
I've lost three versions of this, due to website timeouts and crashes, so please forgive me if it's short and to the point.
Really liked this, another strong entry.
The action sequences were well choreographed, and showed just how unprepared their opponents were, and how complacent they had gotten. I thought that came through nicely in the writing.
Your writing really handles well the shifts in tone from the triumphant, to the tragic to the redemptive, which is especially impressive as I've said before, given that the audience mostly knows how it all comes out in the end.
Another really strong thing was the way you really enforced what Hemmingway wrote in The Old Man and the Sea about how people can be destroyed, but not defeated. This characters have all taken, what they believe to be, a tremendous loss, but we seem them spurring on from that and making significant changes to their own lives. They're being proactive in the face of tragedy, which is exactly what you expect from heroes.
Very impressive work, can't wait for the next.
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Post by adrini on Jan 29, 2015 20:45:37 GMT -5
Hemmingway may be my favorite author of his age. That was an incredible compliment.
This was the turning point, and yes most people know how it turns out. But I'm glad it's working, this title requires that I really develop and change the characters. Thanks.
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Post by cross on Jan 29, 2015 21:50:36 GMT -5
What really blows my mind with this series is that we already know how everything ends, and I'm still interested to continue on. You really keep everything interesting and shocking. One thing with this series I have to remind myself about is how gloomy and depressing it can get. It started off family happy fun times. Then apparently the world shit all over these people but they somehow make it through. I love it. The characters are great. I do want to know more about Zatanna but I know it will come in time. Great issue keep it up!
I will say that is it possible to get a timeline made up for Birds of Prey, Green Arrow, and Knights? I get confused sometimes with what has happened, who has what codename, and who was where?
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Post by Drake on Jan 29, 2015 22:07:49 GMT -5
What really blows my mind with this series is that we already know how everything ends, and I'm still interested to continue on. You really keep everything interesting and shocking. One thing with this series I have to remind myself about is how gloomy and depressing it can get. It started off family happy fun times. Then apparently the world shit all over these people but they somehow make it through. I love it. The characters are great. I do want to know more about Zatanna but I know it will come in time. Great issue keep it up! I will say that is it possible to get a timeline made up for Birds of Prey, Green Arrow, and Knights? I get confused sometimes with what has happened, who has what codename, and who was where? Funny you mentioned that. We actually compiled one before we began writing Knights because we didn't want to contradict anything (especially each other). It's part of the reason I'm really proud of Knights. We dealt with all of the continuity and I think we're telling a hell of a story with it. The Knights bios act kind of like a timeline. If we published the real one...well, there might be some spoilers. That approved by everyone? 'Cause I've got it.
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Post by Drake on Jan 29, 2015 22:16:22 GMT -5
Great issue. Probably one of my favorite chapters you've ever written.
Like the others have said, we know what happens and yet it's still terrifying, emotional, and powerful. In that way (and you might hate this) it's like Arrow, or the flashbacks at least. We know Ollie makes if off okay. We know Slade goes bad. We know even MORE than that and yet it's still incredibly suspenseful. You've got that down.
Usual great character work. I'm not sold on how there are a few too many coincidences (Adrien's connection to Dinah I, etc.), but in general I'm loving this title.
9/10
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Post by adrini on Jan 29, 2015 22:59:13 GMT -5
I like the GOOD things in Arrow. I'm just tired of the shitty parts like waiting so long for key characters while over loading on fan service made up ones. Several aspects are excellent and I miss them. When that balance evens out I'll watch again.
But the concept is the same. I mention in GA many times about the evils of haven, but that has less of an effect if it's all some abstract idea. They did suffer real hells in that place and there is a reason they cling so tightly to the stronghold of the manor in the present day. And why they do so much to help, they've been there, or at least just as bad.
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Post by adrini on Mar 1, 2015 21:57:35 GMT -5
Next issue up.
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Post by cross on Mar 1, 2015 23:33:01 GMT -5
ZATANNA and FATE!!!!
I always enjoy seeing little tidbits from them but I always crave more. This series continues to tease me to no end with the Court of Owls. I think I'm about at the point where I'm going to need a mini series based on them. Another good issue but again, I had to re-read the previous issue to properly catch up. The nice thing so far about BOP is the smaller group of characters being used. I can focus on who's who and not be confused.
I liked the Kate/Renee relationship being shown here. And good to see Thomas getting some love (kinda).
I gotta ask though, we are pretty close to catching up to Green Arrow now. Is this series going to end or just run parallel to GA?
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Post by adrini on Mar 1, 2015 23:46:50 GMT -5
It ends. Bluntly ends. Then leads into Green Arrow/Gotham Knights. So both?
I love writing Zatanna and Fate. It would mean working with all the writers on the site, but I've always had this idea of writing the story of Zatanna and Dr. Fate as they weave and work though the world generally. It would be a complicated project though, a lot of inter-working.
Thomas had to grow up, it's not his fault. I always thought of him as a man whose own father didn't stick around so he had to come around to overcome that.
A court of owls story, that would be intense. I can't do that kind of dark, or maybe I just don't want to, but with the right writer that really could be quite good. I agree.
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Post by ericthepilot on Mar 2, 2015 9:04:18 GMT -5
Once again, I must doff my cap to you – it's quite the challenge to build up a series to a specific moment (one of many admittedly, but this is truly one of the most important) and then deliver, but you have done so here. One of the more complete romances I've read in some time finally has a beginning, and it's elegant in it's simplicity. The metaphor of the new day rising could have been as subtle as a tack hammer to the skull in lesser hands, but you pulled it off nicely,
I liked the inclusion of Thomas as well – setting him a little closer to the path we see him on in Catman, but showing how much more he still has to grow at the same time. It's nice and organic, and doesn't feel like it steals the thunder of Cross' story either, but rather compliments it.
The issue on the whole was quiet, and full of character moments, but once again, relationships have been forged and tightened and the story marches ever closer to the present day and hopefully we're fast approaching the other moment the series has been building up to with the reunion of the Birds. I've no doubt it will be quite emotional.
Another great effort. This one is starting to feel like it's winding down, and I'll be sad to see it go, but I'm sure you've got other exciting things in mind. A Zatanna and Fate story could certainly be a lot of fun to see, complicated as it might be to pull off.
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Post by Drake on Mar 2, 2015 9:35:59 GMT -5
Cross, for the Court just read Knights. It's building slowly, and in Act 2 you'll get the story you've been waiting for. The CoO are one of my favorite Batman villains. I promise they'll be done right. Like Adrini, I prefer writing light stories to dark ones (see Guardians, Amazing and 'Haven) but I can do dark. Knights will get very dark.
Going to read BoP now.
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Post by adrini on Mar 15, 2015 22:03:49 GMT -5
Chapter 12 up.
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Post by cross on Mar 17, 2015 8:02:30 GMT -5
I laughed extremely hard when trying to read Zatannas spell. You misspelled the word and it took me a good couple of minutes to figure out what I was reading.
This was a very turning point type issue. I feel that we are in the extreme downward slope of this series now fast approaching the finish line. It was a lot of fun seeing how each bird reacted to Di being alive. I loved seeing Zatanna and Fate actually using magic. Very cool the way they describe the "strings" of Fate.
It took me me a bit but I realized that Di is active if 4 separate Ultimate books. Pretty important character.
Good issue as always. Keep it up.
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Post by ericthepilot on Mar 20, 2015 12:45:40 GMT -5
Another strong, emotionally centered issue, it continues to be a fascinating look into the past history of characters we've really come to care about.
I liked how you were able to show essentially the same experience - the various characters learning about Dinah's survival, but you showed each one a different way, so we weren't cheated in seeing any of them react, but it didn't feel repetitive either. It was also pretty impressive that while Di was the linking thread throughout, you really focused on each recipient, and we get to see their differing reactions. It should prove to be quite emotional when they finally reconnect in person.
You also mixed in a few new mysteries and threads into the tale - the next issue should be notable if for no reason other than the suggested face-off at the end. It will be VERY interesting to see how you handle that one. But there's more than just the one to hang your next few issues on, and much like it seemed we were headed for a rapid end to the series, there's enough mystery here to suggest it might not be over quite as quickly as I thought.
Once again, a great effort, can't wait to see what's next.
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Post by adrini on Apr 22, 2015 22:59:55 GMT -5
Chapter 14 up.
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Post by ericthepilot on Apr 23, 2015 0:32:46 GMT -5
Lots of moving parts to this one, but still an enjoyable read. Keep up the good work.
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