Tag: The Black Canary

REVIEW: Black Canary: Breaking Silence by Alexandra Monir

REVIEW: Black Canary: Breaking Silence by Alexandra Monir

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a print copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

The heroes of Gotham’s past are dead and buried. The Court of Owls reigns with ruthless oppression, especially over women and girls. They are forced to follow a strict public dress code, and they are barred from college and from various occupations. They aren’t even allowed to sing or play sports.

But Dinah Lane once heard a girl sing, and she’s never gotten it out of her mind. No one else believes her, but she knows what she heard. It’s what drove her into the overgrown park to find the old opera house. Rumors say there’s a hidden vault there of recorded voices. Dinah wants it. The Owls want to destroy it.

The Owls are watching Dinah since that night in the park. They find her secret stash of contraband, and she’s routinely searched. But if they discover what else she’s capable of, they will do everything in their power to destroy her.

Review

This was a fun version of the Black Canary/Green Arrow origin story. I was fascinated by the oppressive system that has taken over Gotham. I would have liked a stronger explanation of how the Silencing worked – why only singing and not also speaking voices, why was the loss of singing/music such a big deal? It sounds cheesy when you try to explain it to someone who hasn’t read the book, but the metaphor is clear and it works in the story.

There’s not a ton of character development. But I enjoyed the main characters. The villains – and their mouth pieces and minions – were as awful as you’d expect. There’s a bit more blood and violence than I was expecting, but it fit with the darkness of the Owls.

Fans of the DC Icons series – Wonder Woman: Warbringer (prose – ♥♥♥♥ and graphic novel), Batman: Nightwalker (prose and graphic novel), Catwoman: Soul Stealer (prose; GN releasing soon), Superman: Dawnbreaker (prose only – ♥♥♥) – should definitely pick this up to continue the line. All of the books stand alone, so new readers can start here and go back and pick up the rest of the series. I have thoroughly enjoyed these stories (well, the Superman book was a disappointment) and characters, and I’d love to see more in the future. (Violence)

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good +

BONUS REVIEW: Black Canary: Ignite by Meg Cabot

BONUS REVIEW: Black Canary: Ignite by Meg Cabot

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and DC Zoom in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Thirteen-year-old Dinah Lance has big plans for her life. They start with winning the Battle of the Bands with her best friends Kat and Vee. Then she’s going to join the Gotham City Junior Police Academy and make a difference in her city by stopping bad guys, just like her dad.

But Detective Lance is the first roadblock to her plans. He doesn’t want Dinah anywhere near criminals or danger.

Then there are all these weird accidents at school. Dinah always seems to be around when they happen like when the trophy case broke or the backboard shattered. Her principal is itching to hang the blame on Dinah and kick her out of school. And there’s also a creepy caped figure stalking around and causing trouble for Dinah and her family.

Could Vee be right? Could Dinah have special powers that are causing these accidents? Would powers make her dad trust her to help fight crime? Or would they make him more likely pack her off to her grandmother’s to keep her “safe?”

Review

This was so fun! It’s a pretty simple middle school story. There are background characters like Batgirl and the Joker who anchor this in the Gotham/DC Universe. But the focus here is on Dinah, her family, and a villain named Bonfire who has it out for Dinah’s mom. Most of the story takes place at Dinah’s home and school, which also helps keep the story simple.

The origin story for Dinah is pretty simple, too. Weird things happen, and Dinah learns she’s responsible. She’s eventually told that her powers come from her mother. She gets some training to control them, and then her parents try to send her away for safety. When Bonfire makes a move, Dinah has to decide if she is ready to be the Black Canary and stay and fight for her friends and her family.

Graphic novel fans will love the art in this and will be able to jump into Dinah’s story without any trouble. As superhero stories go, this is pretty light fare as it is setting up whatever DC might choose to do with the character in the future.

This is a great new graphic novel from the folks at DC, and I can’t wait to see what they do next. DC Zoom graciously provided some photos from the interior of the book, and I chose three of my favorite moments – check these out!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥