Black Canary by J. Scott Campbell

Over the weekend, I found this awesome Black Canary sketch by J. Scott Campbell over at Comic Vine.

The image is supposedly part of a "jam sketch" where multiple artists contribute to the whole, each adding a different character.  Campbell only posted this much to Instagram, so the entire cast of characters and artists is unknown, but you can definitely make out The Flash and Captain America under her (where they belong).

J. Scott Campbell has a very dynamic albeit gloriously cheesecake style.  I've always wanted to see him work on Black Canary or Birds of Prey, even if he only provided the covers.  I might have to track him down at a Con some day and commission my own sketch.

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.