When the canary cries, she cries for justice. Black Canary has been ahead of her time since her very first appearance in Flash Comics #86. A martial artist who’d save men far more often than they saved her, Dinah Drake created a new template for superheroines to follow.
Dinah has gone through her fair amount of changes over the years, including gaining a sonic scream called the “canary cry” and splitting into two different people for a time — Dinah Drake and her daughter, Dinah Lance — but has always remained a paragon of female strength. Her power (both metahuman and not) and sly sense of humor have won her the love of fans everywhere, including some very talented artists.
10 “Black Canary” By Mro16
“'Tis but a scratch!” A black eye and bleeding lip are far from enough to keep this Black Canary down. Like her mother, Dinah Lance has never been one to back away from a fight easily. With a grin on her face and fighting stance still in place, it’s clear Dinah is more than willing to go for a few more rounds … and, more than likely, come out victorious.
Dinah is one of the best martial artists in the world and has been known to take down several opponents at once, often without even having to resort to her powers.
9 “Black Canary Redesign” By Taylor Cordingley
Original image from Cordingley's DeviantArt page.
Cordingley has crafted a superb redesign for Dinah Lance that brings back several elements of her first Birds of Prey costume, including the blue and black shirt (now sleeveless), yellow collar, belt, and canary pin. There are several new additions, as well, including gold-colored straps around one of Dinah’s legs and platform boots.
One of the most clever tweaks, however, is relocating Dinah’s famous fishnets to her arm as glovelets — an equally stylish, but more practical alternative to stockings. Cordingley describes the look as a Canary suit built for espionage, and it certainly would work well in that regard.
8 "Black Canary And Mulan" By Ainsley Louise (Opalpeaches)
The Dinah Lance version of Black Canary finds an excellent ally in battle, namely Disney’s version of Mulan, who’s brandishing the sword of Hun Army leader, Shan Yu. There are quite a few things Dinah and Disney’s Mulan have in common: aside from being formidable fighters, they are both trailblazing female characters, setting a new standard for female heroes in the 1990s.
Technically, Mulan has been a feminist icon for much longer, as her film is an adaptation of the 6th century’s “The Ballad of Mulan,” which told the same basic story. It is not known whether Mulan (or Hua Mulan, as she historically known) actually existed, but her story has become a staple of Chinese folklore.
7 Black Canary By Thiago Friere (Tsf.Draw)
This Canary redesign is based more on her earlier costumes, with a few additions inspired by her later costumes, as well as a few innovations. The bodysuit, choker, and fishnets remain, and her new sleeves very much resemble those of her traditional jacket.
Her gold belt, as well as the gold plates beneath her waste and bands on her sleeves, are definite nods to her pre-Gail Simone Birds of Prey costumes. The black straps on her leg are wholly original and seem primarily to serve a cosmetic purpose, although perhaps they could be used for attaching weapons to her person.
6 Black Canary By Aidan Broadbent (xmdoodle)
Broadbent offers a great, stylistic take Jurnee Smollett-Bell’s Black Canary from the 2020 Birds of Prey film that would be right at home in an animated series. Canary (also Dinah Lance) was first introduced in the film as a chanteuse at one of Roman Sionis’ (a.k.a. Black Mask) nightclubs, which Broadbent references by including the red-lit background and statue Dinah would stand in front of when she sang.
Lance was later recruited to be Sionis’ driver, but would soon betray him upon witnessing his casual cruelty, and would work with Harley Quinn, Cassandra Cain, Renee Montoya and Helena Bertinelli to take Sionis down.
5 Black Canary By Lina (Lixcoconut)
In addition to being one of the greatest martial artists on the planet, Dinah’s also known for the confidence she exudes, as well as her sharp wit. Lina shows off Dina’s assured, sly side with a grin suggesting she’s got everything under control, and that a clever quip might be a short breath (or Canary Cry) away.
Dinah’s wearing her classic black bodysuit, dark blue jacket and choker, and her wavy hair suggests the piece was inspired by the Justice League Unlimited version of the character, whose hairstyle was virtually identical.
4 “Black Canary (Dinah Drake)” By Andrew (Arunion)
Original image from Andrew’s DeviantArt page.
The very first Black Canary gets her due in this piece, slashing through the air with a high kick resembling her daughter’s. In the post-Crisis continuity, Drake had a long, healthy superhero career, often teaming up with her future husband, private detective Larry Lance, and the JSA.
Drake’s crimefighting style differed from her daughter’s in some notable ways: aside from having no superpowers, Drake would often keep special tools and gadgets in her choker’s locket that she would pull out when needed. She also initially pretended to be a villain to infiltrate crime organizations, but quickly abandoned that approach in favor of more traditional superheroism.
3 “Black Canary” By Andrew C. Formosa
Original image from Formosa's DeviantArt page.
Motorcycles have long been among Black Canary’s vehicles of choice. Her most famous bike debuted in Justice League of America #79, the same issue she joined the League in pre-Crisis continuity. Funny enough, said motorcycle was actually built by none other than Superman — not surprising, considering he possessed super-intelligence at the time.
Dinah’s bike in Formosa’s piece isn’t the one Superman built her, but its sleek look makes it anything less than super.
2 “Black Canary-80’s Redesign” By Comicbookguy54321
Original image from Comicbookguy54321’s DeviantArt page.
While Justice League International remains a beloved series, the one thing that didn’t quite gel with everyone during the “era of Bwa-ha-ha” was Black Canary’s very, very period-specific “aerobic suit.”
Comicbookguy54321 keeps the overall color scheme and look while making a lot of tweaks to make the uniform much more combat friendly. The canary chest symbol has been shortened, with the canary wings moved down to look less like shoulder pads, while more 80s elements like the turtleneck, puffy sleeves and boot cuffs have been completely removed. Kneepads have been added, along with subtle fishnet decorations. Dinah’s facial makeup is clearly inspired by the Alaina Huffman version from Smallville.
1 “We’re Gonna Need A New Bag …” By Rory Decker
Original image from Decker’s DeviantArt page.
Dinah Drake and Dinah Lance actually started out as the same character, but were later made into two people in Justice League of America #219-220 to explain how Dinah had apparently not aged since World War II. In the New 52 reboot, however, the two Dinahs were recombined into Dinah Drake, retaining elements of both characters.
Dinah is wearing her blue and yellow costume from the reboot’s earliest days, grinning as sand spills out her punching bag after her latest workout. It goes to show that no matter how many times Black Canary is remixed, some things will never change, including her fighting ability and confidence.