[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]

Writer: Kelly Thompson
Art: Jonathan Case and Gavin Guidry
Colors: Jordie Bellaire
Letters: Clayton Cowles

Reviewed by: Matthew B. Lloyd

Summary 

Part 1 “Worlds Without End” begins in Birds of Prey #9- just where did Dinah, Barda, Sin, Cass and Mari go when they followed Barbara into that portal?

Positives

The fourth art team debuts on this series and Jonathan Case and Gavin Guidry have another style to strut on the pages of Birds of Prey #9.  It’s adjacent to Leonardo Romero’s, but remains distinct.  Jordie Bellaire’s colors go along way in maintaining a consistency.  The atmosphere in this story is communicated quite well through the art as we explore this strange world.

Negatives

The latest issue of Doom Patrol puts the team in a routinely bizarre situation…oh, er… uh…this isn’t Doom Patrol?  Tone has been an issue with this series since issue #1.  In that issue, Harley was rightly feared to distract from the tone of the series, and Kelly Thompson has managed to do that to an even greater degree with Birds of Prey #9 without Harley even being mentioned in the issue.  Thompson has Dinah mention Danny the Street and that makes it clear that this series has veered into Doom Patrol territory.  That’s exactly how this issue feels.  There’s almost nothing in this issue that feels like a Birds of Prey comic.  Despite Dinah and Barbara being a part of the story…it’s gone off in such a strange direction that it reads like a Doom Patrol comic.  As a Doom Patrol comic it has some potential.

That tone is reinforced by some of the awkward humor in the opening sequence.  This was apparent in parts of Birds of Prey #8 as well.  It doesn’t land the way Thompson thinks it does and just comes off as a juvenile.  Thompson also brings back the picking between Mari and Dinah over Dinah’s costume choices.    Would they really pick like that when thrust into an unknown, confusing and dangerous situation?  Thompson also is having trouble with Dinah’s voice, she’s more and more detached as “too cool to care,” despite what we get of substance with the character indicates the opposite.  There’s no secret to be revealed that Dinah genuinely cares for Barbara.  The decision to include it is misplaced, unnecessary and superficial.  It’s just an odd thing to bring up.

Negatives Cont’d

There’s a strange moment when Meridian comes to- she was knocked out and left behind.  She goes to Star City and goes to the home of … Oliver Queen?  There’s an additional attempt at awkward humor before Zealot steps out from another room.  It’s not clear, but this must be Grifter, right?  He and Zealot were together in issue #1, but a blond man with facial hair in Star City is going to be taken as Ollie.  

There are unanswered questions as Dinah, Sin, Barda, Cass and Mari find a way out of this world and it seems rushed.  It comes off as a contrived moment to make the reader think, “oh wasn’t that fun!”  However, it really just makes the story feel like it’s going nowhere.  Almost nothing of real significance happens.  Everything is to cutesy.  Is this Thompson’s style or just a poorly conceived approach to this series?  

Verdict

Birds of Prey #9 strays further from the what makes the Birds of Prey the Birds of Prey.  Ill suited humor and a tone and milieu that resembles the Doom Patrol are the biggest culprits.  Coupled with the fact that the story barely moves forward, the issue is relies on the out of place elements to carry it.  There’s little substance to what transpires and it seems to set up a meandering arc that will end in a “surprise.”  There are some elements that have potential, but not in within the pages of Birds of Prey.

The post Review: Birds of Prey # 9 appeared first on DC Comics News.

[Editor’s Note: This review CONTAINS spoilers]

Writer: Kelly Thompson
Art: Leonardo Romero
Colors: Jordie Bellaire
Letters: Clayton Cowles

Reviewed by: Matthew B. Lloyd

Summary

Dinah’s team “saves” Sin and Dinah learns more about Maps’ mysterious methods for contacting Dinah to begin with.

Positives

Starting at the end of Birds of Prey #6, Thompson’s big surprise reveal (we’ll get to it) DOES make this title seem more like an actual Birds of Prey comic instead of simply being one in name only.  It’s not a lot but it does feel like the possibility is there that it might eventually become a Birds of Prey comic.  Romero’s art is still enjoyable, even if the script doesn’t give him room to show off his layouts and action bits.  His faces and what he communicates with them are wonderful and do the job in telling that aspect of the story.

Negatives

What really stands out about Birds of Prey #6 when Thompson hits the reader with the big reveal in the sequence with Maps and Dinah is that this story was told completely out of order.  It contributes greatly to the feeling that this series has never really felt like a Birds of Prey comic.  Barbara Gordon finally makes an appearance to talk to Dinah at the end, and while it’s great she’s there, Dinah’s inability to give her a real reason for not including her on the mission (I mean, BoP IS Barbara’s after all) is awkward and unnecessary.  Dinah and Barbara have a more open/ honest friendship.  Dinah’s pulling a Batman, here.  This leads to another conversation, this time between Dinah and Maps.

Maps reveals (spoilers now) that Dinah tried eleven previous times to save Sin and in every attempt with Barbara included, both she and Sin died.  We also learn that Dinah told Maps not to let her have Barbara on the team for this final mission that succeeded.  From a storytelling perspective, if the reader had known all this ahead of time, everything Dinah does or doesn’t do would’ve been much more interesting.  Understanding there’s something larger at stake that actually relates to the core concept of BoP ( relationship between Babs, Dinah and Helena).  It would’ve felt like something approaching a BoP comic, and it would’ve been much more interesting and engaging.  Furthermore, Maps reveals that she thinks that someone from the future is trying to kills the Birds of Prey (despite the fact that they’ve never been a team that calls themselves that).  Thompson’s decisions continue to indicate that she doesn’t really understand the Birds of Prey concept, though at least tangentially she seems to understand Barbara’s importance to it.

If this arc had begun with seeing Dinah’s failures and then her telling Maps to make sure Barbara wasn’t included, then this whole mission would’ve felt very different for the reader.  It would’ve been clear there was more at stake, and heightened the intensity of the drama. 

Negatives Cont’d

Unfortunately, this idea that Thompson introduces of a time traveling attack on the Birds of Prey feels derivative of the first arc in the current Justice Society comic.  Helena Wayne travels back in time chasing the as yet to be revealed Per Degaton in his attempt to kill the JSA in ALL time periods.  Helena’s already failed in some time periods and her final stop is the present day DC Universe.  Going forward, it appears that this will be a subplot that will play out in this title after Birds of Prey #6.

I normally wouldn’t critique a lot of standing around talking if the talking is good, but a lot of the talking in this issue could’ve been handled differently if the story arc had included some of the info dump as part of the plot instead of dialogue.  Had we known all about their 11 previous attempts to save Sin, the conversations at the end would not have been necessary.  There’s a rushed quality to finish things up and part of it is seen in all the talking.

Additionally, the actual finale was also rushed and anti-climactic, and it didn’t really resolve the issue.  Sin and Megaera are not actually separated.  Megaera has ceded control of Sin’s body back to her so that she can “just live in the world.”  This creates a couple of inconsistencies.  First, as the team is trying to draw Megaera out with this magic jar, they feel like it’s working and Megaera is being pulled into the jar.  It’s not clear why the team stop trying to recapture Megeara in the jar.  It just seems like they stop…because.  Secondly, if Dinah had the foreknowledge to keep Barbara out of the mission, why didn’t she have the foreknowledge to have magic users on the team to fight a mystical magic based adversary? Since she didn’t, Sin is not completely saved, but instead running around with Megaera inside her.  This comes off as contrived and not a genuine result of simply not being able to separate them.  Dinah had eleven other tries…and she didn’t think to also have Maps tell her to bring magic users?  The real reason is that Thompson has other plans down the line…that’s obvious.  However, for the internal logic of the story, this could’ve been set up better, as this mission still has the feeling of bringing a knife to a gun fight.  The finale isn’t unsatisfying in a “wow, it’s unresolved because of cool plot points,” but rather, “it’s unresolved because the characters were stupid!”  It falls into that category of storytelling in which the more one thinks about it the less it makes sense.  If the reader just read it and didn’t think about it, it would be better.

Verdict

While the ending of Birds of Prey #6 indicates there may be some hope for this title in future issues, the finale of this first arc reinforces the notion that Thompson isn’t all that interested in the Birds of Prey  concept.  It’s a disappointing first arc for the relaunch of a Birds of Prey title.  The magic, mystical and time travel elements push the title further away from that core concept of the grounded, hand-to-hand combat, espionage, undercover mission that is central to the Birds of Prey concept.  It would be better for Thompson to create a new team without damaging the Birds of Prey.  A complete restart is the best option for this series, either as a proper Birds of Prey title, or a new team concept that fits what Thompson actually wants to write about.

The post Review: Birds of Prey #6 appeared first on DC Comics News.

[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]

Writer: Kelly Thompson
Art and Colors: Arist Deyn
Letters: Clayton Cowles

Reviewed by: Matthew B. Lloyd

Summary

Sin and Dinah come face to face with Megaera and have a tense discussion…while the rest of the players try and hold off the Megaera controlled Amazons.

Positives

The standout aspect of this issue is the tension that Kelly Thompson creates as Sin and Dinah attempt to talk their way out of Megaera’s belly.  They are literally inside Megaera and there’s a long discussion about Megaera’s motivations, Sin’s feelings of uselessness and Dinah’s possible solutions.  This doesn’t sound all that interesting as described, but the story itself manages to build the tension between the opposing sides.  Some of it is a bit cliched, but overall this aspect works quite well.

We don’t have Leonardo Romero on art for Birds of Prey #5, and yet Arist Deyn does some interesting things, especially with the color.  There’s some solid dynamic design and textural nuances that stand out.

Wonder Woman is controlled by Megaera by the end of the issue and it becomes clear this should’ve been the approach from the beginning.  All the nonsense about what’s going on in her book while seeming to address the larger world of the DC Universe just felt misunderstood in these pages.  Just having Diana mind controlled works as a much better reason for Diana fighting against Dinah and Co.

Negatives

The obvious negatives are that Harley is still alive.  She brings nothing to the book, and even when it seems like she’s supposed to it just feels contrived.   Thompson wants Zealot to seem really cool, but she’s too much of an unknown quantity to give her subplot any sort of weight.  There’s something going on beneath the surface with her, but there’s too much going on in the story for it to be anything more than surface level.  It’s not going anywhere.  Playing the long game is fine, but there has to be more than one breadcrumb to provide a trail to follow.

Arist Deyn while bringing some interesting aspect is a huge stylistic shift from Leonardo Romero.  It’s a shame Romero couldn’t be present to provide a consistent look for this chapter.  Deyn’s approach to figures doesn’t fit the genre, unfortunately.  Leonardo Romero is missed, but personal preference will determine how much you enjoy the visuals in Birds of Prey #5.  However, Deyn’s work does fit the particular magical aspects of this issue.

Negatives Cont’d

While there is a good building of tension in the conflict in this issue, Megaera’s choosing of Sin feels a little out of nowhere.  It’s a pretty weak reason for her to be chosen.  That’s to say not that Sin’s feelings of inadequacy are not real problems that could provide some interesting storytelling, but it’s such a common thing that it doesn’t make Megaera’s choice of Sin particularly special.  There should be something deeper or more unique at play for Megaera to choose her to posses. 

Additionally, Sin’s been out of the picture for a while and it’s weird that Dinah seemed to have forgotten about her until she was going to be “chosen”.  For Sin to have had these feelings and the lonely life she is shown to have there needed to be more set up.  When did Sin go to Themiscyra?  Has this been addressed and it’s just not memorable?  There’s something missing that would complete this aspect of the plot and give it a stronger overall foundation from a narrative perspective.  There’s something off about Dinah as well, but it’s clear that it’s there just so Harley can be the wild card and provide something useful though contrived to the story.

Verdict

Overall, Birds of Prey #5 is a better issue than #4.  It may not seem like it when breaking down the details, but there’s a stronger through line with the plot and the conflict building.  This is still not a Birds of Prey comic by any stretch of the imagination despite the title.  If anything, with Megaera it would be more at home as a Wonder Woman or Zatanna story, or perhaps Justice League Dark or Madame Xanadu.  The mystical/ godlike elements would be more in keeping with those characters/ concepts than Birds of Prey.  It would also lend itself well to Zealot’s suggested subplot.  If Dinah knew it was going to be this type of conflict instead of Harley, Barda and Cassandra, she should’ve chosen Zatanna, Constantine and Madame Xanadu…and maybe Dr. Fate!  It’s sort of like she took a knife to a gunfight.

The post Review: Birds of Prey #5 appeared first on DC Comics News.

[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]

Writer: Kelly Thompson
Art: Leonardo Romero
Colors: Jordie Bellaire
Letters: Clayton Cowles

Reviewed by: Matthew B. Lloyd

Summary

Dinah and Co. meet Diana and the Amazons in battle…and OOOPS- it’s all just a big misunderstanding.  This leads to a breakthrough in the plot however….

Positives

About halfway through Birds of Prey #4, the comic becomes somewhat intelligible and the actual plot is finally revealed by the end.  This makes about 1/3 of the issue pretty good from a writing standpoint.  Once Diana listens to what Dinah has to say about the mission, it feels believable.  It’s also nice to know that the Amazons have been trying to contact Dinah, but “couldn’t get through.”  Gee maybe ask Diana her longtime JLA teammate to reach out?  Additionally, Harley plays a much smaller role in this issue than in the previous three, and that’s a huge relief.

Leonardo Romero and Jordie Bellaire continue to make this an entertaining book visually, despite the erratic nature of Kelly Thompson’s writing.  Romero’s figures just plain look good as does Bellaire’s choice of colors.  Romero also does a nice job with the storytelling that helps the book flow narratively as best as possible with the given script.

Negatives

It’s odd to me, but clearly not Thompson, that Wonder Woman identifies this group of characters as “the Birds of Prey” when they are clearly not recognizable as such and the fact that this is the first time as we saw in issue #1 when Dinah assembled them for the first time that this group has ever worked together.  I think Thompson is the only person who upon first seeing this group together would say it’s the Birds of Prey.  It’s funny in a meta-way and sort of stupid within the story itself. 

The first third of this issue is a battle between Dinah’s faction and Diana’s faction and narratively it’s tedious and boring.  This is mainly due to the fact that it is completely nonsensical for Dinah and Diana to be fighting against each other.  If anything a quick message from Black Canary to Wonder Woman would’ve made all this unnecessary.  Essentially, if Thompson had written the characters instead of trying to fit characters into a story she wanted to tell, the first three issues wouldn’t have been necessary to get the plot to where it ends up by the end of issue #4.

Negatives Cont’d

As mentioned in the review for last issue, the reasoning  for not contacting Diana directly is confounding.   What was stated in issue #1 does not seem to line up with what’s presented in issue #3, and ultimately Birds of Prey #4 still doesn’t clarify things.  It’s certainly possibly that editorial didn’t communicate things clearly to Kelly Thompson about the events in Diana’s own title.   It’s a real mess over there, so that’s somewhat understandable.  What’s not understandable is why Dinah didn’t just reach out to Diana and ask for help?  Oliver was right there in D.C. with her and could’ve said something.  It’s makes no sense and seems only to be there because Thompson wanted to construct a conflict that was not naturally occurring.  It’s so poorly developed that it really does make the first three issues superfluous and a complete waste of time.

Had Dinah made attempts to contact Diana, but was unable to reach her that would’ve provided a reasonable situation which required Dinah to act.  Had she gone in looking to talk instead of fight and be secretive, that would’ve fit with the fact that these characters have a longstanding friendly relationship.  There’s no reason to think that Diana wouldn’t listen to Dinah, even if the United States military is waging war on Themiscyra at Tom King’s behest.

The mystical nature of the big bad revealed in the final few pages of Birds of Prey #4, push the genre further away from what one expects in a Birds of Prey comic.  It also makes some aspects of Thompson’s line up feel contrived.  Gee, sure glad Barda’s there when the “mega rod” is of Apokoliptian origin.  Zealot seems like she may be of use … but, I still don’t know anything about her, Thompson hasn’t developed her much.  At one point she says she hates this mission, and I have to agree with her.  That reveal of Megaera certainly appears to be be a job for Wonder Woman.  However, Harley the Wild Card will probably be able to bash her with her mallet in order to save the day.  I don’t know….

Verdict

If you’ve spent money on issues #1-3, you may feel really cheated with the plot developments in Birds of Prey #4.  It not only exacerbates the lack of reasoning on Dinah’s part in not even attempting to contact Diana for help, it just becomes clear that Thompson literally lost the plot for this arc in the very beginning.  Things just don’t make sense from a character standpoint, and there are just too many things that just are because Thompson wants them that way instead of them making logical sense based on character and the known world of the DC Universe.

The post Review: Birds of Prey #4 appeared first on DC Comics News.

[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]

Writer: Kelly Thompson
Art: Leonardo Romero
Colors: Jordie Bellaire
Letters: Clayton Cowles

Reviewed by: Matthew B. Lloyd

Summary

Dinah and Co. make it onto Themiscyra and find Sin, though not without some help from Oliver Queen back in America who tries to delay Wonder Woman’s arrival on the island.  

Positives

Leonardo Romero continues to be the bright spot for this series.  Romero has a fun style that lends itself to the tone of the book.  While the script for Birds of Prey #3 doesn’t have the action sequences we’ve seen in the previous two issues, Oliver Queen’s “distraction” allows Romero to show what he can do.  The weathered look on the cover is a cool touch.  There’s no reason to think this issue is old and beaten up.  It’s not an homage cover or throwback to classic Birds of Prey, but it is still a nice effect.

Negatives

If we were to pretend that this comic was Harley and Friends #3, then we could skip this first section of the review.  However, this comic is Birds of Prey #3, and a comic with that title should be significantly different than what we get.  Even if we take the premise that Dinah had to use a team made up of these characters it could still feel like Birds of Prey.  However, Thompson seems to be revealing that her real interest is not Birds of Prey, but rather Harley Quinn and change suspicious readers’ minds that Harley is just the best thing.  Now, that’s great stuff for a Harley Quinn comic.  I mean that’s MAIN STREET.  But for a comic whose core concept has absolutely nothing to do with Harley Quinn, then it’s quite bad.  It doesn’t matter what the cover says, the substance of this comic is Harley Quinn and Tenuous Alliances.

Harley’s influence on the tone can be seen almost from the very beginning as they have to ride inside the belly of a megalodon in order to get to Themiscyra.  It’s silly, it’s weird and definitely feel like Harley.  It does not have the same grounded feel that Birds of Prey is known for with clandestine, undercover, espionage vibes.  This trick Harley pulls off with King Shark’s help also gives her a chance to get compliments from Dinah and the others on how great an idea she had to get on Themiscyra undetected.  This sequence feel out of place like the magic bits from Birds of Prey #2 with John Constantine.  

Negatives Cont’d 

We see “how great” Harley is near the end of the issue when Dinah thinks to herself that Harley wouldn’t be a bad role model for Sin…let’s see: crazy, former sidekick of the Joker, mentally, physically and emotionally traumatized by him, groomed to act like him and despite claiming to have “moved on” she still dresses and acts like he developed her to be…sounds healthy to me!  Thompson is bending the logical to the ridiculous to push Harley.  It’s fine if you want to do that, but don’t do it at the expense of other characters and concepts.  Harley doesn’t belong here and it’s frustrating to see her pushed so hard.  It’s all Harley all the time!  The tone that she brings is diametrically opposed to what has made Birds of Prey comics great in the past.  The decision to include Harley at all and exclude Barbara Gordon demonstrates that Thompson doesn’t really understand the core concept of Birds of Prey.  For her it seems like her definition is that Birds of Prey is simply a group of female characters.  This is a massive dilution of the concept.  This couldn’t be further from the truth, but it’s how Birds of Prey has been rebranded since the horrific Birds of Prey (And the Fabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) film from 2020.

For the longest time the “team” never referenced themselves because they weren’t that kind of team.  They were what Barbara Gordon did as Oracle, Birds of Prey was the manifestation of overcoming her own mental, emotional and physical trauma and getting back her agency.  She not only healed, but reinvented herself.  Birds of Prey was the title of the comic…but, they group never referred to themselves as such.  In this current issue, twice it’s used as a team name for Harley and Friends.

Negatives Cont’d

So, even if you’re enjoying this series and you like Harley and Friends and you think Harley is the greatest, there’s a plot point that just doesn’t make a bit of sense.  And, it’s not something ridiculous like riding in the belly of a megalodon.  It’s something that seems to be at the crux of the plot itself.  Since issue #1, it’s been suggested that Dinah couldn’t contact Wonder Woman for help in rescuing Sin because of the events going on in her own book.  The understanding has been that Diana is too tied up in those events and would be unavailable to help Dinah.  However, this issue presents something altogether different.

Apparently, they were worried about Diana interfering with Sin’s extraction.  This comes off like Thompson forgot what she had already written.  Would it make any sense at all that Diana under any circumstances wouldn’t help Dinah?  If that’s the conflict then that’s the real story and we’ve wasted three issues on mostly Harliness to get to the point where Diana escapes Oliver Queen’s distraction and teleports? (yes it’s that fast) to Themiscyra to confront Dinah and Co.  That’s a huge story if that’s the play…Diana is apart of what’s going on.  There’s no way, no matter what’s going on with Diana that she wouldn’t help Dinah in some way, even if she couldn’t physically be a part of it.  Yet, she’s willing and able to get to Themiscyra to apparently help stop Dinah and Co.  From what we’ve seen so far, this doesn’t make any sense either plot wise or in the characterization of Diana.

Negatives Cont’d

This isn’t the only characterization problem in Birds of Prey #3 either.  We’ve already seen Dinah’s lack of judgement in considering  Harley a role model for Sin, but  for whatever reason Thompson doubles down on this idea that Zealot believes Dinah wants her to kill Amazons.  The question isn’t really answered satisfactorily in a manner that demonstrates whether it’s Thompson or Zealot that doesn’t understand Black Canary’s character.  Dinah’s not a killer.  Sure seems like Zealot is though, and she almost makes my wish come true when she runs Harley through with her sword.  However, it’s not all it seems.

This could be a “positive” for this issue, but the neat aspect of it is undermined by that Harely-tone that is pervading the series.  Zealot performs a ritual when they arrive on Themiscyra that prevents her from being killed OR killing.  It helps her stay alive but it also prevents her from killing anyone for Dinah.  (That’s such a strange take on Dinah).  In order to show that this ritual is in play she runs Harley through, YAY!  Alas, she doesn’t die.  This could be a really cool element to develop, a character who has killed, but now doesn’t want to.  That’s pretty cool and interesting, but by stabbing Harley and making a joke out of it the deeper psychological aspect is overwhelmed by the tone that permeatesthe book with Harley’s inclusion.  Harley Quinn ruins everything.

Verdict

Birds of Prey #3 is not a good Birds of Prey comic, however, it is a pretty good Harley Quinn comic. If you’re here for Harley and how great she is then you will flip that score around, probably.  If you’re a fan of the Birds of Prey, this isn’t it.  Whith each successive issue this title feels less and less like a Birds of Prey comic.  Additionally, the issue with Wonder Woman throws the whole thing off.  Tonally it flips back and forth between serious and silly and it just doesn’t seem like it knows what it wants to be besides an argument for how great Harley Quinn is- which she’s not.  It feels like Thompson is auditioning to write the Harley Quinn animated series on MAX.  Romero’s art can only do so much to make this book enjoyable.

The post Review: Birds of Prey #3 appeared first on DC Comics News.

[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]

Writer: Kelly Thompson
Art: Leonardo Romero
Colors: Jordie Bellaire
Letters: Clayton Cowles

Reviewed by: Matthew B. Lloyd

Summary

Dinah (Black Canary) Lance has to put together a team to rescue her sister, Sin.  Who will she recruit and will they all say, “yes?”

Positives

The art by Leonardo Romero is simply fantastic.  Romero has a clean, uncluttered style that looks great.  There are some great action sequences that he approaches in different ways and they all work.  It’s clear what’s going on and he brings a dynamic flair to the pages.  In the quieter moments he also shines as he is able to communicate emotion effectively through body language and an economy of line.  Plus, there are some interesting angles he chooses in telling the story.  Jordie Bellaire chooses lighter tones of colors that compliment Romero’s style, which elevates the look of the issue as well.

Thompson focuses the story around Dinah and her character and it works well.  The play here uses DC continuity with the inclusion of Sin who hasn’t been seen since before the New 52 line wide reboot.  It’s a nice touch that makes the series feel connected to the DC Universe as a whole as well as the greater history of the DC Universe.  The character that contacts Dinah for this rescue mission is a well-played surprise that will remain such.  However, the inclusion of this character is a fun and interesting reveal that brings about more questions than it answers.

Positives Cont’d

There was a lot of speculation and internet discussion of this new line up when it was first teased teased.  The proof is in the pudding, and with Birds of Prey # 1 in stores, we get to examine that pudding, now.  As stated above, it’s great to have Dinah be the focus.  Thompson puts her and her family at the center and this works well.  Cassandra is a logical and believable choice for a rescue mission.  She’s stealthy, a known quantity to Dinah and maybe THE best fighter in the DC Universe.  As stated in the opening pages, Dinah needs a team that will make the adversary, “$@#% their pants.”  Cassandra fits this bill.

Next up we have Big Barda.  Barda is definitely a heavy hitter.  For a fight she’s a good choice, but on the stealth side of things, maybe not.  She could’ve learned some things from husband, Scott (Mr. Miracle) Free in this area.  Even so, she’s the muscle of the team and that works well enough.  This is a solid start to the team and the path that Dinah takes to recruit these two is done well, especially as it continues to rely on Dinah’s relationship to the target, Sin.

Negatives

Things start to go in a different direction with the next two choices Thompson has included for this story arc.  Zealot is totally unknown to me, and as a longtime fan of Dinah and the Birds of Prey, it’s seems odd that Dinah would go outside her previous teammates for a mission that is this important and for one she herself says she needs people who are “impeccably trustworthy.”  Cass fits that, and Barda ‘s been in the Birds of Prey before.  It’s alluded that Zealot owes Dinah a favor, and while she may think that Zealot has the skills (whatever they are) for the mission, is Zealot the best choice if it’s only a favor?  Is Zealot really invested in Dinah’s sister or anything that matters to Dinah?  The details in Birds of Prey # 1 are not convincing in this matter.

Thompson herself admitted in the release publicity for this book that she knew Harley Quinn would be divisive.  As with Zealot, the argument Thompson makes for her inclusion is not only unconvincing, and illogical, but…laughable.  It would be one thing to have a character argue that some element of Harley’s skills make sense for the plan, but Thompson has put the team before the plan, so it’s not clear how Harley would fit into this.  What makes even less sense is the argument we do get for her inclusion.

Negatives Cont’d

Cassandra shares a story with the others claiming that Harley is such a good fighter that Harley almost beat her in a confrontation recently.  It’s simply bad writing to suddenly imbue Harley Quinn with this sort of skill level.  It’s just as hard to imagine that Dinah would believe it.  So, even if Cass has an ulterior motive in convincing the team, Dinah should see through that fairly quickly.  It also doesn’t make sense that Dinah would go against her instincts on Harley’s trustworthiness that Thompson does include in the issue.  The bottom line is that Harley will always feel forced when included on a Birds of Prey roster.  There’s an argument coming up below that will claim this isn’t the Birds of Prey, just a team Dinah’s putting together for a mission.  However, Birds of Prey or not, like Zealot, Birds of Prey # 1 doesn’t make a convincing argument for Harley being on the team or for Dinah to go against her instincts. 

The idea that Harley is a “wildcard” is nothing more than Thompson not having a real reason to include her that makes sense.  It sounds cool, but is ultimately shallow.  Unless of course, like her newfound fighting ability Cassandra describes, Harley manifests whatever Thompson needs for the plot to work!  Thompson wants to use Harley, but it doesn’t add to the plot in any way or even make sense.

Here’s a real wildcard for you:  The individual that contacted Dinah about Sin’s abduction claims she can’t tell Barbara.  which is then the in-story reason for Barbara not being included.  What if, the Harley they recruit isn’t Harley at all, but Barbara in disguise as Harley?  That’s about the only way that it would make sense for Barbara not being on Dinah’s handpicked team, or Harley being on it!

Negatives Cont’d

Perhaps, the single greatest negative with this issue is that Barbara Gordon is not part of the team Dinah puts together.  I’ve argued before that Barbara is essential to the Birds of Prey, she’s what makes the team THE Birds of Prey, otherwise it’s just a collection of female heroes/anti-heroes or whatever. (The Birds of Prey aren’t always female either, just ask Hawk, Savant or Creote). 

Additionally, and as mentioned above, it doesn’t make sense that Dinah wouldn’t include her closest allies.  She’s got Huntress marked off the list on page 2!  While the final reveal of who’s abducted Sin implies that Dinah needs some heavy hitters, it also suggests that this team will need to be committed to Dinah (trustworthy!) and it stands to reason that those closest to her would be the best choices, friends and former teammates like Babs, Helena, Nightwing, Ollie and Roy, Zinda (Lady Blackhawk) Blake etc…. 

Verdict 

This issue is a bit of a mixed bag.  The art on Birds of Prey # 1 is  great.  The plot and focus on Dinah is interesting and engaging.  It’s the details that detract from the overall big ideas.  The line up of the “team” is obviously the biggest with some of the sub-details that go along with that which logically follow, the inexplicable reasoning for including Harley for example.  The line up ends up being confusing instead of exciting.  This line up might be interesting if Dinah fell into the situation and had to make do with them to get the job done.   This suggests that if this were not called Birds of Prey, it would get a higher rating because it could be viewed as its own thing.  Or, if Barbara Gordon (as Oracle OR Batgirl) and Helena (Huntress) Bertinelli were in the line up it would feel like the Birds of Prey and  it would’ve been a 9/10.

The post Review: Birds of Prey #1 appeared first on DC Comics News.

Check out all the details in the official press release below!

DC’S NEW COMIC BOOK SERIES ‘BIRDS OF PREY’ IS UNVEILED

Comic book writer Kelly Thompson reveals the brand-new Birds of Prey character lineup in the ongoing “Dawn of DC” series debuting in September

As part of the “Dawn of DC” storytelling initiative, DC’s new ongoing comic book series Birds of Prey debuts September 5, led by an all-star creative team and featuring fan-favorite characters. Series writer Kelly Thompson (Black Widow, Captain Marvel) has been revealing the Birds of Prey character lineup throughout the week, teasing that leader Black Canary will be joined by Cassandra Cain, Big Barda, Zealot, and Harley Quinn for a dangerous new mission. In her DC comic book series writing debut, Thompson herself has teamed up with her Eisner Award-nominated Hawkeye partners-in-crime, artist Leonardo Romero (Batman) and colorist Jordie Bellaire (Wonder Woman), alongside letterer Clayton Cowles for the electrifying series.

Birds of Prey character lineup art by Leonardo Romero

In this new series, Dinah Lance is one of the DC Universe’s most elite fighters, and combined with her sonic scream, she’s a fearsome foe in any scenario…but sometimes even the Black Canary needs help. Faced with a personal mission brought to her by a mysterious new ally, and up against near-impossible odds, she re-forms the Birds of Prey with an unrivaled group—Cassandra Cain, Big Barda, Zealot, and Harley Quinn—with only one goal: extraction of their asset at any cost. What could possibly go wrong? This all-new, all-deadly Birds of Prey is still breaking hearts and faces after all these years!

Birds of Prey #1 triptych gatefold variant cover art by Frank Cho

“When I say this is a dream come true for me, I mean not just working on the iconic Birds of Prey title, but also the characters we were able to fold in, and the creative team we assembled,” said Birds of Prey writer Kelly Thompson. “Leonardo Romero and Jordie Bellaire were two of my first partners-in-crime making superhero books and I’ve been trying to make this happen ever since. It won’t surprise anyone to learn that Leonardo and Jordie are even better than they were the last time we worked together—and working together on this wild book is pure magic.”

“I couldn’t be happier to announce my first monthly project for DC! With this book, I’ve had the opportunity to not only draw some of the most badass women in the DC Universe, but also to work once more with the best people in our industry, Kelly Thompson and Jordie Bellaire” said Birds of Prey artist Leonardo Romero. “I missed the dynamic we had on Hawkeye, so I’m very excited to have our team back together! Can’t wait to show you all what we’ve been doing!”

Birds of Prey #1 will be available at local comic shops on September 5 with a main cover by series artist Leonardo Romero, variant covers by Stanley “Artgerm” Lau and Chris Bachalo, a 1:25 variant by Nick Bradshaw paying homage to the first Birds of Prey series cover by Greg Land and Brian Stelfreeze from January 1999, a 1:50 variant by Chris Bachalo, a 1:100 variant by Leonardo Romero, and a triptych gatefold variant cover by Frank Cho. There will also be a blank sketch cover available.

Fans can read more Birds of Prey comic books with a DC UNIVERSE INFINITE ULTRA subscription. DC UNIVERSE INFINITE subscribers can download comics for unlimited offline reading on their favorite iOS and Android devices. For more information on DC UNIVERSE INFINITE Ultra, download the app from the Apple App and Google Play stores. DC UNIVERSE INFINITE is not intended for children.

For the latest information on everything DC, visit www.DC.com and follow @DCOfficial and @TheDCNation on social media.

The post New ‘Birds of Prey’ Series Revealed With Brand-New Lineup appeared first on DC Comics News.