Someone from the future is trying to kill everyone who has ever been a Bird of Prey. Will Vixen be the next victim? Your Major Spoilers review of Birds of Prey #7 from DC Comics awaits!
BIRDS OF PREY #7
Writer: Kelly Thompson
Artist: Javier Pina
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Editor: Jessica Berbey and Ben Abernathy
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: March 5, 2024
Previously in Birds of Prey: Sin is alive and back with Black Canary in Gotham, and the world didn’t get destroyed, but the cost was high and nobody’s exactly sure what it means yet. Shocking revelations in the wake of the Birds’ first mission lead Dinah to… a conspiracy against the Birds of Prey and a whole new mission.
WHO WANTS THE BIRDS DEAD?
Having successfully retrieved Black Canary’s sister, Sin, from captivity on Themyscira, Black Canary has finally reconnected with Barbara Gordon, who is a little bit angry at having been left out of the mission. With a little help from Meridian (a time-traveling future version of “Maps” Mizoguchi from Gotham Academy), they’ve begun investigating a mysterious someone who wishes harm on the Birds of Prey. They find a tenuous connection to The Red, the force that powers the various animal folk of the DCU, which leads them to former teammate Mari “Vixen” McCabe. When they arrive, though, Black Canary, Big Barda, and Batgirl Cass Cain find that she has problems of her own, as a number of criminals have been picked up wearing her fashions, leading Vixen to believe that someone is trying to bring down her company. Vixen herself even somehow ended up mind-controlled into trying to rob a home, and so the Birds agree to help her with her problem…
…and somehow end up modeling lingerie?
GOOD TO SEE VIXEN BACK
This issue’s reunion of Vixen and Black Canary is a lovely one, referencing their previous tenure working for Oracle and not just their time working together in the JLA. It’s a nice touch in an issue full of them, such as Batgirl and Big Barda’s training of Sin being a game of laser tag, or both Barbara and Dinah remarking how good it feels for them to be back together, with Babs in Dinah’s ear. The art in this issue is also interesting, taking some cues from the first few issues in its use of softer edges and a very muted, pastel color palette. Pina has a more realistic style than either of the previous artists in this volume, which makes for interesting visuals once we make it to MJM Fashions. A sequence wherein Vixen tries to find an outfit that suits Batgirl is entirely done with facial expressions, allowing readers to imagine what she’s rejecting until we see the last page with Barda, Batgirl, Vixen, and Black Canary walking the runway together.
BOTTOM LINE: THE BIRDS ARE BACK
For my money, Kelly Thompson’s take on this cast is the best since Gail Simone left the book, and Birds of Prey #7 ends up being an unexpected pleasure, with art that is both softer and more expressive than the average DC book, pulling together for 4 out of 5 stars overall. After reading this one, I actually bought all six of the previous issues, and it’s a purchase I do not regret in the least, as this is a well-written comic book.
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BIRDS OF PREY #7
Thompson's script makes it feel like the entirety of the 2011 revamp has been swept away, and the overall effect is pretty awesome, while the art eschews Big Two convention to great effect.
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Writing7
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Art9
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Coloring7
