Birds of Prey #15 is written by Kelly Thompson and published by DC. Artwork is by Sami Basri, colours by Adriano Lucas and letters by Clayton Cowles. Main cover art (left) is by Leonardo Romero and Jordie Bellaire.
Birds of Prey #15 is available from today, in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your digital copy from Amazon ComiXology UK right here.
Synopsis
Things have gone sideways in the Birds of Prey’s investigation of the Ninth Day cult, and the Birds’ undercover operative, Cassandra Cain, has gone deathly silent. The team going in to break her out are heavy hitters of the highest order—Black Canary, Big Barda, Grace Choi, and Onyx—with Oracle at mission control, and Sin frustrated she’s been benched. But what they find is so much more than they feared…
Review
First and foremost, before diving into all the drama and action that took place within this issue, I have to commend the art and colours during the latter half of the issue. Sami Basri is providing some of the best art out of the current ongoing DC Comics; it’s a unique style that she’s brought to Birds of Prey that perfectly connects well with the team dynamic and the way Kelly Thompson writes these characters and the overall story.
The icing on the cake are the striking colours by Adriano Lucas that add an element that brings that style to life and makes it a full, complete picture. Whether it’s muted colours to provide that static look to showcase that Barda and Co are playing a video game or the compliments of orange against the dark colours to show the shadows that Cassandra is using to her advantage, it all works and comes together to provide a very stylistic and visual book. It also helps when focusing on a character who doesn’t usually provide a lot of dialogue.
In the last issue, we got introduced to the first story arc for Birds of Prey as part of the DC All In indicative, ‘Bird Undercover’. We were introduced to two new members of the Birds of Prey and the undercover mission that Cassandra Cain was on, trying to discover what the Ninth Day Corporation was hiding.
That story continues efficiently through this issue, and we get a more slightly Cassandra Cain-centric issue as we get to witness how skilled this beast of a character is. As fans, we know how much she’s loved, but Kelly Thompson translates that real love for the character into the story as mainly Barda, who calls her “small bat,” but also the rest of the team. We quickly discover here that it is indeed Amazons that the Ninth Day Corporation have captured, and they’re all from the aftermath of what’s been taking place in the Wonder Woman comic.
While it’s a very quick issue and not a whole lot takes place in it, Thompson still finds time to not only give us action but provide an emotional punch. I haven’t caught up with all of this Birds of Prey run, but that’s the point of DC All In, this is supposed to be a good place to jump on, and I’m putting that to the test. When I had read the first issue, they were going to rescue Sin.
It’s clear that they achieved their goals, but it doesn’t seem like Sin actually feels like she’s part of the team just yet; it feels like she’s being side-lined. There are some past stories that get referenced, and while this is supposed to be a jumping-on point, it feels like this issue is expecting a lot from its readers, and the context needed for the moment with Dinah and Sin feels necessary.
Verdict
Birds of Prey #15 is a solid issue that steadily progresses the storyline, allowing Cassandra Cain to shine while also putting her in difficult situations. Sami Basri’s art and Adriano Lucas colours help complement the personality that Kelly Thompson has already provided with her writing. For a DC All-In book, it feels the least new reader-friendly compared to other titles in the initiative, which might be a setback for some people.
⭐⭐⭐.5
