DC Teases a Dark Future for the Amazons

A new era for the Birds of Prey began this week, with a new ongoing series launching from Kelly Thompson, Leonardo Romero, Jordie Bellaire, and Clayton Cowles. Birds of Prey's debut issue saw Dinah Lance / Black Canary assembling an unlikely new team of heroines for an incredibly personal mission — and in the process, it teased a dark endgame for DC's Amazons. Spoilers for Birds of Prey #1 from Kelly Thompson, Leonardo Romero, Jordie Bellaire, and Clayton Cowles below! Only look if you want to know!

Across the issue, it is revealed that Dinah is recruiting her team — Cassandra Cain, Big Barda, Zealot, and Harley Quinn — for something tied to Cynthia "Sin" Lance, who has returned to the DC canon for the first time in years. The issue's final moments reveal the missing piece in this ensemble: an older version of Gotham Academy fan-favorite Mia "Maps" Mizoguchi, who now operates as a vigilante named Meridian. Meridian reveals that the team needs to break into Themyscira and save Sin from the Amazons — before their actions accidentally lead to the end of the world.

Will Birds of Prey Cross Over with Amazons Attack?

This storyline comes at an interesting narrative point for the Amazons as well, with a new Wonder Woman ongoing and an Amazons Attack event establishing a new status quo for the group. With Amazons set to be banned from the United States after a brutal incident, one would assume that the two storylines would crossover — but according to Thompson, that won't be the case.

"I think there will be more coordination now," Thompson told ComicBook.com in a recent interview. "Now that I've got my feet wet and now that some more of the new books—like Wonder Woman, which I love so much—are starting to come out, I think that coordination will only grow. But, for a lot of reasons, including it being my first at bat for DC, we wanted to keep our first story a bit more isolated. That way we could do our thing and establish ourselves—before getting drawn into even more complex stuff."

What Is the New Birds of Prey Series About?

In Birds of Prey, Dinah Lance is one of the DC Universe's most elite fighters, and combined with her sonic scream, she's a fearsome foe in any scenario…but sometimes even the Black Canary needs help. Faced with a personal mission brought to her by a mysterious new ally, and up against near-impossible odds, she re-forms the Birds of Prey with an unrivaled group—Cassandra Cain, Big Barda, Zealot, and Harley Quinn—with only one goal: extraction of their asset at any cost. What could possibly go wrong? This all-new, all-deadly Birds of Prey is still breaking hearts and faces after all these years! 

"I think, when I can, I always look for something really personal to center a story around," Thompson added. "The story will, of course, be about a lot of things, but at the center it's best and most powerful if there's something very personal at stake for our primary POV character. Which, in this story, is Dinah. That personal thing doesn't have to be a person, but in this case, that made a lot of sense. I also always love, when I can, to pick up on things other writers have done and build on them. That can be nerve-wracking, as it feels like a lot to live up to, but my heart is in the right place and I have an amazing team doing it with me. So, I hope it'll be the kind of story building that everyone can get excited about."

What do you think of Birds of Prey's tease about the Amazons? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Birds of Prey #1 is now available wherever comics are sold.