Forgive Them, For They Are Sin: Reviewing ‘Birds Of Prey’ #6

Not all stories end with a decisive win. Sometimes, the actual win is walking away mostly unscathed, to fight again. As their Amazonian adventure comes to a close, this is the space that the new Birds of Prey must endure.

One door closes as another begins to open to a new threat as Birds Of Prey #6 closes out the title’s first arc. A powerful punch of an issue from Kelly Thompson, Leonardo Romero, Jordie Bellaire, and Clayton Cowles.

There isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not happy I threw my hat into the ring as hard as possible to get this title in my review queue. I mean, I would have been devouring it anyway, but to be able to spread the word (as much as I can) and share my thoughts on this amazing series is the best.

Black Canary brought together a team of individuals not afraid of getting their hands dirty and making tough calls. Even if that tough call means they try to kill her sister Sin, not that she’s happy about that. Thompson has never once shied away from the messiness of a team like this. While things mostly worked out for them by the end, it was by mostly luck and testament to the sheer willpower and skill that the team possesses.

We could have gotten a happy ending with lots of cheers, but it’s more complicated. Sin and Megaera are bonded, seemingly in a mutually beneficial symbiotic way, and the world is no longer in danger of utter destruction. Feelings are hurt as Barbara Gordon/Oracle was left out of the mission, and we find out why. Turns out in every version of the mission run previously, she died. Someone is targeting the Birds of Prey from the future, and the Birds (a teased new team of them) are going to find out who and why.

Character beats are a huge part of what sells this title. Sure, the action is amazing (more on that in a moment), but without these emotional anchors, it would not hit the same. Thompson took what appeared to be a wildly eclectic team on paper and turned them into something more by the end. Sure, they are not family or anything, still wild in their own ways, but there were connections formed and great character development/defining moments to spare.

Everything that Romero and Bellaire create is breathtaking.

Common perception would be to bring on any number of artists who have very slick modern-looking house-style art for a book like this. Nothing wrong with that at all. There are tons of artists in that mold who would create an amazing version of this book. Yet, I would argue (don’t even try to dispute me!) that the pairing of this particular sort of classic meets modern nostalgic but also forward-thinking art and the aforementioned character beats is a recipe that can’t be replicated. Nor replaced.

Rich details fill every panel, characters gliding and leaping around as if they’ll pop off the page at any given moment. All those emotions are clear as day etched upon their faces, stances, and body language. Smart paneling instincts use the space to the maximum effect, allowing the world to shift and grow on the page as necessary.

Bellaire’s color choices are light with swirls of poppier vibrant elements. They speak to a previous era in many of their respective tones, but in a way that still resonates with today. It gives this book a unique sort of appeal, eschewing the slicker or smoother types of colors that can be more standard, especially with superheroes. Art Deco and Ben Day dots got together and are in a ‘throuple’ with modern color standards, bringing out the best in each other. Calling it gorgeous as a style feels almost too light of a compliment because it just feels so unique, especially for a “big two” superhero comic book.

Matching that energy beat for beat are the letters from Cowles, a master at mining every bit of character or emotional energy from each word. Every bit of joy, anger, sadness, or pain is loud and clear, standing tall alongside the other visual indicators. All of it is enhanced by little visual flairs such as changes to speech bubbles for characters like Megaera which illustrate their different nature or more booming voices.

Both dialogue/captions and SFX dance through the same fields as everything else, following that new-age retro vibe.

Birds Of Prey #6 is now available from DC Comics.