The Death of Oracle marks the end of a era for the Birds of Prey. The final hurrah for the team before their permanent shake up in the New 52. And while its sad to say goodbye I'm happy to say this era ended on a high note. 

In this volume the Calculator has recruited super-powered goons in hopes of taking down the Birds of Prey and kill Oracle. But Barbara has a plan to fake her own death to her nemesis and the wider superhero community and get back underground. This arc introduces some interesting new villains like Mortis, a woman with the power to project anyones deepest regrets with one touch. As with any good fear-power based villain this leads to some fascinating introspective moments for Dinah. 

In this arc Gail Simone teases out the romantic tension between Huntress and former assassin and Secret Six member Catman. There were elements I liked about Catman and Huntress's dynamic here, I'll always be down for doomed superhero romances. However I think Simone leaned into the assumption that her readers were familiar with the context of the Secret Six in a way that left some of their interactions feeling a little shallow. For fans of both I'm sure this hit but as someone without the full context of Catman's tragic past it wasn't as impactful for me.

The last two issues of the volume sees Marc Andreyko take over as writer in a nostalgic throwback story featuring golden age heroes Phantom Lady the original Black Canary and Lady Blackhawk. As someone who has recently read a bunch of golden age Black Canary adventures and adores when comics engage with the concept of legacy heroes this two parter felt specially crafted for me. Throughout the story weave between Zinda, Dinah (Drake) and Sandra's 1950s spy mission and the present day as the Nazis they fought then rear their ugly heads again. This send up to the legacy of female superheroes felt so at home in a Birds of Prey comic.

I especially loved seeing Dinah interface with her own mother's legacy and Kate Spencer Lady Phantom's granddaughter and on and off Birds of prey member as Manhunter forging that connection with her own history. Sometimes rah-rah girl power stories read as insincere but this one genuinely hit my in my feelings. 

So while I'm sad that this era of Birds of Prey is over I am happy to have been along for the ride.