Birds of Prey #1 - Comic Review

 

The Birds of Prey return with a whole new type of team for the first issue of this new series as Black Canary needs to assemble a group of absolutely amazing warriors to help save her sister.

Set after the events of Green Arrow issue six (spoilers for that series on the very first page of this one!), we meet up with a Black Canary that's in need of help. Her younger sister, Sin, is being held prisoner and is facing execution, something that Dinah can't just sit back and allow to happen. She also knows that she can't do it alone, and is looking to reform her old team, the Birds of Prey. Unfortunately, Barbara is unable to help her out with this one, and so Dinah is left to try and assemble a new team all on her own. 

We get given a cryptic reason for Barbara not being involved, and we're told that she doesn't even want to know what's happening. This, coupled with Dinah wanting to populate her team with people that will 'make you $@#% your pants' hints at something big to come, some kind of danger or situation that is going to need a group willing to go harder than most. 

Most of this first issue is spent with Dinah assembling said team, and we get introductions to each of the characters. First up is Cassandra Cain, Batgirl. Trained to be a deadly assassin since her birth, and one of the most loyal and trustworthy members of the Bat Family, Dinah picks her both for her deadly skills and because she knows Cass will have her back. Next up is Big Barda, the New God. An absolute powerhouse of a character, Barda is a big gun on a team of big guns.

Dinah also calls in a favour with Zealot, a teleporting assassin deadly with both guns and close quarters weapons. Despite the four of them being a group you don't want to mess with, Dinah feels like they're missing something, an x factor. Thus, Cass suggests the most surprising member of the group, Harley Quinn. With the team fully assembled, Dinah reveals the mission to the group, a mission that well see them having to fight a powerful army, possibly hurt some allies, and one that includes a visitor from the future.

For an issue where we're essentially just assembling a team, this does a fantastic job at keeping things fun and interesting, as well as packing a lot of stuff into the pages. Each character has a decent introduction, with a scene that brings them into the book in a decent way. The most enjoyable are probably Cassandra and Barda, as they involve fighting against ninja's, and vampires. But the book doesn't just rely of action to keep you interested, as there are some really enjoyable character interactions scattered throughout too, and you can already see some interesting bonds and relationships being formed.

When the book was announced and the roster was being slowly revealed there were some people who were unsure of the inclusion of Harley Quinn on the team. Harley has had a big push over the last few years, and there are some who don't like her new heroic turn. The book seems to have most of the characters take a similar kind of view, such as Dinah not trusting Harley, and not really wanting her on the team. But, as Cass explains, she absolutely does add a certain x factor to things, and her reason to agreeing to join up with the team to save Sin feels genuine and decent.

Whilst I really enjoyed the writing on the book the art was something that I have to admit didn't set my world on fire. There are some nice visuals in the book, and the two page spread of Dinah and Cass fighting a horde of assassins across a rooftop is a stand out for sure. But things felt a little too flat and simple for me at times. There's little detail in some of the characters, such as Batgirl being an almost fully black silhouette with a white line where the mouth part of her mask is, which makes the character fall very flat for me.

The issue ends with the reveal of what the mission is, and it's a reveal that I won't spoil as it's a genuine twist I did not see coming. It also makes it clear why Dinah had to assemble a team like this, and raised the stakes for the coming issues considerable. With big action on the horizon, and the promise that the book will feature a rotating cast of heroes, it makes this an exciting start.

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