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It’s the fight of the millennium! Black Canary is up against Lady Shiva in the ring, to determine who is the best of the best. However, the real fight is much more personal.
Creative Team
Writer: Tom King;
Artist: Ryan Sook;
Colorist: Dave Stewart;
Letterer: Clayton Cowles;
Assistant Editor: Jillian Grant;
Editor: Ben Abernathy.
Check out another joint review by Megan and Lauren: The Rocketfellers #1 from Ghost Machine at Image Comics.
The Story for Issue 1
Megan: Black Canary: Best of the Best #1 deals with so many battles, whether it be Dinah against Lady Shiva, Dinah against her mother and her toxic parenting, or Dinah against herself. We get a great look at Dinah’s past of being trained by her mother for her fighting career and her fight against Lady Shiva, but while that’s going on we switch to the present, where she’s actually in the fight with Lady Shiva. There’s so many tones happening throughout the comic, but it flows just so perfectly.
Lauren: Throughout this issue two stories are being told. One is in the ring, and the other is at home. In the ring it’s the ultimate fight to determine the best of the best. It’s Black Canary up against Lady Shiva. At home, it’s Dinah Drake Lance (AKA Black Canary) against her mother, the original Black Canary. While her fight at home is not physical against her mother, it’s still a fight for the ages. It’s a fight for acceptance, love, and dealing with her past. As the story goes back and forth, the announcers perfectly blend the two fights into one, and then we’re left with an ending that throws both the stories on their heads.
The Art
Megan: The grittiness overall in Black Canary: Best of the Best #1 is top notch, as you can feel the excitement if you were actually sitting ringside at a professional fight. The impressive amount of detail in the facial expressions of each character add so much depth to the story, it’s easy to emotionally connect with the story. As a huge MMA fan myself, I see the exact same look in Dinah’s eyes when she’s fighting Lady Shiva as I do when I was the fights every Saturday. I’d say the artwork deserves a 10 out of 10 all by itself.
Lauren: When the art in a comic book can create a visceral reaction accompanied with an aloud, “oof,” as someone is hit in the stomach, you know it’s amazing. Whether Dinah was throwing punches, or talking with her mother, every scene was so perfectly detailed. All the while these two very different scenes were blended together flawlessly. The extra special treat in regards to the art was a full page showcasing many different DC heroes watching the fight on TV.
BLACK CANARY Best of the Best #1 Rating 10/10
Megan: An easy 10 out of 10 for me. While I’ve always been a Black Canary fan, I would say that Tom King’s work with her has made her one of my favorites. This is a comic run that’s made with the Black Canary fans in mind. I am SO excited to see what’s next for Dinah!
Lauren: This absolutely gets 10 out 10 rounds for me. I was invested almost immediately, only to then be even more sucked in at the end when I realized how different everything was than I had originally thought. BLACK CANARY Best of the Best is an absolute must grab comic for literally anyone who reads comics. It has layers of story filled with action, heart, familial relationships, desperation, humor, and more.
Megan from the Vigilante Vibes, a nontoxic Marvel podcast that has the goal of spreading positivity and inclusiveness in the Marvel fandom. Group owner of The Nerd Haven on Facebook, a nontoxic nerd culture group of 50k+. Comic reviewer for Nerd Initiative.
Lauren is half of the podcast: Hops GEEK News. It’s a weekly podcast that discusses all things geek pop culture, while enjoying a craft beer of the week. They also interview many different people from the comic book world and beyond.
