Birds of Prey
Birds of Prey (German "birds of prey") (abbreviated: BoP) is the title of a US comic series and a television series based on this comic series , which was produced by the broadcaster The WB .
Comic series
The comic series was published between January 1999 and October 2014 on a monthly basis by the American publisher DC Comics , although it only paused between April 2009 and July 2010. It describes the adventures of a task force made up of superhero women and comprises more than 170 issues.
The idea for the concept of the Birds of Prey - to combine various popular female comic characters into a common team - goes back to the editor Jordan B. Gorfinkle . After a test adventure appeared as a feature in issue # 3 of the constantly changing anthology series Showcase '96 , the publisher first published a four-part miniseries in 1996 ( Black Canary / Oracle: Birds of Prey ), which included further sample issues (the One Shots BoP: Revolution , BoP: Wolves , BoP: Ravens ) followed. In 1998, an ongoing series was finally started that tells of the adventures of the Birds. The series was written by the writer Chuck Dixon , who wrote the BoP miniseries and the One-Shots of 1996/97 during the first 55 issues . With issue # 56, the author Gail Simone took over the writing duties . With the # 111 and # 118 respectively, Sean McKeever and Tony Bedard followed her as regular authors for a short time . The last narrative arcs so far were written by Duane Swierczynski and Christy Marx. The series was drawn in the past by artists such as Ed Benes, Joe Bennett and Greg Land. The current draftsman is Nicola Scott (since # 100).
main characters
- Oracle / Batgirl (Barbara Gordon): Since the Joker attacked her , she has been paralyzed from the waist down and is in a wheelchair. She is the founder and brain of the team, has enormous computer skills and a large network of agents. In Volume 3 of the series, she regained the ability to walk and assumed the identity of Batgirl.
- Black Canary (Dinah Drake): She's a good street fighter, kind-hearted and idealistic. Her main weapon is a sonar cry ( Canary Cry ) as well as her martial arts skills. Although she founded it together with Barbara, she later leaves the team.
- Huntress (Helena Bertinelli): She is a vigilante who used to be a member of the Mafia . When her family was killed, she swore revenge and declared war on the crime. She joined the troupe in 2003 as the third member.
- Lady Blackhawk (Zinda Blake): She is from the 1940s and is a sniper who can handle all kinds of firearms. She also acts as the team's pilot.
- Big Barda (Barda Free): She is an alien from the planet Apokolips and was initially one of the villains. She later even joined the Justice League .
- Misfit (Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe): She is a teenage orphan with telepathic powers.
Recurring characters
- Batgirl III (Cassandra Cain): She holds Batgirl status until 2009 and helps the Birds every now and then.
- Black Alice (Lorin Zechlin): A magician and antihero who prefers to rob drug addicts.
- Blue Beetle (Ted Kord): He's in love with Barbara.
- Catwoman (Selina Kyle): She is a heroine but also a criminal who sometimes fights with the Birds.
- Creote : A former KGB agent, now a Savant bodyguard (see below).
- Dove (Dawn Granger): Former member of the Teen Titans and superhero, forms one half of the duo Hawk and Dove .
- Gypsy (Cindy Reynolds): She has mental powers, like creating illusions , optically hiding herself and others around her and blending them into any background.
- Hawk (Hank Hall): Former member of the Teen Titans , second half of the duo Hawk and Dove . He was the first male member of the Birds.
- Hawkgirl (Kendra Saunders)
- Infinity : Member of the Birds for a short time. Can make their bodies immaterial and read the memory of the dead.
- Jade Canary (Sandra Wu-San): As a substitute for Black Canary, now part of the team.
- Josh : A car salesman who is in love with Huntress.
- Judo Master (Sonia Sato): A judo specialist and for a time a member of the Birds.
- Katana (Tatsu Yamashiro): A swordsman and martial artist from Japan, joins the team to replace Barbara Gordon during her rehabilitation.
- Manhunter (Kate Spencer): Join the Birds in Issue # 100. Fights criminals much more violently than their female colleagues and does not shy away from murder.
- Nightwing (Dick Grayson): Batman's former partner Robin occasionally assists the Birds.
- Poison Ivy (Pamela Isley): The eco-terrorist is invited by Black Canary against the will of the other team members to join the Birds. When it becomes clear that Ivy is manipulating the team for her agenda, she is defeated by them.
- Savant (Brian Durlin): Creote's employer and heir to a million dollar fortune. At times ally and opponent of the Birds.
- Starling (Ev Crawford): Good friend of Black Canary and member of the Birds since 2011.
- Vixen (Mari Jiwi McCabe): She can adopt the powers and abilities of any animal. Allies of the Birds.
- Wildcat (Ted Grant): Black Canary mentor, helped the Birds on a number of missions.
Television series
| Television series | |
|---|---|
| German title | Birds of Prey |
| Original title | Birds of Prey |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Year (s) | 2002-2003 |
| length | 42 minutes |
| Episodes | 13 |
| genre | Mystery , youth series |
| Theme music | revolution |
| idea | Laeta Kalogridis |
| production |
Mike Tollin , Brian Robbins , Shawn Levy |
| music | Aimee Allen |
| First broadcast | October 9, 2002 on The WB |
| German-language first broadcast |
October 11, 2003 on RTL |
| occupation | |
The television series Birds of Prey was developed in 2001 by Laeta Kalogridis on behalf of the American broadcaster The WB . After initially having good ratings, the series was finally discontinued due to dwindling audience interest.
action
The series was based on the basic premise of the DC Comics comic series - a team consisting exclusively of women experiences adventures - and also adapted their names, but at the same time some unmistakable changes were made to the original concept. The series is set in an alternate future to the present in which the DC-produced comics are set. It is based on the premise that Helena Kyle is the daughter of the superhero Batman (Bruce Wayne) and his wife Selina Kyle, under the cover identity of the masked crime fighter Huntress ("Slayer") the legacy of their father as the protector of the gloomy east coast metropolis Gotham City has started. Her partners in the fight against crime in Gotham City are the teenage runaway Dinah (Forces of Misfit) and the computer hacker Barbara Gordon. Gordon - who used to be Batman's partner as Batgirl - has been in a wheelchair since an attack by the insane Joker and therefore coordinates the operations of Huntress from the Birds headquarters.
Characters of the series
main characters
- Helena Kyle / Huntress ( Ashley Scott ): Helena Kyle is the daughter of Bruce Wayne ( Batman ) and Selina Kyle ( Catwoman ) and, as her father's successor, is the nightly protector of crime-ridden Gotham City (New Gotham). Unlike in the comic book, Huntress has superhuman, feline abilities (above-average strength, agility, the ability to see in the dark, and a sixth sense of danger) that she inherited from her mother.
- Barbara Gordon / Oracle ( Dina Meyer ): Barbara Gordon is the daughter of the Gotham City Police Chief James Gordon. Having previously stood by Batman as Batgirl , she has been in a wheelchair since a fight with The Joker - leading a secret organization that has set itself the goal of smashing the crime in Gotham. Under the code name Oracle , she coordinates the actions of her "field agents" such as Huntress from her headquarters - an old clock tower. During the day she works as a teacher at New Gotham High.
- Dinah Redmond ( Rachel Skarsten ): Dinah Redmond is a teenager who has meta-powers (telekinesis, telepathy). In the pilot episode of BoP, she joins the team as a junior member. It turns out that she is the daughter of Black Canary.
- Detective Jesse Reese ( Shemar Moore ): Jesse Reese is a police officer who Huntress occasionally works with in solving cases. Reese always vacillates in the series between his attraction to the vigilante and his aversion to her vigilante methods.
- Alfred Pennyworth ( Ian Abercrombie ): The aging butler of Helena Kyle and Barbara Gordon, who joined the women's duo after the disappearance of his old employer - Bruce Wayne / Batman - and is now available with grandfather advice and sharp English humor.
- Dr. Harleen Quinzel ( Mia Sara ): Harleen Quinzel ( Harley Quinn ) is a mentally ill psychiatrist who is deeply hostile to the Birds. Since the death of her lover - Joker - in the pilot of the series, she has sought to get revenge on the whole city for the fate of her lover, but in the first episodes she maintains the disguise of a respectable psychiatrist.
More figures
- Wade Brixton ( Shawn Christian ): A teacher colleague of Barbara Gordon, whom she met in the pilot episode and with whom she has a casual relationship from now on.
- Gibson Kafka ( Robert Patrick Benedict ): Kafka is a bar owner and has a photographic memory; he serves the Birds as an informant.
- Detective McNally ( Brent Sexton ): Jesse Reese's partner.
Episode list
| No. | German title | Original title | First broadcast in the USA | German language first broadcast (D) | Director | script |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Batman's legacy | pilot | Oct 9, 2002 | Oct 11, 2003 | Brian Robbins | Laeta Kalogridis |
| 2 | Cop killer | Slick | Oct 16, 2002 | Oct 18, 2003 | Michael Katleman | Laeta Kalogridis |
| 3 | Just not normal | Prey for the Hunter | Oct 23, 2002 | Oct 25, 2003 | Chris Long | Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz |
| 4th | infant | Three Birds and a Baby | Oct 30, 2002 | Nov 8, 2003 | Craig Zisk | David H. Goodman and Julie Hess |
| 5 | Black Canary | Sins of the Mother | Nov 6, 2002 | Nov 15, 2003 | Jeff Woolnough | Melissa Rosenberg |
| 6th | Undercover | Primal Scream | Nov 13, 2002 | Nov 22, 2003 | Jim Charleston | Adam Armus and Kay Foster |
| 7th | Darkstrike | Split | Nov 20, 2002 | Nov 29, 2003 | James Marshall | Adam Armus and Kay Foster |
| 8th | Batgirl | Lady Shiva | Nov 27, 2002 | Dec 6, 2003 | John Kretchmer | Adam Armus and Kay Foster |
| 9 | loyalty | Nature of the Beast | Dec 18, 2002 | Dec 13, 2003 | Shawn Levy | Melissa Rosenberg |
| 10 | arena | Gladiatrix | Jan. 8, 2003 | Dec 20, 2003 | David Carson | David H. Goodman |
| 11 | chameleon | Reunion | Jan. 8, 2003 | Dec. 27, 2003 | Chris Long | Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz |
| 12 | Clayface | Feat of Clay | Feb 19, 2003 | Jan. 3, 2004 | Joe Napolitano | Adam Armus and Kay Foster |
| 13 | Harley Quinn | Devil's Eyes | Feb 19, 2003 | Jan. 10, 2004 | Robert J. Wilson | Adam Armus and Melissa Rosenberg |
Edited volumes with reprints of the comic series
- Chuck Dixon : Birds of Prey , 2002 (includes: Black Canary / Oracle: Birds of Prey , Birds of Prey: Manhunt , Birds of Prey: Revolution, and a Story Showcase '96 # 3)
- Chuck Dixon: Birds of Prey: Old Friends, New Enemies , 2003 (includes: collects Birds of Prey: Wolves , Bird of Prey: Batgirl, and Birds of Prey # 1–5)
- Gail Simone : Birds of Prey: Of Like Minds , 2004 (includes: # 56-61)
- Gail Simone: Birds of Prey: Sensei & Student , 2005 (includes: # 62–68)
- Gail Simone: Birds of Prey: Between Dark & Dawn , 2006 (includes: # 69-75)
- Gail Simone: Birds of Prey: The Battle Within , 2006 (includes: # 76-85)
- Gail Simone: Birds of Prey: Perfect Pitch , 2007 (includes: # 86–90 and # 92–95)
- Gail Simone: Birds of Prey: Blood and Circuits , 2007 (includes: # 96-103)
See also
Web links
- Birds of Prey in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Episodes and information