The Dawn of DC publishing initiative is well underway, and it is putting some iconic and fan-favorite books back into the spotlight across 2023. As was revealed earlier this week, that will include a new Birds of Prey series from Kelly Thompson, Leonardo Romero, and Jordie Bellaire — and we have an exclusive look at what the series has in store. ComicBook.com can exclusively debut the 1:25 variant cover for Birds of Prey #1, which is crafted by Nick Bradshaw. The cover serves as an epic homage to Greg Land and Brian Stelfreeze’s cover for 1999’s Birds of Prey #1, down to the “Breaking Hearts and Faces Monthly” tagline. You can check out both below.
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This new Birds of Prey roster will be led by Dinah Lance / Black Canary, with a team that also includes Cassandra Cain / Batgirl, Big Barda, Lady Zannah / Zealot, and (as Thompson announced on Friday) Harley Quinn.
Who are DC’s Birds of Prey?
Initially pitched by DC editor Jordan Gorfinkel, the Birds of Prey began as a team-up between Black Canary and Barbara Gordon / Oracle, with Helena Bertinelli / Huntress being added to the team during Gail Simone’s run on the title. Over the years, the group included a number of female characters from the DC universe, including Big Barda, Lady Blackhawk, Batwoman, Manhunter, Starling, Katana, and Poison Ivy.
“It’s of course a bit of a cheat to say that I needed THESE characters for THIS specific mission, since *I* designed the mission,” Thompson wrote of the book on her Substack. “But… that’s just the best way I know to build a story? Finding something juicy with good tension and stakes and potential emotional fall out and building the most exciting and emotionally resonant story around that idea. In this case, I’m especially excited about this idea, and I think we built the right team for the best story for this first arc,” Thompson continued. “But without overwhelming the book, there are only so many characters I can include. Some favs are gonna be left in the toy box (as always), but the BIRDS OF PREY format it very bendy in a beautiful way, and the right cast for THIS mission is not necessarily the right cast for the next mission. And by that same token – there are some big surprises in this first arc that I think will make a lot of things make sense to everyone.”
What do you think of the 1:25 cover for DC’s new Birds of Prey relaunch? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
Birds of Prey #1 will be available wherever comics are sold in September.
