Summary
DC Comics' All In initiative is delivering readers the firstBlack Lightningseries in years. All In is set to be DC’s latest status quo shift in the DC Universe, including areturn and revamp for the Justice League. To reflect the shift, numerous superheroes -including Cassandra Cain’s Batgirl- are getting brand-new solo series.
2024 could be the year of Black Lightning.
As announced byComics Beat,one of the heroes getting their own series for All In is Black Lightningin a five-part miniseries by Brandon Thomas and Fico Ossio. Cover art and new character designs by Ossio can be viewed below, as well as variant covers by Sanford Greene, Taurin Clarke, and Juliet Nneka.
BLACK LIGHTNING #1 (2024)
November 13th, 2024
Variant Covers:
Sanford Greene, Taurin Clarke, Juliet Nneka
Black Lightning is back, and this time, it’s a family affair! Jefferson Pierce leads the Justice League’s new metahuman outreach initiative, helping those with powers before they can cause harm to themselves or others—but everything changes when its his own daughter, Anissa Pierce, who comes to him for help. With Thunder’s dangerous new powers and the new Masters of Disaster jeopardizing the coexistence between humans and Metas, Black Lightning is on the front lines of a culture war brewing in the suburbs of Metropolis.
Black Lightning #1 is currently scheduled to hit stores on November 13th. Years after his last solo series and being largely absent from DC action, 2024 could be the year of Black Lightning.
Black Lightning Is Back in a New DC All In Solo Series
Coming to Comic Book Shops and Digital Stores Starting November 13
As DC’s All In experiment inches closer to officially hitting the shelves, DC has already unveiledthe roster for Justice League Unlimited, andamong its members is Black Lightning. Black Lightning has served as a member of the Justice League in the past, but he will be given a new, significant role this time around. His role in the JLU — he will be the leader of the League’s metahuman outreach initiative — will prove to be a focal point in his new solo series. Black Lightning will be joined in his escapades by his two daughters, Anissa and Jennifer Pierce — the superheroes Thunder and Lightning.
Justice League Unlimitedby Mark Waid and Dan Mora launches this November from DC Comics. Black Lightning will co-star in the series.
Thomas offers his words to Comics Beat, stating how"highly personal"of a journey this will be for Jefferson Pierce since his daughters are involved. He hints thatJefferson’s oldest daughter, Jennifer, will have her powers changed after the events of DC’s current storyline, Absolute Power. While there’s still a mystery surrounding that fact for now, Thomas also promises that"a mystery rival consolidates power and legitimacy, weaponizing public sentiment that declares that'[Amanda] Waller was right’to fear these power mad gods."
Black Lightning’s First Series in Years Could Bring Him to DC’s Forefront
A Return to Form for Jefferson Pierce
Black Lightning’s first appearancein DC Comics is inBlack Lightning#1, his first ongoing series by Tony Isabella from 1977. The series lasted 11 issues before being canceled as part of the 1978 DC Implosion initiative. The 12th issue wasn’t released until long after the original series — in 1980’sWorld’s Finest Comics#260. Jefferson didn’t get another self-titled series until the 1995Black Lightningseries, also penned by Isabella, until he exited the project due to internal conflicts at DC. The series was canceled by 1996.
Black Lightning’s original stories were followed by the 2009 miniseriesBlack Lightning: Year One,then 2016’sBlack Lightning: Cold Dead Handslimited series. Clearly, and despite his often major role in team books, Black Lightning’s starring appearances are few and far between, and his recent appearances in DC are just as rare. However, his reemergence in DC storylines — followed by a new Justice League position — is a good sign for things to come. His new solo series and new League status could be exactly what’s needed to bringBlack Lightningback to being a bigger presence in DC’s world.
Black Lightning
Cast
Black Lighting is a live-action Superhero and Sci-Fi drama that was developed by Salim Akil. It stars frontrunner Cress Williams as he takes on the mantle of Jefferson Pierce a high-school principle that used to be the enigmatic superhero Black Lighting. The series revolves around Pierce being forced to leave retirement and once again exploring his superhero persona.
