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101-507: 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 . Strong, mysterious, gutsy and romantic, she has been called "the archetype of the new Film Noir era heroine." She is a prominent member of

202-691: A Lost Nightmare" in Iron Man #44 (Jan. 1972) and "Running for Love" in Our Love Story #19 (Oct. 1972). Kanigher returned as writer-editor of the Wonder Woman title with issue #204 (Jan.–Feb. 1973) and restored the character's powers and traditional costume. In 1974, drawing on a classic novel , he introduced Rima the Jungle Girl to the DC Universe in her own title. Kanigher and Kubert created Ragman in

303-417: A costumed hero like her mother, but the elder Dinah discourages her, feeling that the world has become too dangerous for her daughter to succeed. Regardless, Dinah finds fighters (including former JSA member Wildcat ) who help her hone her skills, and after years of dedication and training, she assumes the mantle of Black Canary despite her mother's opposition. Like her mother, Dinah operates out of Gotham, with

404-401: A day job in the family floral business. In an early Birds of Prey issue, writer Chuck Dixon has Dinah briefly married and divorced at a young age. Although ex-husband Craig Windrow seems to need her help, he actually wants to reconcile after he embezzles from the mob. Dinah's early marriage and ex-husband are not mentioned again until the 2007 Black Canary limited series . After joining

505-659: A detective with the Gotham City Police Department. Eventually, she would meet the Justice Society of America and joined them among her ranks. As a hero, her foes included the criminal circus act Carno and His Masked Riders, and the Sacred Order of the Crimson Crystal. Black Canary was revived with the other Golden Age characters during the 1960s. In these stories, it is retroactively established she lives on

606-683: A feature created by Kanigher and Andru in Star Spangled War Stories #90 (May 1960). The Kanigher-Andru pairing co-created the Metal Men in Showcase #37 (March–April 1962). Kanigher also created other popular action series features, such as " Enemy Ace ", " The Losers ", and The Unknown Soldier . He and artist Russ Heath created the " Haunted Tank " feature, and the Sea Devils series. Several of Kanigher's characters were combined into

707-665: A good-looking girl? That's what I want.' Isn't that a great line? So that's what I did. I made her strong in character and sexy in form. The funny part is that years later, while in Korea on a National Cartoonists trip, I met a dancer who was the exact image of the Black Canary. And I went out with her for three years. Bob didn't ask me for a character sketch [for the Black Canary]. He had a lot of respect for me, I must say that. He always trusted my work... Bob loved my Black Canary design. During

808-852: A guest in the "Green Arrow" backup feature of Action Comics , she was a backup feature in World's Finest Comics #244 (April–May 1977) to #256 (April–May 1979) (when the title was in Dollar Comics format). Black Canary's backstory was featured in DC Special Series #10 (April 1978). After the "Black Canary" feature in World's Finest Comics , she appears as a guest in its "Green Arrow" feature and in Detective Comics . A story in Justice League of America #219-220 (October and November 1983) served to explain

909-420: A heart attack. Inspired by the actions of "mystery men," Dinah decided to adopt the persona of the vigilante known as "Black Canary." Initially, she trusted no one and assumed the guise of a criminal, targeting other criminals. In her civilian life, she pursued a career as a florist, seemingly abandoning her earlier desire to work in law enforcement. In her early appearances, Black Canary made her initial debut as

1010-401: A hose containing liquid nitrogen. Dinah orders Connor to use the hose on Ollie, freezing him solid, and the three join the rest of the heroes in battle. When Ollie returns to normal, it is discovered that he secretly murdered Prometheus and left his body to rot at his headquarters. After Barry Allen and Hal Jordan confront Ollie and Dinah with the news, Ollie escapes. Dinah, Hal and Barry search

1111-474: A precursor of the future DC Comics , as a scripter in 1945, and was quickly promoted to editor. He wrote the " Justice Society of America " feature in All Star Comics , the " Hawkman " feature in Flash Comics , and Green Lantern . Kanigher edited Wonder Woman starting in 1948 to issue #176 (May–June 1968). A year after Wonder Woman creator William Moulton Marston died in 1947, Kanigher became

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1212-469: A private investigator in Gotham. At one point, she even founded her own martial arts group. To protect her daughter, Dinah made the difficult decision to leave her behind and assumed various disguises, including working as a florist and a dancer. Tragedy struck when her husband was killed during a confrontation with their adversary, Ravanahatha. In response, Dinah unleashed her unique martial arts technique known as

1313-559: A relaunch of Birds of Prey with Gail Simone . In Birds of Prey #1 (July 2010), she is sent to save a child with Lady Blackhawk . After receiving a call from Oracle , the team (including Huntress ) is reunited. They are confronted by a new villainess, White Canary , who has a grudge against Dinah and exposes her civilian identity. After capturing White Canary (the vengeful sister of the Twelve Brothers in Silk ), Dinah learns that Lady Shiva

1414-408: A rock band called Black Canary. After five years, DC later began to row back on controversial New 52 continuity changes with its DC Rebirth initiative, with the narrator of Geoff Johns ' DC Rebirth #1, Wally West , lamenting, from outside the universe, on how Black Canary and Green Arrow hardly know each other anymore, when they should be husband and wife, as a result of sinister alterations to

1515-494: A sexualized yet strong female character. She appeared as a character in a back-up story featuring Johnny Thunder : I was drawing Johnny Thunder, which was not much of a character. I suppose he could have been better because his 'Thunderbolt' was interesting, but the situations they were in were pretty juvenile. Bob Kanigher wrote those stories, and he had no respect for the characters. These stories were nowhere near as good as 'The Flash' stories. DC knew it—they knew 'Johnny Thunder'

1616-639: A single feature titled " The Losers ". Their first appearance as a group was with the Haunted Tank crew in G.I. Combat #138 (Oct.–Nov. 1969). In the late 1950s and 1960s, Kanigher had a hand in creating many other characters, including the Viking Prince , Balloon Buster, and the Batman villain Poison Ivy . Among fellow comic creators, Kanigher was as well known for his unstable personality and violent temper as he

1717-445: A superhero. Dinah herself retired from her own heroic endeavors and focused on raising her daughter. The members of the Justice Society of America became like a second family to them. However, Dinah held a contrasting view when it came to her daughter's desire to become a hero. She vehemently opposed it, which led to arguments between them. It was during one of these arguments that young Dinah first manifested her metahuman ability known as

1818-487: A supporting character in the " Johnny Thunder " feature, written by Robert Kanigher and drawn by Carmine Infantino . She initially appeared as a villain. Johnny is instantly infatuated with her, and is reproached by his Thunderbolt. Dinah is later revealed to have been infiltrating a criminal gang. In Flash Comics #92 (February 1948) she has her own anthology feature, "Black Canary", replacing "Johnny Thunder". The new series fleshed out Black Canary's backstory: Dinah Drake

1919-412: A supposed villain in the presence of hero Johnny Thunder. Johnny becomes immediately infatuated with her, much to the disapproval of his Thunderbolt companion. However, it is later revealed that Dinah had actually infiltrated a criminal gang, shedding light on her true intentions. In her own anthology feature, the character is portrayed as a black-haired florist who harbors romantic feelings for Larry Lance,

2020-465: A teammate, escorted her into the afterlife, where she eagerly anticipated reuniting with her parents and husband once more. During a certain period, the character's history was merged with that of her daughter, both assuming the name Dinah Drake. However, in preparation for DC's Infinite Frontier initiative, the original Golden Age Black Canary was reintroduced into continuity. In this new continuity, although similarities from her prior history are present,

2121-475: A teenage mother, she found herself unable to adequately care for her daughter and made the difficult decision to abandon her at a young age. However, this truth remained unknown from the younger Dinah until a later point in her life, who instead believed she was abandoned. Further details emerged about the older Dinah's life as the first Black Canary. She was widely recognized as a highly skilled martial artist, and she partnered with her unnamed husband, who worked as

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2222-563: Is seriously injured by the Joker , she reestablishes her crime-fighting career as Oracle, information broker to the superhero community. After briefly working with the Suicide Squad , she forms a covert-mission team. Since Barbara thinks that of all the superheroes Dinah has the most potential, Oracle asks Black Canary to become an operative. Black Canary reinvents herself, trading her blonde wig for bleached blonde hair. Her relationship with Oracle

2323-843: Is at the battle which forms the League. Its core is Black Canary, Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) , the Martian Manhunter , the Flash (Barry Allen) , Aquaman , Superman , Batman and Wonder Woman. In the 2007 Black Canary miniseries, she and Green Arrow join the Justice League after its founding and are tested by founding member Batman early in their membership. During publication of the Infinite Crisis limited series, most DC Universe comic books advanced one year. After this " One Year Later " jump, Dinah trades life experiences with Lady Shiva to soften

2424-501: Is behind the attack on the Birds. Dinah and White Canary travel to Bangkok ; when the Birds arrive a short time later, Dinah attacks them dressed as White Canary. Later, Dinah reveals that Sin and her foster parents are being held hostage, their lives threatened unless Dinah challenges Lady Shiva to a fight to the death. Huntress offers to take Dinah's place instead, reasoning that she has too many people who love her. However, this gives Dinah

2525-435: Is born ( Birds of Prey #66 (June 2004) would establish that they took the name "Laurel" from a librarian Dinah befriended during a case). A Black Canary miniseries by writer Greg Weisman and artist Mike Sekowsky was planned in 1984. Although its first issue was pencilled, the project was shelved due to the character's use in writer-artist Mike Grell 's high-profile Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters series. Elements of

2626-502: Is born ( Birds of Prey #66 (June 2004) would establish that they took the name "Laurel" from a librarian Dinah befriended during a case). The younger Dinah has her own "canary cry"—in this version, the result of a metagene absent from both her parents—which (unlike the Silver Age Black Canary) she can control. Growing up surrounded by her mother's friends in the disbanded JSA (seeing them as uncles and aunts), she wishes to be

2727-449: Is handpicked by Batman to become a member of the Justice League of America to fight against a group of Extremists along with Vixen, Lobo, Killer Frost , The Ray , and The Atom . In the Dawn of DC era, Black Canary leads an all-new team of Birds of Prey . Some of the members are Harley Quinn , Big Barda and Zealot . Dinah Drake made her debut in Flash Comics #86 (August 1947) as

2828-488: Is killed saving Dinah's life and Aquarius is defeated. Grief-stricken, Canary moves to Earth-1 and joins the Justice League. She begins a relationship with JLA colleague Green Arrow and discovers that she has developed an ultrasonic scream, the "canary cry." A story in Justice League of America #219-220 (October and November 1983) served to explain the origin of Black Canary's new sonic scream powers, and further, why she continued to appear youthful despite being active since

2929-722: Is named Kanigher Falls. In 2014, Kanigher was posthumously recognized with the Bill Finger Award . Golden Age of Comic Books The Golden Age of Comic Books describes an era in the history of American comic books from 1938 to 1956. During this time, modern comic books were first published and rapidly increased in popularity. The superhero archetype was created and many well-known characters were introduced, including Superman , Batman , Robin , Captain Marvel , Captain America , and Wonder Woman . The first recorded use of

3030-490: 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 , with her name being an homage to her mother. Additionally,

3131-553: 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

Black Canary - Misplaced Pages Continue

3232-418: Is rocky at first, since her impulsiveness clashes with Oracle's organization. Gradually, they learn to work together and became friends. When Oracle flees from Blockbuster , Dinah rescues her and meets Barbara Gordon, deepening their friendship. Infinite Crisis gives Earth a new timeline, with Wonder Woman again a founding member of the Justice League. In a Week 51 back-up feature of 52 , Black Canary

3333-535: Is trained by her Irish father, detective Richard Drake, intending to follow him on the Gotham City police force. When she is turned down, her disillusioned father dies shortly afterwards. Determined to honor his memory, Dinah fights crime and corruption by any possible means. She becomes a costumed vigilante, using her inheritance to open a flower shop as her day job. Dinah marries her lover, private eye Larry Lance, and several years later their daughter, Dinah Laurel Lance,

3434-475: Is trained by her father, detective Richard Drake, intending to follow him on the Gotham City police force. When she is turned down, her disillusioned father dies shortly afterwards. Determined to honor his memory, Dinah fights crime and corruption by any possible means. She becomes a costumed vigilante, using her inheritance to open a flower shop as her day job. Dinah marries her lover, private eye Larry Lance, and several years later their daughter, Dinah Laurel Lance,

3535-645: 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

3636-495: The DC Extended Universe film Birds of Prey , portrayed by Jurnee Smollett . Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino created the character in 1947 to be featured in Flash Comics as a supporting character. Appearing first as a clandestine crime-fighter who infiltrates criminal organizations to break them from the inside, the Black Canary was drawn with fishnet stockings and a black leather jacket to connote images of

3737-717: The Flash , Green Lantern , Doctor Fate , the Atom , Hawkman , Green Arrow and Aquaman . Timely Comics , the 1940s predecessor of Marvel Comics , had million-selling titles featuring the Human Torch , the Sub-Mariner , and Captain America . Although DC and Timely characters are well remembered today, circulation figures suggest that the best-selling superhero title of the era was Fawcett Comics ' Captain Marvel Adventures with sales of about 1.4 million copies per issue. The comic

3838-436: The Golden Age of Comic Books , Dinah Drake's adventures were featured in: At her Golden Age debut, the Black Canary was the alter ego of Dinah Drake and participated in crime-fighting adventures with her love interest (and eventual husband), Gotham City detective Larry Lance . Initially, the character was a hand-to-hand fighter without superpowers who often posed as a criminal to infiltrate criminal gangs. She first meets

3939-567: 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

4040-472: The Justice Society of America in All Star Comics #38 (December 1947-January 1948), joining them in All Star Comics #41 (June–July 1948). Black Canary's foes included criminal circus act Carno and His Masked Riders, and the Sacred Order of the Crimson Crystal. Black Canary was revived with the other Golden Age characters during the 1960s. In these stories, it is retroactively established she lives on

4141-400: The "Canary Cry." Despite their strained relationship, her daughter went on to become a hero as Black Canary within the Justice League. Tragedy struck when Larry Lance was killed by an alien entity that targeted the older Dinah. This event caused Dinah to become bitter and she pleaded with her daughter to give up her life as a hero, fearing further loss. Unfortunately, she contracted cancer from

Black Canary - Misplaced Pages Continue

4242-486: The "Five Heavens Palm," which proved instrumental in defeating the formidable demon. In a mysterious manner, she managed to pass down the knowledge of this technique to her daughter, which later became crucial when her daughter faced the same demon in battle. Following the universe-altering events of Crisis on Infinite Earths (concluding in March 1986), Black Canary's history was revised again. The mind-transplant story of 1983

4343-465: 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

4444-404: The "big five" DC Comics' war titles: G.I. Combat , Our Army at War , Our Fighting Forces , All-American Men of War , and Star Spangled War Stories . His creation of Sgt. Rock with Joe Kubert is considered one of his most memorable contributions to the medium. Comics historian Bill Schelly noted that "Kanigher's scripts were built on well-orchestrated dramatic sequences, with

4545-659: The Archie Andrews character remaining in print well into the 21st century. At the same time in Canada, American comic books were prohibited importation under the War Exchange Conservation Act which restricted the importation of non-essential goods. Canadian publishers responded to this lack of competition by producing titles of their own, informally called the Canadian Whites . While these titles flourished during

4646-451: The Birds and the fight is over. Robert Kanigher Robert Kanigher ( / ˈ k æ n ɪ ɡ ər / ; June 18, 1915 – May 7, 2002) was an American comic book writer and editor whose career spanned five decades. He was involved with the Wonder Woman franchise for over twenty years, taking over the scripting from creator William Moulton Marston . In addition, Kanigher spent many years in charge of DC Comics 's war titles and created

4747-482: The Black Canary was established as two separate entities: mother and daughter, Dinah Drake-Lance and Dinah Laurel Lance. Stories since the Silver Age focused on the younger Black Canary, ascribing her superhuman abilities to a genetic mutation . Following the universe-altering events of Crisis on Infinite Earths (concluding in March 1986), the Black Canary's history was revised again. The mind-transplant story of 1983

4848-613: The Golden Age. During this time, the popularity of superhero comics waned. To retain reader interest, comic publishers diversified into other genres, such as war , Westerns , science fiction , romance , crime and horror . Many superhero titles were canceled or converted to other genres. In 1946, DC Comics ' Superboy , Aquaman and Green Arrow were switched from More Fun Comics into Adventure Comics so More Fun could focus on humor. In 1948 All-American Comics , featuring Green Lantern , Johnny Thunder and Dr. Mid-Nite ,

4949-552: The JLA is over. She moves to Seattle with Green Arrow and opens a flower shop, Sherwood Florist. When Dinah belonged to the JLI during the 1980s, she wore a new costume, a blue-and-black full-body jumpsuit with a bird motif and a slightly looser fit instead of her traditional, skin-tight black outfit with fishnet stockings. The change was poorly received and short-lived, and later artists restored her original look. When former Batgirl Barbara Gordon

5050-658: The JSA) to another dimension, Larry Lance is killed saving Dinah's life and Aquarius is defeated. Grief-stricken, Canary moves to Earth-1 and joins the Justice League. She begins a relationship with JLA colleague Green Arrow and discovers that she has developed an ultrasonic scream, the "canary cry." Black Canary teams with Batman five times in The Brave and the Bold and once with Superman in DC Comics Presents . Appearing frequently as

5151-572: The Justice League, Dinah meets Green Arrow (Oliver Queen). Although she dislikes him at first, they become romantically involved despite their age difference; opposite the earlier depiction, in the Modern Age stories, Oliver is considerably older than Dinah. Dinah is a League member for about six years, including a brief stint with Justice League International (JLI, which she helps found). After her mother's death from radiation poisoning received during her battle with Aquarius, Dinah feels that her time in

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5252-491: The Thunderbolt altered the memories of the tragedy, leaving all to believe Dinah's daughter had simply died. Following the battle with Aquarius, Dinah discovered she was dying from radiation exposure, and she asked to see her daughter's grave one last time. Shown the body of her daughter—still in suspended animation, but now grown to adulthood—Dinah wished that her daughter could somehow be her successor. The Superman of Earth-1 and

5353-447: The Thunderbolt conceived a solution and transferred Dinah's memories into her daughter's body so that she could continue fighting as the Black Canary. A Black Canary miniseries by writer Greg Weisman and artist Mike Sekowsky was planned in 1984. Although its first issue was pencilled, the project was shelved due to the character's use in writer-artist Mike Grell 's high-profile Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters series. Elements of

5454-459: The Thunderbolt conceived a solution and transferred Dinah's memories into her daughter's body so that she could continue fighting as the Black Canary. Following the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths, the character's history underwent significant changes. Eventually, Dinah and Larry Lance married once again and established a private law firm in Gotham City. They welcomed the birth of their daughter, Dinah Laurel Lance, who would later aspire to become

5555-549: The Thunderbolt was only able to keep the younger Dinah in suspended animation in his own dimension. To ease their pain, the Thunderbolt altered the memories of the tragedy, leaving all to believe Dinah's daughter had simply died. Following the battle with Aquarius, Dinah discovered she was dying from radiation exposure, and she asked to see her daughter's grave one last time. Shown the body of her daughter—still in suspended animation, but now grown to adulthood—Dinah wished that she could somehow be her successor. The Superman of Earth-1 and

5656-511: The Watchtower to warn her of an attack on the world's superheroes. Prometheus arrives and attacks the team, severing Red Arrow's arm and maneuvering Dinah into the path of an energy bolt fired by Mikaal Tomas . After Prometheus is defeated, he destroys Star City with a teleportation device. In their search for survivors, Dinah and Ollie discover the bloody body of Roy's daughter, Lian. Dinah goes to Roy's hospital bedside with Donna Troy to break

5757-707: The character Sgt. Rock . Kanigher scripted what is considered the first Silver Age comic book story, "Mystery of the Human Thunderbolt!", which introduced the Barry Allen version of the Flash in Showcase #4 (Oct. 1956). Kanigher was born in New York City, the third of Ephraim and Rebecca (née Herman) Kanigher's three children. Kanigher's parents were Romanian Jewish immigrants. Kanigher started working part-time when 12 years old to help support his family. "My father

5858-564: The comic book industry hit a setback when the United States Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency was created in order to investigate the problem of juvenile delinquency . After the publication of Fredric Wertham 's Seduction of the Innocent the following year that claimed comics sparked illegal behavior among minors, comic book publishers such as EC's William Gaines were subpoenaed to testify in public hearings. As

5959-504: The current Black Canary is re-established as being the daughter of her Golden Age predecessor, fully reversing the controversial New 52 changes and bringing an end to the distinctive New 52 version of the character. The largely erased New 52 versions of the DC heroes were established as residing on Earth-52 in the comic book miniseries Doomsday Clock . During the DC Rebirth era, Black Canary

6060-460: The early years of her marriage to Richard. This occurred in the early-to-mid 1900s, a time before corruption was deeply rooted in the city. Richard trained Dinah from a young age, hoping that she would follow in his footsteps and become a policewoman. They both aspired to combat the growing corruption and seek justice for Richard's late wife. In her later years, Dinah developed a connection with Larry Lance, her father's younger partner. She aimed to join

6161-463: The entire 1950s were Action Comics , Adventure Comics , Batman , Detective Comics , Superboy , Superman , Wonder Woman and World's Finest Comics . Plastic Man appeared in Quality Comics ' Police Comics until 1950, when its focus switched to detective stories; his solo title continued bimonthly until issue 52, cover-dated February 1955. Timely Comics ' The Human Torch

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6262-523: The final two issues, which included Black Cat stories. Lev Gleason Publications ' Daredevil was edged out of his title by the Little Wise Guys in 1950. Fawcett Comics ' Whiz Comics , Master Comics and Captain Marvel Adventures were canceled in 1953, and The Marvel Family was canceled the following year. Also during this period, the mass media with the advent of television were forcing media companies to put out comics that reflected

6363-583: The first issue (Aug.–Sept. 1976) of that character's short-lived ongoing series. Around 1977, Kanigher taught for a year at the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art . Kanigher was still working for DC into the early 1980s, most notably on the Creature Commandos feature in Weird War Tales . When told the comic was being canceled, Kanigher wrote a one-page Creature Commandos story where

6464-454: The identity of Dinah Drake II's father remains undisclosed, as the character Larry Lance was temporarily replaced by Kurt Lance during the amalgamation period before his history is retroactively added to Dinah Drake II's history. Due the alterations after the New 52, it was retconned that the composite Dinah's (now Dinah II) mother is retroactively Dinah Drake I. In this history, originally depicted as

6565-572: The late 1930s and early 1940s, Kanigher also wrote for radio, film, and authored several plays. In 1943 Kanigher wrote How to Make Money Writing, which included a section on comics, making it one of the earliest works on the subject. Kanigher's earliest comics work was in such titles as Fox Feature Syndicate 's Blue Beetle (where he created the Bouncer ), MLJ/Archie Comics 's Steel Sterling and The Web , and Fawcett Comics Captain Marvel Adventures . Kanigher joined All-American Comics ,

6666-454: The late 1940s (thereby making her nearly 60 years old). It was established that during the 1950s, she and Larry had a daughter, Dinah Laurel Lance , who was cursed by the Wizard with a devastating sonic scream. Her mother hoped that Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt could cure her, but the Thunderbolt was only able to keep the younger Dinah in suspended animation in his own dimension. To ease their pain,

6767-504: The licensed Walt Disney animated-character comics) outsold the superhero comics of the day. The publisher featured licensed movie and literary characters such as Mickey Mouse , Donald Duck , Roy Rogers and Tarzan . It was during this era that noted Donald Duck writer-artist Carl Barks rose to prominence. Additionally, MLJ 's introduction of Archie Andrews in Pep Comics #22 (December 1941) gave rise to teen humor comics , with

6868-416: The news about his daughter when he emerges from his coma. In Blackest Night , Dinah travels to Coast City to fight Nekron 's army of Black Lanterns . According to Nekron, he can control the heroes (including Ollie) who have died and been resurrected. Dinah fights her husband, now a Black Lantern, with Mia and Connor. Ollie regains control of his body long enough to miss his wife with a shot which severs

6969-405: The opportunity to rescue Sin with the help of one of White Canary's students, Terry, and race back to halt the duel between Helena and Shiva. While the duel is understood to be a matter of duty and honor, Dinah brings to their attention that there was no time mentioned and for now the fight must end, and to be resumed at a later time. While White Canary is displeased, Shiva sides with Black Canary and

7070-416: The origin of Black Canary's new sonic scream powers, and further, why she continued to appear youthful despite being active since the late 1940s (thereby making her nearly 60 years old). It was established that during the 1950s, she and Larry had a daughter, Dinah Laurel Lance , who was cursed by the Wizard with a devastating sonic scream. Her mother hoped that Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt could cure her, but

7171-525: The other Golden Age characters during the 1960s. In these stories, it is retroactively established she lives on the parallel world of Earth-2 (home of DC's Golden Age versions of its characters) in Ireland. Married to Larry Lance since the 1950s, Dinah participates in annual team-ups between the Justice Society and Earth-1 's Justice League of America . In a 1969 JLA/JSA team-up against the rogue star-creature Aquarius, who banished Earth-2's inhabitants (except

7272-519: The panels around and move some of the balloons from one panel to another?" He started to chew me out in the elevator! "Who the hell do you think you are, changing my stuff? Where do you come off changing my stuff? You don't know anything about this business!" Reuniting with Andru, Kanigher co-created the " Rose & The Thorn " backup feature in Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #105 (October 1970). Kanigher wrote two stories for Marvel Comics : "Weep for

7373-401: The parallel world of Earth-2 (home of DC's Golden Age versions of its characters) in Ireland. Married to Larry Lance since the 1950s, Dinah participates in annual team-ups between the Justice Society and Earth-1 's Justice League of America . In a 1969 JLA/JSA team-up against the rogue star-creature Aquarius, who banished Earth-2's inhabitants (except the JSA) to another dimension, Larry Lance

7474-504: The parallel world of Earth-2 (home of DC's Golden Age versions of its characters), in Ireland. Married to Larry Lance since the 1950s, Dinah participates in annual team-ups between the Justice Society and Earth-1 's Justice League of America . This period also marks the moment in which the character is given her signature superpower: the "canary cry", a high-powered sonic scream which could shatter objects and incapacitate and even kill powerful foes. When DC Comics adjusted its continuity ,

7575-532: The police academy, with the intention of helping her father and Larry in their efforts. However, despite her contributions, her application to the GCPD Police Academy was rejected. Both Dinah and Larry became disillusioned with the department. Richard suspected misogyny and was angered by the proposal of an administrative job for Dinah, feeling that the department did not want another honest member of their family in law enforcement. Tragically, Richard died due to

7676-551: The popular culture of the time period. Comic books focused on space, mystery, and suspense that television and other forms of media were turning to in the march toward scientific progress. According to historian Michael A. Amundson, appealing comic-book characters helped ease young readers' fear of nuclear war and neutralize anxiety about the questions posed by atomic power. It was during this period that long-running humor comics debuted, including EC Comics ' series Mad and Dell's series Uncle Scrooge (both in 1952). In 1953,

7777-496: The project were used in Weisman's short film, DC Showcase: Green Arrow . During DC's The New 52 era which began in 2011, Black Canary was portrayed as a single character with a metahuman Canary Cry resulting from government experiments on an alien child named Ditto. This version of Black Canary founded the Birds of Prey on her own, and led the super-team Team 7 alongside her husband Kurt Lance, before later becoming lead singer in

7878-426: The project were used in Weisman's short film, DC Showcase: Green Arrow . When DC rebooted its continuity with The New 52 , the character was amalgamated with Dinah Laurel Lance, and took the name Dinah Drake. The Golden Age Black Canary was restored to continuity in the lead-up to DC's Infinite Frontier initiative. Dinah was born to Richard Drake, an Irish detective in Gotham City, and an unnamed mother who died

7979-414: The ruins of Star City for him, finding him looking for one of the men who worked for Prometheus. Ollie overpowers them, leaving Dinah in a restraining fluid. After Green Arrow surrenders for Prometheus' murder, Dinah visits him in jail and realizes that he wants to be left alone. She removes her wedding ring, leaving it with him, and does not attend his trial. In Brightest Day , Dinah returns to Gotham in

8080-424: The same entity that claimed her husband's life, leading to her hospitalization. Before passing away, Dinah apologized to her daughter for her actions, recognizing the similarities between them and reflecting on her own father. She acknowledged how alike they were and expressed remorse. In her final moments, she entrusted Green Arrow, her daughter's lover, with looking after her. As she departed from this world, Spectre,

8181-429: The story's objects not war-time danger and violence, but the impact these events had on the men of Easy Company ." In 1956, DC editor Julius Schwartz assigned Kanigher and Infantino to the company's first attempt at reviving superheroes: an updated version of the Flash that would appear in issue #4 (Oct. 1956) of the try-out series Showcase . The eventual success of the new, science-fiction oriented Flash heralded

8282-455: The stuff ..." That was about the amount of conversation we had. Then one day we were in the elevator together, and he said, "Like the stuff." I, like an innocent fool ... I used to do some adjustments to his pages. If he had a heavy-copy panel, I might take a balloon from one panel and put it in the next. Just because I was distributing space. I was so stupid and naive, I said to him, "It doesn't bother you, does it, that I sometimes switch some of

8383-471: The team of military superhumans and himself were rocketed off into space. In 1985, DC Comics named Kanigher as one of the honorees in the company's 50th anniversary publication Fifty Who Made DC Great . Streets and buildings have been named in his honor in several of DC Comics' fictional cities, including Central City and Keystone City . The hometown of Nate Banks in the comic book themed kids' series of novels, The Amazing Adventures of Nate Banks ,

8484-777: The term "Golden Age" was by Richard A. Lupoff in an article, "Re-Birth", published in issue one of the fanzine Comic Art in April 1960. An event cited by many as marking the beginning of the Golden Age was the 1938 debut of Superman in Action Comics #1, published by Detective Comics (predecessor of DC Comics ). Superman's popularity helped make comic books a major arm of publishing, which led rival companies to create superheroes of their own to emulate Superman's success. Between 1939 and 1941 Detective Comics and its sister company, All-American Publications , introduced popular superheroes such as Batman and Robin , Wonder Woman ,

8585-650: The time of the Second World War following the Shield 's debut in 1940. Many heroes of this time period battled the Axis powers , with covers such as Captain America Comics #1 ( cover-dated March 1941) showing the title character punching Nazi leader Adolf Hitler . As comic books grew in popularity, publishers began launching titles that expanded into a variety of genres. Dell Comics ' non-superhero characters (particularly

8686-615: The timeline. The comic shows the pair briefly meeting, by chance, and then separately staying up at night, contemplating what is missing from their lives. They meet again in Green Arrow Rebirth #1, and instantly hit it off. As part of Rebirth , Black Canary also re-establishes the traditional Birds of Prey line up with Batgirl and Huntress, and also joins the Justice League of America. Following subsequent continuity-restoring events in Doomsday Clock and Dark Nights: Death Metal ,

8787-573: The title's writer as well. Kanigher wrote "The Black Canary", a six-page Johnny Thunder story which introduced the Black Canary character in Flash Comics #86 (August 1947). This was also artist Carmine Infantino 's first published work for DC. Other new characters created by Kanigher during this time included Rose and Thorn and the Harlequin . Starting in 1952, Kanigher began editing and writing

8888-423: The war, they did not survive the lifting of trade restrictions afterwards. The term Atomic Age of Comic Books is sometimes used to describe a brief time period, starting with either the end of World War II in 1945 or in 1948 with the first outcry of Fredric Wertham, and lasting until the mid-1950s. Some authors consider this an interregnum period or an era in its own right, but most regard it as still part of

8989-508: The warrior and begins a harsh training regimen in an unidentified Vietnamese shanty town . The regimen replicates Shiva's early life and training, and Shiva assumes Dinah's role in Oracle's group. During Countdown , several series include tie-ins and run-ups to the wedding of Dinah and Ollie. The Black Canary Wedding Planner details the preparations; in Birds of Prey #109, Dinah and Barbara discuss

9090-542: The wedding (and Ollie). Countdown: Justice League Wedding Special , and Justice League #13 deal with the bachelor and bachelorette parties. A plot thread throughout is a plan by the Injustice League to attack the wedding. Dinah resigns as JLA chairwoman after the team's confrontation with the Shadow Cabinet . After learning that Ollie began his own Justice League with Hal Jordan, she confronts him when he arrives at

9191-588: The wholesale return of superheroes, and the beginning of what fans and historians call the Silver Age of comics. Artist Ross Andru began a nine-year run on Wonder Woman , starting with issue #98 (May 1958), where he and Kanigher reinvented the character, introducing the Silver Age version and her supporting cast. Kanigher and Andru had several other notable collaborations. The "Gunner and Sarge" feature introduced in All-American Men of War #67 (March 1959)

9292-413: Was a black-haired florist in love with Larry Lance, a Gotham City Police Department detective. She first meets the Justice Society of America in All Star Comics #38 (December 1947-January 1948), joining them in All Star Comics #41 (June–July 1948). Black Canary's foes include criminal circus act Carno and His Masked Riders, and the Sacred Order of the Crimson Crystal. Black Canary was revived with

9393-420: Was a loser, so Kanigher and I brought the Black Canary into the series. Immediately she got a good response, and it was, 'Bye, bye, Johnny Thunder.' Nobody missed him. According to Amash and Nolen-Weathington (2010), Black Canary is "really" Carmine Infantino's "first character". According to the artist: When Kanigher gave me the script, I said, 'How do you want me to draw her?' He said, 'What's your fantasy of

9494-584: Was canceled with issue #35 (March 1949) and Marvel Mystery Comics , featuring the Human Torch, with issue #93 (Aug. 1949) became the horror comic Marvel Tales . Sub-Mariner Comics was canceled with issue #42 (June 1949) and Captain America Comics , by then Captain America's Weird Tales , with #75 (Feb. 1950). Harvey Comics ' Black Cat was canceled in 1951 and rebooted as a horror comic later that year—the title would change to Black Cat Mystery , Black Cat Mystic , and eventually Black Cat Western for

9595-460: Was destroyed in the Great Depression". He quickly started working full-time. "I supported them in their own flat (without their asking me), paying for everything from chewing gum to (their) coffins, 28 years later". Kanigher's career as a writer started early, with his short stories and poetry being published in magazines. He won The New York Times Collegiate Short Story Contest in 1932. In

9696-609: Was discarded; in this version of the story, the present-day Black Canary is Dinah Laurel Lance, who inherits the identity from her mother, Dinah Drake Lance. Although some references (for example, those in James Robinson's Starman series) tried to distinguish the two Canaries by calling the first "Diana", recent accounts have confirmed Dinah as the mother's given name. The two Canaries' origin stories were told in full in Secret Origins #50 (August 1990). In this story, Dinah Drake

9797-514: Was discarded; in this version of the story, the present-day Black Canary is Dinah Laurel Lance, who inherits the identity from her mother, Dinah Drake-Lance. Although some references (for example, those in James Robinson's Starman series) tried to distinguish between the two Canaries by calling the first "Diana", recent accounts have confirmed Dinah as the mother's given name. The two Canaries' origin stories were told in full in Secret Origins (vol. 2) #50 (August 1990). In this story, Dinah Drake

9898-399: Was for his brilliance as a writer, and collaborators such as Gene Colan and John Romita Sr. have commented on the difficulty of working with him. Romita recounted: I worked on a series with Kanigher — he wrote two series for me in the romance dept. One about an airline stewardess, and one about a nurse. He used to compliment me whenever he'd see me in the bullpen. "Like the stuff ... like

9999-452: Was one of the first war comics to feature recurring characters. Andru drew an early appearance of Kanigher's Sgt. Rock character in Our Army at War #81 (April 1959) The creative team co-created the original version of the Suicide Squad in The Brave and the Bold #25 (September 1959). Another innovation was the melding of war comics with science-fiction in " The War that Time Forgot ",

10100-494: Was published biweekly at one point to capitalize on its popularity. Another notable series was The Spirit by Will Eisner , which deviated from the usual publishing model of the period as a weekly multi-page supplement in the Register and Tribune Syndicate newspapers for which Eisner held the copyright, a rare consideration for creators of that period. Patriotic heroes donning red, white, and blue were particularly popular during

10201-451: Was replaced with All-American Western . The following year, Flash Comics and Green Lantern were canceled. In 1951 All Star Comics , featuring the Justice Society of America , became All-Star Western . The next year Star Spangled Comics , featuring Robin, was retitled Star Spangled War Stories . Sensation Comics , featuring Wonder Woman , was canceled in 1953. The only superhero comics published continuously through

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