I’ll be honest, it’s been awhile since I’ve picked up a DC title. I followed Wonder Woman after the New 52 reboot, and a few issues that Catwoman was in, but other than that, my DC reading has sadly lacked. I’m trying to change that, especially with all the awesome things I’ve heard about some of the new DC titles like Gotham Academy, Bombshells and Convergence. I got to listen to Marguerite Bennett talk a little about Bombshells on the Arc Reaction Podcast (I believe the interview with Marguerite is in the Denver Con 1 episode), and it made me giddy to see it when it comes out.
Black Canary 1 was written by Brenden Fletcher, Annie Wu did the art, and Lee Loughridge was the colorist.
First of all, can I just say I LOVE the art in this issue? I really enjoyed Annie Wu’s art on Hawkeye, and here it fits perfectly with the tone of the comic. It’s slightly gritty, but still very sleek. I like that, because you get the hard edged representation of the Black Canary band, but it still feels very feminine to me at the same time. Also, the colors in this issue really accented the art. There are bright pinks, dark purples, and the colors change as the tone of the story changes. It really helps guide the reader tonally, because the can just look at the page and get a vibe for what is about to happen.
Similar to The Carol Corps, which I reviewed last week, Black Canary is taking a character that we’re familiar with, but she’s in a very different setting. She does by “D.D.” and the name of the bad is actually Black Canary. She’s wearing her classic leather jacket and fishnets, but now there’s more of a punk rock vibe to her.
This issue does a great job setting up the story and leaving breadcrumbs for reveals that will most likely happen in the future. There are mysteries about D.D.’s past and the past of one of her bandmates, Ditto. There are people coming for Ditto, and over the course of the comic, D.D and her bandmates make a pledge to protect her.
I really enjoyed seeing a character I’m fairly familiar with, in a different space entirely. I also liked that it’s a band full of women. It’s a very different sort of team than we’re used to seeing in superhero comics, but it’s a team all the same, and that’s clear by the end of the comic.
D.D. also defends a group of 3 women from danger at one point in the comic, and though we don’t explicitly know what the danger was beyond a group of scary looking guys, it’s a good moment. We see D.D. jump from the stage, and put herself directly between these women and the danger. After things settle, they thank her and ask about where she got her boots. That moment probably stuck out the most to me in the comic, since often when we see people thanking a hero, they are gushing with hero worship. This felt more like appreciation and connection.
I’ll definitely be picking up future issues of this comic. I want to know more about D.D.’s past and the past of her bandmates. All in all, it was a very intriguing read, and the art complimented the story perfectly.
The Taming of the Muse 