With Birds Of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation Of Harley Quinn) now in theaters, all eyes are on the women who make up the latest big screen superhero team. Black Canary AKA Dinah Lance is one who makes a big impression.
Brought to life by Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Black Canary has a long comic book history. She’s a mainstay for DC, and she’s become a huge part of animated and TV properties over the last two decades. With all the different versions of Black Canary that exist across the comic book multiverse, fans are sure to have questions about the heroine.
When Did Black Canary Make Her Comic Book Debut
Black Canary is an older character than most people think. A lot of fans are familiar with the modern take on her character, but many don’t realize that she actually made her comic book debut in Flash Comics way back in 1947.
Black Canary was featured in a short story that ran at the back of the issue as a supporting character in Johnny Thunder. Six issues of shorts later, and she replaced Johnny Thunder entirely!
Has She Always Had Super Powers
Depending on the continuity these days, Black Canary is either a metahuman or has powers as the result of experimentation. That wasn’t the case in the original comics.
The original version of the character didn’t have super powers at all, just really great fighting skills. When the first Black Canary had a daughter, it was her daughter who ended up “cursed” by the character the Wizard with the Canary Cry. Many timelines and retcons later, and the Canary Cry has stuck with the character.
What Is Black Canary’s Civilian Cover
Today, Black Canary is known for her work as a singer. The 2016 comic book series featuring the character had her fronting a rock band, and that musical trend has continued. Juliana Harkavy’s Dinah sings in the CW’s Arrowverse and Jurnee Smollet-Bell’s big screen version in Birds of Prey does as well. The character hasn’t always embraced music as her day job though.
In fact, in the early version of the character’s story, her family owned a florist shop. While crime fighting at night, Dinah made flower arrangements during the day. One version of her story with Green Arrow in the comics even had her open her own shop named Sherwood Florist as a play on Oliver Queen’s similarities to Robin Hood.
Has She Always Been A Hero
Black Canary might be a Justice League hero these days, but in her first appearance, she didn’t initially seem to be a hero. Instead, she spent a lot of time hanging out in groups of criminals.
Of course, that was really just a ploy. Black Canary would pose as a criminal herself in order to become a member of various clubs and gangs. Once she was a trusted member, she would take them down from the inside out.
Has She Released Music In The Real World
During the 2016 Black Canary series from DC Comics, the publisher didn’t promote the comic through traditional advertising. They also had Black Canary herself release a pair of EPs.
Since Black Canary is a fictional character, however, she couldn’t provide the vocals for her EPs. Instead, the vocals were provided by Michelle Bensimon, the lead singer for Caveboy.
Likewise, with the release of the Birds Of Prey movie soundtrack, Black Canary has her version of “It’s A Man’s World” from the film on the soundtrack.
Which Superhero Organization Did Black Canary Found
In the 1980s, when many of the usual Justice League members couldn’t be used for a team-up book, a new group of superheroes joined together. Black Canary helped found a new version of the group: Justice League International. Throughout the series, the team went to space and worked with other high profile vigilantes before it came to an end.
In some timelines, or on other earths, it also happens to be Dinah Lance who founds the Birds of Prey. In the main continuity of DC Comics, however, that isn’t the case.
How Did She End Up As A Member Of Birds Of Prey
Dinah might have founded the Birds Of Prey team in alternate timelines, but in the main timeline, it’s Barbara Gordon who created the team. As Oracle, Barbara wanted to put together a team of vigilantes who could make a real difference. She relied on her previous experience in the field as Batgirl to know what to look for in a hero.
The very first person Oracle recruited for her new team was Black Canary. She believed Black Canary had the best potential of all the heroes she was familiar with, though the two didn’t actually meet until Dinah saved Barbara from the villain Blockbuster - after they’d already started working together under their superhero identities.
Can She Fly
Technically speaking, Black Canary can’t fly in the traditional sense of superhero flight. She can’t defy gravity like Superman, and she doesn’t have wings, but she can propel herself into the air with the help of her Canary Cry.
If she uses the Cry to scream downwards (toward the surface), she can use the sound waves to propel herself upwards. As long as she maintains the Cry, she can glide through the air. It’s a relatively new addition to her skill set, starting to be used in the comics in 2012.
Does She Speak Other Languages
With her distinct ability to expertly control her breathing and vocal cords, it shouldn’t be too surprising that Black Canary can speak more languages than just her native English.
In the comics, she’s demonstrated proficiency in both French and Japanese. Dinah specifically learned Japanese in order to better communicate with Katana when the two were teammates.
How Many Live Action Black Canaries Are There
So far, there are 10 different Black Canaries in live action appearances. Danuta Wesley was the first in 1970s specials that aired on NBC. More than two decades later, the WB launched their version of Birds Of Prey, which saw Lori Laughlin as a semi-retired version of the hero, though the series only lasted one season.
Smallville made Alaina Huffman the new Black Canary before the Arrowverse on the CW brought multiple canaries to the screen. Caity Lotz, Katie Cassidy (two different versions), Madison McLaughlin, Juliana Harkavy, and Andrea Sixtos all played versions of the Black Canary. The Arrow spinoff would see even more if it goes to series. Jurnee Smollett-Bell is now the first Black Canary to hit the big screen in live action.