The opening story arc of the current Birds of Prey series introduced a mysterious hero from the future called Meridian. While she was revealed to be a future version of Gotham Academy’s Mia “Maps” Mizoguchi, there was still the mystery of how she traveled through time. The preview of Birds of Prey #7 by Kelly Thompson and Javier Pina provides an answer. Like many good mysteries, however, the answer only raises more questions.
The previous Birds of Prey story arc also introduced a mystery villain, who is stalking the team’s members across time and space. This discovery was what prompted Meridian to go back in time, putting right what the villain made wrong, like the death of Barbara Gordon. This leads to the revelation that Meridian uses The Green, the mystic energy connecting all plants, to travel through time. More, the mystery villain is doing the same thing using The Red, which is tied to all animal life.
The main cover and first four pages of Birds of Prey #7 can be viewed below.
The Red and The Green Explained
The Green and The Red are two of the more powerful forces making up DC Comics‘ cosmology. All beings with plant powers, like Poison Ivy and Swamp Thing, draw power from The Green. Conversely, all beings with animal powers, like Beast Boy and Birds of Prey member Vixen, are connected through The Red.
Beyond being a source of power, The Green and The Red are also dimensions. Potentially, a being with a connection to either force can use these dimensions to travel through time, space, and reality. This was shown to dramatic effect in Titans Season 4, where Beast Boy traveled the multiverse and visited himself as a child through The Red.
Meridian from Birds of Prey is notable for finding a way to use technology to tap into The Green. It remains to be seen, however, if she will suffer some consequence for this, given the stewards of The Green’s usual antipathy for technology. There is also the mystery of just who is the villain tapping The Red to travel through time.
Birds of Prey #7 arrives in comic shops everywhere on March 5, 2024.
