Black Canary

For the comic book, see Black Canary (comic book). For other characters of the same name, see Black Canary (disambiguation).
Black Canary
The New 52 iteration of the Black Canary, Dinah Drake Lance, derived character art from the cover of Black Canary #4 (September 2015).
Art by Evan Shaner.
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceDinah Drake:
Flash Comics #86 (August 1947)
Dinah Laurel Lance:
Justice League of America #219 (October 1983)
Created byRobert Kanigher
Carmine Infantino
In-story information
Alter egoDinah Drake I/Dinah Lance (Black Canary I)
Dinah Laurel Drake II/Dinah Laurel Lance (Black Canary II)
SpeciesHuman (Black Canary I)
Metahuman (Black Canary II)
Team affiliationsDinah Drake:
Justice Society of America
Justice League
Dinah Laurel Lance:
Justice League
Justice League International
Justice League Task Force
Birds of Prey
Justice Foundation
Team 7
T.R.U.S.T
Team Arrow
PartnershipsBlack Canary I
Johnny Thunder
Larry Lance
Starman (Ted Knight)
Black Canary II
Green Arrow
AbilitiesBoth versions are considered gifted martial artists and the second Black Canary is known for her "Canary Cry", creating ultrasonic vibrations whenever she screams.

Black Canary is the name of two superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. As one of the earliest female superheroes in the DC Comics universe, the character has made numerous appearances in prominent team-up titles, including the Justice Society of America and Justice League of America. The Black Canary persona has been adopted by two individuals, portrayed as a legacy heroes with a mother-daughter relationship between the two. Following DC's New 52 initiative, Black Canary was briefly amalgamated as a single character before the mother-and-daughter dynamic was restored to continuity, the history formerly established retroactively added as part of the second Black Canary's history.

Dinah "Diana" Drake I, the original Black Canary, was created by the writer-artist team of Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino, the character debuted in Flash Comics #86 on July 31, 1947 (cover dated August 1947) in the Golden Age of Comic Books.[1] Strong, mysterious, gutsy and romantic, she has been called "the archetype of the new Film Noir era heroine."[2] She is a prominent member of the Justice Society of America and gifted martial artist who engaged in crime-fighting exploits alongside her love interest and eventual husband, Larry Lance, a detective in Gotham City. Their union resulted in the birth of their daughter, Dinah Laurel Lance. In subsequent narratives following the Crisis on Infinite Earths event, her daughters succeeds her mother as the new Black Canary. Dinah Drake is typically depicted as a skilled hand-to-hand combatant without superhuman abilities compared to her daughter and successor. In current depictions, the character no longer has the "Lance" surname. She is sometimes referred to as the Golden Age Black Canary. Dinah Drake appears in media set in the Arrowverse, portrayed by Juliana Harkavy.

The second Black Canary, Dinah Laurel Lance, was created by Dennis O'Neil and Dick Dillin, first appearing in Justice League of America #219 (October, 1983). The character is often depicted as the daughter of the original Dinah Drake, possessing metahuman abilities and being highly skilled in martial arts. She is prominently associated with the Justice League, Birds of Prey, and has had a significant relationship with Green Arrow alongside his allies. In modern narratives, the character's birth name is Dinah Laurel Drake II,[3] with her name being an homage to her mother. Additionally, the "Lance" surname is attributed to her marriage with the character Kurt Lance, a secret agent who was her husband during Black Canary's period as a composite character in the New 52, as opposed to her father's surname in previous continuities.

Black Canary has been adapted into various media, including direct-to-video animated films, video games, and in live-action and animated television series. Dinah Laurel is portrayed by Rachel Skarsten in the TV series Birds of Prey, as well as in Smallville, portrayed by Alaina Huffman. Several versions appear in the TV show Arrow, with Laurel Lance being portrayed by Katie Cassidy, who also portrayed an evil version of the character named Black Siren. In this version, her sister Sara Lance was the first to become Black Canary, portrayed by Caity Lotz. Dinah Lance made her cinematic debut in the DC Extended Universe film Birds of Prey, portrayed by Jurnee Smollett.

  1. ^ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 42. ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
  2. ^ Madrid, Mike (2016). The Supergirls: Fashion, Feminism, Fantasy and the History of Comic Book Heroines. Exterminating Angel Press. pp. 26–28. ISBN 978-1-935259-33-6. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  3. ^ Manning, Matthew K.; Wiacek, Stephen; Scott, Melanie; Jones, Nick; Walker, Landry Q. (2021-07-20). The DC Comics Encyclopedia New Edition. National Geographic Books. ISBN 978-0-7440-2056-4.