Ever since the team’s debut in 1996, the Birds of Prey have showcased some of the toughest and most dynamic female heroes within the DC Universe. Initially consisting of Black Canary and Batgirl (then known as Oracle), the team has seen many members come and go. But now, it seems they’ll be getting a new recruit that may throw a wrench into the current dynamic. In a press release earlier today, DC announced the one and only Harley Quinn will be joining in a new series.
The new book, simply titled Birds of Prey, will launch on October 30th, 2019. Brian Azzarello (100 Bullets, Wonder Woman) will be writing. Emanuela Lupacchino (Supergirl), Ray McCarthy (Red Robin), and Trish Mulvihill (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) will be handling the art. The press release, which shows cover art for issue #1, also features some pre-colored artwork of Harley Quinn kicking butt.
Harley will be joining veteran members Black Canary and Huntress. With the help of Gotham Detective Renee Montoya, the team will take on a mysterious group known as ‘Las Esposas de la Muerte.’ Of the book, and Harley’s addition to the team, Azarello had this to say:
“It’s cool to have a story to tell about these characters I’ve never worked on before, with Ema, a terrific artist I’ve never worked with before. Having Harley involved screws with the new BOP dynamic—hell, with every dynamic. She’s chaos, but she might be the most together member of the team. Canary, Huntress, and Montoya have a lot of damaged baggage. Ema and I are gonna unpack it.”
This won’t be the first time the team has received help from a morally questionable character. Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and Katana have all worked with them at one point or another. But Harley’s inclusion is a bit more interesting. A live-action Birds of Prey movie is coming in 2020. And Margot Robbie will be reprising her role as Harley Quinn, even though the character has never been a part of the team before. It seems that DC’s film universe is having a bit of an impact on the comic world. And if Marvel has found success in doing this, then why can’t DC?
October is set to be a big month for DC. They recently announced a slew of one-shots, tackling the outcomes of popular storylines in different realities. There’s also the Joker one-shot to be co-written by horror icon John Carpenter. But hopefully, an ongoing series such as this will give us a taste of the team dynamic to be seen on screen next year.
