The Birds in a final showdown with the Secret Six. With DEATH waiting in the wings. Well... the cover does show the assembled teams at a burial. But at the risk of spoiling the story, the only character who dies in this issue is one that no one will really miss. Frankly, this cover looks like another cynical attempt by DC to attract readers by hinting at the possibility that one of their favourites is going to bite the dust. The recent big events, like "INFINITE CRISIS," "52" and "COUNTDOWN" all used this gimmick and frankly, it is getting pretty exploitative. Was this cover intentionally deceptive or did the original story contain such a death, only to get re-written before the cover artist got the word? That said, this comic does deliver a nice, bang-up fight scene, some witty exchanges and a satisfying emotional confrontation between Lady Blackhawk and Spy-Smasher. Some of the wisecracks detract from the characterization and the art, while improving, still needs a smoother touch. It seems a tad odd that a comic with mostly female characters makes them look rather 'mannish.' But despite its small defects, this book still looks like it is getting better. This gets a generous four stars-- but only if I overlook the cover-swerve.