Black Canary must fight to prove that she is the Best of the Best in a new series from Wonder Woman writer Tom King

Cover art from Black Canary: Best of the Best #1 — (Image credit: DC)

There are many highly-skilled fighters in the DC universe but Black Canary is surely up there with the very best of them. Even ignoring her superpowers, Dinah Laurel Lance is also generally considered to be one of the most advanced martial artists in the world.

Those skills will be put to the test in a new series from Wonder Woman writer Tom King and artist Ryan Sook. The six issue Black Canary: Best of the Best will pit Dinah against a truly formidable foe and one who is every bit her equal in close quarters combat: Lady Shiva. Here's Sook's cover for the first issue, followed by variants from David Nakayama, Chrissie Zullo, and Dan Hipp.

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While the fight with Lady Shiva will require all of Black Canary's skills, she won't be entirely on her own. According to DC, Dinah will be receiving some extra training from the likes of Batman, Wildcat, and her mother, the first Black Canary.

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"I've been wanting to tell this story for a few years, and I'm really excited for fans to see what Ryan and I have planned for Dinah," said Tom King in a statement about the new book. "He's got the perfect art style for this series, and fans will feel every punch and kick thrown from the first issue to the finale."

Here's both halves of a wraparound cover by Otto Schmidt featuring different versions of Black Canary from across the DC Universe.

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Lady Shiva, in case you've never encountered her, is a long-standing DC villain, created by Dennis O'Neil and Ric Estrada for 1975's Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter #5. A lethal assassin she has, over time, slipped more into the role of anti-hero, having helped Batman re-train after his back was broken by Bane and later assisting the Dark Knight fight the League of Shadows. She is also, notably, the mother of Batgirl Cassandra Cain, who Dinah currently fights alongside in the Birds of Prey. Needless to say, a tough opponent. Place your bets now...

Black Canary: Best of the Best is published by DC on November 27.

Find out more about Tom King's excellent ongoing Wonder Woman comic in our interview with the writer.

Will Salmon is the former Streaming Editor for GamesRadar+. He has been writing about film, TV, comics, and music for more than 15 years, which is quite a long time if you stop and think about it. At Future he launched the scary movie magazine Horrorville, relaunched Comic Heroes, and has written for every issue of SFX magazine for well over a decade. His music writing has appeared in The Quietus, MOJO, Electronic Sound, Clash, and loads of other places too.