Monday, January 27, 2020

Scream Queen: A Black Canary Reading List


I've been wanting to make this list for a while now as Dinah Lance, the Black Canary is my favorite comic character. Period. From rockstar to interim leader of the Justice League, Black Canary is an underrated powerhouse equipped with a metahuman supersonic Canary Cry along with the top martial art skills that even put her on par with Wonder Woman. Arguably one of the best characters in the DC Universe, Black Canary often gets the preconceived notion that she's just Green Arrow's fishnet wearing girlfriend. Now my girl Dinah can be a little confusing, especially with new readers as there isn’t really a clear origin story for the character. It also doesn’t help that superheroics run in the family and that Dinah Lance’s mother also went by the superhero persona Black Canary with the only differentiating marker between the two being that one goes by Dinah Lance, and the other by Dinah Drake Lance. Typically you’ll only be reading Dinah Drake Black Canary content if you’re reading stories from the Golden age or early Silver Age or in flashbacks in modern comics. Then there was this weird time period where the two characters and their origins were merged together through alternate universe travel and wow I’m not even going to bother touching that because just thinking about it gives me severe brain pain.

What matters is that we’re here to talk about the Black Canary, so let's do just that and exactly what books you can and should be reading so that you too can fall in love with the loud-mouthed bird lady.



Black Canary: Vol 1 Kicking & Screaming - Brenden Fletcher & Annie Wu - Just from what I’ve seen from promotional teasers and trailers it seems like the Birds of Prey movie is drawing much of its inspiration from Brenden Fletcher and Annie Wu’s 2015 run on Black Canary. In fact, this is the first iteration in which Dinah takes on the role of a musician as much of her civilian life in previous stories were spent as a florist, much like her mother. Black Canary volume one written by Brenden Fletcher and illustrated by Annie Wu contains the first seven issues of the most recent Black Canary series. Flashy and fast-paced volume one follows Dinah Lance and her merry band suitably named Black Canary as they get themselves into bar brawls across the country. Trouble seems to follow the band wherever they go and when it’s revealed that the group’s young guitarist has powers of her own, it's up to Dinah to protect her newfound family from those who would want to abuse such a power.  Now I’ll admit while I think this is a great jumping-on point for new readers (in fact this is where you should definitely start) for veteran comic readers familiar with the DC Universe things can get a little tricky here. Whereas Dinah Lance is typically the mainstream Black Canary with Dinah Drake being her mother,  in this series Dinah Drake is our mainline protagonist (despite taking on much of Lance's personality and traits)  however once you get over that it's pretty much smooth sailing. This book is on another level, as Annie Wu’s cool and contemporary take on the character elevates Black Canary in a way we haven’t seen before. Now I love all the iterations on the character, and I mean all of them (even the weird 80's aerobics era) but Dinah’s style in her solo series is just drop-dead gorgeous. Brenden Fletcher, the series creator also went above and beyond going so far as to write and produce six musical tracks for the Black Canary band. All six tracks can be found on Bandcamp so make to head over and give them a listen. I hate using the word perfect, but this book is just that. It may just be my personal feelings, as this book is near and dear to my heart but I feel like this is the one Black Canary book you should be reading, especially if you’re new to the character entirely. [Comixology]

Birds of Prey: Sensei & Student -  Gail Simone & Ed Benes - There’s no denying what Gail Simone did for Black Canary or the Birds of Prey but with over sixty issues just for the Birds alone across two separate series it can be a little overwhelming, not to mention who’s got that kind of time?! If you do have the time though you should really read it because Simone truly did some legendary and iconic things for the girls that just need to be experienced. For this list I decided to pull the arc I deemed most essential for the character. The Sensei and Student storyline written by Gail Simone and illustrated by Ed Benes spans across issues #62 to #67. While the original trade can be hard to find as it has been long since out of print, DC comics is rereleasing the issues in the newly printed Gail Simone collection, or if you prefer digital they’re always available on Comixology for super cheap. Like I said before Dinah Lance is considered one of the best when it comes to martial arts. Although trained by many, when one of her former mentors known only as Sensei falls ill Dinah packs her bags for China for one final reunion. But his untimely murder sets a mysterious plot in motion and the Black Canary is forced to team up with two of her biggest rivals. This is a great first experience with other minor femme Fatales like Lady Shiva and Chesire, both of which are prevalent throughout most of the story and serve as dynamic foils for Canary's character. Dinah will be forced to set aside her differences with both of these women despite the three’s complicated past if she has any hope in bringing her teacher’s murderer to justice. There’s also an extended flashback to Dinah’s mother the original Black Canary, which surprisingly ties the whole story together really well. Now, this books suffers through some very questionable mid-2000’s art. Just be warned you’ll be a witness to our Birds in some very strange outfits complete with some even stranger proportions. While you’re at it though you should also pick up issue #68, which also appears in the collected trade. As its own one-shot, this issue follows Black Canary, Huntress and Oracle as the three take a day away from super-heroics. Without spoiling, this issue in particular features what is probably one of my favorite Black Canary moments of all time hence why I'm giving it some spotlight. [Comixology]


Black Canary/Zatanna Bloodspell - Paul Dini & Joe Quinones - Another great first step read towards the character Black Canary/Zatanna Bloodspell is an original graphic novel that is pretty much completely self-contained, making it a great pickup for anyone interested in Black Canary or even Zatanna. After unknowingly taking part in a blood pact during a previous undercover mission, the dead return, and with a vengeance. Dinah will be forced to fight magic with magic and she has a trick up her sleeve of her own. Enter the all-powerful Zatanna Zatara. This story is a whirlwind adventure between our two favorite fishnet wearing heroines and being that this book is written by Paul Dini who most famously worked on the Batman Animated Series that influence is evident across every page with fast-paced action and witty dialogue we’re familiar with. Combined with Joe Quinones who I might note is one of my favorite modern comic artists, Bloodspell is honestly a joy from start to finish and at only 144 pages you can pretty much finish this book in one sitting. One of the things I really love about Bloodspell and why it's featured so prominently on this list is that while yes it is its own stand-alone and self-contained story we also get to see flashbacks into time spent between both of these characters as the story tends to alternate between past and present storylines. It really helps to provide development for the relationship between both of these characters as theirs is a relationship that is has been eluded at in previous stories but is also something that we've only seen at face value. In Bloodspell Dinah almost takes on the role of mentor for a younger Zatanna, as she helps the young magician find confidence in herself and with her powers. We even get to see Zatanna’s first moments as she’s inducted into the Justice League. I should note that there are also some really awesome callbacks to the character's previous costumes throughout the years. If you're looking for a deep and intriguing storyline, Bloodspell, unfortunately, isn't it, but if you're looking for an enjoyable read with amusing character interaction then look no further. Besides if your comics aren’t fun then what's the point. [Comixology]

Green Arrow/Black Canary: The Wedding Album - Judd Winnick, Cliff Chiang & Amanda Connor - The Wedding Album contains the first five issues of the thirty issue run initially helmed by  Judd Winnick. It also features the monumental Green Arrow Black Canary Wedding Special, also written by Winnick and illustrated by the amazing Amanda Conner. Now if you know me you know just how much I adore Judd Winnick and his extended run on Green Arrow, but that’s an essay for another day. The Wedding album begins with the long-awaited union between Dinah Lance and Oliver Queen. (There’s also an indulgent standalone Black Canary Wedding Planner issue not included in the trade.) After literal decades of an on again off again relationship the two finally manage to tie the knot, but not without its own complications. After the fight resolves and the ceremony is able to conclude things aren’t as they seem when Black Canary is forced to kill her new husband on their wedding night in a struggle for her life. A month passes and Dinah still doesn’t believe that death for Oliver Queen has stuck, at least not this time around, and it’s off to Themyscira to rescue her husband. Here on Paradise Island,  it’s revealed that the death of the Green Arrow was merely a ploy to trick Dinah into joining the Amazons in an in the hopes that her grief would isolate her away from the rest of the world and she would be more than willing to train an elite group of warriors. I desperately need more of Dinah on Themyscira surrounded by Amazons and casually tossing around that she has lunch with Wonder Woman on a consistent basis. (Speaking of which if you want to see a radical Black Canary/Wonder Woman team-up be sure to check out Wonder Woman #34 and #35) Seeing the Black Canary stand toe to toe with Amazon warriors is never a bad thing either. This book also serves as a great introduction to other members of the Arrow family that you might not have heard of such as Mia Dearden and Connor Hawke, two characters near and dear to my heart that have since been forgotten by DC Comics. Did I mention that this book features artwork from Cliff Chiang who worked on other titles such as Wonder Woman and the indie hit Paper Girls? I love the way that Cliff illustrates superheroes, there’s such a stylistic boldness we don’t get nearly enough of anymore. To me, Black Canary/Green Arrow is a timeless classic for the characters and the first arc in particular mostly revolves around Black Canary which is why it's on this list. [Comixology]

 Birds of Prey Death of Oracle - Gail Simone, Ardian Syaf, Vicente Cifuentes, Guillem March, & Inaki Miranda -  I told myself I was only going to include one Gail Simone Birds of Prey book but I just couldn’t help myself. While not the most essential storyline, Death of Oracle is certainly one that is often overlooked. Despite its Oracle title, there is a significance here for Black Canary’s character as key moments throughout the character’s past are illuminated and exposed to help further the plot. Originally released in Birds of Prey #7-10, Birds of Prey Death of Oracle is written by Gail Simone and illustrated by various artists. The overall premise of the story is that of Calculator a computer genius, superior strategist, and recurring villain of the Birds of Prey working to expose the identity of Oracle after the information was previously lost to him and wiped from his memory in a previous issue. That being said what makes this such a key moment for Dinah Lance is her confrontation with the villain known as Mortis, a new character at the time created by Simone. Mortis has the power to make a person relive every regret throughout their own lives often driving them to their death. So when Black Canary is exposed to such a power she’ll be forced to live through her worst moments. For a character always portrayed with a strong will and even stronger resolve its a huge change to see her at her lowest as she suffers through key moments throughout here comic history Here we’ll watch her come face to face with a number of tragedies including her torture during Longbow Hunters and the death of her niece Lian in Cry for Justice. Gail Simone has always said that Dinah is one of her favorite characters and that love is evident throughout the entirety of this story. Here Simone takes horrible trauma previously inflicted on Dinah and rather than using it as a crutch, Dinah takes her trauma head-on until it can no longer be used against her. While I love this book I wouldn’t recommend this book for anyone just getting into the character as these moments serve a far greater impact if you’ve read some of the previous stories referenced. That being said Death of Oracle certainly serves for a great read later on. If you happen to pick this one up by the trade, in favor of its single issues, the book also includes a smaller arc, initially published in Birds of Prey #14 & #15 written by Marc Andreyko that allows readers to see an adventure featuring the first Black Canary, Dinah Drake as she teams up with other classic heroines such as the Phantom Lady and Lady Blackhawk. [Comixology]






Thursday, January 9, 2020

Finger Guns #1 Advanced Review

https://thatcomicgirl.blogspot.com/2020/01/finger-guns-1-advanced-review.html




Written by Justin Richards 
Art by Val Halvorson 
Colors by Rebecca Nalty 
Letters by Taylor Esposito

Finger Guns written by Justin Richards and illustrated by Val Halvorson is the first new series of 2020 published by Vault comics. Now if you followed me at all last year you know just how much I love this publisher. Throughout 2019, Vault was a continuous powerhouse with titles like These Savage Shores, Heist, Money Shot and Sera and the Royal Stars. Vault is fully prepared to start 2020 with a literal bang. Thanks to the kind folks over at Vault Comics I was able to get a sneak peek at the first issue of Finger Guns a month before it hits your local comic shop.

Life as a teenager is hard. With factors like school, work, friendships, and puberty it can feel almost impossible to balance. Life as a teenager with a crappy and stressful home life, well that's even harder. Enter our two protagonists. Finger Guns follows the story of two such kids following their own beaten path just trying to make it through life before converging together with what they have in common It's a coming of age story we've seen before, but with an added twist. Our two main characters can manipulate the emotions of one another with you guessed it, a single finger gun motion.

This book is absolutely gorgeous, Val Halvorson and Rebecca Nalty (the series colorist) are an absolute dream team together. In a book about elevated emotions, the theme is handled perfectly in regards to its art. The colors are gorgeous and vibrant while still tying down the fact that this book is just about everyday kids. There's also a use of texture along with the colorwork that I really appreciate, it really helps to add depth to every panel and page.

While there are a lot of similarities between our characters I also really love the contrast between them. Wes, who we're first introduced harnesses a power that seemingly elevates the emotions of others, especially those of hate and anger, while his counterpart Sadie seemingly calms and settles with the use of her own powers. This contrast can also be seen in their personal lives as well. Wes lives most of his life alone, as his absent father spends most of his time working late, while Sadie's family is quite the opposite as we learn here parents are financially struggling which only adds weight to their family. Both are feelings that almost everyone has experienced at one point or another which helps to make the series more relatable despite its magical touch.

My biggest issue with Finger Guns premiere is its pacing. Now I'll give him credit, Richards gets right down to it with our main character discovering and experimenting with his powers by page four. I like this a lot. However, from there, the rest of the issue seems rushed with scenes feeling incomplete at times. The final pages, in particular, are where we see it the worst especially in the issue's cliffhanger. I'm almost certain of where the next issue will go and how it will begin which makes its ending lacking in any weight or real "threat".  I personally feel like the final pages should have just shown the eluded action with the opening of issue two dealing with its consequences.

Overall I really enjoyed Finger Guns and am excited to see where the story will go. If you're a fan of series like We Can Never Go Home or 4 Kids Walk Into a Bank this is a seemingly no brainer pickup. Either way, make sure to pick up Finger Guns #1 and read it for yourself when the first issue drops on February 26th.