Birds of Prey #5 – Kelly Thompson, Writer; Arist Deyn, Artist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: This has been one of the best books coming out of DC since it started, with an oddball team of heroes and antiheroes uniting for the ultimate mission—breaking into Themyscira to rescue Sin from the Amazons. Or so it seemed, because it turned out the Amazons were trying to guard Sin from the mysterious entity Megeara who had designs on possessing her—and the Birds were picking a fight with the most powerful fighters in the world. After four epic issues packed with spectacular action and great character moments, we come to the showdown with this ancient evil, and it delivers. While the Birds and Sin try to escape, Megeara nearly takes over the entire island, soon sucking Sin within its body. And naturally, Dinah jumps in right in after her, facing off against a God to protect her little sister. The visuals are great, but they’re also very different from what this title usually is.
That’s the elephant in the room here—this issue has a different artist, with Arist Deyn stepping in for Leo Romero. Both are very talented, but they’re also extremely different, and it’s a bit of a jarring shift from one to another. Deyn’s art is bright, manga-inspired, and colorful. Romero’s is moody and noir-inspired. It was honestly a shock when I opened this issue, and it took a few pages before I got into the groove of reading the issue. Drastic art shifts mid-arc aren’t ideal for storytelling continuity, but Thompson’s scripting is so strong that it didn’t take long for me to get back into the arc. The most intriguing thing about the story this issue was one line from Meridian, aka Maps Mizoguchi, as she drops a massive reveal that alters the way I viewed this whole arc. Thompson has revealed that she’ll be shaking up the team after every arc, and I cant wait to see what comes next for this book.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
