In our review of Black Lightning #4, after facing off with the Trinity over Anissa, Jefferson and Jennifer look into disappearance of Isaac and his mom.
BLACK LIGHTNING #4
Written by BRANDON THOMAS
Art and Main Cover by FICO OSSIO
Variant Covers: KERON GRANT, RYAN BENJAMIN
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: February 12, 2025
This review contains spoilers
Black Lightning #4 picks up right where its predecessor left off: Jeff battling Superman. It’s quickly defused by Wonder Woman’s intervention, as she tells Jeff that she’ll take him to Anissa. With that situation dealt with, it’s on to the next matter at hand: the aftermath of the fight at Steelworks. Jefferson’s not sure on the full extent of the damage, but he does wonder just where Isaac disappeared to.
When we catch up to Isaac, it turns out he’s been picked up by the group that’d initially attacked Steelworks. They’ve removed the control band, telling him that he doesn’t really need it. They’ve also brought his mother to him, telling him that the Sons of Liberty (a paramilitary group that Harriman used to be part of) had been looking for him. And since law enforcement and the Justice League weren’t immediately there, they were his best bet for safety.
Meanwhile, Jefferson and Jennifer are investigating Isaac’s apartment, when Natasha calls. She lets them know that there was also some tech stolen from Steelworks, tech that would be otherwise harmless…but with enough less-than-legal tweaks, it could become a major problem.
Jeff feels like he’s failed yet another superpowered teenager with what’s happened to Isaac. Anissa’s also blaming herself for the situation. But on the plus side, she’s been undergoing training with the League to hone her new powers, and it’s been going well for her.
Eventually, Jeff and Jen (with Anissa keeping contact from the Watchtower) are summoned to investigate the site of a Harriman speech that’d been attacked by the Masters of Disaster. They figure out that Isaac is with them, though not as a willing participant. (In fact, he doesn’t quite trust this group at all, but doesn’t want himself or his mother hurt by them, so best to go along anyway.)
Following a series of clues, Jeff and Jen find an unconscious girl. She turns out to be Windfall. Despite the fact that she’d fought Jen and Anissa earlier, Jen goes to help her with Jeff in tow…only for both of them to find themselves depowered and ambushed by the Sons of Liberty. But Father and Daughter aren’t going down without a fight, preparing for a full-on melee as Black Lightning #4 comes to an end.
Analysis
Okay, so, going into the artwork first off. The visuals in Black Lightning #4 continue to be gorgeous. I particularly liked the 2-page spread showing Anissa in her training with the League, one panel per day of the week. The composition keeps the viewer’s eye sailing through the full spread. Art-wise, I also noticed a few instances of halftone shading, and that always stands out to me as a plus.
Moving on to the story in Black Lightning #4, we’re getting more of a direct conflict between the two more extreme ends of the Metahuman Acceptance Spectrum. It’s absolutely no shock at all to find that Harriman was not only a part of the Sons of Liberty, given their anti-Metahuman stance, but he was once one of their top operatives. Which makes me wonder if he’d only left them for the sake of running for office. I imagine that being openly part of a paramilitary group doesn’t do too many favors for a guy in politics. But donning a three-piece suit and using a press conference to share his anti-Meta views? For some, that’d increase his credibility quite a bit.
And it does make sense that both the SOL and Masters of Disaster would attack the Steelworks, given that the control bands are Natasha’s doing. One side would want to weaponize that for themselves and de-power the Metas, the other would want to destroy it in a misguided attempt to free the Metas from the need to control their powers. Which leaves some that are, say, still figuring out their powers (like Isaac) stuck smack dab in the middle, confused and understandably scared for the safety of both himself and his mother.
One thing I wish I could see with these issues: for them to be a bit longer. Some of the fight scenes feel a bit brief to me. I know, this run’s more about the parts of superhero life that involve helping the community than it is knocking someone’s teeth out, but even just a few more panels would make it a little more satisfying. At the same time, I’ve been liking the character interactions and would love to see more of that, as well.
Final Thoughts
Between retrieving Isaac and his mother and the prospect of de-powering the Metahumans, the stakes have certainly increased with Black Lightning #4. This creative team keeps on delivering!
