COMIC BOOK REVIEW - Black Canary: New Killer Star

When the “Birds of Prey” film was announced a few years ago, a number of heads turned to see who would be cast as Black Canary, one of the integral members of the team since its beginning. Jurnee Smollet-Bell did a fantastic job of portraying the character on the big screen which left fans clamouring for more. This comic series, however, focused more on Dinah as a singer/superhero which was a definite change.

The last novel in the series, ‘New Killer Star’ sees Dinah trying to escape from a number of different ninja cults, all of whom are looking after the “Five Heavens Palm”, a secret kung-fu move known only to Dinah’s mother. Whilst she attempts to fight off these enemies, she has help from her friends and her band in reaching her true potential. The final few issues in the novel deal with a number of one-shots which focus on Heathcliff, the band’s manager who used to attend Gotham High.

So, much like the first novel in this series, I found that whereas there wasn’t much of a plot, it wasn’t the worst thing in the world to read. There was a considerable amount of action, and I liked the cameos from Batgirl and Vixen, the latter of whom, I don’t think we get enough of.

The artwork was my one grievance about this novel. I really was not a fan of the style, although some of the covers made up for it. Overall, a very odd series in my opinion, but refreshingly different.

Favourite Panel:

These two are the dream team in my opinion.

Favourite Character:

It’s Black Canary. Despite her not understanding situations, she’s such a fighter.

Rating:

• Story Arc: ★★★½

• Character Development: ★★½

• Artwork: ★½

• Enjoyability: ★★★

• Re-readability: ★½

Level: Beginner