Friday, November 26, 2010

The Thing and Black Lightning



I still think it is a crime that Black Lightning was not used on The Super Friends and they instead decided to feature the copycat Black Vulcan. I think that if they had gone with the real deal then Jefferson Pierce could have really hit the big time as far as public awareness goes. I have enjoyed this character throughout the years, beginning with his original series by Tony Isabella. I also quite liked Isabella's second run on the character with the great moody pencils by Eddie Newell. Black Lightning was utilized well in the Outsiders and even though it was cool that he finally got his shot as a member of the JLA, I am glad to see him back with his first team. I encourage fans of the character to seek out the recent mini-series Black Lightning: Year One, by Jen Van Mateer and Cully Hamner. It was my favorite of the recent "Year One" titles and Hamner really knocked it our of the park with the art. I'd love to see him work on the character again.
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15 comments:

  1. Cathy and DaveNovember 26, 2010 at 5:06 PM

    Can't resist: electrifying cover! Not at all shocking to see these two together!

    Not sure I still have it or if I traded it away but the Black Lightning hazing issue of JLA was just wrong. Wrong!

    The JL of A's mini-series was truly a missed opportunity. While Batman's Arkham League logically made sense...it should have included characters like The Creeper and Black Lightning...

    Don't know about you...but I consider Black Lightning part of the Batman family...along with Rex Mason, Jack Ryder and Ralph Dibney...

    I think Ben Grimm would be a great founder of The Outsiders...

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  2. Mike D.November 27, 2010 at 11:23 PM

    I know that many of the afro/american super guys were created in a blaxsploitation effort to reach out to a specific target audience. BUT...I don't freaking care!
    POWER MAN is one of the coolest comic book siper guy creations ever! Black Goliath was an awesome character too. WHEN DC published "Black Lightning" I was thrilled this guy had a cool outfit
    a cool name and the art and stories in my opinion were excellent.
    It is fitting to see Ben squaring off with BLACK LIGHTNING as the FF featured what is probably the first AF/AM hero the BLACK PANTHER...great stuff ROSS...keep it up.

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  3. Tony IsabellaNovember 28, 2010 at 8:51 AM

    Love your cover, still prickly when it comes to the subject of the Year One thing...since that jerk Dan DiDio decreed that I could not be hired to write it. I haven't read it, can't see any reason to, and won't sign it when people bring it to me at conventions.

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  4. RossNovember 28, 2010 at 8:55 AM

    I hadn't heard that - it's a shame, you really should have gotten first crack at that project.

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  5. Mike D.November 28, 2010 at 2:02 PM

    Wow Tony Isabella..cool. Glad to see the pro's peak at the blogs out here.
    I also agree...you should have been asked first.

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  6. Tony IsabellaNovember 29, 2010 at 7:42 AM

    This is a daily stop on the web for me. Look at these covers. You can feel the love.

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  7. AnonymousNovember 29, 2010 at 9:11 AM

    The reason they couldn't use Black Lightning was that he was one of the few creator owned characters in the DC stable at the time. It was a combination of money and legal garbage that caused Black Vulcan to be made. -Mea

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  8. Tony IsabellaNovember 29, 2010 at 5:04 PM

    Not surprisingly, an anonymous poster gets it wrong.

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  9. Mike D.November 29, 2010 at 5:29 PM

    Tony...you should have prepped your comment with a......."Sigh"

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  10. Tony IsabellaNovember 30, 2010 at 6:28 AM

    Mikeyboy...quite right. Sometimes one "sigh" fits all.

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  11. AnonymousDecember 1, 2010 at 10:00 AM

    @Tony: For the record, I'm just going by what I read in "Was Superman a Spy". Link below if you want to read the passage I'm referring to. -Mea

    http://books.google.com/books?id=eKLNpPMHF5cC&pg=PA73&lpg=PA73&dq=comic+book+legends+revealed+black+vulcan&source=bl&ots=eKtSMUdSzn&sig=TOu4yhPuA2845DLUbqOUsadrx2g&hl=en&ei=dWL2TIqOL4T6lwfg9bWLBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

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  12. Mike D.December 3, 2010 at 9:47 AM

    It's all good Mea..it's in the spirit of Fun...no one is judging.
    Comments keep the bloggin' business busy.
    Thank you for the cool link. I like following little tid bits like that.

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  13. AnonymousDecember 6, 2010 at 12:50 PM

    No prob Mike. T'is a good book, as is his weekly column on CBR. I recommend both. -Mea

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  14. notinthefaceJanuary 17, 2011 at 2:12 PM

    Tony, I just saw your you-tube video on the Lightning/Vulcan matter. "The Other Black Lightning" - Nice! I'll have to search the back-issue racks for that one. "Barbara Hanna" - BWAH HA HA HAAA!!

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  15. wrlord2001@hotmail.comJanuary 22, 2011 at 8:27 PM

    Black Lightning was just so cool, and a real tip of the hat to those of us (white and black alike) who came from the ghetto -- a rare on in DC, other than the Denny O'Neil GL/GA stuff. It was fitting that it was GA who wanted to sponsor BL for membership in the JLA way back when.
    I don't know why both Marvel and DC have turned meaningful, cool black characters like BL and Power Man into bald, uninteresting thugs.

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