The DC Archives titles compile issues from a character’s archive. This one is Black Canary’s! Volume 1 contains her very first appearance in Flash Comics in 1947 up to a one-off in the early ’70s.

First, Black Canary was featured in Flash Comics in Johnny Thunder stories. Johnny Thunder was a man who could summon a magic thunderbolt to help him in times of distress. Canary was a “Robin Hood” type at first, who stole from criminals to return them to their rightful owner. She soon grew so popular that she was co-billed with Johnny, then given her own feature in Flash Comics. Her backstory was fleshed out more: the nondescript and uptight Dinah Drake owned a flower shop by day, but transformed into the Black Canary to fight crime and solve mysteries, often coming to the aid of private eye Larry Lance.

Early Black Canary stories are fast and fun – but formulaic, predictable, and of no particular substance. I started skimming after a few stories under her own title because they followed the same exact format. This is definitely something you’ll want to read at the beach or when you need something that doesn’t require much brainpower to get through.

I did appreciate that, much like early Batgirl, Canary doesn’t take crap from her male counterpart. She gives Lance as good a ribbing as she gets. It didn’t seem to me that they particularly liked each other (though Lance obviously has the hots for Canary), so there was a weird jump in the book from 1949’s Flash Comics to 1965’s Brave and the Bold where they were married. I had known Dinah Drake and Larry Lance got married and had Dinah Laurel Lance (today’s iteration of the Black Canary), but I found it really strange that no more of their developing relationship was included in this book.

My favorite story from this volume was the previously untitled “The Canary and the Cat!” published in 1972. The art is phenomenal! The lines are bold and heavy, yet precise in a way that reminds me of printmaking. Canary herself is witty and savvy, and though Green Arrow is mentioned she doesn’t pine after him. I want more of this Black Canary!!!

– Kathleen

Various. The Black Canary Archives (Vol. 1). 2001.