“Megadeath” – Part Four
Writer: Kelly Thompson
Artist: Leonardo Romero
Color Artist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Review by Fay Clark
Who’s ready to explore the chaos in Birds of Prey #4? Hands up!
We’re back where we belong; with my loves, the Birds of Prey. Everything about the previous three issues has me thinking this might be the best comic run I’ll ever find. I’m so happy that we’ve got this team back, in an all-new iteration, and with such an epic storyline.
Harley, the truth-teller
Where to start? There’s so much I need to cover, though unfortunately, most of it is spoiler-centric, so I can’t. However, I will say that Kelly Thompson continues to deliver some of the best conversations and inner monologues I’ve ever read. I find myself constantly laughing, gasping, and murmuring to myself when I read this series. There are so many one-liners that have just seeped into my brain. With every issue, the team becomes closer and more connected. They feel like they’ve been doing this for years, and the trust that they all have in each other is amazing! Thompson can write 5 main characters without breaking a sweat and they all have different ways of verbalizing their thoughts.
The connection between Black Canary and her team members is a wonderful thing to watch grow. They know that their teammates have their backs and they don’t need to be worried, and that’s heart-melting. We also get to see more secondary characters shine with Kelly Thompson writing them. This issue has me questioning why women don’t team up to invade places more often. The only thing I will say is that I didn’t much care for Wonder Woman fighting the Birds. I get it, they came to Themyscira and did bad things to her sisters… but come on! Of all people Diana would know they had a fantastic reason as to why they did what they did. Woman fighting woman’s just not my vibe. We want ladies that build each other up, not backhanding them into trees.
Live long enough, and you’ll see yourself become the villain
Leonardo Romero is clearly a lover of the 80s comics, you can tell by the way he draws the characters. Although slightly updated, you can tell it’s a love letter to that wonderful decade. Wonder Woman’s hairstyle kind of gives it away, in the best way. If you mix the art style with the sepia-toned colors of Jordie Bellaire, you get an amazing time skip. You know you’re reading a brand new comic, but it takes you back to the Bronze Age. There are several times in Birds of Prey # 4 that I just ended up staring at the pages after I’d finished reading them, soaking in the art and loving it. There’s always so much going on in every panel. The detail is unreal!
Conclusion
Can we just appreciate that Kelly Thompson and the team are kicking butts and taking names, much like their characters? The plot line’s insane and it keeps getting better with every page. This series is such a throwback to the great comics that came before and I would recommend this series to people who aren’t comic readers knowing they would love it and want more. This is a gateway comic to becoming a DC Nerd. There’s no higher compliment I could give.
Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment
