Birds of Prey #1
- WRITER
- Brian Azzarello
- Artist
- Emanuela Lupacchino, Ray McCarthy
- Letterer
- Steve Wands
- Cover Artist
- Ivan Reis, Alex Sinclair, Joe Prado, Ula Mos, J. Scott Campbell
- Publisher
- DC Comics
- Price
- 9.99
- Release Date
- 2020-06-02
- Colorist
- Trish Mulvihill, John Kalisz
After months of delays and changes in formats, Brian Azzarello and Emanuela Lupacchino's hard-hitting Birds of Prey story has finally released. Originally announced as an ongoing series before its eventual change to an oversized prestige format one-shot issue for DC Comics' mature readers publishing imprint, DC Black Label, the special pulls no punches. And while there is a bittersweet sense of what could have been should the creative team have continued on with a larger story for the DC Universe team, the issue tells a wholly complete, self-contained story constantly moving at a brisk pace -- especially impressive as the issue itself runs for nearly one hundred pages.
After Black Canary learns that a former squadmate and old flame has met a gruesome end battling murderous cartels south of the border, the criminal syndicate turns its attention to Gotham City, where a deadly new drug is hitting the streets. Meanwhile, Huntress and Renee Montoya find themselves taking on the cartel and dealers as they begin to claim lives across Gotham, while Harley Quinn returns to the city after being released from prison and her commitments to the Suicide Squad. As the drug war escalates in Gotham, all these seemingly disparate characters find themselves on a collision course with each other and the insidious new threat.
Azzarello has always had a strong grasp on writing street-level superheroes, especially the characters that populate Gotham City, and he takes advantage of the additional creative freedom afforded by DC Black Label here. Similar to his previous work on the mature readers imprint with Lee Bermejo in last year's Batman: Damned, Azzarello never uses the creative leeway to lean into more graphic content to shock or sensationalize the story but rather naturally integrate itself into the narrative and elevate the material. And, despite its harder edge, the special really is a fun thrill ride bringing its cast together.
This is all made possible with Emanuela Lupacchino illustrating the explosive, blood-soaked crime tale, joined by inker Ray McCarthy and colorists Trish Mulvihill and John Kalisz. Befitting the Gotham setting, most the story unfolds at night, with the art team bringing the moody atmosphere to the visuals. And while the core cast is straight from the recent Birds of Prey film, the creative team is sure to make the characters reflect their main DC Universe counterparts, from characterizations to costumes, as they battle the cartels moving into Gotham. Lupacchino is especially effective at rendering the action sequences throughout the book, with the violence a bit more brutal than the main DCU, justifying its publication through Black Label, but never unsavory, and with a kinetic sensibility to keep readers hooked.
The real joy is watching how the creative team has the main cast play off each other, both in terms of action and dialogue. There are plenty of quiet moments of the superheroes on their own, with plenty of soul-searching introspection facing the individual characters, with the individual perspectives both distinct and spot-on. But the narrative really picks up when the characters are coming together, with that interpersonal friction omnipresent even as the Birds of Prey are united against a common enemy.
While nearly one hundred pages, Brian Azzarello and Emanuela Lupacchino's Birds of Prey #1 never feels like it's spinning its wheels and keeps readers engaged from cover-to-cover. While the fact that this single issue is likely all we'll see from Azzarello and Lupacchino's take on the characters for the foreseeable future, the creative team is sure to deliver a wholly complete story that justifies the added page count and price tag as it stands as one of the most accessible and fun Birds of Prey stories in recent memory.