I am predicting that Black Canary will be a bigger player in the DCU in 2017. She has always been a great character that has somehow missed the spotlight when it comes to capturing collector or investor’s attention. I am betting this will change in the coming years and now is a good time to be picking up her key issues.

Why Black Canary will be hot

In the past, I would have answer that question with a simple answer: “movie appearance”. However, this is no longer enough. With more characters appearing on screen, it will take more than a movie appearance to levitate a character and his or her key issues into the spotlight. We have to take into consideration:

• the role the character will be playing
• the existing fanbase
• the supply of key issues
• and other factors

With these in mind, Black Canary is a character that checks all the boxes. Historically, she has been B class character. She has an existing fan base due to her Birds of Prey series and her involvement in the Justice League. Currently, she has her own series that is picking up lots of words of mouth. Black Canary also came in at #19 during the recent CBR’s poll on the most popular DC characters in 2015.

If Black Canary appears on screen, it is likely that it will not be a minor role like how Arrow has been using her.  In the rumor mil, it is speculated that Black Canary might appear in the Justice League movie which is as big budget as they come. In addition, there is also a rumor of a Birds of Prey movie which will focus a lot on this character since she is technically the team leader.

All these potential happenings means there will be lots of attention on this character going into 2016 and 2017. Rather than waiting for things to heat up, these are the issues you should be eyeing on now.

Undervalued Black Canary issues

Her golden age appearance is definitely not cheap so I am not going to mention it here. I am also not a GA expert so I can’t really advice you on how to buy and sell golden age books. Instead, I am be focusing on books from Silver age onwards that are affordable but important.

Justice League #75

I touched upon this issue back in March when I wrote the article on best DC comics to invest in for 2015. Fortunately, the book is still affordable and is the best book to buy when it comes to speculating on Black Canary’s popularity. If you are aware of this character, there are 2 versions of her: one being the mum and one being the daughter. The mum is the Golden age character while the daughter is currently the one being used. According to CGC board discussion, it has been agreed that this issue is the first appearance of the daughter’s Black Canary appearance: Dinah Laurel Lance even though it is due to a recon during 1980s.

Even if you disagree, this is still a pretty key book as it is the first time Black Canary joins the Justice League as well as gaining her famous Sonic Cry.  Added the tough black cover and you will find a key book that is hard to find in 7.0 and above grades, which means a strong price appreciation potential.

This is one of the overlooked book of an important character. You can’t find many of these types of books for cheap anymore so I would grab them if I can.

Check ebay listing here

Justice League of America #6 Variant

When a female character gets hot, her variant covers tend to heat up as well. Just look at the following examples:

• Harley Quinn #1 Adam Hughes Variant
• Supergirl #23 Adam Hughes Variant
• X-23 Vol 3 #1 Dell’Otto Variant and the All New X-Men #25 Frank Cho Variant

If Black Canary gets hots, this Adam Hughes variant will probably be the first one to feel the heat. To be honest, there is no other good alternatives out there. I have personally looked through lots of cover images of her and this is probably her best one. It is currently under $20 so it is cheap to buy.

Check Ebay listings here

Black Canary/Oracle: Birds of Prey #1

One of the rumors circulating around Black Canary is the Birds of Prey movie. If that case, you will want to get the first appearance of the team as it is still a very cheap book to grab from 1996. Currently, I see prices sitting around USD10 which means a lot of room to grow as and when this team gets introduced into the DCU universe.

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Conclusion

Black Canary is a strong female character from the DC staple. Outside of Wonder Woman, Batgirl, Supergirl, Harley Quinn, she can be considered one of the candidates for the top 5 (with other considerations being Zatanna, Cat Woman and Lois Lane).  It is amazing that her first appearance in Justice League #75 is still so affordable. Grab it while you can!