Exclusive: 'Black Canary EP 2' Celebrates 70 Years of DC's Songbird
Black Canary has grown into a bonafide icon in the 70 years since her official comic debut. And [...]
Black Canary has grown into a bonafide icon in the 70 years since her official comic debut. And now, a new release from DC Comics lets you bring her unique style and voice right into your playlist.
DC Comics unveiled Black Canary EP 2 earlier today, in celebration of Dinah's August 1947 debut in Flash Comics #86. The EP serves as the second musical companion piece to Brenden Fletcher and Annie Wu's fan-favorite's Black Canary series, which ran from 2015 to 2016. The twelve-issue comic series saw Dinah traveling across the country as the front-woman of a rock band - appropriately named Black Canary.
The new EP is currently available for purchase on Bandcamp, and offers listeners three awesome new tracks - 'Get In The Car', 'Lost Art', and 'Last Days'.
Black Canary EP 2 reunites Fletcher, Wu, award-winning music producer Joseph Donovan (The Dears, Stars), and singer-songwriter Michelle Bensimon (Caveboy), who provides Dinah's iconic voice. ComicBook.com got a chance to chat with the Black Canary EP 2 creative team about bringing this new batch of songs to life, and about Dinah's comic legacy.
Connecting To The Comics
According to Brenden Fletcher, the goal was always to release a second installment of Black Canary songs, even after the comic was long complete.
"The Black Canary comic book series was always meant to feature a musical component." Fletcher told ComicBook.com. "Though we weren't able to combine both mediums when the books hit the stands, I'm really glad we were able to work with DC Comics to complete the project and get the music out in time to celebrate the character's 70th Anniversary."
For Joseph Donovan, who produced and wrote on both Black Canary EPs, bringing a fictional band's discography to life was a welcome challenge.
"I've always been attracted to weird, unnatural, and other-worldly sounds," Donovan explained. "So writing music for a comic book band that exists in a sci-fi/fantasy world is a good fit for me. A lot of the music that we reference and are influenced by in Black Canary is produced in such a way as to transcend the everyday experience; It's bigger, smokier and more magical than the ordinary world. And so things aren't necessarily supposed to sound real or organic or even inviting. But it is unquestionably pop music."
Even the cover art for Black Canary EP 2 - which features Dinah standing behind a chain-link fence - had added meaning, as it gave Annie Wu a chance to bookend her contribution to the Black Canary comic.
"The EP2 art is a cover idea I had kicking around in my head for ages," Wu revealed. "But I never found the right time to break it out during our Black Canary run. I'm glad I finally got it out of my system, the last of my unfinished business in this realm."
Personal Impact
According to Michelle Bensimon, who portrays Dinah on both Black Canary EPs, the opportunity to portray an iconic character in an entirely new medium has ended up being very gratifying.
"Giving a voice to one of the most badass female characters is such a fun, challenging and rewarding experience." Bensimon told ComicBook.com. "Channeling the drama of her history and stories, while maintaining the intimacy and complexity of her voice, has been a really interesting and meaningful project for me, and has helped my own voice grow and shift in so many ways."
Donovan echoed this, adding that working on Black Canary EP 2 ended up becoming a very personal process.
"The fun thing is that while initially I found it very liberating to write music for someone else's character and personality," Donovan revealed, "I've ended up investing more and more of myself and identifying more and more with the character and her music."
Black Canary's Legacy
Aside from providing fans with three new awesome songs, Fletcher and company had a good reason to bring 'Black Canary EP 2' to life - the aforementioned 70th anniversary of Dinah's first comic appearance.
With such a long legacy - and so many live-action and animated appearances along the way - it's safe to say that Black Canary has impacted many fans over the years. And as Bensimon revealed, joining the pantheon of those who have played Dinah has been an absolute honor.
"I feel lucky," Bensimon explained, "to be on the list of incredible women who have, over the last 70 years, had the chance to bring Black Canary to life!"
And with Black Canary currently gracing the pages of three DC Comics titles - Green Arrow, Batgirl and the Birds of Prey, and Justice League of America - it's clear that her impact isn't going anywhere. Fletcher is definitely excited about that, and about the opportunity he's had to tell Dinah's story through comic and song.
"Dinah's been around for a lot of years and in a lot of varied incarnations." Fletcher said. "Leading a rock band is just one of them. I'm excited to see how she'll change and grow into her centennial!"
Black Canary EP 2 is now available to stream or purchase via BandCamp. Click through to our next slide to preview the songs!
