Shell's guide to... Huntress

The next installment of my guides to. Previously: Catwoman, Batgirl, Black Canary, Wonder Woman and Batwoman.

1. Helena Rosa Bertinelli or the vigilante known as Huntress first appeared in the late 1980s and was introduced as the daughter of a Gotham mafia crime boss.

2. She sees her family get killed in a mob hit and vows revenge. Initially Batman doesn't trust her as she is unpredictable and violent.

3. She gains the trust and respect of Nightwing and Tim Drake and after Batman helps her clear her name in a murder case he invites her to join the Justice League.

4. As a member of the JLA she grows her skills and confidence with the help of Superman.

5. Her violent temper was never far behind though and after nearly killing Prometheus, Batman makes her resign from the JLA.

6. In 2003, after helping Black Canary she is invited to join the Birds of Prey alongside Oracle at Dinah (Black Canary's) insistence. Oracle is hesitant at first, and has a strained relationship with Helena. 

7. Huntress saves Oracle's life and is then invited to be a full time member of the Birds of Prey.

8. In 2016 DC Comics rebooted all their storylines with rebirth and Birds of Prey became: Batgirl and the Birds of Prey with Batgirl, Black Canary and Huntress forming and uneasy alliance. 

9. Huntress knew of both batgirl and Black Canary's secret identities but they know nothing of hers. This series gives Huntress an updated back story that explains her troubled past.

10. Huntress is incredibly private and doesn't trust people easy. She was trained by her assassin cousin and her weapon of choice is a crossbow, and her transport of choice is a motorbike.

11. Huntress is incredibly unpredictable and can often go too far when it comes to violence.

12. Just to make things confusing there is another version of Huntress in DC Comics alternate universe Earth-2. This version of Huntress is Helena Wayne the daughter of Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle. This version of Huntress mainly works as a crime fighter alongside Power Girl.

Recommended reading...

1. Huntress: Year One (here) A mini series that tells the story of how Helena became Huntress.

2. Birds of Prey Vol.1 (here) The beginning of Helena's time in the badass gang of Birds of Prey

3. Batgirl and the Birds of Prey vol.1 (here) Huntress rejoins the BOP in the most current run of the series. This is a great starting place.

4. Huntress: Crossbows at the Crossroads (here) If you are interested in the alternate Earth-2 Huntress this is the place to start.

5. Worlds Finest Vol. 1 (here) Earth-2 Huntress teams up with Power Girl. This has five volumes in total.

If you want MORE Huntress then check out DC Bombshells, Batman Hush, Batman Animated series and Nightwing/Huntress.

That's my guide to Huntress. Next time: Poison Ivy!