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Black Canary Reading Order (Dinah Laurel Lance)

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Despite having few solo title comics, Black Canary is one of the most important female characters in DC Comics. She’s a legacy character, following in the footsteps of her mother, who was an important member of the Justice Society of America in the Golden Age.

Dinah Laurel Lance doesn’t live in the shadow of her mother, first kicking ass as part of the Justice League of America, and also as a co-founder of the Birds of Prey team. She is also the longtime partner of Oliver Queen and, as a member of the Arrow Family, has been an important part of the Green Arrow comics.

Created by Dennis O’Neil and Dick Dillin, our famous Black Canary made her first appearance in Justice League of America #75 (1969), almost 60 years ago. Let’s now explore every comic featuring Black Canary with our Reading Order!

Black Canary Comics Reading Order

The Origins of Black Canary and her Pre-Crisis Comics Appearances

Black Canary is a DC Comics character known for having a complicated origin and backstory. Created by Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino, the first Black Canary was named Dinah Drake and made her first appearance in Flash Comics #86 (1947), where she was working undercover to infiltrate a criminal gang. Initially a supporting character in the Johnny Thunder serial, it took her just a couple of months to steal his thunder and become far more popular than him.

Dinah was a superheroine during the Golden Age who was reintroduced with other DC superheroes from this era as living on Earth-2. In Black Canary’s case, she has settled down in Ireland with her husband Larry Lance. After his death, she chose to relocate to Earth-One for a fresh start and joined the Justice League of America. There, she began a special relationship with the Green Arrow. You can read all of Dinah Drake’s early comic book appearances from Flash Comics and then some in Black Canary: Bird of Prey.

Everything was fine until readers decided to do some math and question the age difference between Black Canary and Green Arrow. Or how old was Dinah Lance supposed to be, a heroine from the Golden Age? To address this, DC introduced Dinah Laurel Lance via retcon in Justice League of America #220. In this issue, it is revealed that the Black Canary who joined the Justice League in Justice League of America #75 was not Dinah Drake, but in fact her brainwashed daughter, Dinah Laurel Lance, with some mind-transplant shenanigans on top of it.
The Canaries’ origin stories were revised again after the universe-altering events of Crisis on Infinite Earths. Things were then simplified in a good way, with Dinah Laurel Lance as the modern Black Canary who inherits the identity from her mother, Dinah Drake. To learn more, check out all the following comics:

  • Justice League of America #220 (1983) – This is for those who want a better understanding of the mind transplant and how Dinah Laurel Lance came to believe she was her mother.
  • Secret Origins Vol. 2 #50 (1990) – This is the comic that gives us the new origin story post-Crisis.
  • JLA: Year One (1998-1999) – This 12-issue series by Mark Waid and Barry Kitson is also a new origin story for the famous superhero team JLA Post-Crisis, with Black Canary as a founding member. See also Secret Origins Vol. 2 #32 (1988), an issue that established the new origin story of the JLA penned by Peter David before the maxi-series was written.

Unfortunately, it was not the last time DC would rewrite Black Canary’s origins, doing it again with the New 52 reboot (see below on this reading order). For a good crash course on the Black Canary’s confusing backstory, we invite you to watch the video made by Casually Comics on the subject.

As we said, Dinah Lance thought for a time she was her mother! To read about those stories and a little beyond, here are her appearances during the Silver and Bronze Age of DC Comics. During this time, she was part of the JLA and teamed up with Green Lantern and Green Arrow for several adventures.

Black Canary Logo Reading Order

Post-Crisis, The Modern Black Canary Comics (1986-2011)

After Crisis on Infinite Earths and Legends came a new kind of Justice League which Black Canary was a founding member. This is the Justice League International from Keith Giffen and J. M. DeMatteis, a sitcom version of the League that Dinah was a part of for a good year.

  • Justice League International Omnibus Vol. 1
    Collects Justice League #1-6, Justice League International #7-25, Justice League America #26-30, Justice League Annual #1, Justice League International Annual #2-3, Justice League Europe #1-6 and Suicide Squad #13.

Events in Green Arrow and Action Comics eventually led Black Canary to leave the Justice League International when continuity caught up with her. Oliver Queen entered one of his most celebrated periods under Mike Grell, who reinvented Green Arrow as a lethal hunter. It all started in Longbow Hunters, where Oliver and Dinah lived a peaceful life in Seattle until a violent attack resulted in the loss of her Canary Cry. And you can read all about it in the new DC Finest Collection!

This is also during that era that Black Canary finally headlined her own comics, written by Sarah E. Byam. Those stories have not been collected and are only available in digital form:

Dinah and Ollie’s relationship came to an end when Oliver’s womanizing nature caught up with him in Green Arrow (vol. 2) #75. The duo was broken up when she learned about his death through his illegitimate son, Connor Hawke, in Green Arrow #101, collected in Green Arrow: 80 Years of the Emerald Archer The Deluxe Edition.
Birds of Prey Icon Reading Order

Birds of Prey starts here! Coming from Chuck Dixon are the beginnings of the Birds of Prey team, as Oracle (the former Batgirl, Barbara Gordon) teams up with Black Canary and other female heroes of the DC Universe in globetrotting adventures in espionage!

JSAJSA! The team from the Golden Age, of which the original Black Canary was a member, returned under Geoff Johns’ supervision. Dinah joined the lineup and, during her time with the team, developed feelings for the new Doctor Mid-Nite.

  • JSA Omnibus Vol. 1
    Collects JSA #1-25, JLA/JSA: Virtue and Vice, JSA All-Stars #1-8, JSA Our Worlds at War #1, JLA/JSA Secret Files #1, JSA Secret Files #1, All-Star Comics #1-2, All-American Comics #1, Adventure Comics #1, National Comics #1, Sensation Comics #1, Smash Comics #1, Star Spangled Comics #1 and Thrilling Comics #1.

  • Dinah officially quit the team in #31, set after she learned about Oliver Queen’s resurrection.

Green Arrow! Dinah learned about Ollie’s resurrection in Green Arrow Vol. 3 #4 and became a supporting character in that title for a time, her presence being more important in the first part of the series. For more information, see Green Arrow Comics Guide.

Birds of Prey Logo
Birds of Prey Omnibus Collection!

Gail Simone’s run on Birds of Prey is right now collected in the Omnibus format at DC Comics! The first volume is already available, while the second has been announced for 2026.

Birds of Prey by Gail Simone Omnibus Vol. 1 | Birds of Prey by Gail Simone Omnibus Vol. 2

Justice League of America New 52 Icon Reading Order

Justice League of America! Not long after taking her distance from superhero activities, Dinah was named the chairwoman of the newly reformed Justice League of America.

Green Arrow/Black Canary! The relationship between Dinah and Ollie takes center stage after Ollie proposes. Dinah doesn’t answer immediately and goes to live a solo adventure before being ready to exchange vows. Of course, the two of them have to make it down the aisle alive first. And then, a marriage doesn’t mean a happily ever after, especially in comic books…

Birds of Prey Icon Reading Order

After her last falling out with Oliver, Black Canary returns to Gotham City, where she is reunited with Oracle, Huntress, and Lady Blackhawk for a new Birds of Prey team-up, with Gail Simone returning as the sole writer.

Black Canary Logo Reading Order

Black Canary during New 52 (2011-2016)

The DC Universe was rebooted for the New 52, and Dinah’s origin was revised once again. In this version, there is only one Black Canary, Dinah Drake. She grew up on the streets of Gotham after her father was murdered and her mother walked out. Eventually, she met Desmond Lamar, the owner of a local dojo who became her mentor. Her Canary Cry came later, after she was used as a test subject in a government metahuman program.

During those years, Black Canary appeared as part of the Birds of Prey team from Duane Swierczynski and Christy Marx, before headlining her music band in her solo title by Brenden Fletcher and Annie Wu.

Black Canary Logo Reading Order

Black Canary Rebirth

Wally West was sad that Black Canary and Green Arrow hardly knew each other anymore, a result of DC’s timeline alterations. The Rebirth relaunch was an opportunity for DC Comics to roll back some New 52 continuity changes, with Dinah resuming her relationship with Ollie and returning to the traditional Birds of Prey line-up.

Justice League of America Rebirth Icon

Following the confrontation with Amanda Waller’s Suicide Squad in Justice League vs. Suicide Squad, Batman creates a new Justice League of America and recruits Black Canary, Vixen, The Atom, The Ray, Killer Frost, and Lobo.

Batman who laughs Icon Reading OrderDark Nights: Metal! Present here more for context, and not at all a required reading for Dinah. Investigating a strange metal, Batman discovers the existence of a dark multiverse and eventually releases seven evil versions of himself into his own universe. That event is led by Barbatos, the dark god who plans to unleash darkness across every Earth. Stopping him will change the DC Universe forever. See Dark Nights: Metal Reading Order for more information.

Batman who laughs Icon Reading OrderDark Nights: Death Metal! Again, mostly presented here for context, and not at all a required reading for Dinah. When the DC Universe is enveloped by the Dark Multiverse, the Justice League is at the mercy of the Batman Who Laughs. Humanity struggles to survive in a hellish landscape twisted beyond recognition, while Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman have all been separated and must fight to survive. See Dark Nights: Death Metal Reading Order for more information. The conclusion of this event leads into the Future State, then to the Infinite Frontier.

Black Canary Logo Reading Order

Black Canary Infinite Frontier/Dawn of DC era

In this new DC era, the Golden Age Black Canary (Dinah’s mother) is re-established as part of the continuity. Black Canary teams up with Deathstroke and continues as a member of the Justice League until the death of the team, leading us to a Dark Crisis and the rise of new legacy heroes…

In Justice League #75, the members of the Justice League are “killed.” It is how the Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths began, and how the Infinite Frontier era concluded. See our Dark Crisis Reading Order for more information.

Spinning out of Dark Crisis, the new Green Arrow comic series by Joshua Williamson and Sean Izaakse reunites the Green Arrow Family! Meanwhile, Dinah Lance goes on a personal mission and reforms the Birds of Prey in the comic written by Kelly Thompson.


Amanda Waller has won! With the help of the unstoppable android Failsafe and the otherworldly Brainiac Queen, she has stolen the metahuman abilities of every hero and villain on planet Earth. A massive misinformation campaign helps her sway public opinion to her side and take on the biggest superheroes! But a resistance is quickly forming, ready to fight back! You can check out our Absolute Power Comics Guide for an issue-by-issue reading order!

Although Green Arrow plays an important role in this event, Black Canary and the Birds of Prey don’t. It doesn’t mean it does not have an impact on the characters as Black Canary found herself with a new power at the end.

Black Canary Logo Reading Order

Black Canary and the Birds of Prey are All In!

The Birds of Prey are ALL IN! As a new status quo emerged in the aftermath of Absolute Power, Black Canary and the rest of the team spring into action for a few new adventures (the title was recently cancelled).

Also, Dinah faces Lady Shiva in Tom King’s limited series Black Canary: Best of the Best. While it was published at the beginning of this era and presented as part of the continuity, it appears to take place in an imprecise past. Due to the conflicting continuity elements, it’s almost impossible to place the story chronologically, so feel free to read it whenever you like!

Did we forget an important issue? Did we make a mistake? Let us know in the comments!

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