Babs Gordon Returns to BIRDS OF PREY; Simone Surprised

Barbara Gordon Returns to BIRDS OF PREY CREDIT: View full size image

Though seemingly absent from the first three issues of the relaunched Birds of Prey, Barbara Gordon returns to the book she co-starred in for much of the last 12 years as of December's issue #4.

Along with the guest appearance, DC's official PR blog The Source says the issue will contain an as-yet unspecified "status quo-altering revelation."

"One of my favorite thrillers is Ira Levin's A Kiss Before Dying, because right in the middle of the novel…well, the cliche phrase would be, 'Levin pulls the rug right out from under you,' but that doesn’t do his legendary plot twist justice," Birds of Prey writer Duane Swierczynski said on DC's blog. "Forget the rug being pulled out from under you… when you reach that point in Kiss, it’s as if someone’s rolled up that rug and proceeded to use it to beat the living crap out of you. That’s what I’m shooting for with this first arc of Birds of Prey."

As Oracle, Barbara Gordon led just about every incarnation of the pre-'The New 52' Birds of Prey. This would be not only her first appearance in the new book, but her first since being back in her Batgirl identity. How much — if any — of the previous Birds of Prey history remains intact in DC's current continuity is unclear.

DC's revelation caught some creators by surprise, including long-time Birds of Prey and new DCnU Batgirl writer Gail Simone, as well as former Batgirl writer Bryan Q. Miller. You can read about that over on Blog@Newsarama.

Birds of Prey #1 is on sale Sept. 21.

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