When Birds of Prey was announced, it almost felt like a dream come true. Kelly Thompson has been one of Marvel’s best writers of the modern age, particularly where female superheroes are concerned. Her Captain Marvel and Hawkeye are two of my favorite more recent titles, the latter of which Birds of Prey‘s incredibly talented Leonardo Romero did the pencils for. And beyond that, Birds of Prey is one of my favorite comics to have ever hit shelves–I even dressed up in full-scale Huntress gear to get my trades signed by Gail Simone at a con once. This book had incredible promise, and despite all the ingredients being there for a 10/10 book, the cooks in the kitchen can’t seem to find the right way to combine them just yet.
When one thinks of the Birds of Prey, they think of Oracle, Black Canary, and Huntress first and foremost. The movie years may have tried to make Harley Quinn synonymous with the team because said movies have made her DC’s favorite daughter as of late, but her presence hasn’t caught on with fans. I actually think you’d be hard-pressed to find a die-hard Birds of Prey fan who likes Harley associated with the team. Thompson’s Birds tries a different line-up, and for the most part, there’s a lot of promise.
Oracle’s absence is explained early on, and additions like Big Barda and Batgirl feel like natural fits. The idea that Oracle could show up in later arcs adds an extra amount of intrigue to Cass’ position here, almost like Barbara’s successor to the Batgirl title is gaining access to another incredibly important part of her life. Zealot is an interesting pick, but I honestly think she fits the team quite well and could lead to some interesting interactions in the same way Simone’s Birds did when they branched out to include other members for missions.
Credit: DC Comics
And then there’s Harley Quinn.
I really think the Birds of Prey need a restraining order on Harley Quinn because she’s quite honestly the last person I want near this title, and even while giving it a shot because I trust the creative team involved, her presence is a massive weight on this series that drags it down. They try to sell Harley Quinn so hard right to the point where Cassandra Cain claims she was almost beaten by her, and knowing anything about Harley Quinn and Cass Cain, I quite honestly refuse to believe that. Even despite the Harley fatigue, she’s just an annoying character to read in this title, and I can’t help but read her scenes and think that the time devoted to her would be better spent on someone else. Anyone else, even.
Sin Lance being the main plot driver for this book is nice, but I don’t understand why Huntress wasn’t involved. Considering her involvement in the original stories with Sin and the fact that this is a Birds of Prey comic, it’s a major bummer for her to be missing from this. That panel of Dinah crossing out names with Huntress’ there is as much reference as she gets in this entire first issue.
Outside of Sin, nothing about this title feels like a Birds of Prey title, which is the biggest problem with this first issue. This book probably would have been better off with a different name for it because everything from the lineup to the tone of the book feels so starkly different from any Birds of Prey story. By the time future Maps Mizoguchi showed up I started to wonder who this book was for exactly.
Despite the hangups and stranger choices, there is a fair bit that works about Birds of Prey #1. Romero’s artwork is flawless from start to finish and the idea of reading this title more just to see more of his art is a selling point in itself. Zealot’s presence is exciting and I’m eager to see what Thompson does with this character who mostly stays in the WILDCATS titles and hasn’t had the opportunity to branch out more. Barda and Batgirl are also promising additions and the two have some good scenes with each other.
All in all, your enjoyment of Birds of Prey #1 probably comes down to how much you love the Birds of Prey as a team. For readers who haven’t read or have no attachment to the original series or Simone’s follow-up run, I can imagine this book will be a lot more enjoyable.
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