Birds of Prey #1

Someone is paying a man to tail Black Canary and Starling who are aware of it and  end up using the man as a pawn to lure the unknown person(s) out into the open.  

When this series was first announced I hadn't planned on picking it up. I wasn't crazy over the lineup. I understood there would be no Oracle as she's back to being Batgirl, but when they took away Huntress as well I felt this series just couldn't be as good as it once was. Black Canary was still not he team with a new costume that doesn't say Black Canary anymore in my opinion. We might as well call her Blue Canary now. I decided to give the series a shot and hope for the best. To my surprise I enjoyed the first issue much more than I was expecting. 

Like other series out of the new 52, this first issue only has Black Canary and the new character Starling in it. The team hasn't officially come together yet. As of now only Black Canary and Starling are together but writer Duane Swierczynski shows us flashbacks of Black Canary asking Barbara Gordon to join the team who declines the offer. Instead she gives Black Canary intel on a woman named Katana who she recommends trying to recruit. I kind of like that the team isn't together yet. This way we can see how they formed rather than being thrown into some mission immediately. I'm curious to see how Poison Ivy will become a part of the team. 

I've always been a fan of Black Canary so I knew having her on the team was a plus. This new character named Starling caught my eye as well. Not a whole lot is revealed about her within this first issue but from what we're given, she seems pretty cool. I look forward to finding out more about her. Next issue is when we're suppose to see Katanna and hopefully Poison Ivy as well. 

The story itself wasn't so bad at all. Lots of action right from the beginning that immediately pulls you in. The only problem I had was with the cliffhanger. Sort of questionable if you ask me. The man tailing Black Canary and Starling (who they saved) ends up getting some type of call or message on his phone as it begins making a noise. Suddenly his eyes start to bleed and then he explodes. Maybe there's a good explanation for it but I don't see how he could bleed from the eyes and then explode from a  phone call.

The art is by Jesus Saiz who does a pretty solid job. It's not the most standout art but it does get the job done. Best thing about the art was the action scenes.

I'd recommend giving this series a shot. I was skeptical at first but now after reading this issue I have hope the Birds Of Prey will soar again. I don't want to speak too soon, but there's potential this team could be better then the previous. Don't bite my head off for saying it, it's just wishful thinking.