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DC Archive Editions
The Black Canary: Bird of Prey
This bird won't be caged!
Rediscover the origin of DC’s original crime-fighting bird of prey in this collection of classic Golden and Silver Age tales!
Introduced in 1947 as a supporting character in the Johnny Thunder backup stories in Flash Comics, Black Canary became an instant hit with readers. After stealing Johnny Thunder’s thunder (so to speak), she earned her own starring feature that established her identity as Dinah Drake, a meek florist by day who dished out vigilante justice by night under the guise of the Black Canary.
Black Canary often found herself tangled in the cases of Larry Lance, a down-on-his-luck private eye who operated his detective agency out of Dinah’s flower shop. Whenever Larry found himself in way over his head, it was up to Black Canary’s fighting skills and knack for crime solving to save the day, which broke convention from the typical damsel-in-distress archetype of the era.
The Black Canary: Bird of Prey collects all of Dinah Drake’s early comic book appearances from Flash Comics plus other adventures written and illustrated by comic book legends such as Robert Kanigher, Gardner Fox Carmine Infantino, and Murphy Anderson. This edition features stories from Flash Comics #86-88, 90-104; Comic Cavalcade #25; DC Special #3; Adventure Comics #399, 418-419; and The Brave and the Bold #61-62.
Rediscover the origin of DC’s original crime-fighting bird of prey in this collection of classic Golden and Silver Age tales!
Introduced in 1947 as a supporting character in the Johnny Thunder backup stories in Flash Comics, Black Canary became an instant hit with readers. After stealing Johnny Thunder’s thunder (so to speak), she earned her own starring feature that established her identity as Dinah Drake, a meek florist by day who dished out vigilante justice by night under the guise of the Black Canary.
Black Canary often found herself tangled in the cases of Larry Lance, a down-on-his-luck private eye who operated his detective agency out of Dinah’s flower shop. Whenever Larry found himself in way over his head, it was up to Black Canary’s fighting skills and knack for crime solving to save the day, which broke convention from the typical damsel-in-distress archetype of the era.
The Black Canary: Bird of Prey collects all of Dinah Drake’s early comic book appearances from Flash Comics plus other adventures written and illustrated by comic book legends such as Robert Kanigher, Gardner Fox Carmine Infantino, and Murphy Anderson. This edition features stories from Flash Comics #86-88, 90-104; Comic Cavalcade #25; DC Special #3; Adventure Comics #399, 418-419; and The Brave and the Bold #61-62.
224 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2000
14 people are currently reading
153 people want to read
About the author
Gardner Francis Fox
1,194 books89 followersGardner Francis Cooper Fox was an American writer known best for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. Comic book historians estimate that he wrote more than 4,000 comics stories, including 1,500 for DC Comics.
Fox is known as the co-creator of DC Comics heroes the Flash, Hawkman, Doctor Fate and the original Sandman, and was the writer who first teamed those and other heroes as the Justice Society of America. Fox introduced the concept of the Multiverse to DC Comics in the 1961 story "Flash of Two Worlds!"
Pseudonyms: Gardner F. Fox, Jefferson Cooper, Bart Sommers, Paul Dean, Ray Gardner, Lynna Cooper, Rod Gray, Larry Dean, Robert Starr, Don Blake, Ed Blake, Warner Blake, Michael Blake, Tex Blane, Willis Blane, Ed Carlisle, Edgar Weston, Tex Slade, Eddie Duane, Simon Majors, James Kendricks, Troy Conway, Kevin Matthews, Glen Chase
Fox is known as the co-creator of DC Comics heroes the Flash, Hawkman, Doctor Fate and the original Sandman, and was the writer who first teamed those and other heroes as the Justice Society of America. Fox introduced the concept of the Multiverse to DC Comics in the 1961 story "Flash of Two Worlds!"
Pseudonyms: Gardner F. Fox, Jefferson Cooper, Bart Sommers, Paul Dean, Ray Gardner, Lynna Cooper, Rod Gray, Larry Dean, Robert Starr, Don Blake, Ed Blake, Warner Blake, Michael Blake, Tex Blane, Willis Blane, Ed Carlisle, Edgar Weston, Tex Slade, Eddie Duane, Simon Majors, James Kendricks, Troy Conway, Kevin Matthews, Glen Chase
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
March 28, 2021
I was never that impressed by Black Canary before, not having seen much of her in the comics, but this collection changed my mind. I can see why she was a breakout character in the '40s. She's strong and capable, able to outfight men, escape deathtraps, and solve weird crimes with the best of them, with no superpowers other than her jujitsu training and her wits, and a chin-operable choker locket that miraculously always contains exactly the gadget she needs to escape the deathtrap of the month. And while her costume is sexy, it's also strikingly practical, straightforward, and believable as action wear, despite the fishnets. It's really quite a well-designed costume. (Well, except for the pirate boots. They look like she'd trip over them a lot.)
The stories are short and formulaic, as you'd expect of backup tales from the era. Dinah Drake always gets drawn into one of Larry Lance's cases as Black Canary, she fights the bad guys effectively for a while, she almost invariably gets pistol-whipped on the back of the head (resistance to long-term brain injury must be her superpower), she and Larry have to escape a deathtrap, they win, final gag with Larry and Dinah, the end. But they're neat little noirish crime stories and Carmine Infantino's art is effective. At one point Robert Kanigher even seems to lampshade his own overuse of pistol-whipping, as BC feigns being driven mad by a blow to the head to get the villains off their guard.
Speaking of Kanigher, he really surprised me here. I know him mainly as the author of the really sexist Wonder Woman and Lois Lane comics in the '50s and '60s, so it's quite surprising how strong and empowered Black Canary is. She's a real force to be reckoned with, and though she hate-flirts with Larry, she never wastes a moment pining about her love life or longing for marriage. So maybe the sexism of those Silver Age comics was less about Kanigher's own values and more about adapting his writing to the gender values and limitations of the era.
The stories are short and formulaic, as you'd expect of backup tales from the era. Dinah Drake always gets drawn into one of Larry Lance's cases as Black Canary, she fights the bad guys effectively for a while, she almost invariably gets pistol-whipped on the back of the head (resistance to long-term brain injury must be her superpower), she and Larry have to escape a deathtrap, they win, final gag with Larry and Dinah, the end. But they're neat little noirish crime stories and Carmine Infantino's art is effective. At one point Robert Kanigher even seems to lampshade his own overuse of pistol-whipping, as BC feigns being driven mad by a blow to the head to get the villains off their guard.
Speaking of Kanigher, he really surprised me here. I know him mainly as the author of the really sexist Wonder Woman and Lois Lane comics in the '50s and '60s, so it's quite surprising how strong and empowered Black Canary is. She's a real force to be reckoned with, and though she hate-flirts with Larry, she never wastes a moment pining about her love life or longing for marriage. So maybe the sexism of those Silver Age comics was less about Kanigher's own values and more about adapting his writing to the gender values and limitations of the era.
November 7, 2008
Who's the superheroine with the tiny bolero jacket and fishnets whose glamorously blonde hair never loses its sheen and bounce? Why, it's Black Canary, the sexiest crime fighter of the DC comics Golden Age. Dinah Drake, not-so glamorous florist by day fights crime as Black Canary at night.
Masterfully drawn by Carmine Infantino as always, each story is a delight and I was sad to see the book end. She never did live past her 1940's cool, all updates have been atrocious so stick with the early stuff, all collected here.
Masterfully drawn by Carmine Infantino as always, each story is a delight and I was sad to see the book end. She never did live past her 1940's cool, all updates have been atrocious so stick with the early stuff, all collected here.
July 24, 2017
I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I went into it not expecting a whole lot. But the writing was great. Overnight I became fan of Robert Kanigher as a Golden Age author. The reparte between Dinah Drake (Black Canary) and Larry Lance (detective) made their relationship entertaining. These are some classic 40's-style pulp stories, but with a twist... in this case, the "dame" is always rescuing the detective from harm. And all the while, the detective takes all the credit. It's formulaic because this pattern repeats itself in every story but it's done in an entertaining way.
After the 1940's run in Flash Comics, they included two previously unpublished Golden Age Black Canary stories. Then there are two stories from the 60's that are pretty dull: in one Black Canary teams with Starman against the Mist, and in the other she teams with Starman and Wildcat against Sportsmaster and Huntress (a villain, not the one from the Batman family). And lastly there is the 2-parter by Dennis O'Neil from the 1970's called "The Cat and the Canary".
I enjoyed the 40's stories much more than the rest, and fortunately they make up the bulk of this volume.
This volume reprints:
Flash Comics #86-104
Comic Calvacade #25
DC Special #3
Adventure Comics #399, 418-9
The Brave and the Bold #61-62
After the 1940's run in Flash Comics, they included two previously unpublished Golden Age Black Canary stories. Then there are two stories from the 60's that are pretty dull: in one Black Canary teams with Starman against the Mist, and in the other she teams with Starman and Wildcat against Sportsmaster and Huntress (a villain, not the one from the Batman family). And lastly there is the 2-parter by Dennis O'Neil from the 1970's called "The Cat and the Canary".
I enjoyed the 40's stories much more than the rest, and fortunately they make up the bulk of this volume.
This volume reprints:
Flash Comics #86-104
Comic Calvacade #25
DC Special #3
Adventure Comics #399, 418-9
The Brave and the Bold #61-62
April 1, 2021
DC's original bird of prey, the Black Canary, strikes! If you're a fan of Canary like I am, you'll love this collection of her hard-to-find original stories. Florist by day, crimefighter by night, Dinah Drake was charging into fishnets and adventures long before she ever met Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow. A large part of this book is devoted to her 1940s appearances. Nicely packaged, they're formulaic but fun, with gorgeous noirish artwork and simple stories that still hold up. Black Canary is glamorous, capable, and always the star. I could have passed on two later team-ups with Starman, which are a lot less thrilling, mostly because the villains are extra corny and Dinah comes across like a Donna Reed housewife after 100+ pages of independently overtaking underworld criminals. But the final tale, a bopping, sensational 2-parter beautifully illustrated by Alex Toth, is so iconic that you don't need any other reason to add this collection to your bookshelf. It's worth it for this story alone!
I do hope DC collects more of Black Canary's solo stories, like her Action Comics Weekly feature and her early 90s series by Byam and Von Eeden - maybe for her 75th anniversary next year? Hint hint, DC.
I do hope DC collects more of Black Canary's solo stories, like her Action Comics Weekly feature and her early 90s series by Byam and Von Eeden - maybe for her 75th anniversary next year? Hint hint, DC.
March 17, 2021
A paperback edition of the long out-of-print BLACK CANARY ARCHIVES, the volume collects all of Black Canary's golden age and silver age adventures. JSA members Johnny Thunder, Starman, and Wildcat make appearances in some of the stories. The only thing that could have made this collection even better would have been the inclusion of the JSA story where she was granted membership and her secret origin from the 1970s.
April 16, 2013
This book traces the stories of the Black Canary, one of DC's longest standing superheroines from her first appearance in Flash Comics #86 in 1947 as a supporting character in the Johnny Thunder series through her through her getting her own ongoing feature in Flash Comics and her re-emergence in the Silver and Bronze Ages of comics.
Overall, I have to say the book was not all that impressive. It practically screams, "Lesser collection" from its all two brief 2/3 of a page intro to the end, it's clear that Black Canary is strictly a B-list superheroine.
This isn't to say the book isn't fun. It was interesting to see her rise from the serious character in a comedy strip to the star of her own crime strip. Along the way, her exact "powers" varied. After her appearance in the mystical Johnny Thunder series, she was able to summon a herd of Black Canaries-a power that was used again. Mostly, she was a tough two fisted Judo artist in shorts and fishnet stockings who fought crime. Most of her standalone stories are almost exactly the same: Mystery arises, she changes into the Black Canary to help out detective Larry Lance, the two are caught in an improbable death trap, they escape, catch the bad guys, and Black Canary makes a subtle sarcastic remark in her true identity as Diana Drake. The formula was necessitated by each story having to be 6-7 pages long. The best one in the book was 10 pages long.
70% through, The book also features her return in D.C.'s Team Up magazine Brave and the Bold with Starman, another B character from the golden age. They appeared in back to back issues. Why exactly these two were paired, I don't know. They worked okay together and their adventures were fun.
Finally, we get a two party story from 1971 written by Dennis O'Neil. The story was reminiscent of many of the Batgirl stories he did about the same time in Detective Comics and features the only well-known super villain to make an appearance.
Overall, Black Canary's stories weren't the best and as a character she was far from the best non-super powered crimefighter in the Golden Age of comics. Both Phantom Lady and Lady Luck were far better though their having originally appeared in Quality Comics, we don't hear much about them. However, Black Canary's adventures are good for what they are: fun and strictly formulaic stories with a female protagonist.
Overall, I have to say the book was not all that impressive. It practically screams, "Lesser collection" from its all two brief 2/3 of a page intro to the end, it's clear that Black Canary is strictly a B-list superheroine.
This isn't to say the book isn't fun. It was interesting to see her rise from the serious character in a comedy strip to the star of her own crime strip. Along the way, her exact "powers" varied. After her appearance in the mystical Johnny Thunder series, she was able to summon a herd of Black Canaries-a power that was used again. Mostly, she was a tough two fisted Judo artist in shorts and fishnet stockings who fought crime. Most of her standalone stories are almost exactly the same: Mystery arises, she changes into the Black Canary to help out detective Larry Lance, the two are caught in an improbable death trap, they escape, catch the bad guys, and Black Canary makes a subtle sarcastic remark in her true identity as Diana Drake. The formula was necessitated by each story having to be 6-7 pages long. The best one in the book was 10 pages long.
70% through, The book also features her return in D.C.'s Team Up magazine Brave and the Bold with Starman, another B character from the golden age. They appeared in back to back issues. Why exactly these two were paired, I don't know. They worked okay together and their adventures were fun.
Finally, we get a two party story from 1971 written by Dennis O'Neil. The story was reminiscent of many of the Batgirl stories he did about the same time in Detective Comics and features the only well-known super villain to make an appearance.
Overall, Black Canary's stories weren't the best and as a character she was far from the best non-super powered crimefighter in the Golden Age of comics. Both Phantom Lady and Lady Luck were far better though their having originally appeared in Quality Comics, we don't hear much about them. However, Black Canary's adventures are good for what they are: fun and strictly formulaic stories with a female protagonist.
March 10, 2025
My introduction to Black Canary was in her 2015 solo run, right when I first got into comics, and I've wanted to go back and read some of her earliest stuff. I think the presentation of this collection is very well done, and makes an easy starting point for early Black Canary comics. I enjoyed getting to see her early appearances, especially since I've not read many 40s and 50s comics, but I found the stories very repetitive and formulaic. I don't think this would have bothered me if I read a new one weekly or monthly, but back to back it really stands out. Overall though, I found the individual issues funny and engaging. I always forget that DC stands for Detective Comics until I read one and there's more mystery solving than super powers!
I also understand not including every comic, but near the end I thought it jumped forward a bit much without explanation. In all previous comics, Larry does not know about Dinah's identity, and then suddenly they are married and he knows. I would have liked to see the comic where this happens included in the collection. The last comic included seemed to jump ahead even further, having Dinah as a widow and in a relationship with Green Arrow. Again, this felt like it skipped some important points that could have been included. I think even including a timeline of important plots or issues could have been beneficial to the collection.
Overall, I think that this is a worthwhile read for Black Canary fans to see her origins, but I think better organization could have improved the reading experience.
I also understand not including every comic, but near the end I thought it jumped forward a bit much without explanation. In all previous comics, Larry does not know about Dinah's identity, and then suddenly they are married and he knows. I would have liked to see the comic where this happens included in the collection. The last comic included seemed to jump ahead even further, having Dinah as a widow and in a relationship with Green Arrow. Again, this felt like it skipped some important points that could have been included. I think even including a timeline of important plots or issues could have been beneficial to the collection.
Overall, I think that this is a worthwhile read for Black Canary fans to see her origins, but I think better organization could have improved the reading experience.
October 3, 2014
Excellent reprint volume of all of the Canary's solo golden age adventures, as well as some silver age stories with Starman and Wildcat. The final Johnny Thunder tales from Flash Comics are also included. Fun if dated stories, though someone at DC loved knocking Black Canary out, as she was kayoed in 14 of her 18 original adventures.
December 8, 2024
3.5 stars
I'm a huge fan of Black Canary. I was first introduced to her in the Birds of Prey movie and then dove into the comics of 2000s and early 2010s. And as a completionist I felt the urge to go back to the very beginning of the character. This collection was my first experience with Golden Age comics and I'm happy to say it was a largely positive one. Diving into the history of Black Canary as a character and seeing the elements of her character that were there from the very beginning and endure to this day was was fascinating.
This volume can be split into three distinct periods. The first is Black Canary's origins as a supporting character in the Flash Comics series Johnny Thunder. These comics were the most tedious to get through but only because Johnny Thunder himself is a very uninteresting lead. Regardless in these early outings it's easy to see why Black Canary was spun off into her own solo series. Here she plays the familiar role of the femme fatale and her hyper-competence and take no shit attitude made for an exciting counterpart to Johnny Thunder who was solely defined by his bumbling ineptitude.
We then move on to Black Canary's solo adventures where Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino establish her backstory as florist Dinah Drake who solves crimes as vigilante Black Canary. Dinah as Black Canary frequently teams up with perpetually broke private detective Larry Lance to solve murders, thefts and other crimes. Her villains include standard 1940s mobsters and the occasional mad scientists. And while these stories were a tad repetitive (especially when read back to back) there was an undeniable charm to them.
A lot of it comes from Dinah's dynamic with Larry. I love the way Kanigher often inverted gender roles having Larry be the damsel in distress while Dinah's quick wit and convenient escape tools in hidden her canary shaped collar got them out of snags. Beyond that Larry and Dinah's rapport in and out of costume was pure fun. Their back and forth banter was always a delight to read. And the stories often played with Dinah's secret identity in fun ways. She always knowingly teased Larry about his relationship with Black Canary as Dinah with a wink and nod to the audience about the irony of it all.
The latter half of the volume sees some of Black Canary's adventures in the 60s and 70s and it was fascinating to see her recontextualized in the Silver Age. In Gardner Fox's stories we see Black Canary team up with other Golden Age heroes Starman and Wildcat to defeat Sportsmaster and Tigress, two supervillains on a crime spree, and Starman's old rival the Mist. I really appreciated seeing the care Fox had for Dinah as Kanigher wrote her. Not only did he maintain original elements of her backstory like her running a flower shop, he even expanded her character with her and Larry getting married off-screen which as a huge fan of the couple was a sweet thing to see.
These team ups were also interesting to read because it's the first time in this volume we see Dinah face on true supervillains. Sportsmaster and Tigress were delightfully campy as crime-loving couple cooking up the most hair-brained schemes. Dinah gets to show off her martial arts against Tigress and her rapport with Starman both here and in their team up against the Mist was a fun time and introduced and endeared me to Ted Knight.
Unfortunately, I didn't love the final story in the volume by Denis O'Neil. This adventure from the 70s is really out of place in the collection as a story about Dinah Lance, the more famous second Black Canary. And placing them side by side the differences between the two characters is jarring. O'Neil here introduces Black Canary as obsessed with Green Arrow in a way I didn't like at all. Dinah Drake in the Kanigher stories in the 40s and Fox's work in the 60s works with men but never feels subsumed by them. But here Dinah gets kidnapped and only finds the strength to escape by remembering some inspirational words from Green Arrow. It felt like such a jarring character regression that didn't sit well with me.
But overall despite ending on a bit of a dud I'm so glad to have read this collection. I loved learning about the history of one of my favourite superheroes and a had a great time with the adventures of the Black Canary.
I'm a huge fan of Black Canary. I was first introduced to her in the Birds of Prey movie and then dove into the comics of 2000s and early 2010s. And as a completionist I felt the urge to go back to the very beginning of the character. This collection was my first experience with Golden Age comics and I'm happy to say it was a largely positive one. Diving into the history of Black Canary as a character and seeing the elements of her character that were there from the very beginning and endure to this day was was fascinating.
This volume can be split into three distinct periods. The first is Black Canary's origins as a supporting character in the Flash Comics series Johnny Thunder. These comics were the most tedious to get through but only because Johnny Thunder himself is a very uninteresting lead. Regardless in these early outings it's easy to see why Black Canary was spun off into her own solo series. Here she plays the familiar role of the femme fatale and her hyper-competence and take no shit attitude made for an exciting counterpart to Johnny Thunder who was solely defined by his bumbling ineptitude.
We then move on to Black Canary's solo adventures where Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino establish her backstory as florist Dinah Drake who solves crimes as vigilante Black Canary. Dinah as Black Canary frequently teams up with perpetually broke private detective Larry Lance to solve murders, thefts and other crimes. Her villains include standard 1940s mobsters and the occasional mad scientists. And while these stories were a tad repetitive (especially when read back to back) there was an undeniable charm to them.
A lot of it comes from Dinah's dynamic with Larry. I love the way Kanigher often inverted gender roles having Larry be the damsel in distress while Dinah's quick wit and convenient escape tools in hidden her canary shaped collar got them out of snags. Beyond that Larry and Dinah's rapport in and out of costume was pure fun. Their back and forth banter was always a delight to read. And the stories often played with Dinah's secret identity in fun ways. She always knowingly teased Larry about his relationship with Black Canary as Dinah with a wink and nod to the audience about the irony of it all.
The latter half of the volume sees some of Black Canary's adventures in the 60s and 70s and it was fascinating to see her recontextualized in the Silver Age. In Gardner Fox's stories we see Black Canary team up with other Golden Age heroes Starman and Wildcat to defeat Sportsmaster and Tigress, two supervillains on a crime spree, and Starman's old rival the Mist. I really appreciated seeing the care Fox had for Dinah as Kanigher wrote her. Not only did he maintain original elements of her backstory like her running a flower shop, he even expanded her character with her and Larry getting married off-screen which as a huge fan of the couple was a sweet thing to see.
These team ups were also interesting to read because it's the first time in this volume we see Dinah face on true supervillains. Sportsmaster and Tigress were delightfully campy as crime-loving couple cooking up the most hair-brained schemes. Dinah gets to show off her martial arts against Tigress and her rapport with Starman both here and in their team up against the Mist was a fun time and introduced and endeared me to Ted Knight.
Unfortunately, I didn't love the final story in the volume by Denis O'Neil. This adventure from the 70s is really out of place in the collection as a story about Dinah Lance, the more famous second Black Canary. And placing them side by side the differences between the two characters is jarring. O'Neil here introduces Black Canary as obsessed with Green Arrow in a way I didn't like at all. Dinah Drake in the Kanigher stories in the 40s and Fox's work in the 60s works with men but never feels subsumed by them. But here Dinah gets kidnapped and only finds the strength to escape by remembering some inspirational words from Green Arrow. It felt like such a jarring character regression that didn't sit well with me.
But overall despite ending on a bit of a dud I'm so glad to have read this collection. I loved learning about the history of one of my favourite superheroes and a had a great time with the adventures of the Black Canary.
December 9, 2025
The Black Canary: Bird of Prey Is A Wonderful Trip Through Some Of Black Canary's Golden Age Tales
This is an assorted collection of The Black Canary's Pre-Crisis and Golden Age adventures. It is written and illustrated by a veritable who's who of DC's finest writers and artists from the Golden and Silver Ages. The artwork is gorgeous to look at. I swear that DC must've remastered the stories included in this collection because they look simply amazing 💖.
The selection of stories showcased in this book highlight The Black Canary more as a vigilante than as the sonic scream wielding superhero that she eventually becomes. I don't mind seeing a different iteration of The Black Canary because it allowed me to get to know her as if she was a brand-new character and really enjoy all the stories included in this collection. I have never read any of these stories before that are included in this collection. This was a really nice trip down comic book history lane for me with these stories and I highly recommend checking this collection out because the stories reprinted in this book are all Pre-Crisis DC stories and those don't get reprinted too often because the artwork usually looks very faded in those stories unless they're Batman, Superman, or Wonder Woman's Golden Age tales than they
look timeless too 💖.
So buy this book, sit back and relax, and take a stroll back through time to a simpler era where a full comic book story was told in just one issue 🙂. Enjoy and Ciao 😄☕👋!
This is an assorted collection of The Black Canary's Pre-Crisis and Golden Age adventures. It is written and illustrated by a veritable who's who of DC's finest writers and artists from the Golden and Silver Ages. The artwork is gorgeous to look at. I swear that DC must've remastered the stories included in this collection because they look simply amazing 💖.
The selection of stories showcased in this book highlight The Black Canary more as a vigilante than as the sonic scream wielding superhero that she eventually becomes. I don't mind seeing a different iteration of The Black Canary because it allowed me to get to know her as if she was a brand-new character and really enjoy all the stories included in this collection. I have never read any of these stories before that are included in this collection. This was a really nice trip down comic book history lane for me with these stories and I highly recommend checking this collection out because the stories reprinted in this book are all Pre-Crisis DC stories and those don't get reprinted too often because the artwork usually looks very faded in those stories unless they're Batman, Superman, or Wonder Woman's Golden Age tales than they
look timeless too 💖.
So buy this book, sit back and relax, and take a stroll back through time to a simpler era where a full comic book story was told in just one issue 🙂. Enjoy and Ciao 😄☕👋!
March 20, 2019
Black Canary has always been one of those characters I enjoy seeing in stories, but I've never gone out of my way to seek her out. Until I recently (summer of '18) discovered the Black Canary Archives existed. I put in a request at the library, and a mere six months later it became available to me. Sweet!
The vast majority of stories were 6-8 pages, one at 9 pages. Usually, Larry Lance "assisted" her. (He eventually married her, though not directly shown in this book.) Various crimes take place, but not until the last story does anything approaching a super-villain appear (The Mist). (My memory might be causing me to lie to you on this point.)
In the beginning, she was portrayed as a criminal was, a shock to me, to say the least, though it seemed more of a ruse so she could accomplish what she wanted. Fortunately, over a few short stories, this side of the character went away.
The story with the Mist as the criminal also starred Starman (Ted Knight), and I read this one as a young lad. I was immediately taken back to my childhood for good or for bad upon reading this. I'm glad to know I enjoyed this as much as an adult as I did as a child.
Lots of fun. The early artwork is very dark (lots of blacks, heavy inking I guess), and it's hard to make out details. Still, well worth reading. Many of the stories are above simple (definitely above for the time), and I would love to see more modern takes in an anthology TV show, The Canary Sings, or some such.
The vast majority of stories were 6-8 pages, one at 9 pages. Usually, Larry Lance "assisted" her. (He eventually married her, though not directly shown in this book.) Various crimes take place, but not until the last story does anything approaching a super-villain appear (The Mist). (My memory might be causing me to lie to you on this point.)
In the beginning, she was portrayed as a criminal was, a shock to me, to say the least, though it seemed more of a ruse so she could accomplish what she wanted. Fortunately, over a few short stories, this side of the character went away.
The story with the Mist as the criminal also starred Starman (Ted Knight), and I read this one as a young lad. I was immediately taken back to my childhood for good or for bad upon reading this. I'm glad to know I enjoyed this as much as an adult as I did as a child.
Lots of fun. The early artwork is very dark (lots of blacks, heavy inking I guess), and it's hard to make out details. Still, well worth reading. Many of the stories are above simple (definitely above for the time), and I would love to see more modern takes in an anthology TV show, The Canary Sings, or some such.
June 11, 2025
The was a fun collection of Black Canary comics, mostly from the 1940s, but a few from the 60s and 70s. I admit to not knowing anything about the character of Black Canary or really any of the other characters in the collected stories before reading. My favorite stories for it were the ones with the true mystery/detective setup. Black Canary has a day job as Dinah Drake, owner of her own flower shop, which leads to more to significantly more criminal activity than one might expect! She frequently needs to quick-change into her Black Canary disguise in order to save the day. Her partner in crime (or crime-solving rather) is Larry Lance, a private detective whose office is in Dinah's flower shop though he is unaware of her superhero identity.
I appreciated that for most of the comics, Dinah's primary concern was not romance, but fighting bad guys with quick thinking and unexplained judo skills. She was never a damsel in distress for long and always found a way out of the fantastically convoluted plots with or without the help of her male counterpart. This feels pretty progressive for the 1940s.
I was less impressed by the 1960s revival of the character which had her married off to Larry Lance and increasingly tied to Starman. However, I am definitely interested in seeing what the Black Canary has been up to since!
I appreciated that for most of the comics, Dinah's primary concern was not romance, but fighting bad guys with quick thinking and unexplained judo skills. She was never a damsel in distress for long and always found a way out of the fantastically convoluted plots with or without the help of her male counterpart. This feels pretty progressive for the 1940s.
I was less impressed by the 1960s revival of the character which had her married off to Larry Lance and increasingly tied to Starman. However, I am definitely interested in seeing what the Black Canary has been up to since!
February 2, 2026
Worth reading for the Kanigher stories, which get repetitive but are still a fun introduction to the earliest version of Black Canary. I love that Dinah is a kickass heroine in her own right, and can frequently be found pulling Larry Lance out of danger. The dynamic between the two of them is great, and while Dinah's quips can be corny, they are also pretty funny (and the cheesiness is really part of the charm).
Honestly, I wish I'd stopped reading once the book shifted to stories by other authors. The stories with Starman are felt convoluted and overly explained. The final story for some reason, without any explanation or context, seems to feature the second Black Canary, and the vibe of the story was off for me, especially compared with the earlier stories. None of these final three arcs felt like they fit with the first two-thirds of the book. I'm honestly a bit confused about why this selection of comics was selected for a single book.
Honestly, I wish I'd stopped reading once the book shifted to stories by other authors. The stories with Starman are felt convoluted and overly explained. The final story for some reason, without any explanation or context, seems to feature the second Black Canary, and the vibe of the story was off for me, especially compared with the earlier stories. None of these final three arcs felt like they fit with the first two-thirds of the book. I'm honestly a bit confused about why this selection of comics was selected for a single book.
May 16, 2025
As a fan of the more famous Canary I was interested to read some adventures of the first. While formulaic, this was more entertaining than I expected golden age comics to be.
The first stories with Johnny Thunder are just alright, and the final inclusion feels out of place but the rest are good, especially the team ups. It still has all the improbable death traps and convoluted plans of the era, but the vast majority of the enemies are criminals not supervillains.
I can't compare the quality to other 50s comics or say if it's missing anything but this was a solid read, albeit one for huge fans or whoever even knows about Dinah Drake.
The first stories with Johnny Thunder are just alright, and the final inclusion feels out of place but the rest are good, especially the team ups. It still has all the improbable death traps and convoluted plans of the era, but the vast majority of the enemies are criminals not supervillains.
I can't compare the quality to other 50s comics or say if it's missing anything but this was a solid read, albeit one for huge fans or whoever even knows about Dinah Drake.
November 4, 2023
Black Canary is one of my favorite DC heroes and she doesn’t get enough love. It’s frankly stupid that it took this long for some of her earliest adventures to get a release in this way. Super stoked that they did though. Really fun book full of cliched but awesome crime stories featuring the og black canary, and one with her daughter (or alternate universe hopping original self, I don’t care, it’s her daughter).
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
February 4, 2024
Three because I'm a comics nerd who loves having all Dinah's Golden Age adventures, not because they're that good. Typically her stories begin with a good mystery hook, then lose steam as they progress — plus there's the story where she saves the day with an (unexplained and never referenced again) power to summon flocks of canaries to help her. The best bit is the two Silver Age teamups with Starman; Denny O'Neil's story from a few years later is painfully sexist.
September 8, 2018
Nice collection showcasing the titular character. The bulk of the entries are from the 40’s so the stories tend to become redundant if reading in one sitting like I did. My favorite thing about that era is the style of art so its still very nice to take the time admiring it especially with the coloring job done here.
Read
August 29, 2023black canary slay queen! she's a fun gal doing noir crime stuff in the 40s comics. the 60s/70s comics are largely blah (especially those starman collabs), but the final comic in this collection by denny o'neil is wonderfully illustrated by alex toth.
November 24, 2023
*çiçekçinde chille*
*şüpheli çiçek siparişi gelsin*
*larry ile ayrılıp araştırmaya gidin*
*bayıltılıp kaçırılın*
*canary dedektif gadgetlık yapsın ve kurtulun*
*kötü adamları dövün*
*larry dinah’ya canaryi övsün*
<200 sayfa tekrarla>
*şüpheli çiçek siparişi gelsin*
*larry ile ayrılıp araştırmaya gidin*
*bayıltılıp kaçırılın*
*canary dedektif gadgetlık yapsın ve kurtulun*
*kötü adamları dövün*
*larry dinah’ya canaryi övsün*
<200 sayfa tekrarla>
August 18, 2020
Nice to see a women from the golden age kick some ass
January 6, 2025
i just found out that it was a wig.
March 7, 2019
Picture Robert Mitchum in fishnet stockings and pirate boots.
No wait, don't do that. Do the opposite of that. Forget I even mentioned it. The point I was trying to get across is that these stories remind me of the old black and white b mysteries from the 30's and 40's, movies like The bat and the Crime Doctor and Bulldog Drummond series, or any of the Monogram or republic mysteries. Like the best of those movies, the stories in this volume are atmospheric, fun and feature some snappy writing.
To the world at large Dinah Drake is a mild mannered florist, but we the reader also know her as her crime-clouting alter ego, Black Canary!! The Canary started out as a jiu-jitsu expert and master thief who stole only from other thieves and who eventually dropped the whole thieving bit and concentrated on clouting crime. She had a few partners along the way, including Johnny Thunder and his Thunderbolt, Starman, and private detective Larry Lance, with whom she traded quips and eventually marriage vows.
The Black Canary is tough savvy and sexy and so are most of her stories. I'd put this volume right up there with the Golden Age Sandman, the Specter and Dr. Fate as some of the best of the DC Archives.
Here's a peek at some of the stories inside:
Flash Comics #86-The Black Canary!! -In the Canary's origin she sweet talks Johnny Thunder into helping her pilfer a valuable jewel from criminal "Socks" Slade. Just what kind of criminal is known for his socks anyway?
Flash Comics #88-The Map that wasn't There! -The Black canary slips an actual black canary along with a map showing the location of some hidden loot, into a pie and mails it to Johnny Thunder in case blackguards capture her. She does get captured and now her life is in Johnny's hands. Wuh-oh!!
Flash Comics #92-The Huntress of the Highway! -This is the first appearance of Dinah Drake's flower shop and private detective Larry Lance. The Canary starts out trying to K.O. a gang of truck hijackers and ends up tied to a log, drifting over a waterfall!
Comics Cavalcade #25-Tune of Terror! -A mailbox, a fire hydrant and a street lamp attack a young man. Black Canary agrees to help him and ends up tied to something again, this time a giant spinning phonograph record! She foils the bad guys with her jiu-jitsu and her spell-casting abilities. Spell-casting abilities? Maybe the writer confused her with Zatanna?
Flash Comics #93-Mystery of the Crimson Crystal-Dinah teams up with Larry Lance to show up a sneaky swami who is bilking rich folks out of millions. Will B.C. and L.L survive when the swami decrees they serve as a blood sacrifice? Are you new?
Flash Comics #94-Corsage of Death!! -There's some great banter here between Larry Lance and Dinah Drake. L.L. and the Canary tackle some armored car bandits who use something called a Photon Smasher to crack open the armored cars they rob. But what will happen to Black Canary when the Photon Smasher is aimed at her?
Flash Comics #95-An Orchid for the Deceased-Black Canary fights a death match with a murderous imposter high atop the titular gargoyle at Gargoyle Head Lake. Plus more priceless badinage between Dinah and Larry!
Flash Comics #98-The Byzantine Black-Black Canary faces blazing .45's, death traps and a wise-acre partner as she tries to recover a rare and priceless stamp.
Flash Comics #103-The Mystery on Ice! -Larry and Dinah go on an ice skating date in hopes of finding romance and as usual wind up caught in an insidious death trap instead. Won't these crazy kids ever get together?
Adventure Comics #418-The Canary and the Cat!! -It's the ultimate bombshell throw down, Black Canary vs. Catwoman! Chick fight!! Chick Fight!!!
Robert Kanigher, Carmine Infantino, Denny O'Neil, Gardner Fox, Alex Toth and Joe Giella among others handle the creative chores.
Side note: If you're a Wildcat fan like I am, you'll want to know that there's a great sequence in a later story where Wildcat boxes a polar bear and a kangaroo (separately, of course).
No wait, don't do that. Do the opposite of that. Forget I even mentioned it. The point I was trying to get across is that these stories remind me of the old black and white b mysteries from the 30's and 40's, movies like The bat and the Crime Doctor and Bulldog Drummond series, or any of the Monogram or republic mysteries. Like the best of those movies, the stories in this volume are atmospheric, fun and feature some snappy writing.
To the world at large Dinah Drake is a mild mannered florist, but we the reader also know her as her crime-clouting alter ego, Black Canary!! The Canary started out as a jiu-jitsu expert and master thief who stole only from other thieves and who eventually dropped the whole thieving bit and concentrated on clouting crime. She had a few partners along the way, including Johnny Thunder and his Thunderbolt, Starman, and private detective Larry Lance, with whom she traded quips and eventually marriage vows.
The Black Canary is tough savvy and sexy and so are most of her stories. I'd put this volume right up there with the Golden Age Sandman, the Specter and Dr. Fate as some of the best of the DC Archives.
Here's a peek at some of the stories inside:
Flash Comics #86-The Black Canary!! -In the Canary's origin she sweet talks Johnny Thunder into helping her pilfer a valuable jewel from criminal "Socks" Slade. Just what kind of criminal is known for his socks anyway?
Flash Comics #88-The Map that wasn't There! -The Black canary slips an actual black canary along with a map showing the location of some hidden loot, into a pie and mails it to Johnny Thunder in case blackguards capture her. She does get captured and now her life is in Johnny's hands. Wuh-oh!!
Flash Comics #92-The Huntress of the Highway! -This is the first appearance of Dinah Drake's flower shop and private detective Larry Lance. The Canary starts out trying to K.O. a gang of truck hijackers and ends up tied to a log, drifting over a waterfall!
Comics Cavalcade #25-Tune of Terror! -A mailbox, a fire hydrant and a street lamp attack a young man. Black Canary agrees to help him and ends up tied to something again, this time a giant spinning phonograph record! She foils the bad guys with her jiu-jitsu and her spell-casting abilities. Spell-casting abilities? Maybe the writer confused her with Zatanna?
Flash Comics #93-Mystery of the Crimson Crystal-Dinah teams up with Larry Lance to show up a sneaky swami who is bilking rich folks out of millions. Will B.C. and L.L survive when the swami decrees they serve as a blood sacrifice? Are you new?
Flash Comics #94-Corsage of Death!! -There's some great banter here between Larry Lance and Dinah Drake. L.L. and the Canary tackle some armored car bandits who use something called a Photon Smasher to crack open the armored cars they rob. But what will happen to Black Canary when the Photon Smasher is aimed at her?
Flash Comics #95-An Orchid for the Deceased-Black Canary fights a death match with a murderous imposter high atop the titular gargoyle at Gargoyle Head Lake. Plus more priceless badinage between Dinah and Larry!
Flash Comics #98-The Byzantine Black-Black Canary faces blazing .45's, death traps and a wise-acre partner as she tries to recover a rare and priceless stamp.
Flash Comics #103-The Mystery on Ice! -Larry and Dinah go on an ice skating date in hopes of finding romance and as usual wind up caught in an insidious death trap instead. Won't these crazy kids ever get together?
Adventure Comics #418-The Canary and the Cat!! -It's the ultimate bombshell throw down, Black Canary vs. Catwoman! Chick fight!! Chick Fight!!!
Robert Kanigher, Carmine Infantino, Denny O'Neil, Gardner Fox, Alex Toth and Joe Giella among others handle the creative chores.
Side note: If you're a Wildcat fan like I am, you'll want to know that there's a great sequence in a later story where Wildcat boxes a polar bear and a kangaroo (separately, of course).
July 29, 2016
Old DC comics are so, so weird. Just the barest sketches of character and plot, and if you go in with very little knowledge of the hero in question (like I often do with these), there's not much that separates one hero from another. The fact that Batman was given a world that had some consistent landmarks, and a backstory, and some villains, basically makes his early stories look like Wuthering Heights compared to most other comics of the time period.
Even with all this in mind, the earliest Black Canary stories make no sense at all -- she's introduced as a femme fatale for a character I'd never heard of named Johnny Thunder, who's sort of a bumbling doofus who happens to have an ass-kicking genie named Thunderbolt for a best friend. JT was essentially a humor comic, and in that, it's sort of interesting that his stories were used as a platform to introduce a noirish female judo expert antihero.
That said, the stories rely so completely on 'comic book logic' that I can hardly believe grown men wrote them at all. There's one story in which a gang of thieves set up a two-story mirror in the middle of a highway, so that passing cargo truck drivers will see themselves reflected and swerve to avoid collision, unwittingly driving into a hidden LARGER cargo truck owned by the thieves, who then pilfer whatever goods they've ensnared.
That's one of the more coherent plots in the first half of the book. Oh, they're doozies.
In later stories, Black Canary comes into her own (somewhat) and is given an alter ego as a florist named Dinah Drake, who regularly has to save a local cute but overconfident detective named Larry Lance from running afoul of his own cases. Still no real backstory, nor any explanation of how she became a world-class judo expert, but the interplay between Larry and Dinah is pretty charming -- sort of a screwball comedy with gangland action sequences (and lots of crimes involving flowers). In addition to her fighting chops (and in lieu of a utility belt), Dinah is also given a Canary Locket on a choker around her neck that, when pressed (usually with her chin, since Dinah gets tied up a lot), releases a variety of increasingly unbelievable gadgets to get her out of trouble.
By the end of this volume, we've skipped nearly a decade into the early seventies, where Black Canary has retired (and, depending on which retcon you're following, either has passed or soon will pass her mantle onto her daughter, or a clone, or something-something). Each of these later stories has Dinah coming out of retirement for 'one last job,' and there's a few gorgeously-illustrated teamups with Starman (another character who would eventually lend his name to a much more well-known progenitor). The stories continue to be nonsensical but charming, and while the updated art is great, it's probably the earlier run of tales that feel closer to the heart of the character.
The adventures here run the gamut from trash to (tarnished) treasure, and perhaps because they cover such a wide span of time for a mostly overlooked character, the book ends up feeling like more of a full meal than many of these Archive editions. It's probably mostly for completists or lovers of the off-kilter, but there's at least something sort of empowering about Black Canary's sense of aloofness and mystery (and her cynical approach to saving the men in her life, over and over) that you won't see in old Wonder Woman comics. So that in itself is something.
Even with all this in mind, the earliest Black Canary stories make no sense at all -- she's introduced as a femme fatale for a character I'd never heard of named Johnny Thunder, who's sort of a bumbling doofus who happens to have an ass-kicking genie named Thunderbolt for a best friend. JT was essentially a humor comic, and in that, it's sort of interesting that his stories were used as a platform to introduce a noirish female judo expert antihero.
That said, the stories rely so completely on 'comic book logic' that I can hardly believe grown men wrote them at all. There's one story in which a gang of thieves set up a two-story mirror in the middle of a highway, so that passing cargo truck drivers will see themselves reflected and swerve to avoid collision, unwittingly driving into a hidden LARGER cargo truck owned by the thieves, who then pilfer whatever goods they've ensnared.
That's one of the more coherent plots in the first half of the book. Oh, they're doozies.
In later stories, Black Canary comes into her own (somewhat) and is given an alter ego as a florist named Dinah Drake, who regularly has to save a local cute but overconfident detective named Larry Lance from running afoul of his own cases. Still no real backstory, nor any explanation of how she became a world-class judo expert, but the interplay between Larry and Dinah is pretty charming -- sort of a screwball comedy with gangland action sequences (and lots of crimes involving flowers). In addition to her fighting chops (and in lieu of a utility belt), Dinah is also given a Canary Locket on a choker around her neck that, when pressed (usually with her chin, since Dinah gets tied up a lot), releases a variety of increasingly unbelievable gadgets to get her out of trouble.
By the end of this volume, we've skipped nearly a decade into the early seventies, where Black Canary has retired (and, depending on which retcon you're following, either has passed or soon will pass her mantle onto her daughter, or a clone, or something-something). Each of these later stories has Dinah coming out of retirement for 'one last job,' and there's a few gorgeously-illustrated teamups with Starman (another character who would eventually lend his name to a much more well-known progenitor). The stories continue to be nonsensical but charming, and while the updated art is great, it's probably the earlier run of tales that feel closer to the heart of the character.
The adventures here run the gamut from trash to (tarnished) treasure, and perhaps because they cover such a wide span of time for a mostly overlooked character, the book ends up feeling like more of a full meal than many of these Archive editions. It's probably mostly for completists or lovers of the off-kilter, but there's at least something sort of empowering about Black Canary's sense of aloofness and mystery (and her cynical approach to saving the men in her life, over and over) that you won't see in old Wonder Woman comics. So that in itself is something.
April 12, 2023
This is such a great collection! It collects all of Black Canary's Golden Age appearances with the exception of All-Star Comics, along with several Silver Age tales and an early Bronze Age story. I would have appreciated the inclusion of at least All-Star Comics #38 (Black Canary's first appearance with the Justice Society of America) and a Silver Age JLA issue or two (Justice League of America #74 or #75, preferably), which would have rounded out this edition perfectly! Nonetheless, those are collected in other DC Archives Editions, and this one still shines on its own!
I first read this years ago, and upon rereading, I was extremely impressed. In both her Golden and Silver Age appearances, Canary was a strong, capable, clever, and remarkably well-written character. In her Golden Age stories, she routinely saved the day (and her male sidekick/friend/future husband) and continuously displayed her detective skills, martial arts mastery, and fearlessness in tough situations. She was also a sassy businesswoman who was anything but demure, and she was such a delight to read!
The Silver Age is notorious for sanitizing and censoring its characters in line with conservative, conformist American values at the time. Given that context, I was shocked (but pleased!) to see how progressive and egalitarian her Silver Age outings were! She was a married woman who did not give up either of her careers (as a florist/business owner and superhero, respectively) after marriage, her husband supported her in all her endeavors, and she and Starman functioned as an equal team when they worked together. Wonder Woman and Lois Lane may have been hit with the "turned into a less powerful, romance-obsessed mid-century gal" ray, but Canary certainly was not!
All in all, this is both a mostly thorough and enjoyable collection! It showcases some great writing from the early decades of comics, and it really shows how wonderful a character Black Canary is! As a researcher, I appreciated this greatly.
I first read this years ago, and upon rereading, I was extremely impressed. In both her Golden and Silver Age appearances, Canary was a strong, capable, clever, and remarkably well-written character. In her Golden Age stories, she routinely saved the day (and her male sidekick/friend/future husband) and continuously displayed her detective skills, martial arts mastery, and fearlessness in tough situations. She was also a sassy businesswoman who was anything but demure, and she was such a delight to read!
The Silver Age is notorious for sanitizing and censoring its characters in line with conservative, conformist American values at the time. Given that context, I was shocked (but pleased!) to see how progressive and egalitarian her Silver Age outings were! She was a married woman who did not give up either of her careers (as a florist/business owner and superhero, respectively) after marriage, her husband supported her in all her endeavors, and she and Starman functioned as an equal team when they worked together. Wonder Woman and Lois Lane may have been hit with the "turned into a less powerful, romance-obsessed mid-century gal" ray, but Canary certainly was not!
All in all, this is both a mostly thorough and enjoyable collection! It showcases some great writing from the early decades of comics, and it really shows how wonderful a character Black Canary is! As a researcher, I appreciated this greatly.
October 6, 2007
Obscure though she may be, The Black Canary is one of the longest-running characters in DC History. Debuting in 1947, 2007 marks her 60th year capturing the imagination of comic book readers. As a child growing up, I was only exposed to female characters like Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl, Batgirl and Supergirl. I didn't hear about Black Canary until 1988 when she featured in a story that utilized her as a retroactive founding member of the JLA when a universe-altering Crisis left Wonder Woman unable to fill the role as she hadn't existed at the time. (Comics can be so odd sometimes...)Immediately drawn to her Canary yellow hair and her blue outfit, I loved the way the character was written in that story and decided to find out what I could about her.
Black Canary has since become my top favorite character at DC Comics and I try to get as much merchandise and books that feature her as possible. This book is a prime example of this.
In her first appearance as a foil for Golden-Age hero, Johnny Thunder, the Black Canary was portrayed as a supposed seductive villainess whose secret was that she stole from crooks and returned the stolen goods to their rightful owners. By her second appearance it is apparent that the Canary is actually a heroine and her popularity actually pushed Johnny Thunder out of his own comic strip when she took over and we got solo adventures of the "blonde bombshell." All of Black Canary's solo adventures up until the 70s are included here and they are a great read- one as a document of an era long past and the other as a testament to one of the most enduring super-heroines in comic book history.
Black Canary has since become my top favorite character at DC Comics and I try to get as much merchandise and books that feature her as possible. This book is a prime example of this.
In her first appearance as a foil for Golden-Age hero, Johnny Thunder, the Black Canary was portrayed as a supposed seductive villainess whose secret was that she stole from crooks and returned the stolen goods to their rightful owners. By her second appearance it is apparent that the Canary is actually a heroine and her popularity actually pushed Johnny Thunder out of his own comic strip when she took over and we got solo adventures of the "blonde bombshell." All of Black Canary's solo adventures up until the 70s are included here and they are a great read- one as a document of an era long past and the other as a testament to one of the most enduring super-heroines in comic book history.
July 5, 2014
The Black Canary Archives would be an awesome book if the source material was much better. Originally appearing as a cat burglar in the Johnny Thunder strip, Black Canary is held back by the material. That strip ran in the back of the Golden Age FLASH comics, so she first appears as a supporting character in a back-up feature. The stories are trite and the is art rough. And there are a lot of those hokey Golden Age stories.
Eventually in this collection, the character appears in a couple of Brave and Bold issues where she is paired with the Golden Age Starman. Those stories just lay there too. Maybe it’s a modern sensibility, but that Silver Age work is tough reading. Still, it’s a load better than what came before.
The real gem of the book is a 16 page story by Denny O’Neil and Alex Toth which has Black Canary getting a job teaching Judo. That story is magic, but it’s too little too late.
Eventually in this collection, the character appears in a couple of Brave and Bold issues where she is paired with the Golden Age Starman. Those stories just lay there too. Maybe it’s a modern sensibility, but that Silver Age work is tough reading. Still, it’s a load better than what came before.
The real gem of the book is a 16 page story by Denny O’Neil and Alex Toth which has Black Canary getting a job teaching Judo. That story is magic, but it’s too little too late.
July 27, 2008
Ah, the golden age, when 'good girl' art didn't involve wearing a thong to fight crime.
The Black Canary started out as a guest star in the Johnny Thunder strip. She was originally a kind of 'gentleman thief' character. Sort of his version of Catwoman.
She eventually became more popular than Johnny ( not a big surprise, she's hot) and took over the strip.
At that time she became more of a costumed detective/heroine that operated out of a flower shop and was constantly bailing out slight goofy, tough guy detective Larry Drake.
The stories tend to be formulaic, but fun with some clever mysteries and the art is always nice.
The archive is rounded out with a couple stories from the silver age when they had her partnered with Starman for a couple stories.
Then there's a cute story with some beautiful Alex Toth art.
The Black Canary started out as a guest star in the Johnny Thunder strip. She was originally a kind of 'gentleman thief' character. Sort of his version of Catwoman.
She eventually became more popular than Johnny ( not a big surprise, she's hot) and took over the strip.
At that time she became more of a costumed detective/heroine that operated out of a flower shop and was constantly bailing out slight goofy, tough guy detective Larry Drake.
The stories tend to be formulaic, but fun with some clever mysteries and the art is always nice.
The archive is rounded out with a couple stories from the silver age when they had her partnered with Starman for a couple stories.
Then there's a cute story with some beautiful Alex Toth art.
February 24, 2020
Old school comics are always a mixed bag. I really didn't enjoy the team-ups with Johnny Thunder. Things picked up a bit when it was Dinah & Larry Lance, but those stories each followed a very strict and predictable formula. Overall, it was interesting to see the origins of the character, but it didn't make for a great read.
We talk about Black Canary and the Birds of Prey in general on a special episode of the All the Books Show: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/ep...
We talk about Black Canary and the Birds of Prey in general on a special episode of the All the Books Show: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/ep...
June 20, 2009
I really enjoyed this book! It was totally worth the cost. I just wish Black Canary didn't get hit in the back of the head in almost every adventure. I was also surprised they included "Produce the Crime!" (from Flash Comics #89). As much as I enjoyed Jonny Thunder I wanted to read about the adventures of Black Canary.
May 28, 2010
Black Canary= my childhood hero. She taught me that you can be a women and strong willed at the same time. But I also tended to get picked on because my girl friends would call me a comic nerd, but my guy friends loved to have debates about super heroes (I was only in 2nd grade). And it was the friendships I made through comics that have lasted to now.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews