In this episode of the Golden Age of Comic Books we talk about DC’s Black Canary. She made her first in Flash Comics #86 (August, 1947) in a Johnny Thunder story. Her popularity skyrocketed to the point that a few issues later she knocked Johnny Thunder out of the comic and started her solo run (Flash Comics #92, February, 1948). In this story, we learned more about her identity as Dinah Drake (a florist by trade) and that she was actually a brunette (she had blond hair in the Johnny Thunder stories) and wore a blond wig to fight crime as Black Canary. In this issue we also meet for the first time her love interest, private detective Larry Lance. She continued her solo stories in Flash Comics until the title’s last issue, #104. Black Canary not only knocked Johnny Thunder out of Flash Comics, she also took his place in the Justice Society of America. She made her first appearance with the JSA in the pages of All-Star Comics #38 (January, 1947-February, 1948) and became a member of the JSA in issue #41 (June-July, 1948). Her last Golden Age appearance was in All-Star Comics #57 (February-Marcy, 1951).
Flash Comics #92
Black Canary was revived in the Silver Age in a two-part story spanning The Brave and the Bold #61 (September, 1965) and #62 (October, 1965).
A previously unpublished Golden Age Black Canary story was published in the pages of DC Special #3 (June, 1969).
All of the Golden Age Black Canary adventures can be found in DC’s Black Canary Archives and the volumes 8 through 11 of the All-Star Archives.
In this episode we also discuss the origin of Fawcett’s Captain Marvel nemesis, Black Adam from the pages of Marvel Family #1.
I also mention some new Golden Age reprint material:
- Wonder Woman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told
- Marvel Masterworks Golden Age U.S.A. Comics
- Superman Action Comics Archives Volume 5
