Black Canary: Best of the Best #6: Ding Ding Ding

Black Canary: Best of the Best #6 kicks off the final issue of Tom King and Ryan Sook’s epic showdown between Black Canary and Lady Shiva. As the issue kicks off, King makes it apparent that everyone is watching. From a janitor peering in from his phone, to the President of the United States, all the way to Batman in the Batcave, everyone is all in on the outcome of this fight. The issue then proceeds to showcase the final round of the fight as Dinah most come to terms with the decision she has been contemplating the whole time: should she surrender so that Vandal Savage will cure her mom? Or should she continue the fight since that’s what her mother would want her to do?

Without spoiling the outcome, the book does end in a very satisfying way. Throughout the series, it became apparent that this book is less about the actual fight and more about the relationship between Dinah and her mother. That being said, Ryan Sook absolutely dominates the art here when it comes to the fight, expertly depicting the brutality that comes with a fight between two of the world’s most elite fighters. This final issue may not be quite as brutal as some of the issues prior, but it definitely has the most riding on it considering the consequences. Sook captures this excellently in the way that Dinah reacts and contemplates her decisions leading up to the final page.

The writing for this issue and the entire series feels right in line with Tom King’s other works but never feels like it is mimicking something else. In many of King’s books, a narrator will exist that helps set the stage for each chapter, while also making subtle commentary on the actions throughout the issue. In the case of Black Canary: Best of the Best, the narrators are the two announcers for the fight. This is somewhat unique because these two really have no idea what the actual stakes of the fight are, despite their commentary often working as double innuendos for the flashbacks. In this vein, King is able to keep up with the idea that this book is all about the fight, while the plot and content more so revolve around the relationship between Dinah and her mom.

Black Canary: Best of the Best #6 concludes this series in a wonderful way. The outcome may not be what everyone expects, but it jives well with the content of the story thus far and makes a poignant take on the complexities of relationships in our own lives that we often overlook.