TONY BEDARD NAMED NEW REGULAR WRITER ON BIRDS OF PREY

[MattBrady]

Current Birds of Prey writer Sean McKeever announced it Sunday evening on his blog: his stay on the DC superheroine series would only run five issues, and end with April’s #117. The speculation fire burned brief and bright, and Newsarama has learned that Tony Bedard, who previously wrote issues #109-#112 will return to the series with May’s #118 (pictured at right) as the Birds of Prey regular writer.

We spoke with Bedard about returning to the book, and his plans.

Newsarama: Tony - you had a fill in storyline on Birds of Prey, and now, you're back full-time. How'd you wind up coming back?

Tony Bedard: This probably tracks back to a BoP fill-in I did for Mike Carlin that ended up becoming Birds of Prey #110. It turned out pretty well, so he threw me the Black Canary mini and (thanks to the awesome Paulo Siquiera), that worked out nicely, too. I even heard from Gail Simone that she appreciated my handling of Dinah and Sin, which was both humbling and very gratifying. By the way, I'm in awe of what Gail accomplished on Birds of Prey, especially after the great Chuck Dixon had put his own stamp on the book. Anyhow, when Carlin saw he'd have some BoP issues to fill before Sean could come aboard, he threw them my way, and we used the existing fill-in as one of them. The result was four stand-alone issues that I must say exceeded our expectations. They're some of my favorite issues I've ever worked on, each putting the spotlight on a different member of the team. I also found that working with these characters was effortless -- they're so well defined and yet still capable of endless improvisation. So after those four issues, I think Carlin must've had me on the short-list when it became clear that Sean couldn't continue on the book.

NRAMA: From a craft point of view, what's the attraction to the book for
you? What makes it something that you can't or couldn't say no to?

TB: There's several things about Birds of Prey that make it attractive. For starters, I enjoy writing female characters. I don't particularly dwell on their gender, I just try to make them smart and capable, but I think with these characters you can express a range of emotion that is very satisfying. Also, these characters are such a great mix. Birds of Prey could easily have become the book where random, unused heroines are lumped together, but a great balance was achieved between Oracle, Huntress and Black Canary that made BoP greater than the sum of its parts. In particular, Barbara Gordon emerged as one the single best characters in comics, period. She works so much better as Oracle than she ever did as Batgirl (no offense, Batgirl, fans). She took her greatest tragedy and used it to discover her greatest strength. That really speaks to me. And she's trying to get other characters to grow beyond their limitations, especially when those limits aren't as obvious. Dinah, Helena and the others are better people for having worked with Babs. Then there are the great runs by Dixon and Gail that set the bar so high. It's a challenge to live up to their level of work, and I love a challenge. Finally, the book has a bit of a Who's Who aspect that's great fun for fans. The cast is always rotating and you never know who will pop up on missions.

NRAMA: Looking at the characters, what are the more "permanent" aspects of
the book, and what's flexible? That is, what has to be there, in your view, for it to be a BoP story, and what can flux and change in and out, depending on the story?

TB: Well, you definitely have to have Barbara Gordon. Not only is she their nerve center, but she's their heart. I also think that the operatives she recruits should be somewhat flawed. Gail had Huntress comment on this early in her run: The Birds of Prey don't just perform missions and save the day. This whole operation is a sort of super-heroine rehab. Black Canary is a graduate of that program, having been broken down and built back up greater than ever over the course of Gail's run, she's off making Green Arrow/Black Canary a great read.

Huntress was an obsessed, angry, over-the-edge character, and she still is, a bit. But I think being a "Bird" has helped focus her and let her work through her issues. Lady Blackhawk's out of her element and reckless, Manhunter's dangerous and a bit too willing to cross the line, Misfit is a pain in the neck with a tragic childhood...they all need to find themselves and this is the best place for them. I also think you need to show that rather than being reduced in capacity by her disability, Babs has become super-capable. She is, in her own way, as formidable an opponent as Batman on his best day. And to a much greater extent than her former mentor, Babs not only makes the most of herself, but she elevates those around her. She is more than a Buddha, she is a bodhisattva...know'hum'sayin'?

NRAMA: She has chosen to “stay behind” in a manner of speaking and help others when she herself could move on…

TB: Right.

NRAMA: So what are you looking to do once you get back in the swing of things in May?

TB: Sean's run introduces the DCU's high tech capital, Platinum Flats. It's a bit like Silicon Valley, and Sean embarks on a mystery there involving the hidden organized crime empire behind this Tech Mecca. My run will expand on this new piece of DCU real estate, and my hope is that it will become as vibrant and important a location as Bludhaven was in Nightwing. We have some really cool new villains coming up, a new character or two in Oracle's service, and the return of an adversary from Gail's run that will threaten to tear things apart just as the Birds settle into the next phase of their crime fighting career. Basically, a lot of cool new stuff and new locations, but with the same focus on our core characters, their fun, funny interaction, and a few shocking twists along the way.

NRAMA: Finally, just to nail this one down - this is the regular gig, right? You're
on it until they kick you off?

TB: Yeah, this is regular, ongoing, and they will indeed have to kick me off because I know a great gig when I see one, and this book has everything you could ask for. I know I have big shoes to fill, including Sean McKeever's (he's one of my favorite writers at the moment, and I'm totally gonna enjoy his Teen Titans), but I'm proceeding with the utmost respect for what he, Gail and Chuck did on BoP, and I'm going to tell stories that build on that tradition, reminding everyone that friendship and intelligence are the greatest weapons in the fight for justice. This is gonna be fun.

[von Doom, M.D.]

So what happened to McKeever to make him unable to continue?

[AbacusComics]

Awesome! Tony is a great writer and a great guy! Congrats, Tony!

[NewChad]

Damn, I wish I'd bought those issues now... fingers crossed, but it's looking good for BoP!

[sweetmisery]

I enjoyed Bedard's fill in issues, but Im not sure how he will do for being a regular writer for BoP though... Hopefully as good... and hopefully not as bad as his issues in Supergirl.

[kdmelrose]

Originally Posted by von Doom, M.D.

So what happened to McKeever to make him unable to continue?

It's explained in the link at the beginning of the article.

[grphxkindaguy]

aaaaaaaaaaand with that I'm back on BOP!

I've enjoyed Bedard's past work on Negation, KKBB, Exiles and his most recent Black Canary mini and BOP fill-ins.

Here's hoping he'll continue to kick @$$ on BOP like he did on those other great runs!

[ParisCub]

It feels like DC doesn't know what to do with Bedard, as so far, he's done only fill-ins and was removed from Outsiders even before the first issue was out.

I hope his stay on BoP will be longer.

[Hobowatcher]

YES! He's my favorite post-Gail writer. His fill in one-shots were great. Finally, this book will be good again! I also like that he's going to be introducing a lot of new stuff. That's a rarity nowadays.

[Spacedog2k5]

I am sooooo happy! Between my extraordinary, best-date-ever on Sunday, and this news, I think this could be the start of great week and an even better year! Rock, Tony Bedard, rock on, sir!!

[greenflameuk]

Great choice.

He's one of my favourite writers and his fill in issue's were really good to. So consider me sold!! .

[chap22]

this HAD to be a no-brainer for DC, but excellent news nonetheless. Bedard's a guy whose stuff i generally really like, and he definitely seems to really "get" the Birds, both on the issues he's already done, and through this interview. with him and Nicola on board, this should continue to be a great book.

[Darth Wahu]

Haven't been a big fan of Bedard but the Black Canary mini was awesome and just reading this article made me a believer.

[M. Bloom]

I wasn't a huge fan of Bedard's fill-in run on Birds. It had some good moments, but it had the same sort of "spinning the wheels until the new guy arrives" feeling that a lot of fill-in runs have. I'll give Bedard another chance, though, as now he won't just be killing time but actually advancing the plot.

And honestly, it's nice to see him get a regular gig after the Outsiders reshuffling and all the fill-in runs.

[ryan alex]

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Tony's got the potential to take this book to a whole nother level. Just from his fill ins, he gets the characters and and I'm glad he mentioned their flaws (spot on). I can't wait to see where he takes the Birds.

[ultraaman]

Originally Posted by Spacedog2k5

I am sooooo happy! Between my extraordinary, best-date-ever on Sunday, and this news, I think this could be the start of great week and an even better year! Rock, Tony Bedard, rock on, sir!!

Do tell - what happened on Sunday?

This transition seems like it will be pretty seamless. No effect on my decision to keep chugging along towards my 60th consecutive issue with #119.

[J.D. Lombardi]

Hopefully they don't run this series into the ground with too many creative team switches...I've always considered this to be "the little title that could."

[Psistorm4472]

I just hope that he does something with some of the side characters that seemed to have gotten shuffled off and forgotten about. Namely, Gypsy ...

[Scarlet Mage]

I still think McKeever dropped the wrong book but at least Birds get Bedard so it's definitely a win. I also like the fact that Manhunter is the only heroine mentioned beyond the core heroes. More Manhunter!

[Gordon Lee]

Good Luck Tony Bedard!!

[Jovencub]

Bedard has been one of my favorite writers for years. His Exiles Danish issue was one of my favorite stories ever. His Black Canary series was his best strongest writing. And i LOVED his BoP and to hear him taking over the series makes me extremely happy! He gets the characters wonderfully. As D.C.'s go-to-guy he's been cranking out great work and now he finally gets a title worthy of him! Congrats Mr. Bedard!

[CaptainCanad]

The obvious choice; I think he'll do well. I really enjoyed his Black Canary miniseries.

[Thalya]

Kudos, Mr. Bedard! The fill-in issues were really enjoyable and well-done - I really liked the tone and the portrayals of the Birds moreover. (albeit #111 still leaves me scratching my head as to why Calc was portrayed more as "Son of Calculator", but then #112 had him nailed and better utilized than most anywhere else)

Consider my socks rocked. (triply-so if Calc pops up all 112-like!)

[Spade]

I knew they find something for him after he finished on Countdown. Remember a while ago, everyone was like what did Tony do to piss off DC to keep getting pulled from books? lol.

[Corpulent1]

Hmm... Sounds like Misfit will still be there, which is what made me drop BoP in the first place. But I may give it another shot when Bedard comes on. I usually like his work.