Collection Recommendation: Birds of Prey (the WB Series)

During the early stages of "Smallville" and long before "Gotham", an adaptation of DC's "Birds of Prey" visited television screens, thanks to the WB. 

Developed and co-produced by Laeta "Pathfinder" Kalogridis, "Birds of Prey" (2002-03) consists of a mere thirteen episodes, but that doesn't make it any less influential than other acclaimed, short-term series (e.g. "Fantastic Journey", "Logan's Run", "Planet of the Apes"..."Space Rangers"). In fact, "Birds of Prey'"s cultish wings continue to spread.

Like "Smallville", which never committed to the full, Kal-El concept until its final days, "Birds of Prey" skirts around its founding legends. Yes, Batman, Catwoman, Batgirl, the Joker and even the crafty Clayface have roamed the city, but in the scheme of New Gotham, their presence is perceived more in line with Bigfoot and the Jersey Devil: Many claim to have met them, but where's the proof?

The proof exists in Barbara Gordon (Dina "Dragonheart" Meyer)'s diligent and (thanks to the Clown Prince of Crime) disabled persona, Oracle. Proof also stems from Bruce Wayne and Selena Kyle's offspring, Helena, aka Huntress (Ashley "Walking Tall" Scott) and Dinah Redmond/Lance, aka Black Canary Jr. (Rachel "Lost Girl" Skarsten). Dr. Harleen Quinzel (Mia "Legend" Sara) keeps the old evil alive as she progresses into Harley Quinn, while others join our heroines to thwart her, even if they, too, aren't so quick to link the shrink's odious influence.  

Alfred Pennyworth (Ian "Army of Darkness" Abercrombe) and Detective Jesse Reese (Shemar "Death of Superman" Moore) are two such supporting players, encouraging and assisting our crusaders at every turn: the latter peeking-more-from-the-outskirts when it comes to New Gotham's multiplying metahumans.

In fact, Huntress is a metahuman, which means her parents shared the prodigious strand (or at least, one or the other did), but despite the implication, the idea remains an allusion. 

Again, that's the series' one, big drawback: a hesitation to acknowledge its origins head-on.  However, when the show hits the mark, it hits hard and often, with each episode rolling with shapely stamina and fearsome flair. 

I believe my favorite installment is "Split", where the callous Creeper (Brian "Dragonheart" Thompson) and daring Darkstrike (Kristoffer "Devil's Knot" Polaha) engage in a Jekyll/Hyde joust: nothing novel, but well played for its empathetic torment. "Lady Shiva" is memorable for pitting Meyer's spot-on, throwback Batgirl against the smokin', aforementioned vixen (Sung-Hi "Richard III" Lee ). "Gladiatrix" hits a physical high for Dinah's martial-arts prowess, supplemented by an "Amok Time", fight-club bout, promoted by Cyclopian kingpin, Malcolm Lagg (Donovan "The Blob" Leitch Jr.). "Devil's Eyes", the series' captivating conclusion, is the most comic-bookish, phasing Quinzel from wily mesmerist to full-blown, kick-ass loon. 

The vigorous material exceeds most of today's fodder, giving one a notion of how impressive certain classic, Batman characters could have looked on the silver screen a couple decades back, if only amplified by big budgets.  

Even more so, "Birds of Prey" is just plain sexy as hell, often grazing an Eric Stanton fringe. (Huntress' snug attire is worth the admission alone, despite it drifting from its comic-book design.) The show also sprinkles its stories with worthy DC references (even if its primary protagonists stay spectral), rivaling any CW show, though without all that fallacious, political pomp that stains the new stuff. 

One can watch "Birds of Prey" per the DC Universe subscription service, though the DVD box set is accessible through any number of affordable sources. The set includes an alternate cut of the pilot, where Sherilyn "Twin Peaks" Fenn plays Quinzel. (Fenn departed due to a scheduling conflict.) In addition, the collection contains all thirteen episodes of the animated web series, "Gotham Girls".

With a new "Birds of Prey" adaptation in production (where Margot Robbie reprises her "Suicide Squad"/Quinn role, no less), renewed interest in the WB series is unavoidable. Why not get a jump-start on its (re)discovery? There's never a dull moment throughout, with enough gumshoe undertone and searing eye candy to keep viewers hooked for an elating binge.