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Mia “Maps” Mizoguchi has been a Gotham resident for quite some time, but it’s only now, years after her debut, that DC Comics is finally ready to give Maps her spotlight. It’s been a long time coming, but iDC used that time to grow Maps’ character from a bright youth interested in Gotham’s mysteries to a tested Gotham resident who’s seen Gotham at its worst – and now, a superheroic time-traveler working with the Birds of Prey.
Maps Mizoguchi first appeared in Gotham Academy by Brendon Fletcher, Becky Cloonan, and Karl Kerschl, which explored the tainted history of one of Gotham’s oldest institutions. Maps stood out for her genuine adoration for Batman and Robin, which sometimes led her closer to danger than her friends would have liked. The first arc of Birds of Prey by Kelly Thompson and Leonardo Romero marked the first time readers saw Maps bearing the name Meridian in an effort to save Barbara Gordon’s life.
While Birds of Prey has yet to explain why Maps, who comes from DC’s future, developed her time travel technology – which works by accessing the Green, the cosmic force that keeps all plants in the universe alive – it only feels appropriate for Maps to become involved in a community she’s proud to support.
Maps Mizoguchi Has Moved from Exploring Gotham Academy to Saving Batgirl’s Life
In Recent Maps Stories by Karl Kerschl, She Even Appears as Robin
Among Gotham Academy’s student body of pessimistic students who believe in the supernatural, Maps’s overeager enthusiasm made her different. Where her best friend felt bitterness at the sight of the Bat-Signal, Maps saw it as a good luck sign. Maps’ interest in anything superhero-related should have been a large sign of foreshadowing, but DC took her journey slowly, giving her chance encounters with members of the Bat-Family – like Damian Wayne – enough times to become a friendly face and a person to keep an eye on. Still, Maps’ ventures into the world of vigilantism remained either alongside Batman or on school grounds.
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At the end of Birds of Prey #1, Black Canary introduced her collaborator as Meridian: Maps Mizoguchi’s future self, decked out in self-designed tech that allowed her to travel back through time. While Maps in the present is still young, wide-eyed at the sight of a batarang, her future self is close enough to Barbara Gordon to know her secret identity and take it upon herself to prevent her untimely death. It could have been a shock, but DC had built Maps up enough for it only to be a happy eventuality.
Maps Mizoguchi Is Officially a Gotham City Icon
And Possibly Batman’s Future Robin
Gotham Academy may seem isolated from the rest of the city, but Maps’s detective work repeatedly brought the city’s issues to Gotham Academy’s front doors, from Arkham Asylum inmates traveling through the school’s secret passageways to the Court of Owls poking around the greenhouse. Unlike other cities in the DC Universe, Gotham has repeatedly undergone large changes, forcing its many characters to keep up with its evolution. Through everything Maps has seen, her faith in both her city and its protectors has not wavered, from her tumultuous time at the academy, to her quest to save Batgirl’s life.
Maps also made minor – but delightful – appearances in the
Batgirls
series by Becky Cloonan, Michael W. Conrad, and various artists – all issues are available now both digitally and in collected editions from DC Comics.
In all of her appearances, DC has shown who Maps’ is at her core, getting her closer and closer to her eventual superhero-self. While Gotham Academy and its students make infrequent appearances, Birds of Prey makes it clear: Maps Mizoguchi has a bright future in the DCU. The Bat-Family hasn’t forgotten their most enthusiastic fan. It may have taken a while to get a glimpse of Maps as Meridian, and her journey there might still be a way out, but it’s clear that the slow build of Maps Mizoguchi in the world of DC Comics is worth the time it’s taking.
Birds of Prey Vol. 1: Megadeath, featuring Maps’ first appearance as Meridian, is available now from DC Comics.
Birds of Prey (2023)
Dinah Lance is one of the DCU’s most elite fighters, and combined with her sonic scream, she’s a fearsome foe in any scenario…but sometimes even the Black Canary needs help. Faced with a personal mission brought to her by a mysterious new ally, and up against near-impossible odds, she re-forms the Birds of Prey with an unrivaled group of badasses — Cassandra Cain, Big Barda, Zealot, and Harley Quinn — and only one goal: extraction without bloodshed. What could possibly go wrong?
“}]] DC is building Maps Mizoguchi to be a great hero. Read More