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As a long-time fan of the least-loved of all the Bat-heroes, Huntress, I especially enjoyed the dressing down that Black Canary gives Batman to open this book. It was nice to see someone call out the brooding bat on his my-way-or-the-highway approach to allies. It was even better to see Black Canary do it as a veteran crime-fighter herself, Batman’s equal, without yelling, threatening or whining.

Huntress and Black Canary are becoming friends as well as a team, and in this issue they track down Thorn, the vengeful alter-ego of Rose—who has received a thrilling recent treatment from Birds of Prey writer Gail Simone. The elegance with which Simone presents the Rose/Thorn duality is impressive, giving sufficient information to readers unfamiliar with Rose/Thorn that they can grasp the terrifying dynamic of Rose’s multiple-personality disorder without a lot of exposition. Huntress and Canary confront Thorn, leading to a motorcycle chase across Gotham City—leading to a surprise on the issue’s final page.

This issue is full of gems from Simone, including another short debate between Huntress and Canary about the line they tread between justice and vengeance, a debate that all too often gets short shrift from superheroes. As a Huntress fan, it was also nice to see her seeming to enjoy life, vs. the desperate, withdrawn woman who slept with a parking-lot attendant a few issues back. And seeing costumed superheroes eating at Taco Bell is always a treat.

Besides the cliffhanger ending, Simone leaves plenty of intriguing character questions to draw the reader back in. Will Huntress open up to Barbara and Dinah? What sort of conclusion can Huntress and Canary reach about the difference between vigilante justice and revenge? Will Batman repair his relationship with Barbara and fully accept Huntress into the fold? All important questions that will fit together to define the characters as a team and as individuals.

Two disappointments with the book: Barbara seems to be getting less and less “screen time,” which is not surprising given her paralysis vs. the level of action in the book. But many of her scenes seem ancillary to the plot. Second, much as I am thankful for Ed Benes’ return to drawing this book after two less-than-stellar efforts from Tom

Derenick, the “cheesecake” cover and over-the-top physiques of Batman and Creote were a bit much for me.

Otherwise, another fine issue of a series that continues to get better.