This Week in Black Canary

I spent a whole lot of last week traveling and only managed to post my reviews of Action Comics Weekly and Flash Comics because I wrote them in advance.  As such, I don't have a review for what would be today's "Pretty Bird" installment.

But, hey, there is plenty of Black Canary news to appreciate this weekend!

First, there's this little bit of info that comics gossip publication Bleeding Cool ran last night, alleging that Black Canary's face will be grafted to Frankenstein's chest during Future's End!  As I tweeted, if this rumor turns out to be true, it's still not the worst treatment Black Canary's been given in the New 52.  Should I review those old Duane Swierczynski issues again?

Next, if you're able, check out the most recent episode of Arrow entitled "Birds of Prey" for the first meeting of Canary and Huntress!

Finally, if you read digital comics, or even if you just want to support Black Canary, her solo books are finally up on ComiXology--and for the next couple days, they're only 99 cents each!!!  There are also tons of great Green Arrow, Suicide Squad, Huntress and other books in the sale that goes for the rest of the month!

Also, according to the 1976 Super DC Calendar, today is the birthday of Ray Terrill...

Happy Birthday, Ray!

Black Canary Digital Sale on ComiXology

ComiXology is having a seven-day sale on DC comics related to Green Arrow and the characters appearing in the CW Network's Arrow this season.  This includes current and past Green Arrow comics, Roy Harper stories from Secret Origins and Titans, Deathstroke miniseries, the first Huntress series featuring Helena Bertinelli, some Suicide Squad issues, and, of course, a ton of Black Canary books that previously were not available digitally.

For the rest of the week, you can pick up Black Canary's "New Wings" miniseries from 1991, her twelve-issue ongoing from 1993, and her miniseries from 2007 that led up to her marriage to Green Arrow.  There are also a couple of issues of Birds of Prey and The Brave and the Bold included in this sale.

This sale is awesome because it means DC have finally gotten hip to the fact that Arrow is making Black Canary a high(er) profile character than she has been in forty years.  I've spent months tracking these comics down so I can blog about them in the future--and I will--so I was a little mad that now they're all cheaper and easier to buy digitally, but this will at least save me the time of scanning the pages I want to use for my reviews.

Anyway, quit reading this post and click over to ComiXology and go shopping!

Tom Taylor Promises More Black Canary in the Second Year of INJUSTICE

I heard the basic premise of Injustice: Gods Among Us, the digital-first comic based on the popular video game, and I scoffed.  Another superhero civil war?  Haven't we seen the good guys gone dark enough for one lifetime?  Do we really need another Batman vs. Superman?

But because the digital chapters were so cheap, I gave the first chapter a chance.  Not bad.  Because the series continued to sell better than anything on ComiXology, I picked up the next couple chapters.  By chapter 4, I was hooked.  The comic became as addictive as any great television series, due in no small part to its out-of-continuity freedom to shock readers with shocking plot twists and character deaths.

Series writer Tom Taylor gave an interview to Comic Vine yesterday where he talked about the success of the first year and what's to come next year.  You can check out the full interview right here, but I was particularly interested in the following exchange:

CV: Obviously you can't spoil anything, but could you elaborate a bit about what Injustice's future has in store for us when it returns in 2014? Will we see more characters thrown into the mix or do you plan on shining a spotlight on characters who haven't received much attention thus far? 

TT: There will definitely be characters we haven't seen before. Also, characters I deliberately underused in Year One, particularly Green Lantern, will have a big part to play in this. 

Also, if you think Black Canary is just going to go quiet after what happened to the love of her life, you're very wrong. 

And a special group of allies, namely Batwoman, Catwoman and Huntress, may be right there to help Dinah hunt her prey.

I have previously gushed about how much better I like Black Canary's costume in the Injustice comics than her New 52 look--I post an image of her from Injustice every Friday.  But so far I've never felt the compulsion to review the comic here because Dinah didn't have much to do in the first year.  The fate of other characters, though, definitely puts her in prime position to step up and take on a more active role in the sophomore season.

Taylor's comments, as well as the solicits for the second print issue, hint at Black Canary leading a new version of the Birds of Prey.  Can't wait!

From Injustice: Gods Among Us Chapter 25.
Art by Bruno Redondo.

The Origin of Black Canary: 2006

Back when DC was publishing 52--not the New 52, but the weekly series chronicling the year after Infinite Crisis--each issue included a backup two-page origin of a DC hero, villain or team.  Well, ComiXology has them all available for digital download for free!

Black Canary's origin, like most of them, was written by Mark Waid.  In a Word Balloon interview, Gail Simone once said that Mark Waid doesn't know how to write a bad comic book, and I tend to agree with her.  Waid is my favorite comic writer so it's nice to see him script this two page little origin for Dinah Laurel Lance.

The art, which surprised me, is supplied by the legendary Howard Chaykin, who blew my young, impressionable mind with Black Kiss.  His depiction of Dinah captures her physical strength, her loveliness, but also a sense of fun.  Plus, he draws her kicking Deathstroke in the crotch, and really, what else do you need?

So, since the origin is free and ComiXology and was once, if not now, available for free on DC's website, I'll include it here for your pleasure.  Enjoy!

[click to enlarge]