The Untold Truth Of Black Canary

Clothes make the man, in comics as in life, to the point that a hero's costume matters just about as much as his powers. Sure, Superman doesn't hang up his heat vision alongside his cape, but can you imagine him without that bright, billowing banner of red behind him? So it goes with Black Canary, as identified by her jacket, leotard, fishnets, and boots as by her supersonic scream. Given the fact that her outfit has remained largely intact over the years, one would think it had never been deviated from all that dramatically. Sure, you might think, maybe there's been some hem-altering and jacket-studding, but that's probably all it amounts to, right?

Wrong. Black Canary hasn't just come clad in other costumes — she's caused genuine controversy with them. Her most eye-catching costume change debuted on the cover of 1985's Detective Comics #554: a loose, full-body jumpsuit with a bird motif, white buccaneer boots, a black headband, and a hairstyle straight out of Dynasty. With its more-is-more approach, it's about as 1980s as a design can get — and immediately controversial among fans. So much so, in fact, that 1988's Action Comics #609 featured Black Canary on the cover, back in her classic duds and grinning as she took a match to the much-hated jumpsuit. Though she might always have her fists, wit, and fearless nature, to fans, she's just not Black Canary if she's not in her essential ensemble.