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1st SA appearance of Black Canary?
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11 posts in this topic

I'm curious about this one, as I just don't know, as well as being unsure whether I've missed an issue ~

Flash #129

A very quick flashback with the JSA - the 1st time the GA Green Lantern, Hawkman, Atom, Black Canary, Dr. Midnight, and Wonder Woman are seen in the Silver Age.

Justice League of America #73

Appears at the end.

Unless I'm mistaken in some form?

All comments are welcomed

 

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As Iceman399 implied, Justice League of America #75 is actually the most important Silver Age appearance for Black Canary, by far. BB61 and 62 are tryouts on Earth 2. In JLoA 75, the character is completely revamped, to the point where it was later retconned that the story actually introduces a new character, the daughter of the original Black Canary. She gets her canary cry powers, begins a relationship with Green Arrow, moves to Earth-1, and becomes a member of the Justice League all in #75, plus it has an iconic cover to boot. Pretty much everything modern audiences associate with Black Canary begins in JLoA #75 (other than the name and the fishnets).

BB #61 - first full Silver Age appearance of Black Canary

JLoA #75 - first appearance of the Silver Age Black Canary

 

2c

Edited by Crimebuster
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6 hours ago, Crimebuster said:

As Iceman399 implied, Justice League of America #75 is actually the most important Silver Age appearance for Black Canary, by far. BB61 and 62 are tryouts on Earth 2. In JLoA 75, the character is completely revamped, to the point where it was later retconned that the story actually introduces a new character, the daughter of the original Black Canary. She gets her canary cry powers, begins a relationship with Green Arrow, moves to Earth-1, and becomes a member of the Justice League all in #75, plus it has an iconic cover to boot. Pretty much everything modern audiences associate with Black Canary begins in JLoA #75 (other than the name and the fishnets).

BB #61 - first full Silver Age appearance of Black Canary

JLoA #75 - first appearance of the Silver Age Black Canary

 

2c

What of Justice League of America #73 in this equation?

Spoiler

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Edited by Bart Allen
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Actually Black Canary’s first full Silver Age appearance, following the flashback cameo in 1962’s The Flash #129, was in 1963’s Justice League of America #21, and she is prominently featured on the cover of that famous first team-up of the JLA and JSA. Brave and the Bold #61 did not come out until 1965, but that was her first appearance without the whole JSA. In 1969’s Justice League of America #74 her husband Larry Lance is killed and the JLA invites her to move from Earth-Two to Earth-One. Wonder Woman had lost her powers for what ended up being several years, so DC had BC move teams to fill the token female role on the JLA. In the next issue, #75, she gains her sonic scream and begins her relationship with Green Arrow. In 1983 they retconned what took place between JLA #74 and #75 to reveal that her middle aged body was switched with her daughter’s mindless body that had grown up in a magical limbo, but Dinah’s mind and memories stayed the same. DC did this because Dinah had been around since the late 1940s and they wanted to make her age more in-line with the younger Earth-One heroes. It was a goofy way to do it as the JLA members all knew Dinah previously and surely would have noticed if she all of a sudden became 20+ years younger. 

When Crisis on Infinite Earths merged the Earths into one and changed DC history, it was eventually revealed that there were two Black Canaries, the mother and the daughter, who never shared the same mind or body. This was revealed after Watchmen came out, so the new origin and background was basically ripped off from the background of the two Silk Spectre’s in that acclaimed story. The older Black Canary was soon killed off.

It is a pretty convoluted background, but no worse than the TV series Arrow, where there have been three different Canaries so far. 

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I had never really thought about it before, but this thread got me thinking of when did Black Canary first appear in the Golden Age? (Sorry, maybe going off topic a little bit here since the original question was about the Silver Age Black Canary, however I just had to do some research.) Much to my surprise, I have found it was much later than what I expected. It was in Flash #86 in 1947. There was also a beautiful cover presentation as a new solo feature in Flash #92. These books are pretty pricey and nicer copies rarely come to market.

 

flash 86 small.jpg

flash 92 small.jpg

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Wiki also has this nice piece on the creative origins of the character by Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino. The following is an excerpt:

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, Black Canary was drawn with fishnet stockings and a black leather jacket to connote images of a sexualized yet strong female character.[2] 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' 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."[3]

— Carmine Infantino

According to Amash & Nolen-Weathington (2010), Black Canary is "really" Carmine Infantino's "first character."[3] 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 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."[3]

 

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