Line #9 YMMV/BirdsOfPrey


1	For examples from the 2002 TV series, go [[YMMV/BirdsOfPrey2002 here]].\
2	For examples from the 2020 film, go [[YMMV/BirdsOfPrey2020 here]].
3
4	----
5
6	* BaseBreakingCharacter: Misfit. According to Gail she was intentionally created to be Oracle's Bat-Mite, so this makes sense. Fans are split between finding her a charming fit who adds a KidAppealCharacter to the group, or she's an annoying BrattyHalfPint who doesn't gel with the group [[TheLoad and causes nothing but problems]], while her role could be better given to Cassandra Cain or Stephanie Brown.
7	* BrokenBase: The Huntress VS Shiva duel. One side will say that Huntress had absolutely no business lasting as long as she did, to say nothing of the fact that she decked such a massively superior martial artist. The other side will counter that Huntress's insults and dirty tactics, combined with a tiny bit of luck and the fact that neither fighter really wanted to be there, broke down Shiva ''just'' enough for her to get in a couple hits. The second group would also point out that Shiva still dominated the fight and that Huntress herself repeatedly said she stood no chance.
8	** The fanservice, particularly from issues drawn by Ed Benes. For some it was an awkward and sexist distraction that detracts from the genuinely strongly written women, and plays a large part in dissuading readers from taking it seriously. For others, it's an acceptable and easily ignorable issue, or even genuinely part of the appeal of the book either for attracting male readers or serving as part of the WishFulfilment. Simone has often defended it as she doesn't think sexuality should be seen as a negative, especially as the artwork was never afraid to glamorise men as well as women.
9	* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: Birds of Prey #3 2010-2011 has a random page of Penguin having a erotic dream of the team “pleasing” him. It’s out of nowhere and odd as a start of an issue. It seems like it’s placed there for FanService.
10	* CompleteMonster: See [[Monster/{{Batman}} here]].
11	* FandomRivalry: With fans of Judd Winnick's Green Arrow run, due to the completely opposing depictions of Black Canary. Canary was a CreatorsPest for Winnick and thus he wrote her with significantly less skill and character, yet meanwhile Birds of Prey saw Dinah undergo a massive TookALevelInBadass while being billed as one of the top fighters in the DCU. Naturally, BOP fans don't have a high opinion of Winnick's treatment of Dinah, while many fans of Winnick's GA in turn have never read BOP, have zero interest in it and Black Canary, and don't care enough about her character to mind how she's treated.
12	* FriendlyFandoms:
13	** Fans of the Birds of Prey tend to also really like the ''ComicBook/GothamCitySirens'' due to their status as basically an EvilCounterpart (which is ironic as they've rarely fought despite the obvious appeal in that). So much so that all three of the Sirens have spent time either teamed up with the Birds or actively as a member of their line-up, for a time.
14	** Also with the Batgirls, especially the [[ComicBook/Batgirl2000 Cassandra Cain]] and [[ComicBook/Batgirl2009 Stephanie Brown]] runs (Barbara Gordon's [[ComicBook/Batgirl2011 New 52]] and [[ComicBook/BatgirlRebirth Rebirth]] runs less so, due to how different Babs is as Oracle vs her as Batgirl, and a lot of discourse about which version of her is better). In their cases, the fact they regularly had Oracle as their mentor and lead supporting figure combined with Cass' occasional team-ups with the Birds and Steph's fangirl status both help with it. As noted above, many people would prefer either/both of them as the Birds' KidAppealCharacter to Misfit.
15	* IAmNotShazam: "Birds of Prey" is not the team's official name, and was not even mentioned until issue #86. In later issues the characters also ''specifically said'' that it was not their team name when Zinda Blake continues to use it. However, the writers themselves often seem to forget this point, as numerous characters (Both on and off the team) refer to them as 'the birds' on a semi-regular basis, and the full "Birds of Prey" title makes an occasional appearance. As of 2011, it's now just became commonplace to treat it as their name, and they've long since stopped objecting to it.
16	* LesYay: Canary/Oracle leans perilously close to canon sometimes, and (According to WordOfGod) was originally supposed to lean even ''closer'' than the finished product appeared. Black Canary was once supposed to refer to herself as "75% heterosexual," leaving the other 25% up in the air. Sadly, due to placeholder dialog and script confusion it wound up "heterosexual to the bone", to Creator/GailSimone's chagrin (it was not, as many speculated, due to ExecutiveMeddling). [[http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss175/galateus/comics/babsdinah-25uo2a0.jpg Observe]]. This image even predates Gail Simone's run, being from the earlier Creator/ChuckDixon years.
17	** In the hands of some artists, [[http://gailsimone.tumblr.com/post/28133569000/ealperin-gailsimone so very very much.]]
18	** Renee Montoya, the second Question, who was canonically a lesbian, pretty clearly had a thing for the Huntress (who [[IncompatibleOrientation canonically was not]]), although the New 52 reboot happened before that storyline could really go anywhere.
19	** One arc during the Simone era introduced the Katerina Armstrong version of Spy Smasher as an old university "friend" of Barbara's turned rival. The use of quotation marks around "friend" was in Barbara's narration, and there was a definite homoerotic tone to the flashbacks.
20	** Though it often gets less attention than Babs/Dinah, Helena and Dinah spend a lot of time together, playfully teasing one another in a way that looks like flirting, and in general Dinah has always been much more accepting of Helena than anyone else in the superhero community.
21	** Dinah and Shiva had some of this in their interactions prior to this series, but it got amped up severely as their frienemy dynamic is upped. Dinah is probably Shiva's OnlyFriend, repeatedly gushes in awe at her skill, and is very eager to see Shiva redeem. Shiva for her part ''really'' wants Dinah to become her apprentice, takes special interest in her health and diet, and is willing to forgo her usual tactics for her sake.
22	** Dinah ''also'' gets this with Ev Crawford, AKA Starling, in the New 52 rebooted series. At one point she comments about pulling a SorryImGay with Starling to avoid being hit on, the two flirt constantly, and the #0 issue establishes that Starling was hitting on her from their very first meeting. Unlike most other examples, this one can't be blamed on Simone.
23	* [[MyRealDaddy My Real Mommy]]: Despite being created by Jordan B. Gorfinkel, BOP is most associated with Gail Simone.
24	* NightmareFuel
25	** Oracle has an eidetic memory. Normally this is pretty handy, but it also means she remembers being shot by ComicBook/TheJoker as if it was five minutes ago. See also the entry on DrivenToSuicide.
26	** Also, the reveal of the BigBad's identity at the end of issue 12 of the relaunch: [[spoiler:Junior]]. Anyone who's read ''ComicBook/SecretSix'' will understand why that name is so pants-wettingly terrifying, made worse by the fact that enough hints are dropped before TheReveal that those who have read it will probably at least have an idea, even if not consciously.
27	* OnlyTheCreatorDoesItRight: Technically Gail Simone didn't create the book, but she did create much of what made the book great, from the characters it includes to the concept of "girl squad" after previously just been an ActionDuo. Every run since hers has been less-than-well-received due to [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks making changes from Gail's version]] and a general lack of quality, and many fans are ''not'' fond of attempts to adapt the franchise. So far the only positively received adaptations are a few episodes of ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited'' and ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' that were a SpiritualSuccessor of the book; unsurprisingly, those episodes were penned by Simone.
28	* SoOkayItsAverage: The series after the departure of Creator/GailSimone. Unlike most series [[MyRealDaddy affiliated with one author]] the quality never descended into true inadequacy and there was never an ''en masse'' abandonment by its readers, but it never did regain that extra ''something'' that it had under Simone's pen.
29	** The same has been said of Simone's return to the title with a relaunch during DC's 'Brightest Day' promotion. Despite the fact that Simone was saddled with some characters she's since stated she didn't particularly want (i.e. Hawk and Dove), the title was never quite the same.
30	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter:
31	** Say hello to Starling. Considered one of the few positives about the ComicBook/New52 relaunch of the book and having a great dynamic with Black Canary - who had lost a key relationship with Barbara - Evelyn 'Ev' Crawford was fun and well-received despite apprehension about the reboot. So of course, the perfect thing to do with this brand new character was [[spoiler: throw her under the bus by making her a traitor to the Birds for Mr Freeze, of all people, despite this making very little sense in light of what we knew about Ev before the betrayal. And she hasn't been seen since]].
32	** Tabby Brennan was the perfect foil for Huntress, since she was Huntress' [[EvilCounterpart Eviller Counterpart]], and she had a great set-up to come back. Then Sean [=McKeever=] brought her back just to kill her off in a very stupid way.
33	** Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown have both operated in the same circles as the Birds, have a working relationship with them, and are generally liked by the same fans. So it's glaring that they've never been members, not even in an unofficial capacity. Gail Simone wanted to use Cass, but was denied.
34	** Sin brought so much potential to Dinah, giving her a chance at motherhood, never mind the fact the girl was a TykeBomb Dinah was working to diffuse and had a genuinely adorable relationship with the Birds. Naturally, Green Arrow had to fake the girl's death and send her away because she'd always be in danger if she was in Dinah's care, for some reason.

Context YMMV / BirdsOfPrey