DC’s Dark Crisis event is currently underway, with the death of the Justice League earlier this year serving as a catalyst for a lot of changes within the publisher’s multiverse. One key highlight of the event thus far has been seeing how other heroes rise up in the Justice League’s absence — and as DC revealed on Wednesday, that will include the debut of a hero with a surprising legacy. On Wednesday, Dark Crisis writer Joshua Williamson took to Twitter to reveal the first look at Red Canary, “a brand new legacy character” who will be debuting in the pages of Dark Crisis #3 in August. The character, whose costume design was created by Dan Mora, sports a costume that pays homage to Dinah Lance / Black Canary, with fishnets, a leather jacket, a domino mask, and bird symbols that all are rendered in a red and black color scheme.
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The idea of Black Canary getting a new legacy successor is definitely a pleasant surprise, especially considering the character’s long history within the pages of DC Comics. Outside of an initial retcon in the 1980s that split the mantle of Black Canary between mother and daughter Dinah Drake and Dinah Lance, as a way to narratively explain the heroine having been around since the 1940s, she has not traditionally had a clear costumed sidekick or successor, instead just teaming up with other heroes or with the various sidekicks of the Green Arrow family. That being said, Black Canary has inspired the subsequent debuts of other characters, either in completely separate comic universes (like with Marvel’s Mockingbird and Watchmen‘s Silk Spectre) or in unconnected multiversal stories (like with Final Crisis‘ Crazy Shy Lolita Canary, or Laurel Lance-Queen in the recent Dark Nights: Death Metal event).
What also makes Red Canary’s debut interesting is the possibility of who could be under the domino mask, given the civilian characters who have been tied to Black Canary over the years. Lian Harper, the daughter of Jade Nguyen / Cheshire and Arrow family member Roy Harper / Arsenal, has been reintroduced into canon in recent years, and was previously viewed as a sort of surrogate daughter to Dinah in pre-Flashpoint continuity. While Lian’s most recent appearances have seen her go by the mantle of Shoes and adopt a Cheshire-like mask, it certainly would make sense for her to take on a Red Canary mantle, especially since the “Red” part could homage her father’s days as Red Arrow.
There’s also Cynthia “Sin” Lance, a young girl who Dinah adopted after they bonded in a martial arts village in Asia. After Dinah brought Sin back to the United States, the young girl was subsequently targeted by the League of Assassins, leading the Arrow family to have to fake her death and hide her away in a monastery. Sin has not appeared in comics in over a decade, so it certainly would be a major twist to see her return and follow in Dinah’s footsteps.
With Williamson previously confirming that Mia Dearden / Speedy will be returning in some capacity in Dark Crisis, it looks like the debut of Red Canary will continue to make the event even more significant for the Arrow family.
What do you think of the first look at Red Canary? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
Dark Crisis #3 will be released on August 2nd wherever comics are sold.
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