I haven’t bought a comic book in a couple of years at least. I think not since Runaways (written by Rainbow Rowell) ended, but new run of Birds of Prey is set to debut next comicbook day, and this one looks to be a take that matches what I like best about the Birds. The creative team is solid, the art is gorgeous with a strong vintage feel (someone on Twitter referenced Alex Toth and I agree there is a Toth vibe). The preview pages also made me think of Matt Fraction’s run on Hawkeye (art by David Aja). I like that style a lot, and it feels influenced not just by Bronze Age artists like Alex Toth but also by old-school comic strips from the 30s and by the much-mourned retro-vintage master Darwyn Cooke.
The preview also teases what feels like a good story that is taking in a lot of history and quietly letting the reader know that writer Kelly Thompson is not only aware of the full BoP history but is interested in using it in her new series. As Oracle doesn’t exist anymore, and with Barbara not on the team, this is not the classic BoP lineup (which is just Barbara and Dinah), but with Black Canary running the show and Barbara name-checked right out of the gate, we seem set to eventually see our true, founding Birds interact. I wonder if Thompson will be able to use Zinda? I’d love to see her again.
In any case, I’ve subscribed to the Kindle edition and am looking forward to Issue #1 next Wednesday. I’m sure I’ll miss good old ComiXology the whole time (I’ve heard the bitching about the app interface), but I’ll figure it out. No promises, but I’m planning to at least do a review of the first issue and maybe I’ll keep that up on a monthly basis. We shall see.
Bird is the word!