DC’s Birds of Prey #1 (by Brian Azzarello, Emanuela Lupacchino, and Ray McCarthy) has gotten a new, later release date - one that pushes the standalone comic past the release of the movie of the same subject, Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). Their dueling release dates have teased an interesting dynamic between the two, given that the stories center around the same team of heroines. How the comic’s new release date will affect that… is anyone’s guess.
This new push is just another of the many changes that have characterized the lead up to Birds of Prey #1. Originally announced in July, the comic was supposed to debut in October and kick off an ongoing series. In the ensuing months, however, the comic was not only pushed to a February 2020 release, but moved over to the more mature DC Black Label. The biggest change perhaps (before today) was the news in October that the ongoing series would instead be a 96-page one-shot, now meant to stand alone. In light of these changes, the move to March may seem like a small one, except for the comic’s new context in terms of the Birds of Prey movie.
An updated solicit (via Newsarama) announced that the release of Azzarello’s Birds of Prey #1 has been moved an additional 5 weeks to March 4, 2020. This notably means that the standalone, originally set to precede the movie, will now hit stands almost a month after the cinematic release. While not officially linked, there is an undeniable tie between the movie and the comic – given their subject matter and the proximity of their release dates.
While the movie stems more from Harley Quinn’s perspective (as evidenced by both the titles and promotion), the comic will apparently kick off with Black Canary’s woes leading her to cross paths with Huntress and Harley Quinn. The two stories have a lot of common ground in assembling the titular group to right some wrongs. Both takes see similar additions to the team – which started originally with just Black Canary and Oracle – with the mutual inclusion of Black Canary, Huntress, Harley Quinn, and Renee Montoya. Additionally, neither story plans to pull punches, given Birds of Prey’s R-Rating (a first for the DCEU) and the comic’s move to DC Black Label. If that were not enough interweaving, both movie and comic will be proceeded by Harley Quinn and the Birds of Prey by Amanda Connor and Jimmy Palmiotti, a team that has been with Harley for quite a while starting with their Harley Quinn series for the New 52.
It is impossible to know what could have been with the alternate timelines of Birds of Prey #1, and more importantly what will become of the comic in the new context of its release slot. It seems more than likely that Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) will have a significant effect on the reception of the comic - despite the movie’s box office predictions. Will the movie drive fans towards this new one shot? Or will it steal the comic’s thunder?
One thing is for sure: with a group as dynamic as Birds of Prey, there is the potential for all of these stories to add their own unique twist to the relationships between this fabulous stable of characters. With plenty of new material from a range of fabulous artists, the pressing question might actually be: Is 2020 the year of Birds of Prey?
More: BIRDS OF PREY Interview With Star Margot Robbie
Source: Newsarama
