Golden Oldie (sort of): ADVENTURE COMICS #399

Black Canary's Golden Age solo adventures ended with the cancellation of Flash Comics in 1948.  However, the Canary's creators produced two more tales of the Blonde Bombshell that would not be published for over two decades.  The second of those stories appeared in Adventure Comics #399 in 1970.  In addition to Black Canary's story, this issue starred Supergirl and featured a cover by Mike Sekowsky and Dick Giordano.

"Television Told the Tale" is written by Robert Kanigher and drawn by Carmine Infantino.  I don't know when the story was created; it might have been intended for Flash Comics #105 or it might have been produced months earlier and just fell between the cracks.  I don't know if there is any significance to the fact that the story is only six pages; maybe this wasn't meant for the regular run and was conceived just as a fill-in should the need arise.

Dinah Drake tells Larry Lance that Mrs. Landall hired her to deliver the floral decorations for when the woman's prized jewels are shown on television.  Larry drives Dinah to Landall's lakeside estate where they notice the mansion's perfect view of the motorboat races happening later that day.

Dinah sets up the flower display around Mrs. Landall and her jewels, but she doesn't stay for the taping.  She leaves Larry and returns to her shop to watch the show on her TV set.  However, as Landall shows off her jewels, Dinah notices that the camera man is focusing on the drapes behind the woman.

Suspecting something's wrong, Dinah changes into the garb of the Black Canary and returns to Landall's estate.  She finds the old woman tied up and Larry just barely regaining consciousness.  He tells her that the cameraman and some thugs stole the diamonds.  Then Black Canary hears the sound of motorboats outside and springs into action.

Black Canary manages to swim and catch up to the robbers' boat.  When the leader pulls a gun, she reminds him that they're cruising right into the highly photographed motorboat race and they're sure to be identified if they kill her.  This stalls the goons long enough for the Canary to take the advantage.

Black Canary struggles with the pilot and manages to crash their boat right in front of the crowd gathered for the race's finish line.  The pilot pulls a gun, but she hits him before he can fire.

Another thrilling adventure where Black Canary doesn't get knocked unconscious!  I'm suspecting the editor may have thought these were too unbelievable to be published in the '40s.  Nevertheless, this was another great little story that showed Black Canary kicking butt like a serious crime fighter.  She takes out three armed goons, and she doesn't rely on props or surprise; she just beats their asses with her fists and her feet.  Plus, it's always great when the woman in fishnets ends up in the water!

Well, that's it for Black Canary's Golden Age adventures, that is until I get copies of her Justice Society appearances in All-Star Comics, and I don't know when that'll happen.  And that means that's all for the Golden Oldie feature.  I hope you enjoyed Kanigher and Infantino's run on Black Canary as much as I did!

Team-Up: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #166 (Sep 1980)

Today is World Penguin Day, and if you know anything about me and this blog, you know I take advantage of every ridiculous opportunity to coordinate posts with holidays and anniversaries, be they real or not.  Well, as soon as I heard about World Penguin Day, I knew I would review the Black Canary and Batman's team-up against the Penguin.

Actually, when I first heard about World Penguin Day, I hung my head and sighed heavily.  But then I thought of the issue!

The Brave and the Bold #166 pairs the Dark Knight Detective with the Blonde Bombshell in a tale called "Requiem for Four Canaries" written by Michael Fleisher with art by the legendary Dick Giordano and the nearly as legendary, but no less extraordinary, Terry Austin.  Fleisher is probably best known for his work on Adventure Comics where he pushed The Spectre to new heights of horror and greatness with the even legendarier artist, Jim Aparo, who happened to provide the cover for this issue of The Brave and the Bold.

Anyway...

"Requiem for Four Canaries" opens with a breakout at Gotham Penitentiary.  Three prisoners sprint across the marshland after an unknown party dynamited the exterior wall.  These convicts don't know who blew the wall, but they're not waiting around to find out.

Unfortunately for them, the Batman arrives on scene and puts the three escapees down pretty quickly.  Through his inner monologue, we discover that the dynamite went off two hours ago and Batman has spent the time since rounding up prisoners who are trying to get across the bog.  At last, the Dark Knight has recaptured all of the convicts save one: the Penguin.  Commissioner Gordon tells Batman they had better get back to Gotham before the Penguin's latest crime wave kicks off.

Batman knows, though, that the Penguin isn't heading to Gotham; he's going to Star City on the other coast, to exact revenge on four henchmen who sold him out after his last crime spree.  And sure enough, we find the Penguin in Star City the next day...

The Penguin explains that canaries are crucial to his revenge plot for what they symbolize.  The word "canary" is slang for a criminal who "sings" to the authorities, like the underlings who turned state's evidence on the Penguin.  The noisy canaries in their cages will serve as inspiration in the Penguin's attacks on Batman and his former goons.

That night, Dinah Lance, "the lovely brunette who is secretly Black Canary", attends a Star City night club for a performance by a songstress known as the Divine Miss B.  As the talented beauty belts out the song "People", the audience listens in rapt attention.  But when Miss B. hits a particular high note, a sugar shaker cracks releasing a toxic gas right in the face of the spectator at the table.

Dinah examines the victim and then notices the Penguin slipping through the crowd and exiting the night club.  Dinah tells her friend Alice that she's not feeling well because of the noxious gas floating around the dead guy's table.  But when she sneaks away...

As the Penguin is about to get in his getaway car, one of his henchmen asks why he didn't use a canary in the murder of the first victim.  Penguin argues that he did use a canary, in a way:

Suddenly, a batarang rips through the night and disarms the henchmen before he can execute Black Canary.  The Batman swings down toward the Penguin and his goons.

Acting quickly, the Penguin sprays Black Canary with the poison gas from his umbrella.  He knows that Batman can't chase him and save Canary at the same time, and he correctly guesses that the Dark Knight will save a life first.  After the Penguin escapes, Black Canary regains consciousness and asks Batman what he's doing in Star City.

Black Canary tries to play tough cop with her informant, demanding information on the Penguin and the three remaining henchmen.  Max isn't intimidated by a girl in fishnets.  She makes a few sexist comments before suddenly changing his tune and looking quite intimidated.

Unbeknownst to Black Canary, Batman has snuck into the room behind her.  The Bat's mere presence is enough to frighten Max into revealing everything he knows, but Batman slips out before she sees him.  So when Black Canary comes out with the intelligence they need, she's beaming with pride over the effectiveness of her tactics.  For his part, Batman lets her feel like she earned the win.

The heroes arrive at the second target in time to see the explosion that kills him.  Now the Penguin has only two victims left and Batman proposes that he and Black Canary split up to watch over the next targets.  But the Penguin anticipates this strategy and takes action to get rid of Batman first.

While the Dark Knight surveils one of the other targets, the Black Canary surprises him by coming back and claiming the other target is already dead.  Then she throws herself at him.

As if this scene wasn't strange and unexpected enough, the final sequence comes completely out of nowhere.  Suddenly, the Black Canary is held captive at the Penguin's hideout and she's stripped down to her bra and underwear.  Because, sure, why not?

We learn that the Penguin sent a decoy dressed as Black Canary to kill the Batman.  Batman's thought bubbles also reveal that the plan nearly succeeded, but when the impostor got close enough Batman could tell she was a natural blonde, whereas the Dinah Lance is not.

I present here the last two pages of the comic because they're full of Batman in action and a nearly-naked Black Canary.  It's cheesecake, but it works on me.

The odd turn at the end notwithstanding, this is a really fun story.  Most issues of The Brave and the Bold starring Batman that I've read were written by Bob Haney, and his storytelling... leaves some to be desired.  And yet, the ending does take a bizarre twist, but still, Fleisher's story works really well.  This same plot could have been farcical, but the seriousness of Fleisher's script and the beauty of Giordano's and Austin's art save it from going to far.

Probably the greatest achievement in this story is how well Fleisher depicts the Penguin as a cold-blooded and productive gangster.  He's not silly or stupid or spouting off puns or poetry pertaining to ornithology.  He's a killer; his methods get a little comic book-y at times, but he kills without drawing too much attention to himself.

Batman, as always, is Batman.  Black Canary doesn't get a whole lot of standout moments.  She beats up a couple of goons, but she's twice endangered, and one of those times isn't explained or justified.  She's reduced to damsel in distress...or rather damsel in undress.  Still, though, she manages to help Batman and she even kisses him very familiarly in the end.  And she's rarely looked as good as she does in this issue.  Both Giordano and Austin have worked on Black Canary before and they deserve a place on the list of Greatest Black Canary Artists.

Happy World Penguin Day!

Adventurous Woman: ADVENTURE COMICS #419

Continuing from yesterday's entry, the second part of "The Canary and the Cat" by Dennis O'Neill and Alex Toth originally published in Adventure Comics #419 in May 1972.

Once again, I haven't read this entire issue.  Black Canary's strip was published in the Black Canary Archives hardcover collection.  As such, I haven't read the Supergirl, Zatanna or other stories in this issue.  Maybe Anj from the Supergirl blog at Comic Box Commentary has read them.

If you didn't read the first part of the story, go back and check it out.  In case you browser is acting up or there's something wrong with your ability to click a link or homepage icon, I'll give you the short rundown.  A restless and unemployed Dinah finds work teaching Judo to the radical Women's Resistance League.  But not long after teaching them how to fight, they ambush her and she realizes their leader has some nefarious plan, the first part of which involves killing the Canary!

Now, the complete second part of O'Neill and Toth's story!

Oh man, even a glimpse of Toth's Catwoman is breathtaking!

Adventurous Woman: ADVENTURE COMICS #418

Throughout the '70s and a good chunk of the '80s, Black Canary appeared in backup stories of her own or with Green Arrow in the pages of World's Finest Comics, Detective Comics, and in a few notable cases, Adventure Comics.

In April 1972, Dinah appeared in Adventure Comics #418 in a story written by Dennis O'Neill and drawn by Alex Toth.  The story is reprinted in the Black Canary Archives hardcover collection.  I don't have the actual print comic, which sucks because I would love to read the Supergirl and Doctor Mid-Nite stories included.  Maybe Anj from Comic Box Commentary is familiar with the issue.

The story was untitled when first published in Adventure, but credited as "The Canary and the Cat" in the Archives collection.  Here now, the first part of O'Neill and Toth's story.  I've included the whole thing because, well, because I can't deprive anyone of Toth's luscious depiction of the character.

Come back tomorrow for part 2!

Super-Team Family: Black Canary and Black Bolt

With this past weekend's release of Iron Man 3 in theaters, I felt like dipping Black Canary's foot into the Marvel pond.  And what better way to do that than to spotlight one of the glorious DC/Marvel crossover covers created by Ross over at his Super-Team Family blog?

Below is the custom cover of Black Canary teaming up with the Inhumans king, Black Bolt…for a concert!  Terrific!

Courtesy of Super-Team Family: The Lost Issues blog.

The Dinah featured above was drawn by the wonderful Alex Toth, who contributed to the Black Canary back-up strip in Adventure Comics #418-419.

Check out Super-Team Family: The Lost Issues for many, many more DC/Marvel crossover covers!