Twelve Brothers in Silk
Encyclopedia
The Twelve Brothers in Silk, also known as The Silk Brothers, is a group of fiction
al comic book
villain
s, a family of killers that have fought the Birds of Prey
in the DC Comics
Universe
. They were created by artist Joe Bennett
and writer Gail Simone
.
, first appeared in the employ of Mister Tan, a Singaporean
drug lord. Posing as American mobsters, Wildcat
and Black Canary
attempted to fool Mister Tan into selling them all of his drugs, which would ultimately cripple his operations while simultaneously depriving the real American mafia of one of their main drug suppliers.
Led by Huang Chao Ran, the brother known as Rabbit, the Twelve Brothers monitored Black Canary and Wildcat during these dealings, attempting to determine if they were legitimate. Their attempts to force Canary and Wildcat to reveal their true identities failed, and culminated in a spar between Rabbit and Black Canary that was interrupted by a furious Mister Tan.
Mister Tan realized that he had been set up after agreeing to the terms Canary stipulated, and in an attempt to avoid being ruined he arranged for a real mob group to buy his drug shipment. The Twelve Brothers accompanied the shipment to protect it, and met Canary and a group of fighters in America. The two groups agreed to a duel.
Canary's team consisted of herself, Wildcat, Richard Dragon
, Green Arrow II (Connor Hawke), Savant
and Creote
, and Huntress
. Before the fight could end in one side's clear defeat, however, Canary signaled her team mate Lady Blackhawk
to attack the drug shipment, destroying it. Canary then gave Rabbit an ultimatum: with the shipment destroyed he had already failed in his mission. The only way the brothers could be sure to walk away with their record of never losing intact was to call a draw. Rabbit agreed, and the groups parted ways.
, it is revealed that one of the female children born to Huang was spared after lightning
appeared on the day of her birth and killed her midwife, making Huang believe that something powerful wanted her to live. She was trained by her brothers in the same techniques, and after their defeat at the hands of Black Canary she hunted them down and killed them for dishonoring their father's name. Now calling herself White Canary, she traveled to Gotham and set up to blackmail
Black Canary by revealing her secret identity and threatening to kill one teammate for each hour that passed, enlisting the help of Oswlad Cobblepot
and Savant
and Creote
. Upon being defeated by Black Canary she denied being responsible for the death of a kidnapper in Iceland to frame Black Canary, claiming that it was in fact Lady Shiva
, and offers Black Canary help in killing Shiva if she is set free.
Later, White Canary takes Black Canary to Bangkok
and reveals that she is holding Black Canary's adopted daughter Sin
as a hostage, and will kill her if Black Canary does not battle Lady Shiva in a duel to the death. Black Canary agrees despite her broken wrist, but at the last minute Helena Bertinelli challenges Shiva in her place, buying Black Canary enough time to find Sin and get her to safety, and Lady Shiva agrees to put their duel off until a later time. White Canary reluctantly concedes, but promises that Black Canary has not seen the last of her.
level in skill. Given that they fight as a group, this makes them one of the most feared forces in the criminal world.
They allow themselves no alcohol, women, or other
"vices" except for fighting. They value honor highly, and Black Canary both exploited this and was careful to respect it — they would do anything to avoid "losing face", but to dishonor them would mean making a powerful enemy for life.
Although they fight side by side, their greatest weakness is supposedly that they don't really care about one another.
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
villain
Villain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
s, a family of killers that have fought the Birds of Prey
Birds of Prey (comic book)
Birds of Prey is a comic book series published by DC Comics that features the adventures of the heroine Oracle and her group of superheroines. The group is initially based in Gotham City and later operates in Metropolis and then relocates once more to "Platinum Flats", California, a new locale...
in the DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
Universe
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
. They were created by artist Joe Bennett
Joe Bennett (penciller)
Benedito José Nascimento , better known as Joe Bennett, is a Brazilian comic book artist.-Biography:Joe Bennett was born in Belém....
and writer Gail Simone
Gail Simone
Gail Simone is an American writer of comic books. Best known for penning DC's Birds of Prey, her other notable works include Secret Six, Welcome to Tranquility, The All-New Atom, and Deadpool. In 2007, she took over Wonder Woman...
.
History
The Twelve Brothers, 12 martial artists named after the signs of the Chinese ZodiacChinese astrology
Chinese astrology is based on the traditional astronomy and calendars. The development of Chinese astrology is tied to that of astronomy, which came to flourish during the Han Dynasty ....
, first appeared in the employ of Mister Tan, a Singaporean
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
drug lord. Posing as American mobsters, Wildcat
Wildcat (comics)
Wildcat is the name of several fictional characters, all DC Comics superheroes. The first and most famous of these is Ted Grant, a long-time member of the Justice Society of America...
and Black Canary
Black Canary
Black Canary is the name of two fictional characters, DC Comics superheroines created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Carmine Infantino. The first Black Canary debuted appeared in Flash Comics #86 . The first Black Canary was the alter-ego of Dinah Drake, who took part in Golden Age adventures...
attempted to fool Mister Tan into selling them all of his drugs, which would ultimately cripple his operations while simultaneously depriving the real American mafia of one of their main drug suppliers.
Led by Huang Chao Ran, the brother known as Rabbit, the Twelve Brothers monitored Black Canary and Wildcat during these dealings, attempting to determine if they were legitimate. Their attempts to force Canary and Wildcat to reveal their true identities failed, and culminated in a spar between Rabbit and Black Canary that was interrupted by a furious Mister Tan.
Mister Tan realized that he had been set up after agreeing to the terms Canary stipulated, and in an attempt to avoid being ruined he arranged for a real mob group to buy his drug shipment. The Twelve Brothers accompanied the shipment to protect it, and met Canary and a group of fighters in America. The two groups agreed to a duel.
Canary's team consisted of herself, Wildcat, Richard Dragon
Richard Dragon
Richard Dragon is a fictional character created by Dennis O'Neil and Jim Berry in the novel Dragon's Fists under the pseudonym "Jim Dennis." O'Neil later adapted the character for DC Comics in the comic book Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter....
, Green Arrow II (Connor Hawke), Savant
Savant (comics)
Savant is a comic book character from DC Comics.-Fictional character biography:Brian Durlin, better known as Savant, is the spoiled heir to an enormous fortune. Savant had moved to Gotham to become a self-styled vigilante...
and Creote
Creote
Aleksandr Creote—referred to almost exclusively by his surname alone—is a fictional character from DC Comics. He was created by writer Gail Simone and artist Ed Benes...
, and Huntress
Huntress (comics)
The Huntress is a name used by several characters in DC Comics.The Golden Age Huntress is a supervillainess, while the Bronze Age and Modern Age Huntresses are superheroines....
. Before the fight could end in one side's clear defeat, however, Canary signaled her team mate Lady Blackhawk
Lady Blackhawk
Lady Blackhawk is an alias used by three fictional comic book characters appearing in American comic books. The first, Zinda Blake, was introduced in a DC Comics publication in 1959; the second, Natalie Reed, appeared in a DC Comics title in 1988. The third, as-yet-unnamed, Lady Blackhawk debuted...
to attack the drug shipment, destroying it. Canary then gave Rabbit an ultimatum: with the shipment destroyed he had already failed in his mission. The only way the brothers could be sure to walk away with their record of never losing intact was to call a draw. Rabbit agreed, and the groups parted ways.
White Canary
During the Birds Of Prey relaunch tie in with Brightest DayBrightest Day
Brightest Day is a year-long comic book maxi-series that began in April 2010. The story follows the ending of the series Blackest Night and how the aftermath of these events affect the entire DC Universe.-Plot:...
, it is revealed that one of the female children born to Huang was spared after lightning
Lightning
Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...
appeared on the day of her birth and killed her midwife, making Huang believe that something powerful wanted her to live. She was trained by her brothers in the same techniques, and after their defeat at the hands of Black Canary she hunted them down and killed them for dishonoring their father's name. Now calling herself White Canary, she traveled to Gotham and set up to blackmail
Blackmail
In common usage, blackmail is a crime involving threats to reveal substantially true or false information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand is met. It may be defined as coercion involving threats of physical harm, threat of criminal prosecution, or threats...
Black Canary by revealing her secret identity and threatening to kill one teammate for each hour that passed, enlisting the help of Oswlad Cobblepot
Penguin (comics)
Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot III is a DC Comics supervillain and one of Batman's oldest, most persistent enemies. The Penguin was introduced by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, making his debut in Detective Comics #58 .The Penguin is a short, rotund man known for his love of birds and his...
and Savant
Savant (comics)
Savant is a comic book character from DC Comics.-Fictional character biography:Brian Durlin, better known as Savant, is the spoiled heir to an enormous fortune. Savant had moved to Gotham to become a self-styled vigilante...
and Creote
Creote
Aleksandr Creote—referred to almost exclusively by his surname alone—is a fictional character from DC Comics. He was created by writer Gail Simone and artist Ed Benes...
. Upon being defeated by Black Canary she denied being responsible for the death of a kidnapper in Iceland to frame Black Canary, claiming that it was in fact Lady Shiva
Lady Shiva
Lady Shiva is a fictional comic book character co-created by Dennis O'Neil and Ric Estrada, and published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter as an antagonist of Richard Dragon...
, and offers Black Canary help in killing Shiva if she is set free.
Later, White Canary takes Black Canary to Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
and reveals that she is holding Black Canary's adopted daughter Sin
Sin (DC Comics)
Sin is a fictional comic book character appearing in books published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Birds of Prey #92 , and was created by Gail Simone.-Fictional character biography:...
as a hostage, and will kill her if Black Canary does not battle Lady Shiva in a duel to the death. Black Canary agrees despite her broken wrist, but at the last minute Helena Bertinelli challenges Shiva in her place, buying Black Canary enough time to find Sin and get her to safety, and Lady Shiva agrees to put their duel off until a later time. White Canary reluctantly concedes, but promises that Black Canary has not seen the last of her.
Powers and abilities
Each of Twelve Brothers in Silk is considered almost Lady ShivaLady Shiva
Lady Shiva is a fictional comic book character co-created by Dennis O'Neil and Ric Estrada, and published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter as an antagonist of Richard Dragon...
level in skill. Given that they fight as a group, this makes them one of the most feared forces in the criminal world.
They allow themselves no alcohol, women, or other
"vices" except for fighting. They value honor highly, and Black Canary both exploited this and was careful to respect it — they would do anything to avoid "losing face", but to dishonor them would mean making a powerful enemy for life.
Although they fight side by side, their greatest weakness is supposedly that they don't really care about one another.