Black Canary

DC Comics has given the world a great gift: the Justice League. Among this union of righteousness, allusions to the Greek gods elevate this to a modern American allegory. As America’s modern gods, the Justice League represents the ethics and social issues in the United States. One of these modern Olympians is Black Canary. As a symbol of the powerful women brought about by the twenty-first century, Black Canary is most similar to the Greek goddess Artemis.

Now the Greek goddess Artemis was the goddess of hunting, the moon, and virginity. The argument can be made to say that Black Canary was a huntress and a “moon goddess”, but Black Canary is by no means a virgin. Black Canary, the alter ego of Dinah Lance, is a skilled at judo combat, similar to the hunting prowess of Artemis. In addition, her completely black wardrobe shows Black Canary’s attachment to the night, and by extension the moon.

Black Canary is portrayed as a sex symbol to comic book readers. Like most female superheroes, Black Canary’s sexuality is used to draw readers in. This weaponizing of her sexuality adds to the parallel of modern women in the work force. They still have hard times getting high level or powerful positions, and are viewed as mire sexual objects. Black Canary then uses her sex appeal as a weapon. In this way, Black Canary could be considered a modern icon. She has portrayed American society perfectly.  The adage “sex sells” has saturated almost all of American society; however, Black Canary goes beyond this. She has powers; she is an amazing fighter; she is a brilliant strategist; but this does not matter. The only reason DC Comics included this character is because of the fact that she wears fishnet stockings and leather. Many women in the world today have great attributes, but society will only give the beautiful or “sexy” women a chance to prove themselves. Even then, these women will be forced to compromise their morals in an attempt to further their carriers, educations, and goals.