Dinah Drake

Black Canary
Black Canary. Art by Ed Benes.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Flash Comics #86 (August 1947)
Created by	Robert Kanigher (writer) Carmine Infantino (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	Dinah Drake Dinah Drake-Lance Dinah Laurel Lance
Team affiliations	Justice Society of America Justice League Birds of Prey Team 7
Partnerships	Barbara Gordon Green Arrow Huntress (Helena Bertinelli) Larry Lance
Notable aliases	Siu Jerk Jai, Operative Canary, D.D., Dangerous Diva, Canary
Abilities	Skilled mixed martial artist Ultrasonic scream (Canary Cry)

Black Canary is a fictional superheroine in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by the writer-artist team of Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino, the character debuted in Flash Comics #86 (August 1947). One of DC's earliest super-heroines, Black Canary has appeared in many of the company's flagship team-up titles including Justice Society of America and Justice League of America. Since the late 1960s, the character has been paired with archer superhero the Green Arrow professionally and romantically.

At her Golden Age debut, Black Canary was the alter ego of Dinah Drake and participated in crime-fighting adventures with her love interest (and eventual husband), Gotham City detective Larry Lance. Initially, the character was a hand-to-hand fighter without superpowers who often posed as a criminal to infiltrate criminal gangs. Later stories depicted her as a world-class martial artist with a superpower: the "Canary Cry", a high-powered sonic scream which could shatter objects and incapacitate enemies (even ones powerful enough to kill Kryptonians such as Superman). When DC Comics adjusted its continuity, Black Canary was established as two separate entities: mother and daughter, Dinah Drake and Dinah Laurel Lance. Stories since the Silver Age have focused on the younger Black Canary, ascribing her superhuman abilities to a genetic mutation.

Black Canary has been adapted into various media, including direct-to-video animated films, video games, and both live-action and animated television series, featuring as a main or recurring character in the shows Birds of Prey, Justice League Unlimited, Smallville, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Young Justice and Arrow. The character is ranked the 71st-greatest comic book character of all time by Wizard, and IGN rated her its 81st-greatest all-time comic book hero. She was number 26 on Comics Buyer's Guide's "100 Sexiest Women in Comics" list.