As much as I attempt to suppress my inner hater whenever I read DC Ink/Zoom/YA graphic novels because I'm not the target audience I have to admit as someone who has read other stronger comic books for kids that Black Canary: Ignite is pretty weak in some areas. 

The story follows Dinah Lance a middle schooler who dreams of one day following her dads footsteps and joining the GCPD despite his protests because she's passionate about helping people. But as random accidents begin to occur around her and mysterious threats show up at her school and home she soon discovers she's inherited her mother former vigilante Black Canary's canary cry. 

My biggest problem with Black Canary: Ignite was its weak writing. Meg Cabot is a first time graphic novel writer and like with many in this line I can tell she's not entirely comfortable with this medium of storytelling. The dialogue especially was frequently overly on the nose and clunky. While naturalistic dialogue isn't necessary for good storytelling the direct and didactic nature of how all of the characters speak made for an awkward read. 

The overall arc of the graphic novel was also a bit messy and rushed. Dinah deals with her principal marking her as a troublemaker, tension with her best friends/bandmates, arguments with her dad about wanting to be a cop, managing her burgeoning superpowers, school bullies and a supervillain trying to kill her. This story either needed to longer to better manage weaving in and out of these various plot threads or be streamlined because many of these beats fall flat as they are abruptly introduced and hastily wrapped up.

But despite some of its flaws this comic has its moments. As a Black Canary fan I noticed lots of big and small references woven throughout that demonstrate that the creative team was familiar with and deferent to Black Canary canon. From Dinah having a box of wigs in her basement to the family flower shop being bering called Sherwood Florists to Dinah training with Wildcat. These little nods were really endearing. 

But even though the book was littered with fun easter eggs I couldn't help but be disappointed that left some opportunities on the table to engage with the legacy of the character. The most baffling choice the book makes is sidelining Dinah's relationship with her mother. She has big blow ups with her dad about wanting to be cop and is trained by Wildcat and a random choir teacher. But despite inheriting her mothers legacy the book devotes barely any of its page count on their relationship. This was especially disappointing for me because mainline DC continuity rarely has the chance to show these two interacting because Dinah's mom is dead so this could have been a perfect opportunity to tell a story other comics couldn't.

Overall I'd say Black Canary: Ignite isn't an essential read for adult fans of the character but if a 9 year old told me their favourite character was Black Canary I'd readily put this in their hands. In the context of the wider DC Zoom and Ink lines this certainly isn't the best but it wasn't bad either.