Birds of Prey was the name of several comic book series, miniseries and specials that have been published by DC Comics since 1996. The book's premise originated as a partnership between Black Canary and Barbara Gordon, who had adopted the codename Oracle at the time, but has expanded to include additional superheroines. The team name "Birds of Prey" was attributed to DC assistant editor Frank Pittarese in the text page of the first issue. The group is initially based in Gotham City and later operates in Metropolis and then relocates once more to "Platinum Flats", California, a new locale introduced in Birds of Prey in 2008.
The series was conceived by Jordan B. Gorfinkel and originally written by Chuck Dixon. Gail Simone scripted the comic from issue #56 to #108. Sean McKeever was originally to replace Simone, but McKeever subsequently decided to leave the project and only wrote issues #113-117; Tony Bedard, who wrote issues #109-112, briefly took over the title at issue #118. Artists have included Butch Guice, Greg Land, Ed Benes and Joe Bennett; Nicola Scott began a stint as artist with issue #100. In 2011, the title was relaunched under writer Duane Swierczynski and artist Jesus Saiz.
Despite the title of the series being Birds of Prey, the phrase was not mentioned in the book until issue #86, when one of the group's members, Zinda Blake, suggests that it might be a fitting name for the team. However, the other characters get sidetracked and do not respond to her suggestion. Oracle, the team's leader, refers to the group by that name in a conversation with the new Blue Beetle, Jaime Reyes, and later within the series.
The core of the team is made up of Oracle and Black Canary, with other heroines forming a rotating roster sometimes for extended periods, sometimes for merely one adventure. After Black Canary's departure, Huntress remained as the staple member and field leader, alongside new "core members." Following the events of Flashpoint (2011) and the company-wide relaunch as part of The New 52, Oracle recovers her mobility and reclaims her former Batgirl identity, taking a brief hiatus from the team in the process. Despite the previously all-female central roster, male allies such as Nightwing, Wildcat, Savant and Creote frequently assist missions. In addition, Hawk and Dove briefly joined the team, making Hawk its first male member.
Publication history
Chuck Dixon era
The title series began with Chuck Dixon's one shot Black Canary/Oracle: Birds of Prey (which had a cover date of 1996, but the release date was November 1995). Initially, the two heroines featured were Barbara Gordon (formerly "Batgirl") and Dinah Lance (currently "Black Canary"). From the beginning, Canary was written as passionate and idealistic. In an interview with Comics Bulletin, Dixon described this choice as a fertile clash of values: "Dinah's more idealistic approach is at the heart of this book."
Gail Simone era
When Gail Simone took over the series in 2003, she added the Huntress to the lineup. In her first arc, entitled "Of Like Minds", Simone let Black Canary walk into a trap set by Brian Durlin, known as Savant, and his assistant Creote. With Black Canary now critically injured and chained, Savant begins listing demands, the most significant of which is the true identity of Batman. In the end, Huntress and Canary defeat their enemies, and form a team.
Author Simone commented on the new lineup, saying that each character provided a foil for the two others: "In this case, Babs and Dinah respect each other tremendously, and each is capable of great things the other is not. Dinah's not just Oracle's legs, sometimes, she's her conscience, or her muse, or just her best friend. And Oracle is far more to Dinah than just the mission controller. They trust each other, and out of that, there's a friendship that they believe in. Huntress...I see Helena as someone who is not a loner completely by choice. Dinah is so accepting and so open that Helena sees an opportunity to be part of something without having to force her way in. There's friction, because once Helena puts the mask on, she's really not very good fitting in. But she likes that they're giving her a chance. Whether she blows it or not, you'll have to keep reading."
Simone was appreciative of her work, saying Birds of Prey editor Lysa Hawkins "was looking for a slightly tougher Birds of Prey and asked me to submit a proposal. I have a huge fondness for Babs and Dinah both, so it's a bit of a dream come true. I'm really excited by the art, which is very sleek and sexy, with a nice dark tone, by Supergirl star Ed Benes.
The Huntress later meets Oracle in person for the first time while rescuing her from a potentially life threatening situation during the "Sensei & Student" storyline. The US government had become aware of the existence of Oracle and formatted a list of suspects to interrogate, one of whom was Barbara. Without any form of due process, two federal agents imply they believe she is the Oracle and that if any evidence is brought to light she will be tried for treason against the United States of America. Once again, Oracle relies on the Huntress when no other allies are available.
While Oracle and Huntress share a long history of animosity with one another, Black Canary eventually inspires Oracle to employ her as a full-time agent. The budding friendship is cut short during the "Hero Hunters" arc. In the final issue of the storyline, the Huntress realizes Oracle has been manipulating her psychologically in order to make her "behave" properly, in the same way a teacher attempts to reform a troubled child. Despite Oracle's remorse for her actions, Huntress temporarily departs from the group. She later rejoins the team, once again as a full-time agent along with newcomer Lady Blackhawk. Although the personnel on Oracle's team grows and changes, Huntress and Lady Blackhawk remain core agents.
As Birds of Prey approached its hundredth issue, Simone used issues #99 and #100 to shake up the lineup. She let Black Canary leave the team with her ward, a little girl called "Sin", and used a prison break arc to introduce superhumanly strong Big Barda, pacifist Judomaster and rascally Misfit into the new squad, and with the new Spy Smasher as an ambiguous Jack Bauer-like anti-heroine and Lois Lane cornering Oracle into almost giving away her secret identity. Again, the characters were chosen to provide a foil for each other, and affirmed her love for her characters: "The team is a group of individuals, quite unlike the friendship between Dinah, Helena and Babs. And any team with Barda on it automatically has a certain bull in a China shop tremble, and I love that... The characters don't apologize for being asskickers, nor for being smart, nor for being sexy, nor for being sexual, for that matter. There are always going to be some people who find that not to their taste, but at the same time, Birds of Prey regularly brings in people who don't otherwise read mainstream comics, a whole audience that may not pick up any other superhero titles, and I love that niche, that little area between good taste and utter shamelessness." Finally, Simone stated her agony of leaving the book: "I miss the characters in all the books I've worked on. Writing the last issue of Birds of Prey I'm doing was actually physically painful."
McKeever/Bedard era
After Simone's departure to sister title Wonder Woman, Sean McKeever wrote Birds of Prey from issues #113 to #117. McKeever used his short stint to pit a new incarnation of "Blackhawk" villain Killer Shark against ex-Blackhawk Zinda Blake and to introduce the location of Platinum Flats, called by IGN "the Silicon Valley of the DC universe and a hotbed of white-collar crime committed by mysterious villain 'The Visionary'." IGN called his short stint "enjoyable" and creative. His writing deeds were taken over by Tony Bedard, who stated in a Comic Book Resources interview that he liked the concept of Platinum Flats. Bedard wants to mix the concept of 21st century white-collar crime with 1930s mob families and has stated that Oracle is his favorite Birds of Prey character.
DC canceled the series in February 2009, with the "Oracle: The Cure" mini-series beginning publication the following month as part of a company-wide reorganization of Batman-related titles.
The second Gail Simone era
On January 13, 2010, DC announced the return of the Birds of Prey title for the spring, under the Brightest Day banner. Gail Simone returned to write series with Ed Benes providing the artwork. Hawk and Dove were brought as new members of the team as well, with Oracle playing a strictly supporting role. While in Singapore in December 2010, she announced, in an interview with the newspaper Straits Times, an intention to create a Singapore superheroine.
It was eventually announced that the title would be cancelled along with every other DC book as part of a company-wide relaunch following the Flashpoint event. Two months prior to the title's cancellation, Simone left the book after issue #12.
In July, writer Marc Andreyko and artist Billy Tucci took over the title for the final story-arc, which featured the original Black Canary and Phantom Lady. Manhunter, a former Birds of Prey member created by Andreyko, appeared as well.
Duane Swierczynski era
DC Comics relaunched Birds of Prey with issue #1 in September 2011 for The New 52 relaunch. Novelist Duane Swierczynski replaced Andreyko as the writer, with Jesus Saiz handling the art. Noted Batman villain Poison Ivy was announced as one of the new characters joining the team.
The book's first storyline begins shortly after Barbara regains the use of her legs due to the events of Flashpoint. Dinah approaches her old friend with an offer to join the new Birds of Prey team she is putting together, but she declines, instead suggesting that Katana take her place. The gun-toting vigilante Starling is also recruited into the team, along with Poison Ivy.
After the departure of Poison Ivy after issue #12, the "Birds of Prey" roster changed again when Katana spun off into her own solo book along with providing her services to the "Justice League of America". With occasional help from Condor and a former Talon, the "Birds of Prey" move on with writer Christy Marx in issue #18.
Membership
Main characters
- Oracle/Batgirl (Barbara Gordon)
- Barbara is the leader of the Birds of Prey. She was paralyzed from the waist down as a result of an ambush by the Joker while she was Batgirl and reinvented herself as Oracle with the Suicide Squad. She possesses an information network, a photographic memory, and extreme hacking and programming skills. Barbara is also a skilled hand-to-hand fighter and a master in weaponry, though she is rarely shown in a physical fight; she usually directs the team remotely. After the events of Flashpoint, Barbara regained the use of her legs and returned to the Batgirl identity, taking a temporary hiatus from the team in the process.
- Black Canary (Dinah Lance)
- A tough, but good-natured and idealistic streetfighter who is the Birds of Prey's star martial artist. Barbara and Dinah are close friends (Barbara having helped Dinah through low periods in Dinah's life). In addition to her superpower, an ultrasonic attack known as the "Canary Cry", she is also a highly skilled martial artist. She departed the team in issue #99, and returned in issue #1 of volume 2.
- Huntress (Helena Bertinelli)
- A vigilante. Prone to use of excessive force, Bertinelli is a former mafia princess who was devastated at a young age when her family was killed in a mob hit. Trained by her assassin cousin in the art of violence, she declared war on the mob in the name of justice. Following Black Canary's departure, Huntress became the team's field commander. She was also the second crimefighter to go by the name Batgirl.
- Lady Blackhawk (Zinda Blake)
- A time-displaced 1940s character, Zinda served as the team's aviatrix and pilot of the Aerie One and Two. She is an expert marksman, well trained with handling various types of firearms.
Recurring characters
- Big Barda (Barda Free)
- A New God from the planet Apokolips and former member of the Female Furies and later member of the Justice League. Her husband is Justice League International member Mister Miracle (Scott Free). The character was killed off in Death of the New Gods, and officially recognized within this series in Birds of Prey #112. She was later revived at the end of DC's Final Crisis crossover.
- Black Alice (Lori Zechlin)
- A magically powered anti-heroine who can temporarily borrow the powers of other magic users. It is suggested in a Final Crisis tie-in issue that she could be a blood relative to Gail Simone's other creation, Misfit.
- Blue Beetle (Ted Kord)
- A former Justice Leaguer with a crush on Barbara. Kord is murdered in Countdown to Infinite Crisis, and the main characters visit his grave in Valhalla Cemetery in Birds of Prey #96.
- Catwoman (Selina Kyle)
- A feline-styled anti-heroine, Selina has cooperated with the team on several operations, the most notable of which was a starring role in the Birds of Prey: Manhunt mini-series.
- Cassandra Cain
- The daughter of assassin David Cain and Lady Shiva, In pre-Flashpoint DC continuity, Cain was the third crimefighter to call herself "Batgirl".
- Creote
- A former KGB agent, Creote is a devoted servant and only friend to Savant; in his earliest appearances, his devoted love for his master was a secret. In a 2010 storyline however, Barbara outed Creote and his feelings to Savant, and the two subsequently became an item.
- Dove (Dawn Granger)
- A strong-willed but calm young woman, and the avatar of peace. A former member of the Teen Titans, Dove was granted superhuman strength, durability, and reflexes by the Lords of Chaos and Order and used them to fight alongside Hank Hall. Following the events of the Blackest Night crossover, Dawn was invited to join the Birds.
- Gypsy (Cindy Reynolds)
- Once a member of Justice League Detroit, Gypsy debuts as an agent for Oracle at the end of Birds of Prey #92. She is a metahuman whose powers include creating illusions, camouflaging herself, and others near her, to blend into any background.
- Hawk (Hank Hall)
- A violent and conservative young man, and the physical avatar of war. Granted superhuman abilities by the Lords of Chaos and Order, Hawk fought crime alongside his brother Don and later Dawn before being driven insane by the wizard Mordru and becoming the villain known as Extant. After his murder at the hands of Atom Smasher, Hank was resurrected during the events of Blackest Night. During the Brightest Day follow-up crossover, he was offered an invitation to join the team.
- Hawkgirl (Kendra Saunders)
- Oracle first solicits her assistance in issue #104 in dealing with the Secret Six, for which Oracle rewards her with a car. Throughout the Russian arc, Hawkgirl serves as a team member and develops a rivalry with Secret Six member Scandal.
- Ice (Tora Olafsdotter)
- A Nordic metahuman with ice-related abilities and a former Justice League International member, who was believed dead until discovered by the team in Russia.
- Infinity
- A new character who appeared towards near the end of volume one, Infinity debuted in Birds of Prey #120, and was described by Oracle as a "new operative" in #121, though it is implied she may have worked for Oracle in the past as well. Infinity has the ability to make her body intangible, but not much else is known about her. In issue #125, Infinity reveals to Huntress she can read the residual memory of a corpse as long as its brain is intact and that she has to make physical contact for that power to operate. Huntress asked where her phasing ability originated and was told it was due to a curse.
- Josh
- A rental car agent who bargained with Huntress for information in exchange for a date. After reluctantly agreeing and (surprisingly) sleeping with him, Huntress has used Josh as an agent in some of her easier tasks against the mob.
- Judomaster (Sonia Sato)
- In issue #100, a new female Judomaster joins the Birds of Prey after being invited by Oracle. This character would be expanded on by later writers, starting with Geoff Johns' exploration of her in Justice Society of America.
- Katana (Tatsu Yamashiro)
- A skilled swordswoman and martial artist from Japan, who wields an enchanted blade known as "Soultaker". She initially assisted the team in rescuing Oracle from Senator Pullman, after which Oracle gave her a card and the promise of a favor if ever required. After Oracle returned to the Batgirl identity, she suggested Katana as a full-time recruit.
- Jade Canary (Sandra Wu-San)
- The assassin more commonly known as Lady Shiva took Dinah's spot on the Birds of Prey team as of "One Year Later", calling herself the Jade Canary. After the conditions behind the switch she arranged with the Black Canary had been met, she departed from the team. In a final act, she acquired a new apprentice to train, in the form of Bethany Thorne, Crime Doctor's daughter.
- Manhunter (Kate Spencer)
- In issue #100, Manhunter joins the Birds of Prey after being invited by Oracle, following Canary's resignation. She has stayed on as a core member. Kate Spencer is a vigilante of a more violent sort than her teammates. In her civilian identity, she is a federal prosecutor who became sickened to see criminals escape punishment via the judicial system. Using stolen weapons, Manhunter elects to hunt down and if necessary kill supervillains herself.
- Misfit (Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe)
- A teenage orphan with teleportation powers, her persistent appearances (first as a wannabe Batgirl and then as Misfit) are initially a nuisance to Oracle, although Barbara's attitude gradually softens. After Barbara discovers her homelessness and personal tragedy, she formally invites her to become a member of the Birds. As of Birds of Prey vol. 2, #1, she is no longer a member of the team and now lives with a foster family.
- Nightwing (Dick Grayson)
- A dashing crimefighter and the original Robin, Dick enjoyed a mutual teenage crush on Barbara that once blossomed into a steamy romance, but has crumbled despite continued strong feelings on both sides. Recently, Barbara and Dick reconciled. As they did, Dick dropped to one knee and proposed; a tearful Barbara said, "Yes." As of "One Year Later", the engagement has been mutually put on hold.
- Poison Ivy (Dr. Pamela Isley)
- A noted eco-terrorist and enemy of Batman. She was recruited into the team by Black Canary, a decision that did not sit well with the other members. She possesses powerful pheromones that make people susceptible to mind control, as well as the ability to conjure sentient plants that can attack and restrain enemies. Eventually, it was revealed that she only joined the group in order to manipulate them into fulfilling her own dark agenda, and she left upon being exposed and defeated by the other members.
- Power Girl (Karen Starr, also known as Kara Zor-L)
- Power Girl was Oracle's first operative, before she took in Black Canary. This first partnership was doomed since Power Girl was unable to save a shipload of people. She has worked occasionally with Oracle in subsequent episodes but the two have a very poor relationship; she was invited to return to the team in issue #100 but stated she would do so "when Hell freezes over", despite begrudgingly appearing before and since to assist Oracle. The animosity between them parallels the traditional Batgirl/Supergirl friendship.
- Savant (Brian Durlin)
- The spoiled heir to an enormous fortune, Savant moved to Gotham to become a self-styled vigilante. After kidnapping and brutally torturing Black Canary, he was defeated by the Birds. Oracle made the questionable decision to rehabilitate him, mainly in order to keep his data files on hundreds of real villains. As his name would suggest, he is a genius; however, due to a chemical imbalance he exhibits a non-linear memory. Savant has also exhibited feelings for Oracle, probably rooted in his envy of her computer skills. Later, however, he is shown to reciprocate Creote's romantic feelings for him as well.
- The Secret Six
- Following their initial appearance, members of the Secret Six have appeared repeatedly in Birds of Prey. The team composed of Catman, Deadshot, Ragdoll, Scandal Savage, Knockout, and Harley Quinn act as foils to the Birds on one shared mission. Catman and Huntress are potential romantic interests, Scandal finds an enemy in Hawkgirl, and Barda and Knockout have a longstanding rivalry.
- Spy Smasher (Katarina Armstrong)
- An old college rival of Oracle's, Spy Smasher boasts a significant number of government and intelligence connections which she uses to manipulate Barbara. Trying to usurp Oracle's team, the two come to confrontation over the status of the Birds of Prey. She is also an expert marksman.
- Starling (Ev Crawford)
- A spirited, gun-toting vigilante introduced at the start of volume 2, following DC's 2011 reboot. Not much is known about her backstory, other than that she is a close friend of Black Canary and the first recruit added to the new team.
- Vixen (Mari Jiwe McCabe)
- An international supermodel and former Justice League and Suicide Squad member, Mari was born in Africa. She inherited her family's "Tantu" totem, a necklace granting the wearer the ability to channel the skills/abilities of any animal. Vixen has been a field agent for Oracle, accompanying Huntress to the Pacific Northwest to stop a meta-human worshipping cult.
- Wildcat (Ted Grant)
- A former professional boxer and current member of the Justice Society, Ted serves as a mentor to Dinah and has helped her on several missions.
Collected editions
The series has been collected into a number of trade paperbacks published by DC Comics.
- Issues #7â€"19, #22â€"26, #28, #30â€"38, #42, #44â€"46, #50â€"54, #91, and #125 of volume 1 have yet to be collected into volumes.
In other media
TV series
The comic was loosely adapted to a television series, Birds of Prey. Set in an alternate future of the DC Universe, the show starred Dina Meyer as Oracle and Ashley Scott as Huntress, established partners in New Gotham. Meyer's Oracle was the paralyzed former Batgirl; Scott's Huntress was the daughter of Batman and a metahuman Catwoman, and as such exhibited feline powers.
Joined in the pilot episode by a young psychic runaway named Dinah (played by Rachel Skarsten), the team spent 13 episodes stopping various metahuman threats such as Huntress' old high school friend Shiva and Darkstrike. Other main cast members included Shemar Moore as Huntress' love interest Detective Jesse Reese, and Mia Sara as the villainous Dr. Harleen Quinzel (Harley Quinn). Lori Loughlin was a notable guest star, playing Dinah's metahuman mother, the Black Canary.
The theme song was "Revolution" by Aimee Allen, and the show was developed by Laeta Kalogridis.
Justice League Unlimited
Gail Simone scripted the Justice League Unlimited episode "Double Date". She originally intended the episode to feature a temporarily house-bound Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) contacting Huntress and Black Canary to complete a case for her, but a character rights issue necessitated removing Barbara from the story and taking it in a different direction (teaming Huntress with the Question and Black Canary with Green Arrow).
Batman: The Brave and the Bold
The Birds of Prey appear in the episode "The Mask of Matches Malone" for the animated series Batman: The Brave and the Bold. The episode was written by longtime Birds of Prey writer Gail Simone. Recurring characters Huntress (Tara Strong) and Black Canary (Grey DeLisle) team with Catwoman (Nika Futterman) to restore order to Gotham when Batman develops amnesia; Oracle does not exist in the program's continuity, though the Barbara Gordon Batgirl features in other episodes of the show. The episode attracted commentary for a musical number, written by Michael Jenric, which the Birds perform in a club. After airing in Australia, the episode attracted heavy comments in online forums due to perceived racy, and possibly innuendo-laden content in the song lyrics. The episode was subsequently delayed by Cartoon Network ahead of its US broadcast so it could be re-edited to meet American Standards and Practices. Executive producer James Tucker describes the number as a "Cole Porter-type song... fun, sophisticated and with clever wordplay". Tucker says, ultimately, that he was pleased with the edit.
Arrow
The second season of the TV show Arrow featured an episode titled "Birds of Prey," which centers around the characters Dinah Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy); the Canary, Sara Lance (Caity Lotz); and the Huntress, Helena Bertinelli (Jessica De Gouw). Despite the title, the episode does not feature the two masked women teaming up and the only said team up was between Laurel and her sister, Sara. The Canary and her vigilante crime-fighting partner the Arrow (Stephen Amell) attempt to bring the Huntress in after they help the police bring in Frank Bertinelli (Jeffrey Nordling), Helena's father who was in hiding from her since season one. Helena arrives at the courthouse to kill her father and after a firefight between her, her thugs, and SWAT, she takes hostages, including Laurel. She demands her father but the Canary intervenes to save her sister, but is thrown out a window by Helena. Due to the two meeting in season one, Laurel tries to reason with Helena and talks about her own experiences and how she's finally dealing, urging Helena to deal with hers. Helena takes Laurel and escapes with her after Oliver informs her that he will trade her for Frank. During the exchange, Frank apologizes for causing his daughter so much pain and Arrow urges her not to kill him. A violent SWAT member shows up after following Laurel's cell phone signal and opens fire on the vigilantes due to his hate for them. After he is dealt with, Canary and Huntress fight once again, with Sara almost killing Helena before Laurel persuades her not to. Sara lets Helena go. Helena discovers her father dead and becomes remorseful, and later admits to Oliver while in custody that he was right and that killing her father didn't solve anything. Oliver then assures her that she is not alone.
References
External links
- Birds of Prey at the Comic Book DB
- Birds of Prey (1999) at the Comic Book DB
- Birds of Prey (2010) at the Comic Book DB
- Birds of Prey origin at DC Comics.com
- Canary Noir (Birds of Prey fansite)
- Cosmic Teams entry
- Birds of Prey Retrospective at Newsarama
