Harley Quinn is set to lead a brand new iteration of Birds of Prey in the pages of DC Comics. The publisher has announced a new ongoing series set to launch this fall that will revamp the title in the vein of the upcoming movie, which sees Margot Robbie reprising her role has Harley Quinn.
In the new book, Harley Quinn will be teaming up alongside Black Canary and Huntress, who are also going to be teaming up with the character in next year’s Birds of Prey movie. Coincidence? Almost certainly not!
DC, in their announcement, promises “higher stakes than fans have ever seen before.” Brian Azzarello is writing the new title, with a team of artists that includes Emanuela Lupacchino, Ray McCarthy, and Trish Mulvihill.
"I'm thrilled to work on Birds of Prey with Brian Azzarello. The Birds are a super-team I've never worked on before but that I"˜ve always loved. Harley is shining with her craziness, which is something I love to draw,”
Lupacchino said. "The story is GREAT. We're introducing interesting, energetic new characters and have developed designs for their costumes that will instantly give fans an idea about their nature. It'll be a fantastic run. This will be a lovely opportunity to bring these women to life and let the reader feel their emotions. I'll give them their energy and power."
"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,” Azzarello said. "Tonally, this series will surprise many readers. Ema and I are pushing the envelope, both character-wise and plot-wise, with equal parts estrogen and adrenaline. Our BOP will be the must-read title every month. Ambitious? Sure. That's why it's worth doing."
Here’s the official synopsis for Birds of Prey #1
“Black Canary's life has spiraled out of control: her personal life is going through the wringer and her band is in crisis. An old flame resurfaces only to flicker out and set Dinah on an all-new mission against an all-new opponent: Las Esposas de la Muerte. The only thing Dinah can be grateful for is the fact that she's not alone, as Huntress finds herself on a collision course with Black Canary's quarry at Detective Montoya's urging. Meanwhile, Harley Quinn has resurfaced outside of Gotham City and out of the Suicide Squad, with a new lease on life that is sure to make everyone's life more complicated. And that's only the first five pages of this dynamic new ongoing series!”
DC also revealed the cover art for the first issue of Birds of Prey, which we’ve included for you to check out below. It features Huntress, Black Canary and Harley Quinn swooping in from the skyline above in dramatic fashion. Birds of Prey #1 arrives on October 30.
As for the movie, it will be the first DC Films release of 2020. Aside from Margot Robbi, the cast includes Mary Elizabeth Winsted (Huntress),
Jurnee Smollett-Bell (Black Canary) and Ewan McGregor, who is portraying the villain Black Mask. Cathy Yan is directing.
So what do you think? Is DC making the right move by revamping Birds of Prey ahead of the movie? Will you be picking up this book? Sound off in the comments!
