Of course, things have moved on again since Black Canary was in JLA, and I think its fair to say that the move didn’t really do her character any favours, with her automatically playing second fiddle to Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, and then the eventual Green Arrow/Black Canary book that never really seemed to take off (for the record I was never opposed to the marriage itself, but the book has never seemed to really click).
So the announcement that Birds of Prey is coming back, with the core cast of Oracle, Black Canary, Huntress and Lady Blackhawk reunited is brilliant news. I really can’t wait to see how Gail approaches the happenings in the characters lives since the first series ended (and could we please have Helena reinstate the updated version of her current costume. It looked so much more practical).
Of note is that it sounds like BoP is part of DC’s Brightest Day run, which as I understand it, will run for a year (26 issues) – it’s unclear if the book is supposed to continue after that. CBR’s Robot 6 makes it sound like it is an ongoing, and Simone’s interview on Comic Alliance also makes it sound like an ongoing, so perhaps it is just a book that will participate in Brightest Day…and continue beyond that? I suppose if the series does well, that DC will find a way to continue it on regardless of the original plan (whatever that was). Though a specific release date has not been announced it looks like the new series will premiere in April or May.
So it seems that Gail Simone is returning to one of her most well known series besides Secret Six. This was one of my favorite books from DC when I came back into comics back in 2003. On my pull list every month. I sort of petered off reading it when she left and the fill in's up till it's demise took over. Canceled during the post 'Batman Reborn' shake-up, she gets to start it again. While it could be they realized it was a mistake to cancel it or she had a pitch they couldn't let go past... it also might put credence towards the rumors of Grant Morrison taking over Wonder Woman soon. This could be her sort of consolation prize for backing off that title.
