BIRDS OF PREY (2023-) #3 Review

Birds of Prey #3 is written by Kelly Thompson and published by DC Comics. Art is by Leonardo Romero, colours by Jordie Bellaire and letters by Clayton Cowles. Main cover art (left) is by Romero and Bellaire.

Birds of Prey #3 is available now, in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold.

Synopsis

The covert first mission of the re-formed Birds of Prey has established their beachhead…in Themyscira! What could be so important to Black Canary that she’d risk the wrath of the greatest warriors on Earth?!

Review

It’s time to get down to business in this month’s issue of Birds of Prey. Will the foundations well and truly laid, Kelly Thompson is wasting no time in getting the team on to Themyscira and setting up some serious conflict for the future. Whilst the story continues to be a consistent heavy-hitter, it’s still Leonardo Romero’s incredible, pulpy artwork which is the series’ biggest draw.

In an age of instant gratification, Thompson hasn’t hung around with piecing together the team or giving them a mission. The personal connection that Dinah has for bringing these disparate group to Paradise Island has been clear from the very beginning. But now we’re beginning to learn that there may be more going on than a simple kidnapping. There’s certainly more to uncover but Thompson is cleverly holding back some of the detail to allow more time for this issue to focus on action.

Typically each issue has had a moment to focus on action but here that scope broadens to encompass much of the issue. Once the team has been quite literally swallowed hole by King Shark and delivered to the beach then anyone is fair game for a fight. But don’t be fooled, whilst it seems like Birds of Prey has become a fisticuffs smörgåsbord there’s still plenty of character moments to flesh out the team. Of particular interest this month is Sin’s reaction to being rescued by Dinah and the team. Once again it seems like there’s plenty being held back which could really twist this story in to something even more fascinating.

For the first time Birds of Prey is also examining a little more of what is going on outside of the team. With the incursion in full swing on the island it seemed only natural that the Amazon’s may call for help from their most famous champion. So it’s cool to see Wonder Woman become a factor in the story in quite an unexpected and exciting way. It also plays in to the cliffhanger for issue #3 setting up what could be a rather exciting, action-packed issue #4.

As I mentioned, the big draw for me is still Leonardo Romero and Jordie Bellaire’s artwork. It continues this strikingly pulpy looks which is only enhanced by Bellaire’s choice of colours. Issue #3 features some of the series’ first outdoor night scenes as well as the bright, colourful sunshine of Themyscira. It varies up the look of the book but it still looks fantastic in every panel.

Verdict

Another incredibly solid issue from Kelly Thompson and the Birds of Prey creative team. We’re really getting down to business now with the conflict on Themyscira in full swing. Not only does this issue feature some great action but it sets up a huge conflict for issue #4.

⭐⭐⭐⭐