Black Canary: Best of the Best #1 begins in the place you’d least expect a superhero comic to start: in a wrestling ring. It’s here that Dinah Lance, aka the Black Canary, is taking on Lady Shiva in a match that’s being televised across the world – and even to the furthest reaches of the galaxy. The winner will walk away with the title of “greatest hand to hand fighter in the world”, but why exactly did Canary agree to this fight?
Those answers slowly come to the forefront, but first I have to talk about the format Tom King and Ryan Sook are going for here. A wrestling/mixed martial arts match is not only the perfect fight for Black Canary, but it’s a surprisingly great format for the superhero genre. After all, superheroics and wrestling have a lot in common: characters in clearly defined roles, locked in conflict, wearing colorful outfits. Between this series and Venom War, it feels like more comic creators are making that connection and leaning into it – unless you’re Daniel Warren Johnson and were ahead of the jump (but that’s for another article.)
King’s story intercuts from the first round of the fight to Dinah’s traveling back to her hometown and reconnecting with her mother, the OG Black Canary. It’s here that the more emotional moments of the story come into play, as Dinah is still shown to have a connection with her mother, even asking her to help train before the fight. Compared to the spotty characterization in Jenny Sparks, King actually seems to have a handle on what makes Dinah tick.
DC
Sook has refined his artwork for Black Canary: Best of the Best #1, giving it a more defined look. This makes the fight sequences pop; every hit Shiva and Canary deal to each other feels real, raw, and very painful. Both women also have the build of fighters, which is rare to see in comics but very welcome for the more grounded approach this story is taking. My favorite sequence in the book has to be the entire Justice League watching the fight in civilian clothing; I never knew I needed to see Superman using his heat vision to fry hot dogs or the Atom holding up chips as big as he is, and Sook sells that balance of the superhuman and the mundane.
Dave Stewart and Clayton Cowles add dimension to Sook’s artwork and King’s script, especially Stewart. The color art here is big, bold, and defines each character; whether she’s in the ring or walking around Washington, Black Canary is wearing some form of black clothing. Cowles’ letters are also as big and bold, especially when it comes to the fight commentary. Readers will feel like they’re actually in the ring, which is no easy feat.
Black Canary: Best of the Best #1 is presented like a major sporting event, and it’s living up to the hype so far. It kicks off a bold, bareknuckled take on one of DC’s most iconic heroines, and I hope the next five rounds live up to or exceed this one.
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