What A Wonder-Ful Life: Reviewing ‘Birds Of Prey’ #4

As their mission goes sideways, there is only one way for Black Canary’s team to escape Themyscira; defeat Wonder Woman.  Good luck on that front.

It’s a brawl for the ages in Birds Of Prey #4 from Kelly Thompson, Leonardo Romero, Jordie Bellaire, and Clayton Cowles.

People often try to break down every story into either the category of serious or fun. While many can be classified that way, many others straddle the line quite handily. This series would be one of those line straddlers. Every bit of the Birds mission and the consequences of its failure are serious, for the entire world. Yet, every moment of levity or just pure cape book fisticuffs or other entertaining beat keeps things overlapping with that pure fun column.

One element that really makes this dual nature clear is the artwork.

Oh, that artwork. It’s truly something special, unique to this series compared to the other superhero books on the shelves from its publisher and elsewhere. Romero and Bellaire have pulled out every single stop. Right away the thing that stands out every single time is the overall look of what is on the page.

It is a style that screams classic, yet modern, allowing the series to feel like something out of time while being fully established as present-day. Romero employs a Ben-Day dot or Art Deco sort of aesthetic to everything. It’s paired with a color palette from Bellaire that is toned down but also so vibrant, employing a lot of heavy almost neon-like colors. It all just pops, making each moment feel memorable and compelling.

Beyond the style, there is more that plays into this. Tons of true depth and detail on the page allows the whole affair to have a tangible grounded feeling. Emotional energy is flowing through the pages, swirling around, giving every character true presence. No matter if they are one of the core cast, a guest star, or just in the background. Nothing feels wasted or there just to be there.

In just four issues, the artistic duo has been able to bring so much to the page, with no two issues alike. This one is heavier on fighting and oh those are some fights. I swear the blows that are being dealt by Barda and Wonder Woman can be felt even by the readers.

Thompson crafts a story that allows the artists to just go wild and make places their own, as it takes the characters to so many realms of possibility. Even with the fights and the villain reveal, there is plenty to be explored on Themyscira. A large part of what makes everything work is the level of pacing this team is employing.

On one hand, it feels like on paper there is far too much that Thompson wants to see in the story. Yet, on the other hand, which is execution, it works. Not in a mid-level “Oh, it works” level but a full-on “OH IT WORKS!” sort of level. Every single ball (some of them are actually chainsaws or small animals or maybe even an old-school cartoon bomb) is juggled with ease. Somehow in the middle of the juggling act, the juggler is doing it all with one hand, using the other to engage in various other benign activities. It’s a wild show really.

What I’m saying is that it’s all so smooth. Every moment and beat has room to breathe without stepping on one another. A standard-sized issue feels double the size because so much happens. Thompson has captured the voices, personalities, and motivations of everyone who even shares a glance in this series. As a book, it fits into that space where it has history and fits in a shared universe, but also feels completely new and unique at the same time.

All those voices and personalities mentioned are not just in the script or shown through the visual representations. We hear them loudly and proudly, thanks to the work that Cowles always nails lettering-wise. Their voices are distinct and powerful, their words capturing attention on the page while also respecting the rest of the artwork. Various shifts are delivered here or there to the words, bubbles, or other means to make it all even more distinct.

Every bit of lettering on the page shares that classic but new feeling of the rest of the artwork. It’s incorporated into the overall, feeling just as unique and poppy in its ways. From the caption boxes to the SFX, every single bit just feels right.

Birds Of Prey #4 is now available from DC Comics.