This review contains spoilers.
Black Canary #10 is written by Brenden Fletcher with art by Moritat and Sandy Jarrell and colors by Lee Loughridge.
Previously
Dinah met her supposed aunt who helped her join a “ninja death cult” in order to find her mother. When she figured out that she was being manipulated, she returned to Gotham. However, her band mates traveled to Berlin in order to find Dinah.
Recap
The issue begins with Barbara showing all of her Black Canary band merchandise to Dinah. The two decide to go out and fight some crime as Batgirl and Black Canary. They defeat Mad Wax who also turns out to be a huge Black Canary fan. Afterwards, Dinah asks Barbara to use her photogenic memory to remember a picture of Dinah’s mom that was lost in a fire. Barbara remembers that the picture said it was taken at Lodger Studios. There, the two discover that Dinah’s dad was a private investigator who was looking into a musician. Dinah’s mom was his inside woman who became a backup dancer for the musician. Shortly after, Dinah’s father was dead and her mom had disappeared.
The ninja death cult find the two and start a fight. Batgirl and Black Canary are able to defeat them. However, Frankie, a supporting character from Batgirl, tells them that the band is in Germany. There is a concert planned at a club that is owned by the musician.
Positives
Black Canary and Batgirl is the best duo ever. They are so much fun together. The entire issue could just be the two of them talking and it would still be excellent.
The art, as usual, is fantastic. The action is fast and colorful. I’ve always been impressed by how well this team can create fight scenes. There’s a wonderful flow to the moves that is incredibly engaging. It takes no effort to animate it in your head because it already is so well laid out.
This is a genuinely interesting mystery. I wasn’t all that interested in Dinah’s parents but this issue hooked me in very well. I really want to know what happened with them now.
Tonally, this is one of the best book around right. The fun nature of the book works tremendously but Fletcher can work in dramatic beats seamlessly. A lot of writers have trouble blending the two but it seems effortless for Fletcher.
Negatives
There are a couple of panels in which Barbara and Dinah get mixed up. There are moments of dialogue that are obviously supposed to be said by Babs but are attributed to Dinah and vice versa.
Verdict
This book is incredible. Whenever I read this series, I just feel good about everything. With the the exception of #9, every issue has been great and this is the best one yet. I cannot recommend this high enough. You should definitely be reading this.
