Black Canary has been in the DC Comics canon for nearly 75 years, and has been at the center of some groundbreaking stories along the way. The heroine (and key member of the Justice League and the Birds of Prey) has appeared across movies, television, video games, and thousands of comics — and soon, she will be headed into the world of young adult fiction. Later this month, DC Entertainment and Random House Books for Young Readers recently is set to release Black Canary: Breaking Silence, a YA novel from Alexandra Monir (The Final Six, Timeless) that tells a unique take on the origin story of Dinah Lance. In anticipation of the novel’s debut, and to get fans hyped for what it has in store, ComicBook.com has an exclusive first look at the trailer for Black Canary: Breaking Silence, which you can check out below.
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The trailer provides a look into the dystopian world of the novel, as well as young Dinah Lance’s journey to find her voice. The trailer also provides the first sneak peek of one of the novel’s original songs, titled “The Black Canary Sings”, which was written by Monir and produced by Heather Holley, a longtime producer for Christina Aguilera.
In Black Canary: Breaking Silence, Dinah Lance was eight years old when she overheard the impossible: the sound of a girl singing. It was something she was never meant to hear–not in her lifetime and not in Gotham City, taken over by the vicious, patriarchal Court of Owls. The sinister organization rules Gotham City as a dictatorship and has stripped women of everything–their right to work, to make music, to learn, to be free.
Now seventeen, Dinah can’t forget that haunting sound, and she’s beginning to discover that her own voice is just as powerful. But singing is forbidden–a one-way route to a certain death sentence. Fighting to balance her father’s desire to keep her safe, a blossoming romance with mysterious new student Oliver Queen, and her own need to help other women and girls rise up, Dinah wonders if her song will finally be heard. And will her voice be powerful enough to destroy the Court of Owls once and for all?
“I just love [Dinah’s] defiance and her fearlessness,” Monir told ComicBook.com in an exclusive interview. “When I say fearless, I don’t mean she’s not afraid of things, but just the fact that – even from the very first chapter in the book – she’s willing to put herself at risk for what she knows is right. That is something that I feel like, even when I was much younger and first introduced to her in comic books, that was just a vibe I got from her. I also love the combination of her physical strength with also that softer side that comes out with Oliver. There’s so much I love about her, but really I think the word that comes to mind is just the defiance and fearlessness, combined with those relatable human emotions that we also get to see her express.”
What do you think of the trailer for Black Canary: Breaking Silence? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
Black Canary: Breaking Silence is set to be released on December 29th wherever books are sold. Keep an eye on ComicBook.com later this month for our full chat with Monir.