BLACK CANARY I (Dinah Drake Lance)	BIOGRAPHY
Created by Robert Kaighner and Carmine Infantino

PERSONAL DATA

Real Name: Dinah Drake Lance
Identity: Secret
Occupation: Florist
Status: Deceased
Citizenship: American
Marital Status: Widowed
Known Relatives: Richard Drake (father, deceased), Lawrence Lance (husband, deceased), Dinah Laurel Lance (daughter)
Base of Operation: Gotham City, later Star City, CA
Group Affiliation(s): Justice Society of America
Gender: Female
Height: 5' 5
Weight: 127 lbs
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Black, but wears blonde wig
First Appearance: Flash Comics #86/2 (August 1947)
Creators: Robert Kaighner and Carmine Infantino

OVERVIEW

Trained by her police officer father in the martial arts, Dinah decided to become a costumed crimefighter at the end of the second world war, initially pretending to be a criminal in order to find out many underworld secrets. Befriending Johnny Thunder, she was nominated by him to become a member of the Justice Society. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, after she retired, she did not want her daughter following in her footsteps, being somewhat over protective since her policeman husband was killed in the line of duty. She did eventually give her grudging blessing to her daughter's role as the new Black Canary and died of natural causes several years later.

HISTORY

There had been a Drake on a police force since the founding of the London police more than one hundred years previous. Richard Drake, a detective with the Gotham City Police Department was not going to let that tradition end with the birth of his daughter, even in a day where policewomen were rare. From an early age, Drake began teaching and training young Dinah in physical fitness and subjects she'd need to excel at the science of police work.

At an early age, Drake would take his daughter along with him on stakeouts and cruising with him on patrol, teaching her what would take another officer years to pick up. On one of these outings, Drake brought his new partner, Detective Larry Lance as the two police officers sought to close down an illegal gambling operation. Drake and Lance ran into more firepower than they were expecting and were saved by the risky but timely interference of young Dinah. Over the next several years, Larry and Dinah would grow to become fond of one another.

As Dinah graduated from her college classes early with a degree in Criminology, she applied for a place in the Police Academy, hoping to fulfill her father's fondest wish. Even with asking of favors and pulling strings, the elder Drake was crushed to learn that his daughter had been turned down; it seemed that even the spots for meter maids had all been filled. It was too much for the old cop and he died of what his daughter thought would be a broken heart. Comforted by Larry, Dinah gave up her dream of becoming a policewoman and instead opened up a flower shop with her father's savings.

As the months went by, Dinah read in the papers of the growing organized crime influence in Gotham City, even the good cops were unable to do more than stem the tide. Lance gave up on the police and opened his own detective agency. Dinah knew she had to do something, but what? Inspired by both the mystery-men she had heard about growing up and the idea of "going undercover", Dinah fashioned a disguise and called herself The Black Canary. Pretending to be a criminal, she set out to destroy crime from the inside. However, she failed to account for the bumbling hero Johnny Thunder, who put a monkey wrench in her plans. After a few outings with Johnny, she began to adventure openly as a "mystery-woman", aiding Johnny after his pet Thunderbolt started to appear less and less.

After aiding the Justice Society of America on two cases, she was nominated and elected to joining the group in the last three years of its original existence. A few years after the group retired, she married Larry Lance and joined him briefly in his private investigations company, before retiring all together after the birth of her daughter, named Dinah Laurel.

It often happens with strong-willed individuals that their children are also strong-willed. As young Dinah became fascinated with the stories that her JSA "uncles" would tell, she became more attracted to the idea of becoming a heroine, her mother became more adamant that she, as a non-powered heroine would be in great danger. When young Dinah reached puberty, a mutation in her vocal chords appeared and she became able to emit a powerful "Canary Cry" that could stun opponents. Against her mother's wishes, she began to fight crime, using her mother's old identity as The Black Canary.

On a couple of occasions over the next couple of years, the elder Dinah joined with her Justice Society teammates as they came out of retirement to adventure with her daughter. Secretly, she was proud, but worried. During the final adventure that she participated in, her estranged husband Larry Lance was killed by the star-creature called Aquarius. She was also irradiated during that battle, and developed cancer which took her life several years later.

POWERS AND WEAPONS

The Black Canary was a master of unarmed combat, with a mastery of judo and karate unparalleled by most of the mystery-men at the time. After meeting Wildcat and training briefly, she improved her boxing and acrobatic skills to near-Olympic levels. She carried and used a small arsenal of devices to trick and confuse her foes, like sneezing powder and a high pitched whistle. She was also very handy on the motorcycle, a love of which she passed down to her daughter.

CHRONOLOGY

For a definitive list of appearances of Black Canary in chronological order click here

PROFILE REFERENCES

Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #2 (April 1985)

Green Arrow Annual Vol. 2 #2 (1989)