Let Us Prey

[arbre_rieur]

Four pages from BIRDS OF PREY 1...



Apparently, Black Canary's wanted these days for murder. Barbara still thinks Dinah's being a fool for not making clearing her name the top priority, but Dinah insists that, while she'll work on that, she's going to continue fighting crime in the meantime. Barbara hands her a file on Katana and recommends that she seek her out for help.

Back in the present day, Black Canary and new character Starling are rescuing the reporter Charlie Keen from assassins. The mysterious tipster who put him on Canary's trail in the first place is now trying to kill him.



Black Canary interrogates the guy on top of the car for a while before he gets loose.

Comments

[darkknightjrk]

Gotta admit, I'm intrigued. It's not the classic interpretation by any stretch, but I'm curious to see what happens next. :)

[bariman]

Seconded!

[runespoor]

Well, they've managed to make me more interested in the Dinah/Babs ship than over ten years of the combined powers of Dixon and Simone. That panel looks like they're about to have angry, possibly-post-bad-break-up sex. Could have done very well without the "walking" reference.

Also: too soon for a "our hero is suspected of being a murderer!" plot imo. Much. Too. Soon. Why not give new readers the time to get used to the characters before turning their whole world around?

[big_daddy_d]

Also: too soon for a "our hero is suspected of being a murderer!" plot imo. Much. Too. Soon. Why not give new readers the time to get used to the characters before turning their whole world around?

Idk, I suspected that Canary being suspected of murder is a plot point carried over from the previous continuity, unless that was wrapped up.

[kamino_neko]

It's kind of hard to turn the reader's world around with the very first piece of information you learn about the character. (Well, the very first specific piece of information - the team is referred to as super-criminals right out of the gate, finding out that Dinah's framed is the first detail we get.)

[perletwo]

Babs also throws out some jealous barbs over Dinah's palling around with "Ev" (Starling, apparently) in that scene - very bad-break-up. Such fun.

[shadowpsykie]

but at least it keeps those undertones of "The Panel" intact, Babs acting like the Ex, is interesting to me.

[nezchan]

So this makes Starling her rebound? Because the dialogue sounds like they're seriously dating.

And by "serious" I mean a half-step away from a U-Haul and a cat.

[eyz]

Mmmh.. so some of the Birds of Prey stories did happen..?

[cypherfdp]

why are there so many pointless lines on the costume, jesus

[lea_hazel]

I'm not getting a really good feel for the tattooed lady, and usually I'm in favor of adding new characters. Props for the ponytail, though. If 75% of female superheroes started wearing their hair is ponytails, I'd be a pretty happy camper.

[blackruzsa]

... I am a sucker for that random unlucky person who gets involved with the big players and has to be protected. I am intrigued.

[aaron_bourque]

Enh. Hmm.

Don't get attached.

[pyrotwilight]

Or stand within the blood circle.

So....

[bewareofgeek]

When does the book get renamed "Starling: The Really Cool character I created who isn't a MarySue, I swear!"?

[stolisomancer]

All she does is snark a bit and drive a car in this issue. Wait until she does something genuinely egregious before calling her names, please.

Re: So....

[mullon]

I give it four issues before it becomes really noticable. Have to minimalize the rest of the cast first.

Re: So....

[mrstatham]

In other words, 'how dare they introduce a new character when I'd rather see 'X''. So sick and tired of the Mary Sue term being lobbed at anything, it's a lazy excuse and line to avoid actually picking out things to dislike about a character.

Re: So....

[runespoor]

Personally, I dislike Starling because she's taking the place of already existing characters, she's Dinah's Best Friend We Never Heard About (yes, new continuity, I know. Still a pet peeve.), and she's using what could have been the most perfect name for grown-up Steph.

Aside from that, she looks cool and I'm sure if I wasn't horribly biased, I'd like her lots and lots.

I'm with you on the "Mary Sue" thing.

Re: So....

[tsunamiwombat]

So she's a sassy lady who drives the car and makes snappy comments.

...What you mean like Lady Blackhawk?

[drmcninja]

All that wind inside the car is really messing with BC's hair. That's my pet peeve, hair that doesn't work like it's supposed to.

[kenn_el]

This might explain why guys wear hats while inside their cars, which I've never understood.

[sunaya]

I always assumed it was a combination of sun shielding and...being too lazy to take it off. XD

[kenn_el]

You're a better person than I am. I always assume they're covering something hideous!

[aeka]

This looks interesting. Good to know Babs and Dinah are still friends in the reboot, though I am curious as to how Starling came into the picture...and Poison Ivy for that matter? :P

I'll have to pick this up when I get paid. XP

[tsunamiwombat]

No lady blackhawk as the driver makes me dissapoint :(

[leikomgwtfbbq]

I like how Dinah is portrayed, but GAH, her costume still bugs me. All that random piping and padding.

Also, Starling/Oracle/Canary is my new OT3. (I'm going to keep pretending that Starling is just an updated Lady Blackhawk in disguise, though. YOU CAN'T MAKE ME THINK OTHERWISE.)

[philippos42]

This weekend I actually started watching the old TV version of Birds of Prey (where Barbara is a schoolteacher and Helena is metahuman). It sort of works on the level of not expecting it to be the same as the characters whose names they copied.

This is much the same deal for me. Looks like it might work as a sort of hard actioner, not the same in theme as the old BoP, but appealing in its own way--if one doesn't try to make it be the old Birds. The Babs appearance is jarring, though. Having a mysteriously young ambulatory ex-Oracle walking around is going to pull me out of it too much.