DC Comics currently in its Dawn of DC publishing line, and with new books still being announced for it. While most of these comics have been for solo heroes like Batman and Wonder Woman, there are some team series in there for the Doom Patrol and Titans. Earlier in the week, writer Kelly Thompson (Captain Marvel) announced that she was joining DC to tackle one of the publisher’s B-tier teams: the Birds of Prey.
Throughout the week, Thompson revealed the five-team lineup in the upcoming series from her and Hawkeye: Kate Bishop co-creators Leonardo Romero and Jordie Bellaire. Along with Dinah Lance’s Black Canary, the team will be rounded out by Batgirl (Cassandra Cain), Apokolyptian warrior Big Barda, Wildstorm character Zealot, and Harley Quinn. According to the book’s logline, Dinah brings the team together to help with a personal mission said to have “near-impossible odds.”
In a press release, Thompson called the new Birds of Prey “a dream come true. […] 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.”
Romero echoed Thompson’s statement, saying he was excited to do his first monthly DC book. “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,” he said. “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!”
The Birds of Prey were first introduced in 1996’s Showcase ‘96 #3 by Jordan Gorfinkel and Chuck Dixon, and made up of Dinah and Batgirl (Barbara Gordon). When Gail Simone started writing the book in 2003, she added Huntress (Helena Bertinelli) to the group, and she and Dinah were active field members while Barbara (now going by Oracle after being paralysed) handled team logistics. The team’s ranks have rotated over the years, and this new series marks the group’s first book since Batgirl & the Birds of Prey from Julie and Shawna Benson bowed out back in 2018. Outside of the comics, they’ve shown up a handful of times in TV and movies, with 2020’s Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey being their first live-action film.
Birds of Prey will debut with its first issue on September 5.