Belly Of The Beast: Reviewing ‘Birds Of Prey’ #5

What’s worse than a nightmare? A sarcastic Amazon controlling ancient nightmare trying to possess your body for world-conquering reasons. Sometimes those ancient evils really are the worst.

Megaera comes one step closer to their goal in Birds Of Prey #5 from Kelly Thompson, Arist Deyn, and Clayton Cowles.

It’s the end game now, and that means time for a focus on the threat facing this team. We’ve gotten references and glimpses, but with this issue, the curtain is fully pulled back. Doing so means giving us an issue that is somewhat from the point of view of Megaera, the ancient evil in question. With that perspective switch, of sorts, there is a visual change at hand.

Artists change on series all the time, especially in the current comics climate. Sometimes it’s because of workloads, tight deadlines, or other upcoming jobs. Other times it’s for creative series-related reasons. That’s the case here, as Deyn pops in for this issue to bring Megaera to vivid life on the page.

Is this a very vividly different look than the book has enjoyed for the previous four issues? Of course it is. That was by design.

While the regular art and colors are very Art Deco/Ben Day dot-like, there is a more fluid appearance to what Deyn creates. Less sharpness and more rounded embellished proportions and world views. It makes perfect sense to see a world that looks kind of off in a way since we’re meant to see it through the eyes of Megaera, a being who has been witness to the whole of humanity all this time, absorbing everything while being trapped in a space where time would have no meaning.

This is the same reason why Thompson plays with the character’s speech, having them be far more sarcastic and almost teenage-like than one might think. First they are trying to appeal to and take over Sin, who is a young person, but they are also again someone privy to everything that happened. Of course, they would come out confused and not talking like they leapt right from ancient times to today. It’s an interesting way to tackle a story plot device that at this point is a classic.

It all works to set the tone of this story and what this threat means. Deyn brings in colors that are thick and very vivid at times. Yet, they are toned down in the fact that none of them are overwhelmingly popping as expected with superhero stuff. There are plenty of splashes of greens and yellows that become a filter to things, illuminating the characters and actions on the page. A lot of darker and shadowy tones are mixed in, giving a bit more weight and an almost heavier feeling to everything.

Hot damn, are there some slick panels here with the action, really taking liberties with things. Especially love the page with Zealot preparing to fight the Amazons. All the smaller panels within a larger panel, cloaked in shadows. Some big-time action-hero stuff there and I’m eating it all up and asking for seconds.

Thompson does a good job of bouncing these characters off one another. They have vastly different personalities, styles, and just overall ways of existing. Yet, when the chips are down, they rally together and work like a well-oiled machine. Harley Quinn’s presence on the team seems to be a lightning rod online, but I don’t particularly care about that. I love having her here and her wildcard persona that isn’t really a wildcard is an interesting fit. Having her be the one to shake Canary out of things, given she does have a background in mental health and such, with words and then a slap was good and funny.

All the words and voices give Cowles a lot to play with. From giving Megaera the dark evil feeling black bubble with white text, to big, expanded fonts for shouts, and all the awesome SFX. It all just works and plays into the tone that this book has had since the first page of issue one. It’s a superhero series through and through, but one with a darker and louder tone. Cowles lets all the dialogue flow and lead the way, playing companion to the artwork, making sure that every voice feels real enough for our minds to really ‘hear’ them.

Birds Of Prey #5 is now available from DC Comics.