Black Canary #12 - A Review

Black Canary #12 brings the series to an ending. It is not a satisfying ending but there is far more closure than I'd anticipated. I will give Brenden Fletcher that little credit.

Most of the issue is concerned with Dinah starting a career as a solo musician, ignoring the pleas of the superhero community in joining their battle against something called Ravedeath. She finds time in the middle of all this to meet and marry Oliver Queen (whom we are told died in space in the most forced reference to David Bowie's Space Oddity ever) and gave birth to a daughter who might be Ditto - the time-manipulating McGuffin child.

Oh, and it turns out Dinah's mother taught her some secret reality-breaking punch when she was a baby, but she doesn't remember it until she's on her deathbed, where her lifelong study of music and chords allow her to understand how to use said technique to undo what her mom did and beat-up an 1980s rock-and-roll vampire demon thingy.

Maybe I need to be on a higher quality of medication for any of this to make sense?



Personally, I'd much rather see the Justice League fighting some evil alien invaders than watching Dinah Lance sit around a studio and conducting interviews about her upcoming album. But whatever. At the end of the issue, Dinah abandons her singing career, trades her thigh boots for army boots and goes off into the world freed from the baggage of her previous life. Her husband is dead. Ditto has magically been erased from the memories of everyone but her. And Amanda Waller seems content to leave her be... for now.

Annie Wu returns to do some of the artwork for this issue but even she can't disguise what a convoluted train-wreck this book became as Sandy Jarrell continues to apply the minimum amount of effort in everything. Lee Loughridge, at least, continues to color everything expertly but even a prettily-painted turd is still a turd.



And so Black Canary ends - not with a bang but a whimper. It was a tale told by a idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.Thankfully, based on what we've seen of Green Arrow and Batgirl and The Birds of Prey, Dinah is in much more capable hands now.

Black Canary #11 - A Review

Yes, I'm still reading this book. At this point, I demand to see how this ends in the blind hope that there will be some kind of explanation for what in the name of Odin's Ravens was going on in this title. It may be a rushed explanation delivered in an information dump of exposition on one page, as is par for the course in Brenden Fletcher's writing, but at least it will be AN explanation.


The story is all over the place in this issue, with Dinah going to Berlin to rescue her band-mates (who we're told once again she loves like family, despite all evidence to the contrary) from an evil 80's rock star demon. Said demon is nursing a grudge because the ninja clan that Dinah's mother founded pretended to be background dancers in an effort to get to him. And Dinah's mother used this magical secret fighting technique that everyone thinks Dinah knows (but doesn't) to hurt him and he wants the secret of said technique so he can be healed.

...

I wish we'd gotten to read THAT comic instead, because that sounds WAY more awesome than what we get here - i.e. Dinah being randomly teleported around by said 80's rock star demon, as he throws exposition at her in an effort to disorient her.

Oh, and on that note, the demon says that he killed Dinah's father. And Vixen's manager used to be part of the same group as Dinah's mother. And that woman who claimed to be Dinah's aunt isn't really Dinah's aunt.

Yeah...


The artwork isn't much clearer than the writing. Sandy Jarrell phones it in again, with Wayne Faucher under-inking the four pages he was brought in to finish. Even Lee Loughridge seems to be waiting for a better gig to come along at this point, with most of the issue done in dull, muted tones that left me wondering if the printer was running low on every color but blue.

Black Canary #10 - A Review

The only kind thing I have to say about Black Canary #10 is that it gives a shout-out to John Constantine's old band - Mucous Membrane - in the form of Dinah's T-shirt. That momentary sight-gag allowed me to momentarily think of better comics than this one. It proved a welcome relief, given that I am hard pressed to think of any other thing this comic managed to do right.


Brenden Fletcher continues to "tell, don't show" with every bit of dialogue he writes. Over half of this issue is devoted to scenes of Black Canary and Batgirl telling each other things they already know or recalling conversations that took place off-panel during the action of previous issues. The vexing thing is that these conversations could have taken place on-panel if Fletcher had been buggered at any point in the previous eight issues to have written a straight-forward conversation regarding what the heck is going on!

And just what the heck is going on, you ask?

In brief, Black Canary is trying to find out the truth about her past and Batgirl is helping her. They get attacked by the same group of ninjas that abducted Black Canary a few issues ago, only now to learn that said ninjas want the knowledge of some secret technique that they think Dinah knows.

Why they didn't ask her for this information when they were forcing her to fight in their arena two issues ago is not explained. Nor is it explained why Dinah - who we're told thinks of her band-mates as a second family - hasn't bothered to make contact with her band-mates ever since escaping from an evil ninja clan's Arena of Death.

Of course I'm still waiting for an explanation as to why an ex-secret agent/vigilante trying who is wanted by the government and is trying to lay low would ever agree to become lead singer of a punk band with a major record label that uses her code name as the band name. I doubt we're over going to get an explanation for that one. The damnable thing is that Fletcher himself inadvertently points out the stupidity of it all, with the thugs that Dinah is beating up at one point recognizing her from the band!



The artwork is similarly troubled. Moritat seems to be trying (and failing) to emulate Annie Wu once again, with unusually forced poses such as Batgirl singing into a hair-brush despite not singing in the dialogue. Sandy Jarrell's pencils are better, but still uncharacteristically sloppy. Even the usually excellent Lee Loughridge seems off-form this month, with Babs and Dinah's coloration being mixed up in one panel (thanks to Jeremy Williams for pointing that one out to me) and the color art only serving to highlight rather than disguise how rushed the pencils and inks are.

The heck of it is I can't even blame the creative team for how thrown-together this issue feels. Given the approach of DC Rebirth and this issue's revelation that Dinah's parents were a private eye and a florist, coupled with the suggestion that Dinah was given implanted memories (exactly like what's going on in Batgirl right now), it seems likely that Fletcher was put over a barrel and forced to turn his Black Canary into the classic Black Canary and reestablish all the backstory that got thrown out the window five years ago.

In that respect, I wish I could be happy. But given that Dinah's apparent destiny is to be Green Arrow's muse, I can't. Problematic and contradictory as this book has been, it at least let Dinah be her own character.

Batgirl #49 - A Review

With Barbara Gordon's mind shattered in the wake of The Fugue's psychic assault, it will take a miracle to bring her back at all, much less as the woman she once was. Luckily, Frankie still has the digital back-up that Barbara made of her mind - the same one that took on a life of its own and became a hostile artificial intelligence. But even if Frankie can keep Babs' wandering mind under control, can it still be used to determine which parts of Barbara's memories are real?

This issue utilizes its multiple artists to marvelous effect. Having different artists with vastly varied styles draw the various aspects of Barbara Gordon's mind visually symbolizes the conflict of the issue perfectly. The final effect crafts a perfectly jarring counterpoint to the text of the story.


Unfortunately, the actual text of the story is still something of a mess. And while Fletcher and Stewart have finally given one of Barbara's supporting cast a distinct personality, it seems that Frankie has been given the personality of the pre-New 52 Oracle-era Barbara Gordon. And making me think of better Barbara Gordon comics while reading this one is never a good idea.

At this point, I am content to write off any incongruity I've noticed in this series regarding Batgirl's personality as being due to the manipulations of The Fuege. To that end, I'm dropping this title immediately and hoping someone else is writing the Batgirl books post-Rebirth.

Black Canary #8 - A Review

Trapped in a remote stronghold, Dinah is one of many being forced to fight in an underground arena. The good news is that Dinah is not alone, for the heroine Vixen is also a captive here and Dinah has learned that her mysterious guardian angel is her long lost aunt! But can Dinah really trust either one of them?
The artwork this month is something of a mixed bag. Guest artist Sandy Jarrell is competent but hardly outstanding. Jarrell's female figures all look like a stiff breeze could knock them over, which is something of a problem when most of the characters are meant to be experienced warriors. Lee Loughridge does their usual outstanding job on the colors but the whole comic looks drab and dull due to most of it being set in a prison.

The script for this issue is a showcase of everything Brenden Fletcher does right and wrong as a writer. Most of the action of the issue takes place off-panel and we are told rather than shown most of the information regarding what has been going on in a massive info dump regarding Dinah's past. (Incidentally, it turns out the mysterious blonde ninja is Dinah's aunt - not her sister, as I'd guessed.) What Fletcher gets right, however, is the relationship building between Vixen and Black Canary. You really want to see more of these two teaming up in the future. I just want to see it in a different title.

Batgirl #48 - A Review

Barbara Gordon's perfect memory is failing her and her friends have reported her acting strangely. This happened once before when an artificial intelligence born of Barbara's rage following her paralysis tried to take over her life. Could it have returned? Barbara's going to need some help figuring it out and there's only one person who can match her when it comes to solving mysteries and kicking butt - Black Canary!


I wish Batgirl was written like this on a more frequent basis. There's not a lot of chaff in Fletcher and Stewart's script this time around. And I'm in favor of anything that helps to explain away Barbara's out of character behavior.


Alas, it seems that this month it is the artwork's turn to be uneven. With two different artists working breakdowns and two colorists, there's not a lot of uniformity. None of it looks bad, persay, but the sudden shifts between Tarr's sketchy breakdowns and Rob Haynes thicker inks coupled with the brighter palette used by Lapointe conflicting with the more neutral one favored by Loughridge make it hard for the book to maintain a consistent visual tone.

Batgirl #47 - A Review

Someone is illegally using Barbara Gordon's research and all signs point to the GCPD. When asking her father for information doesn't pan out, Barbara recruits the other mystery women who protect Gotham City to pull a daring heist on the police department's network. Yet the answers Babs seeks may lead to more questions...

The best thing about last month's issue was its inclusion of The Spoiler. The addition of Bluebird and focus on the heist aspect of the story offers an additional enhancement of the book. I wish we had more high-action issues like this one, finding them infinitely more entertaining than the endless scenes involving Barbara's roommate drama or her relationship with Lucius Fox's son.
Regular artist Babs Tarr is replaced by two artists this month. Eleonora Carlini - most recently seen on Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor - proves capable of matching Tarr in terms of quality.  Moritat, on the other hand, appears to be trying to ape Tarr's style, crafting sloppy artwork that is serviceable but ultimately forgettable.

Black Canary #6 - A Review

I honestly want to like the DC You Black Canary series. Dinah Lance has always been one of my favorite heroines but I don't think The New 52 has served her very well as a character. And after six issues, I don't think this series is doing her any favors either.

The centerpiece of this issue is a literal battle of the bands between Dinah's band, Black Canary, and a new group fronted by Dinah's self-styled rival, Bo Maeve. Bo has a grudge against Dinah's band, who ditched her in favor of a lead singer who was less of a diva. And now, with the assistance of Amanda Waller, Bo is back with sonic superpowers to rival Dinah's and a bad-girl group with powers of their own.

This should be awesome and taken in terms of pure visuals, it is.  The artwork by Annie Wu is amazing and the strongest aspect of the series. The action of the issue flows smoothly throughout and the color art by Lee Loughridge is as vivid and wild as a punk rock guitar solo.

The effect is not unlike the band battles in Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, save that we don't get any lyrics for the songs here. And I find myself wondering if the lyrics were left out so as the reader could imagine Black Canary's sound for themselves?  Or if writer Brenden Fletcher just didn't bother to write them?  This is just one aspect of the script that seem incomplete and I fear it's because this may be because it's easier to pass a lack of explanation off as mystery than to write a proper plotline.

For instance, I originally thought Fletcher avoided discussing Dinah's past with the Birds of Prey and Team 7 in the early issues of this series to make it more accessible to new readers. Now that the series has referenced that past without answering various questions about it, I wonder if Fletcher just wanted to milk the mystery out long enough to decompress the story to trade-paperback length. The end of the issue suggests some answers may be forthcoming but at this point I'm skeptical of a satisfying resolution.


Ironically, for all my complaints about the series not telling us enough about what is going on in its world and backstory, the book simultaneously violates the "show, don't tell" rule.  We're told that Dinah loves her band-mates but there's little to indicate that.  Dinah is a generic strong female protagonist, who doesn't display any emotions beyond anger.

The supporting cast is even worse in this regard. I can't even remember any of character traits or names apart from Ditto, and Ditto is a MacGuffin rather than a character!  Come to think of it, there's no real definition to any of these people apart from Bo, whose character can be summed up as "jealous diva".

That's my problem with Black Canary in a nutshell. It's got visual style but there's no substance to the writing or characters.  And the only reason I'm picking up the next issue is the hope that there will finally be some kind of resolution to this drawn-out opening arc.

Batgirl #46 - A Review

Gangs are becoming an increasing problem in Burnside - both because of how they're forcibly recruiting young men and in how they're trying to force the working poor out of their homes. It's a problem Barbara Gordon tries to tackle both as an activist and as Batgirl, but tonight she has more immediate problems. One of the mobs has put a hit out on The Spoiler and the more inexperienced heroine is in need of a rescue.
I can't say enough about the phenomenal Babs Tarr's artwork. Tarr has an amazing grasp of action and her work is full of personality and the colors of Serge Lapointe build perfectly upon her foundation. This is one of the best-looking books on the market today.
Alas, the script this month doesn't quite live up to the visuals. It's fortunate that Tarr's artwork has personality because the supporting cast doesn't. Even Batgirl herself has been reduced to a generic strong female protagonist. There's none of the wit or humor from when Gail Simone was writing the series.

Batgirl #45 - A Review

It's Wedding Day for Babs' best friend Alysia and she's totally rocking the Maid of Honor duties, solving all the last minute problems from sudden dress stains to lost earrings with ease. It's going to be a magical day and the best part is finally getting some time with Luke Fox, her new maybe-boyfriend. Unfortunately, this is the moment Dick "Wait, aren't you dead?" Grayson chooses to come back into her life... and steals the wedding ring to lure Babs into a talk about where they stand!


Your enjoyment of this issue will come down to one simple question - how do you feel about Dick Grayson being written as an unreformed Flynn Rider? I'll admit to not having read Grayson or much of the earlier Nightwing book, but was a decision made at some point that Dick should live up to his name in the New 52 universe? Because I can't believe that the character who was always Batman with sensitivity training would be as thoughtless as he is in this issue.


At least the artwork by Babs Tarr continues to be amazing. Her characters are cute yet sporty and the issue's one action sequence is very well blocked. And the colors by Serge Lapointe perfectly enhance Tarr's pencils and inks.

Black Canary #5 - A Review

Normally I start my reviews with a set-up for the media in question. A plot summary, more often than not. I can't do that with Black Canary #5, however, because there's no plot to speak of. In fact, looking back on the past issues, I realize that there hasn't been a lot going on overall. Events occur but there's very little rhyme or reason behind any of it and there are more mysteries than there are solid facts.

Most of this issue is devoted toward the characters discussing all the mysteries but no progress being made on any of the on-going story-lines.  There's the mystery of who the mute guitarist Ditto is, what connection she has to the government group that gave Dinah her sonic scream power and what any of this has to do with Dinah's amnesic ex-husband and the second group that he's apparently part of now that is also interested in Ditto.


This issue reveals two new mysteries - the revelation that Dinah's entire family died under strange circumstances when she was young and the idea that, somehow, her record label is involved in all of this madness as well and that Dinah's discovery as a singing talent was no accident. And all of these mysteries ignore further mysteries such as who is the white-clad ninja woman who saved Ditto in the last issue and spends this issue trying to steal Dinah's blood in the issue's one action sequence?

All this ambiguity might be tolerable if the characters were at least interesting. Unfortunately, they aren't. Dinah's band-mates all have the personality of dishwater and Dinah herself is a total cipher beyond being the standard "tough chick". At first I thought writer Brenden Fletcher had been trying to keep this book free of any previous continuity but now I find myself wondering if he had any direction from editorial for this book other than "Black Canary becomes a punk singer" or if there is any eventual direction for where any of this is going.


At least the artwork is good, even if there's precious little action for it to depict. The talents of Pia Guerra of Y: The Last Man fame are completely wasted here. Sandy Jarrell closes the book out in a memorable fashion with Lee Loughridge offering up the usual stellar color art.

Batgirl #44 - A Review

The good news is that Batgirl has found the person responsible for killing several freelance techies and framing other people for the murders. The bad news is that the guilty party is an aspiring super-villain called The Velvet Tiger. And she's just as tech-savvy as Babs and armed with the tools needed to neutralize all of Batgirl's wonderful toys!


Brendan Fletcher and Cameron Stewart are to be commended for trying to expand Batgirl's rogues gallery as much as they've expanded her supporting cast of friends. A hero needs good villains to be effective and the revamped Velvet Tiger is shaping up to be a worthy arch-enemy for Batgirl. Ignoring the animal motifs, VT is just as smart as Babs and a dark mirror of what an evil Barbara Gordon might be like. Hopefully she'll be back for more fun in the future.


Am I the only one amused that Bengal is the guest artist on the same issue of Batgirl that introduces a tiger-themed villain?  Probably so. But Bengal proves a worthy substitute for regular artist Babs Tarr and the artwork for this issue looks amazing.

Black Canary #4 - A Review

With all the people chasing after Dinah Drake's band-mate Ditto, it seems ironic that she should finally be kidnapped by Maeve - the former lead-singer for Dinah's band before they became Black Canary. But Maeve has motives beyond simple jealousy!  She's cut a deal with another figure from Dinah's past to trade Ditto for a chance to be special. But as Dinah hits the road to save Ditto, little does she realize that she has an unseen ally.


The script for this issue of Black Canary is somewhat lackluster, as Dinah doesn't really do anything apart from a brief scene where she stops a carjacking while searching for a lead on Ditto. Most of the issue is focused on Maeve and much as Maeve is nowhere near as interesting as she thinks she is, so too is her subplot dull as dishwater. And the idea of turning Maeve into a super-villain with the same powers as Dinah - as the end of the issue suggests - reeks of the worst kind of hackery. The white-clad ninja woman who saves Ditto from Amanda Waller is far more interesting and one wonders if we're about to learn about Dinah's younger sister the assassin in coming issues.


Pia Guerra proves a capable substitute for regular artist Annie Wu. Guerra's work on Y: The Last Man was amazing and she's in equally fine form here. Colorist Lee Loughridge also does a stellar job.

Batgirl #43 - A Review

Techies all around Gotham's Burnside district are dying from tiger attacks.  Even by the standards of Gotham City, this is a strange case. Unfortunately, between helping her ex-roommate plan her wedding and stopping her current roommate from taking to the streets to assist in Batgirl's crime-fighting, Barbara Gordon already has her hands full!


I enjoy Babs Tarr's art style. It reminds me of Bruce Timm's designs for the classic Batman: The Animated Series for all the right reasons while also maintaining an aesthetic that would not look out of place in a Shojo manga. Yet I have to praise her more than usual for her tigers, which are more realistic than I expected yet somehow blend in perfectly with the cartoonish people.


The story by Brenden Fletcher and Cameron Stewart is a hoot. We've seen this broad story before - the hero has difficulty balancing friends, work and heroism in the face of a case only they can solve. Yet despite the trope-filled plot, the execution is handled very well and the sheer absurdity of the concept of techies being assassinated by tigers does much to mitigate any sense of familiarity.

Black Canary #3 - A Review

Dinah Drake and the rest of the Black Canary band are still on-the-run from government agents that seem unusually interested in their guitarist, Ditto. It's shocking enough when D.D. finds out that one of the agents is her presumed-dead husband, Kurt Lance, but shocking is too weak a word to describe the revelation that Ditto was involved in the government program that gave Dinah her sonic scream! Worse yet, the government aren't the only ones after Ditto...


The artwork by Annie Wu and Lee Loughridge remains this book's strongest selling-point. Wu is an amazing artist with a true gift for artistic fight choreography and the opening car-chase sequence would not look out of place in a Mad Max movie.  Her art is further enhanced by Loughridge's colors, which subtly enhance and emphasize key panels with sudden palette shifts and tints.



This is not to say that the scripts by Brenden Fletcher are not as god as the artwork. They are good though they are more subtle in their brilliance. Fletcher has spun an engaging tale around Dinah's mysterious past, slowing unveiling it to the readers who might not be familiar with Black Canary. Or at least not with the New 52 version of her. The fake magazine articles reporting on the band offer further details as well as insight into Dinah's character.

Batgirl Annual #3 - A Review

Batgirl Annual #3 is not really a Batgirl story. Or perhaps it would be more fair to say that this is not your typical Batgirl story. You see, Batgirl is the main character and this issue was written by her regular writing team of Cameron Stewart and Brenden Fletcher. But the actual purpose of this issue seems to be to give some attention to the lesser-known Bat Family books, such as Grayson and Gotham Academy.


Under lesser writers this could be a recipe for disaster. But Stewart and Fletcher more than meet the challenge of making the patchwork nature of this sort of story engaging through liberal application of their famous humor. Perhaps the best portion of the issue details Babs' encounter with an overly-excitable Stephanie Brown a.k.a. The Spoiler.  Hopefully we'll be seeing more of these two heroines playing off of each other in the future.

This issue features a dream team of various artists and inkers.  They all do a wonderful job with their respective chapters and there's not a bum comic in the lot. This issue more than justifies its cover price, proving quite the bargain at $4.99 and its a wonderful introduction to the series for those who haven't given Fletcher and Stewart's run a chance yet.

Batgirl #42 - A Review

The good news for Batgirl is that the new Batman - who is secretly her father, Jim Gordon - is trying to dodge his orders to bring in the rest of Gotham City's vigilantes. The bad news is that he's also after Livewire - an electricity manipulating metahuman who can easily overcome the defenses of his power armor.  Can Batgirl help him ground Livewire without blowing Batman's cover or her own secret identity?!

I was skeptical about the idea of Jim Gordon as a police-backed Batman... and I still am. But the script for this issue, by Brenden Fletcher and Cameron Stewart, makes the idea work by playing off the sheer absurdity of Barbara's position in having to help her father while not revealing herself. And it's nice to see Livewire - a favorite from the Batman/Superman Animated Series - being given new life and an update from her shock-jock DJ origins as a YouTube sensation.


The artwork for this issue is, in a word, phenomenal. This may be Babs Tarr's best issue yet, which is saying a lot. There's a great sense of motion in this issue and the battles between Batgirl and Livewire are particularly well blocked. And the colors by Serge Lapointe are incredibly vivid and well-chosen.

Black Canary #2 - A Review

The band called Black Canary is on the road and "D.D." is trying to teach her band-mates something about survival. They take to the gun lessons somewhat better than the martial arts, but everyone agrees they want to be ready in case more of the weirdness that seems to be following them shows up. Thankfully the only thing that seems to be stalking them now is Maeve -their jealous ex-lead-singer. But that could change...


The most impressive aspect of Brenden Fletcher's scripts for this series continues to be his ability to allude to D.D.'s past while still making this series accessible to new readers. Indeed, I envy the new readers for the wonderful mystery this series must be from their perspective, as more and more details of D.D's secret past are revealed.  Those who have read Batgirl, Birds of Prey and Team 7 already know the details, of course, but the story is also enjoyable from that informed perspective.


The artwork for this issue is equally delightful.  Lee Loughridge's color art adopts unique palettes between pages - and occasionally panels - to signal subtle differences between indoors, outdoors and club lighting. This perfectly enhances the art of Annie Wu, which looks equally amazing in black and white, as we see in a fold-out magazine in the middle of this issue.

If you aren't reading Black Canary, you are missing out on one of the most unique reading experiences in recent memory. Treat yourself immediately!  You won't regret it.  

Batgirl #41 - A Review

Things have gotten complicated in Barbara Gordon's life. Even more complicated than usual and that's saying something! Her roommate has been clued in on her secret identity and is determined to help Babs with her Batgirl work whether she wants it or not.

Of course Batgirl could use the help with an escaped super-villain from Metropolis called Live Wire on the loose in Burnside. But there's a new Batman, backed by the GCPD, who is working to bring down every masked hero in Gotham City. And the man behind the mech-suit is Barbara's father!


Stewart and Fletcher are to be commended for using this issue to immediately address the elephant in the room post-Batman #41  -  how does Barbara react to her father revealing that he too has a double life? While the very idea of Jim Gordon in power armor as Batman was enough to lead me to drop the current Batman book, this needed to be taken on immediately. And the issue is well-handled despite my fear that we're going to be treated to more of the same faux-drama that dominated the end of Gail Simone's Batgirl run, vis-à-vis Jim Gordon having a mad-on for Batgirl.  Thankfully, the rest of the issue more than makes up for it and the bits with Barbara fighting Live Wire are an amazing bit of action.


The artwork proves to be equally astonishing!  Babs Tarr has made this book her own and it is hard to imagine anyone else drawing it now.  The backgrounds by Joel Gomez are well-done and the color art by Serge Lapointe rounds the final package out perfectly.

Black Canary #1 - A Review

A hot new band called Black Canary is busting up the charts nearly as fast as their new lead singer D.D. can bust heads. Trouble seems to follow D.D. like a shadow and her past is a mystery even to her band-mates. Still, whatever their misgivings about a front woman who acts more like an MMA champion than a diva, there's a long road ahead of them and a lot of dates left to play on their tour. Assuming they don't all get killed first...

Despite this book being a spin-off of sorts, Brenden Fletcher wisely keeps this book free of any burdensome backstory. Those who followed Batgirl and Birds of Prey will know something of D.D's troubled past and what her initials stand for but such details aren't necessary to enjoy the story at hand. Everything we need to know is revealed deftly through Fletcher's script without seeming the least bit expository.


The artwork for this issue is amazing.  Annie Wu 's style is a perfect fit for the bombastic world of Indie Rock and her design for D.D. proves to be a nice twist on the classic design. This edge is further emphasized by the colors of Lee Loughridge, whose limited palettes and tints give each page a unique look.

This book is a welcome makeover for a heroine who has sorely needed a new direction. No longer a sidekick or part of the ensemble, it's time for Black Canary to take center stage!