Dinah Drake Lance. Daughter of Richard Drake. Wife of Larry Lance. Mother
of Dinah Laurel Lance (Black Canary II).
Residence: Originally an unnamed American city; later Gotham
City
Occupation: Florist
First Appearance (Golden Age):Flash Comics #86 (August
1947)
First Appearance (Silver Age):Justice League of America
#21 (August 1963)
Joined JSA:All-Star Comics #41
Pre-Crisis Fate: Active until Justice League of America
#74; died of radiation exposure between Justice League of America
#74-75, as revealed in Justice League of America #220
Post-Crisis Fate: Active until the 1970s; died of cancer some
years later as a result of the exposure to the radiation that killed her
husband; passed on name and heritage to her daughter, Dinah (Secret
Origins vol. 2 #50).
History
Dinah Drake was born in the 1920s to police officer Richard Drake and his
wife. From early childhood, Dinah received intensive physical training
from her father, who also taught her basic police skills and instilled
in her the desire to join the Gotham City police force. When she reached
the appropriate age, Dinah began to join her father on certain cases and
became acquainted with detective Larry Lance. The two fell in love and
Dinah became something of sidekick for Lance. She later applied to Police
Academy, only to be rejected due to the limited space allotted for female
applicants. Her rejection came as a personal defeat for Richard Drake,
who suffered a heart attack and died after reading her rejection letter
(Secret Origins vol. 2 #50).
Embittered by her rejection, Dinah opened a flower shop and settled
into a routine lifestyle. Nevertheless, the training her father had provided
was a profound influence in her life. In late 1947, inspired by the mystery-men
that had been prominent in America during World War II, she adopted the
identity of Black Canary. Her costume was simple: black leotards, black
stockings, black jacket, and a blonde wig. Likely due to her father's connections
and her own rejection by the Gotham police, she chose a method of operation
in which she committed petty thefts to win the confidence of larger criminals.
In turn, she secretly arranged for capture of those criminals. In an early
case, she crossed paths with Johnny Thunder
and his Thunderbolt. Black Canary easily outwitted the hapless Thunder,
who was instantly smitten with her (Flash Comics #86). Through Johnny,
she learned of the Justice Society of America and craved the recognition
of the stellar group of heroes. She tagged along with Johnny to JSA meetings
(All-Star Comics #38-40) until he left the group in 1947 (All-Star
Comics #39) because he was losing control of his Thunderbolt (due to
magical interference from Badhnesia, as revealed in Justice League of
America #219-220). When the Injustice Society of the World captured
the JSA, Black Canary joined forces with the Harlequin to free them. At
the completion of the case and the capture of the Injustice Society, Black
Canary was made a full member of the JSA (All-Star Comics #41).
She remained with the JSA through the remainder of its first incarnation
and was an active member of the Justice Society during its final case and
its appearance before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1951.
Black Canary joined her fellow JSA members in declining to reveal her identity
to HUAC and thus entered retirement (Adventure Comics #466).
At some point after abandoning her costumed identity, Dinah Drake married
Larry Lance. The two had a daughter, but the Wizard, after escaping from
prison, invaded the Lance home and used his powers to imbue the child with
an uncontrollable sonic cry. Unable to control the destructive child, they
parents sent their daughter into suspended animation in the dimension of
Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt. The Thunderbolt then caused the parents and
Johnny to forget the daughter had ever existed (revealed in Justice
League of America #219-220).
When Green Lantern was injured by the Reaper,
she was among the first to demand a return to active duty (Secret Origins
vol. 2 #50). She later coaxed Starman out of
retirement (revealed in Green Lantern Corps Quarterly #3) and joined
him against both the Mist (Brave and the Bold #61) and the now-married
Sportsmaster and Huntress (Brave and the Bold #62). During these
adventures, she and Starman became lovers, but the affair was brief. Starman
never mentioned it to his children (revealed in Starman vol. 2 #21).
Black Canary also participated in a number of cases with the JSA and the
group's Earth-1 counterpart, the Justice League of America (Justice
League of America #21-22, 29-30, 46-47, 64-65).
In the late 1960s, the mad-star Aquarius enjoined the combined might
of the JLA and JSA. In the ensuing struggle, Larry Lance was killed attempting
to protect a helpless Black Canary (Justice League of America #73-74).
At this point, the history of the Black Canary becomes particularly
tortuous. Pre-Crisis, Black Canary decided to move to Earth-1 to overcome
her grief over her lost husband. En route, she was revealed to be dying
of radiation poisoning and transferred her memories to her comatose recently
recalled daughter. The daughter then spent many years under the assumption
that she was her mother and moved onto Earth-1 (revealed in Justice
League of America #219-220).
Post-Crisis, Black Canary did not die shortly after her exposure to
the radiation that killed her husband, and her daughter was neither comatose
nor unrevealed. At some point in the past, both Black Canaries had active
crime-fighting careers simultaneously. After the death of Larry Lance,
Black Canary became less active and eventually retired altogether. She
developed cancer as a result of her exposure to Aquarius's radiation in
later years and died while her JSA comrades were in limbo (revealed in
Secret Origins vol. 2 #50 and Green Lantern Corps Quarterly
#3).
Post-Zero Hour, the history of the Black Canary is uncertain. The JLA
was formed in 1986, nearly 40 years after the Black Canary joined the JSA;
therefore, the tale of Larry Lance's death must be greatly altered. Also,
since Black Canary was not among those who received the long-prolonging
effects of Ian Karkull's radiation, there is some question as to the relation
of ages between mother and daughter Black Canary; the original must have
been in her 40s or 50s when the second was born. These and other questions
will need to be answered before Black Canary's revised history can be fully
understood.
Powers/Skills
Black Canary's abilities were the result of extensive training in police
skills and in the martial arts by her father (a police officer). She also
carried small weapons and chemical pellets in compartments of her uniform.
Weaknesses/Limitations
Black Canary's limitations, like many of her JSA comrades, stemmed from
her own humanity. While highly trained, she was mortal and could be injured
and slain by normally mortal forces.
![[Cover of FLASH COMICS #92]](FLASH92.jpg)