In this review of Black Lightning #1, we see a bit of the aftermath of Absolute Power.
BLACK LIGHTNING #1
Written by: BRANDON THOMAS
Art and Main Cover by: FICO OSSIO
Variant Covers: TAURIN CLARKE, SANFORD GREENE, JULIET NNEKA
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: November 13, 2024
This review contains spoilers
Black Lightning #1 starts off with Jefferson speaking with his ex-wife about the battle between him, his daughters, and Amanda Waller’s army. Some time later, everyone’s okay now, and he’s been involved with an initiative to keep things from getting to the point they were in Absolute Power again. He and his daughter Jen go to Garfield High to offer help to an emerging (and clearly scared and confused) meta-human named Isaac Mitchell. They bring him to this initiative’s base of operations, where we get some exposition.
On the one hand, everyone with powers got them back, but things were different (potency levels, how they worked in general…). So, by providing resources for those that would need help adjusting to the “new normal”, so to speak, they’re hoping to make it so things don’t go down that route again.
Meanwhile, Jennifer gets a call from her sister Anissa, who has been in New Orleans since that last fight. She’s asked when she plans to come visit, but seems to dodge the question. Jeff and Jen go off to deal with a fire-based meta-human that’s caused some issues with a train. Jen’s almost able to fully talk her down, but something about the meta’s powers gives her pause and she’s thrown from the train. Jeff rushes to retrieve her, returning to the fire-meta, only to find Anissa there instead.
Normally, I tend to shy away from titles featuring established characters in a comic company’s canon. I get somewhat intimidated by the amount of lore that’s already there. But I figured that Black Lightning #1 for a character’s book would be a good place to start following them.
Admittedly, I might have had an easier time following things had I read the Absolute Power event first, but once I got to the exposition scene, things started to fall a bit more into place for me.
The artwork was done well, and I especially love the flow of the action scenes and the use of panel breaks. The colors pulled my attention across each page, and the backgrounds were well-rendered. The character designs were pretty much what I’d expect from a DC title: mostly realistic, some stylization. The facial expressions were well-drawn, the expressions readable.
The characters in Black Lightning #1 themselves are written well. Jefferson and Jen work well together
Story-wise, I’m looking forward to seeing how things go from here. The initiative itself is a good idea: resources and de-escalation when someone’s clearly having a crisis tend to be beneficial to society in general. Plus, those moments with Jeff and Jen heading out together to provide this outreach provides some lovely opportunities for family bonding.
Also, the fact that those running it are established heroes in this universe gives it a bit more credibility. mean, who would be more qualified to help someone adjust to their new level of powers: someone that’s only ever been a normal human all their life, or somebody that has first-hand experience?)
And speaking of family, I find myself wondering just what it is Anissa’s been up to in the interim. When she was on the phone with Jen, she seemed a teensy bit evasive on some aspects, like when she was asked when she plans to visit home. And when she brought up what had happened to them during the fight, she abruptly changed the subject. Which makes me wonder what had happened with her powers. Did they become more fire-based after everyone’s powers were restored? Was this a shapeshifter that took on her appearance? Black Lightning #1 has me looking forward to getting some more information…
Final Thoughts
Black Lightning #1 is a decent jumping-on point for the uninitiated, though if you’ve read Absolute Power already, that’s even better. I feel like things would have been enhanced a bit more had I read the event before it.
Enjoy this review of Black Lightning #1? Find more reviews here. If you would like to buy a copy of this title, and help support the Comic Book Spot at the same time, consider purchasing this book at Amazon, My Comic Shop, or Things From Another World.
