DC Forgets Key Info in New Series Promotion

DC is promoting the start of a new title, Harley Quinn and the Birds of Prey, which launches February 12. (It’s a four-issue miniseries.) They’ve given it the cover of their ordering catalog, as shown here, as well as a short interview with writer/artist Amanda Conner and co-writer Jimmy Palmiotti inside.

It sounds interesting, and it’s well-timed, with a movie coming and a new animated series on the DC Universe streaming service. However, as a potential new(ish) reader, I found myself very confused on one key point. (I read some of the previous Harley Quinn comic by the same creative team, with additional artists, but I gave it up since I found the humor too Deadpool-like.)

Nowhere in this promo material do they identify the members of the Birds of Prey. They seem to assume that we all already know the characters. Based on the image, I know the Huntress and I’m guessing that that’s Black Canary and maybe Renee Montoya, but who’s the kid in the hoodie with the arrows? I think dropping the character names somewhere into the promotion — particularly since they manage to mention the Joker and Poison Ivy — would have been a good idea for plugging a supposed starting point.

My assumption may be undercut by a comment of Palmiotti’s, though:

This book is a direct continuation of our last issue on the monthly Harley Quinn series.

Oh, well, never mind, then. The #1 numbering is just a sales gimmick, it appears, so no need to think this would be a good read to try as a starting point.