Official CW Black Lightning Discussion Thread (Fonzi Approved!) FINAL SEASON! NO Painkiller SPINOFF
- Thread starter playahaitian
- Start date
Off to a good start
I bet CW already thinking up a way to include him in the next big crossover event..
Not perfect but WAY better than I expected.
So many positives
acting, fight scenes, world building, beautiful black women.
Let's support this.
So many positives
acting, fight scenes, world building, beautiful black women.
Let's support this.
One of the true highlights
They better.
Because they intially made a big announcement that it would NOT be connected to the Arrowverse.
Ok my first issue is there is no reason the theme and the entire soundtrack isn't better.
Good for Krondon.
So far Tobias looks good.
Curious on why his inner circle is all white.
Love the harpoon
So far Tobias looks good.
Curious on why his inner circle is all white.
Love the harpoon
I think they bridged it in to arrowverse nicely with the line in the news commentary: "all these other cities have super powered beings and they are considered heroes but black lightning is looked at as a threat"
Black Lightning would NEVER let that boy walk away with that gun on his hip.
I think they bridged it in to arrowverse nicely with the line in the news commentary: "all these other cities have super powered beings and they are considered heroes but black lightning is looked at as a threat"
Yeah I saw Roland. I hope so it was silly to ever consider.
As a father with 3 girls and 2 Goddaughters and 2 nieces
All that drama?
That hit a little too close to home
Well done
All that drama?
That hit a little too close to home
Well done
I felt the same
Because we're gonna see a lot of cacs get their asses kicked.
I think they bridged it in to arrowverse nicely with the line in the news commentary: "all these other cities have super powered beings and they are considered heroes but black lightning is looked at as a threat"
https://www.inverse.com/article/40087-black-lightning-arrowverse-crossover-possible
'Black Lightning' Isn’t in the Arrowverse, for Now
By Eric Francisco on January 10, 2018
Filed Under Entertainment, DC Universe, Superheroes & TV Shows
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The CW network is packed to the brim with superheroes, and later this month, one more will join the ranks: Black Lightning, featuring DC’s first African-American superhero as played by Cress Williams. But it won’t be part of the interconnected “Arrowverse,” a shared television universe comprised of Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, and Legends of Tomorrow (and retroactively, Constantine). Now, Black Lightning’s producers have explained why the new series is standalone.
At the Television Critics Association press tour on Sunday, co-executive producers Salim and Mara Brock Akil said Black Lightning is on its own simply because the producers were allowed to make it as such.
“This idea of why they’re not in this universe or why they’re not in the Justice League [cinematic universe] is because … [the studio told us] ‘You’ve got to do this the way you want to do this. You’re going to live and die by that, and we support you.’ That’s what you’re seeing,” Akil said.
Salim Akil also added that the other “Arrowverse” shows don’t completely mesh well with their vision for Black Lightning. “I say this with all due respect, but they’re not really relevant to the show that we’re doing,” he said.
Unlike the other DC TV shows, which focus on millennial-aged vigilantes and misfit freaks, Black Lightning is a family-centric saga starring a middle-aged superhero struggling to keep his family together while fighting crime. In Black Lightning, Williams stars as Jefferson Pierce, a school principal who returns to life as a superhero when gang activity spikes in his neighborhood and school district. Joining Pierce is his eldest daughter, Anissa (Nafessa Williams), who also suits up as the superhero Thunder.
Left: Cress Williams as the superhero Black Lightning. Right: Nafessa Williams, suited up as Thunder.
So Black Lightning will be on its own, but could things change for the super-charged superhero? There’s precedent for live-action DC TV to eventually cross paths with the other capes and hoods.
In 2015, Supergirl premiered and was also billed as being independent from the other DC shows, but eventually, Kara Zor-El met Barry Allen (of The Flash) and now they’re best friends. The two series technically take place in different universes, but those two worlds cross-over fairly often. Thanks to the established “multiverse” continuity, any new superhero show like Black Lightning can be included, no problemo. Akil even left the possibility open, saying: “We really wanted folks to get to know this family before we started branching out.”
Perhaps it’s only a matter of time before Black Lightning joins the Green Arrow and The Flash to fight more aliens and Nazi doppelgängers.
'Black Lightning' Currently Scoring 100% on Rotten Tomatoes
By CHARLIE RIDGELY - January 16, 2018
X
Hours before its small screen debut and Black Lightning is already taking television by storm!
The reviews are rolling in and critics are really taking to DC's latest superhero series on The CW. While only a small number of reviews have been counted to this point, they're all overwhelmingly positive. So far, the new TV program has scored a perfect 100 percent on the Rotten Tomatoesreview site.
At the time of writing this article, eleven reviews have been counted on the site, which is a substantial amount for a TV series. Each one has given the series a positive score, averaging an 8.36 score out of 10.
One of the top critics on the site, Orlando Sentinel's Hal Boedeker says, "The villains are scary, the dialogue is smart, and the actors are compelling. Black Lightning serves a welcome jolt."
ComicBook.com's Russ Burlingame called Black Lightning's debut episode "one of the best pilots in the last few years," and says that the series, "immediately raises the bar for superhero programming."
"Black Lightning does not feel like a comic book show angling to be prestige TV, as some of the recent additions to the canon have been," Burlingame writes in the review. "That format can certainly deliver some memorable content but is ultimately unlikely to fully satisfy either the comic book audience or the prestige TV viewer for long. Instead, Black Lightning is prestige TV using the iconography of superheroes to comment on our modern society and, on some level, our obsession with big strong men who will use force to come and save us. That inversion of creative priorities is something rarely seen, and it has a lot of potential if they can maintain this high level of quality going forward."
You can read our full review of Black Lightning here.
Black Lightning stars Cress Williams, Nafessa Williams, China Ann McClain, Christine Adams, James Remar, Damon Gupton and Marvin Jones III.
The series premiere airs on The CW tonight at 9pm ET, following the midseason return of The Flash.
By CHARLIE RIDGELY - January 16, 2018
X
Hours before its small screen debut and Black Lightning is already taking television by storm!
The reviews are rolling in and critics are really taking to DC's latest superhero series on The CW. While only a small number of reviews have been counted to this point, they're all overwhelmingly positive. So far, the new TV program has scored a perfect 100 percent on the Rotten Tomatoesreview site.
At the time of writing this article, eleven reviews have been counted on the site, which is a substantial amount for a TV series. Each one has given the series a positive score, averaging an 8.36 score out of 10.
One of the top critics on the site, Orlando Sentinel's Hal Boedeker says, "The villains are scary, the dialogue is smart, and the actors are compelling. Black Lightning serves a welcome jolt."
ComicBook.com's Russ Burlingame called Black Lightning's debut episode "one of the best pilots in the last few years," and says that the series, "immediately raises the bar for superhero programming."
"Black Lightning does not feel like a comic book show angling to be prestige TV, as some of the recent additions to the canon have been," Burlingame writes in the review. "That format can certainly deliver some memorable content but is ultimately unlikely to fully satisfy either the comic book audience or the prestige TV viewer for long. Instead, Black Lightning is prestige TV using the iconography of superheroes to comment on our modern society and, on some level, our obsession with big strong men who will use force to come and save us. That inversion of creative priorities is something rarely seen, and it has a lot of potential if they can maintain this high level of quality going forward."
You can read our full review of Black Lightning here.
Black Lightning stars Cress Williams, Nafessa Williams, China Ann McClain, Christine Adams, James Remar, Damon Gupton and Marvin Jones III.
The series premiere airs on The CW tonight at 9pm ET, following the midseason return of The Flash.
REVIEW: Black Lightning Raises the Bar for Other Superhero Series
21 hours agoby Tim Adamsin CBR Exclusives, TV ReviewsComment (2)
SPOILER WARNING: This article contains minor spoilers for the premiere of Black Lightning, debuting tonight on The CW.
The CW is filled with a number of flashy superheroes from the DC Universe, but none of them tackle the type of real-world issues that are found in the network’s newest series, Black Lightning. Those who claim they tune into TV shows to be entertained, to forget about the type of problems they face on a day-to-day basis, may read this and decided not to watch the series premiere. If that sounds like you, you run the risk of missing out on what’s shaping up to be the strongest addition to DC’s slate of comic book television shows to date.
RELATED: Black Lightning: Who’s Who On The CW’s New Superhero Drama
Black Lightning stars Cress Williams as Jefferson Pierce, principal of Garfield High School and the retired titular hero. The opening minutes of the premiere fills us in on Black Lightning’s nine-year absence from crime-fighting via a news broadcast featuring the late Amanda Davis, an Atlanta reporter who recently passed away following a stroke. We also meet Jefferson’s two daughters; the civil rights activist Anissa (Nafessa Williams), and rebellious Jennifer (China Anne McClain). The older Anissa is, of course, the more responsible of the Pierce daughters, though Jennifer’s wild streak can be chalked up to the enormous pressure she’s under to be the “queen of Garfield High.”
Despite the obvious pressures and friction, the Pierce family remains a tight-knit unit, even though the parents are separated. Christine Adams plays Lynn Pierce, who had a small role to play in Jefferson’s decision to retire as Black Lightning; faced with an ultimatum from Lynn, he promised to hang up his suit for good. Showrunners Salim and Mara Brock Akil elect against a contentious relationship between the parents, presenting instead one where Jefferson and Lynn are in the midst of rekindling their feelings for one another.
Black Lightning focuses on the Black family dynamic, and many of the issues the pilot tackles are taken directly from current national headlines. Themes of racial profiling, school violence and gang conflict are all touched upon in the hour-long debut, though none of it seems forced or preachy. The topics all feel natural and crucial to the series’ direction instead of deterring from the overall story. The episode illustrates how there can be two fundamentally different approaches to dealing with such complex issues, with neither one presented as inherently better or worsen than the other. For example, Jefferson and local gang member Lala each want the best for today’s youth, yet they go about it in different ways. One uses a gentle hand, while the other chooses a firmer, more aggressive fist.
RELATED: So, Is Black Lightning In the Arrowverse?
Of course, there are other supporting cast members beyond those found in the Pierce family. Damon Gupton’s Detective Henderson we learn is a friend to Jefferson — and a rival to Black Lightning. It’s understandable for a local cop and vigilante to not be the best of friends, but hopefully future episodes are dedicated to fleshing out their relationship and what appears to have happened between them in the past. And just like Batman has Alfred as his right-hand man, Black Lightning confides in Peter Gambi (James Remar), a tailor who is like a father figure to Jefferson. It’s Peter who prepares Black Lightning’s outfits, and does a fine job of filling the mentor role that so many superhero shows end up employing.
As for the special effects, we get plenty examples of how Black Lightning’s powers work. While he does shoot and control electricity, one aspect that came as a surprise was seeing how the hero uses his powers when physically striking opponents. It was just enough to add an extra flair to the fight sequences, which were put together well, and in a believable manner.
The pilot’s musical score was a nice blend of hip-hop and R&B. The more dramatic moments, such as Jefferson preparing to rescue his daughters, will likely evoke comparisons to Batman Begins‘s use of music.
RELATED: Black Lightning: Police Stop Scene Inspired by Showrunner’s Experience
If there is one complaint to be had with Black Lightning, it would be in the show’s primary antagonist, Tobias Whale (Marvin “Krondon” Jones III). Tobias is a unique, intimidating figure, but it isn’t until the episode’s conclusion where he really makes his presence felt. One could argue Lala and his cousin Will have a greater impact on the show than Tobias, though he is the ultimate puppet-master behind them both, and the the personal vendetta Jefferson has against Tobias will likely fuel future episodes.
The premiere episode of Black Lightning brings our hero out of retirement for a good reason; aside from needing to save his family, the city of Freeland is in need of a savior. Jefferson Pierce can help shape Freeland’s future as principal of Garfield High, but its when he puts on the suit and fights crime where his most obvious impact can be felt. This is what makes Black Lightning different from its sister-series on The CW, like Arrow and The Flash. Green Arrow and the Flash both want to protect their cities, but Black Lightning puts an emphasis on his community, making the show a welcome addition to The CW lineup specifically, and to superhero television as a whole.
Debuting Tuesday, January 16, Black Lightning stars Cress Williams as Jefferson Pierce/Black Lightning, China Anne McClain as his younger daughter Jennifer Pierce, Nafessa Williams as his older daughter Anissa Pierce, Christine Adams as Lynn Pierce, James Remar as Peter Gambi, Damon Gupton as Henderson, Marvin “Krondon” Jones III as Tobias Whale and Chantal Thuy as Grace Choi.
21 hours agoby Tim Adamsin CBR Exclusives, TV ReviewsComment (2)
SPOILER WARNING: This article contains minor spoilers for the premiere of Black Lightning, debuting tonight on The CW.
The CW is filled with a number of flashy superheroes from the DC Universe, but none of them tackle the type of real-world issues that are found in the network’s newest series, Black Lightning. Those who claim they tune into TV shows to be entertained, to forget about the type of problems they face on a day-to-day basis, may read this and decided not to watch the series premiere. If that sounds like you, you run the risk of missing out on what’s shaping up to be the strongest addition to DC’s slate of comic book television shows to date.
RELATED: Black Lightning: Who’s Who On The CW’s New Superhero Drama
Black Lightning stars Cress Williams as Jefferson Pierce, principal of Garfield High School and the retired titular hero. The opening minutes of the premiere fills us in on Black Lightning’s nine-year absence from crime-fighting via a news broadcast featuring the late Amanda Davis, an Atlanta reporter who recently passed away following a stroke. We also meet Jefferson’s two daughters; the civil rights activist Anissa (Nafessa Williams), and rebellious Jennifer (China Anne McClain). The older Anissa is, of course, the more responsible of the Pierce daughters, though Jennifer’s wild streak can be chalked up to the enormous pressure she’s under to be the “queen of Garfield High.”
Despite the obvious pressures and friction, the Pierce family remains a tight-knit unit, even though the parents are separated. Christine Adams plays Lynn Pierce, who had a small role to play in Jefferson’s decision to retire as Black Lightning; faced with an ultimatum from Lynn, he promised to hang up his suit for good. Showrunners Salim and Mara Brock Akil elect against a contentious relationship between the parents, presenting instead one where Jefferson and Lynn are in the midst of rekindling their feelings for one another.
Black Lightning focuses on the Black family dynamic, and many of the issues the pilot tackles are taken directly from current national headlines. Themes of racial profiling, school violence and gang conflict are all touched upon in the hour-long debut, though none of it seems forced or preachy. The topics all feel natural and crucial to the series’ direction instead of deterring from the overall story. The episode illustrates how there can be two fundamentally different approaches to dealing with such complex issues, with neither one presented as inherently better or worsen than the other. For example, Jefferson and local gang member Lala each want the best for today’s youth, yet they go about it in different ways. One uses a gentle hand, while the other chooses a firmer, more aggressive fist.
RELATED: So, Is Black Lightning In the Arrowverse?
Of course, there are other supporting cast members beyond those found in the Pierce family. Damon Gupton’s Detective Henderson we learn is a friend to Jefferson — and a rival to Black Lightning. It’s understandable for a local cop and vigilante to not be the best of friends, but hopefully future episodes are dedicated to fleshing out their relationship and what appears to have happened between them in the past. And just like Batman has Alfred as his right-hand man, Black Lightning confides in Peter Gambi (James Remar), a tailor who is like a father figure to Jefferson. It’s Peter who prepares Black Lightning’s outfits, and does a fine job of filling the mentor role that so many superhero shows end up employing.
As for the special effects, we get plenty examples of how Black Lightning’s powers work. While he does shoot and control electricity, one aspect that came as a surprise was seeing how the hero uses his powers when physically striking opponents. It was just enough to add an extra flair to the fight sequences, which were put together well, and in a believable manner.
The pilot’s musical score was a nice blend of hip-hop and R&B. The more dramatic moments, such as Jefferson preparing to rescue his daughters, will likely evoke comparisons to Batman Begins‘s use of music.
RELATED: Black Lightning: Police Stop Scene Inspired by Showrunner’s Experience
If there is one complaint to be had with Black Lightning, it would be in the show’s primary antagonist, Tobias Whale (Marvin “Krondon” Jones III). Tobias is a unique, intimidating figure, but it isn’t until the episode’s conclusion where he really makes his presence felt. One could argue Lala and his cousin Will have a greater impact on the show than Tobias, though he is the ultimate puppet-master behind them both, and the the personal vendetta Jefferson has against Tobias will likely fuel future episodes.
The premiere episode of Black Lightning brings our hero out of retirement for a good reason; aside from needing to save his family, the city of Freeland is in need of a savior. Jefferson Pierce can help shape Freeland’s future as principal of Garfield High, but its when he puts on the suit and fights crime where his most obvious impact can be felt. This is what makes Black Lightning different from its sister-series on The CW, like Arrow and The Flash. Green Arrow and the Flash both want to protect their cities, but Black Lightning puts an emphasis on his community, making the show a welcome addition to The CW lineup specifically, and to superhero television as a whole.
Debuting Tuesday, January 16, Black Lightning stars Cress Williams as Jefferson Pierce/Black Lightning, China Anne McClain as his younger daughter Jennifer Pierce, Nafessa Williams as his older daughter Anissa Pierce, Christine Adams as Lynn Pierce, James Remar as Peter Gambi, Damon Gupton as Henderson, Marvin “Krondon” Jones III as Tobias Whale and Chantal Thuy as Grace Choi.
Black Lightning Is the Perfect Superhero Show for the Moment
Black Lightning arrives on television at a timely moment. Even better: It arrives with a ton of swagger.
Based on the DC comic and premiering tonight on the CW, Black Lightning is slick, smart, and infused with a social conscience that feels especially spot-on in light of the heightened debate in America about what constitutes racism and how to properly protest racially motivated police brutality. It’s the Black Lives Matter of superhero shows. It’s a funky ’70s crime series. Or maybe it’s what happens when comic-book TV gets infused with a tiny bit of the spirit of The Wire.
Cress Williams (Hart of Dixie, Friday Night Lights) stars as Jefferson Pierce, the Garfield High School principal who harbors secret and literally shocking powers, but has been retired from crime-fighting for the past nine years. If we take that timing as specifically as possible, that means he got out of the game right after President Obama was first sworn into office. Now he is focused on trying to reconcile with his ex-wife, Lynn (Christine Adams), and rebuild a peaceful family life with their two daughters, Anissa (Nafessa Williams) and Jennifer (former Disney Channel star China Anne McClain). It’s instantly apparent that this is going to be difficult given that Anissa, who teaches part time at Garfield, is so outspoken about the violence being perpetrated in the city of Freeland by a gang called The 100, and about how the cops respond to it.
“Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars,” Jefferson tells her, quoting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired,” Anissa shoots back, borrowing the words of civil-rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer.
It doesn’t take long for both Anissa and Jennifer, a teen who rebels in more typical teen ways, to get on the bad side of the people connected to The 100, forcing Jefferson to go vigilante again and don that suit with the glowing bolts of lightning that streak across the front.
Like every superhero show, Black Lightning delivers energizing fight sequences and intriguing nemeses that our protagonist must confront. (As readers of the comics have probably already guessed, the big baddie in this series is gang kingpin Tobias Whale, played with simmering menace by rapper Marvin “Krondon” Jones III.) But as developed by husband-and-wife producing team Salim Akil and Mara Brock Akil (Being Mary Jane), alongside co-producers and Arrow-verse veterans Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter, it is more organically substantive than much film and TV comic-book fare. It’s also deeply aware of its black popular-culture roots, with a soundtrack that swings from hip-hop to Nina Simone to ’70s soul. The second episode makes particularly strong use of “Am I Black Enough for You?” by Billy Paul during a climactic confrontation between a hyperconfident Black Lightning and a bunch of bad dudes. It’s a moment that’s both superheroic and superfly.
Williams exudes low-key charisma as the noble Jefferson, then cranks up the power accordingly when he morphs into the justice seeker with LED eyes. He’s perfect for this part. In the first two episodes made available for review, Lynn doesn’t have much dimension; she’s the classic TV wife who looks beautiful, worries about her partner and children, and likes to sip on a glass of wine when she has a moment of downtime. But Jennifer and, especially, Anissa, have more intriguing stories, particularly because at least one of them appears to have inherited Daddy’s daunting-when-activated internal circuitry. Even though Williams is the obvious lead, early episodes suggest that the young women will get nearly equal time.
Black Lightning arrives on the CW exactly one month before Marvel’s Black Panther opens in theaters. That puts the show square in the middle of the black superhero boom that began with Luke Cage and Anthony Mackie’s role as the Falcon in the Avengers movies. For this and other reasons, it just seems like the right time for Lightning to finally strike on a major network.
“Evil is running rampant like a plague through this city. Hell, through this world,” Jefferson’s mentor Peter Gambi (James Remar) says while trying to explain why Black Lightning must return.
Again, the subtext isn’t shouted, but it’s clear. Black Lightning was gone for almost a decade, while Obama was eight years in power. But now things are a mess. Black Lightning should come back, Gambi implies, so he can start reclaiming some of the power that’s been wiped out in the plague. Personally, I’m ready to watch him crank up the shock waves and get back to doing his thing.
Black Lightning arrives on television at a timely moment. Even better: It arrives with a ton of swagger.
Based on the DC comic and premiering tonight on the CW, Black Lightning is slick, smart, and infused with a social conscience that feels especially spot-on in light of the heightened debate in America about what constitutes racism and how to properly protest racially motivated police brutality. It’s the Black Lives Matter of superhero shows. It’s a funky ’70s crime series. Or maybe it’s what happens when comic-book TV gets infused with a tiny bit of the spirit of The Wire.
Cress Williams (Hart of Dixie, Friday Night Lights) stars as Jefferson Pierce, the Garfield High School principal who harbors secret and literally shocking powers, but has been retired from crime-fighting for the past nine years. If we take that timing as specifically as possible, that means he got out of the game right after President Obama was first sworn into office. Now he is focused on trying to reconcile with his ex-wife, Lynn (Christine Adams), and rebuild a peaceful family life with their two daughters, Anissa (Nafessa Williams) and Jennifer (former Disney Channel star China Anne McClain). It’s instantly apparent that this is going to be difficult given that Anissa, who teaches part time at Garfield, is so outspoken about the violence being perpetrated in the city of Freeland by a gang called The 100, and about how the cops respond to it.
“Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars,” Jefferson tells her, quoting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired,” Anissa shoots back, borrowing the words of civil-rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer.
It doesn’t take long for both Anissa and Jennifer, a teen who rebels in more typical teen ways, to get on the bad side of the people connected to The 100, forcing Jefferson to go vigilante again and don that suit with the glowing bolts of lightning that streak across the front.
Like every superhero show, Black Lightning delivers energizing fight sequences and intriguing nemeses that our protagonist must confront. (As readers of the comics have probably already guessed, the big baddie in this series is gang kingpin Tobias Whale, played with simmering menace by rapper Marvin “Krondon” Jones III.) But as developed by husband-and-wife producing team Salim Akil and Mara Brock Akil (Being Mary Jane), alongside co-producers and Arrow-verse veterans Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter, it is more organically substantive than much film and TV comic-book fare. It’s also deeply aware of its black popular-culture roots, with a soundtrack that swings from hip-hop to Nina Simone to ’70s soul. The second episode makes particularly strong use of “Am I Black Enough for You?” by Billy Paul during a climactic confrontation between a hyperconfident Black Lightning and a bunch of bad dudes. It’s a moment that’s both superheroic and superfly.
Williams exudes low-key charisma as the noble Jefferson, then cranks up the power accordingly when he morphs into the justice seeker with LED eyes. He’s perfect for this part. In the first two episodes made available for review, Lynn doesn’t have much dimension; she’s the classic TV wife who looks beautiful, worries about her partner and children, and likes to sip on a glass of wine when she has a moment of downtime. But Jennifer and, especially, Anissa, have more intriguing stories, particularly because at least one of them appears to have inherited Daddy’s daunting-when-activated internal circuitry. Even though Williams is the obvious lead, early episodes suggest that the young women will get nearly equal time.
Black Lightning arrives on the CW exactly one month before Marvel’s Black Panther opens in theaters. That puts the show square in the middle of the black superhero boom that began with Luke Cage and Anthony Mackie’s role as the Falcon in the Avengers movies. For this and other reasons, it just seems like the right time for Lightning to finally strike on a major network.
“Evil is running rampant like a plague through this city. Hell, through this world,” Jefferson’s mentor Peter Gambi (James Remar) says while trying to explain why Black Lightning must return.
Again, the subtext isn’t shouted, but it’s clear. Black Lightning was gone for almost a decade, while Obama was eight years in power. But now things are a mess. Black Lightning should come back, Gambi implies, so he can start reclaiming some of the power that’s been wiped out in the plague. Personally, I’m ready to watch him crank up the shock waves and get back to doing his thing.
Black Lightning review: Powerful and authentic, this is more than just another superhero show
Gang culture, the politics of police conduct and victimisation of black people, the effectiveness and righteousness of protest - all are up for debate in the pilot episode of Black Lightning, a new superhero series that's more nuanced and complex than you're expecting.
ADVERTISING
inRead invented by Teads
(We even get a brief debate over metal detectors in schools, and whether they make students feel safer or more scared. You don't get that in Legends of Tomorrow, much as we love it.)
Series opener 'The Resurrection' is actually light on what might be considered "traditional" comic book trappings. The set-up has a retired superhero forced back into his old life as the rise of a new gang threatens his family. Jefferson Pierce knows it's something of a futile battle – that you can thwart a criminal, but you can't thwart crime – but his moral compass won't allow him to stand by and do nothing.
So far, so formulaic. But having an older figure (Jefferson's in his 40s) at its centre means Black Lightning avoids many of the tropes on offer in The CW's other superhero shows.
Our hero's not some aspiring young buck, trying to find his place in the world. He's an authority figure – a father and a school principal. Jefferson has two daughters instead of a band of plucky pals, and rather than a potential love interest, there's an ex-wife (albeit one with whom he clearly still has some unresolved romantic tension).
Focusing on a retired superhero also sets this apart from the usual origin stories. There's no explanation given as to how Jefferson got his powers (though we're guessing it's a natural phenomenon, given that a cliffhanger ending reveals it runs in the family).
Cress Williams is superb in the lead role, as Jefferson's power, like his anger, bubbles underneath the surface. His refusal to use his abilities serves as a neat analogy for the repression of the rage and resentment he feels, over the mistreatment he, his family and all black people are suffering.
There's an interesting parallel drawn between his super heroics and political activism – Black Lightning's career is equivalent to a past as a young firebrand, one who's softened with age and become part of the establishment. ("When did you abandon your people?" his daughter Anissa asks.)
Unleashing his righteous fury, Jefferson later takes out two cops after a nightclub skirmish, then lights up their police car – the very thing he'd previously taken Anissa to task for doing.
He's finally forced to return to full active duty when both his daughters are kidnapped, but doesn't actually suit up until the episode's final minutes, and it says something for Black Lightning – how well drawn the characters are, how substantial the cast – that you'd happily watch even if it was just a family drama, with the superhero element totally absent.
Fun as the superhero formula can be, Black Lightning is for the most part refreshingly free of cliché, with authentic performances helping to sell the odd hackneyed moment or idea, like a hard-partying teen daughter who gets in over her head.
It's when the show shifts to a more traditional comic book feel that it does suffer a rare stumble: James Remar appears midway through the pilot (with zero introduction) as Jefferson's mentor and tech guy Gambi, offering a a speech full of corny platitudes about why Black Lightning needs to return. ("Evil's running rampant like a plague through this world!")
There's also a few plot contrivances and conveniences that the audience is expected to swallow: surely Jefferson would've been identified and pursued by the two racist officers who experienced some shock treatment at his hands?
Still, for the most part, this is a hugely assured debut, with a clear message and definite tone. Without question, Black Lightning delivers a better pilot than any of its DC TV sister series, many of which went on to great success after shaky debuts.
'The Resurrection' climaxes with a ferocious final action sequence set to Jack White's 'Lazaretto' that's so satisfying because, after all the early tension and build-up, it feels earned. It remains to be seen if the show can keep on feeling so fresh and different now Jefferson's back to full-time heroics, but if Black Lightning maintains, you can expect this show to be huge. Sparks will fly.
Gang culture, the politics of police conduct and victimisation of black people, the effectiveness and righteousness of protest - all are up for debate in the pilot episode of Black Lightning, a new superhero series that's more nuanced and complex than you're expecting.
ADVERTISING
inRead invented by Teads
(We even get a brief debate over metal detectors in schools, and whether they make students feel safer or more scared. You don't get that in Legends of Tomorrow, much as we love it.)
Series opener 'The Resurrection' is actually light on what might be considered "traditional" comic book trappings. The set-up has a retired superhero forced back into his old life as the rise of a new gang threatens his family. Jefferson Pierce knows it's something of a futile battle – that you can thwart a criminal, but you can't thwart crime – but his moral compass won't allow him to stand by and do nothing.
So far, so formulaic. But having an older figure (Jefferson's in his 40s) at its centre means Black Lightning avoids many of the tropes on offer in The CW's other superhero shows.
Our hero's not some aspiring young buck, trying to find his place in the world. He's an authority figure – a father and a school principal. Jefferson has two daughters instead of a band of plucky pals, and rather than a potential love interest, there's an ex-wife (albeit one with whom he clearly still has some unresolved romantic tension).
Focusing on a retired superhero also sets this apart from the usual origin stories. There's no explanation given as to how Jefferson got his powers (though we're guessing it's a natural phenomenon, given that a cliffhanger ending reveals it runs in the family).
Cress Williams is superb in the lead role, as Jefferson's power, like his anger, bubbles underneath the surface. His refusal to use his abilities serves as a neat analogy for the repression of the rage and resentment he feels, over the mistreatment he, his family and all black people are suffering.
There's an interesting parallel drawn between his super heroics and political activism – Black Lightning's career is equivalent to a past as a young firebrand, one who's softened with age and become part of the establishment. ("When did you abandon your people?" his daughter Anissa asks.)
Unleashing his righteous fury, Jefferson later takes out two cops after a nightclub skirmish, then lights up their police car – the very thing he'd previously taken Anissa to task for doing.
He's finally forced to return to full active duty when both his daughters are kidnapped, but doesn't actually suit up until the episode's final minutes, and it says something for Black Lightning – how well drawn the characters are, how substantial the cast – that you'd happily watch even if it was just a family drama, with the superhero element totally absent.
Fun as the superhero formula can be, Black Lightning is for the most part refreshingly free of cliché, with authentic performances helping to sell the odd hackneyed moment or idea, like a hard-partying teen daughter who gets in over her head.
It's when the show shifts to a more traditional comic book feel that it does suffer a rare stumble: James Remar appears midway through the pilot (with zero introduction) as Jefferson's mentor and tech guy Gambi, offering a a speech full of corny platitudes about why Black Lightning needs to return. ("Evil's running rampant like a plague through this world!")
There's also a few plot contrivances and conveniences that the audience is expected to swallow: surely Jefferson would've been identified and pursued by the two racist officers who experienced some shock treatment at his hands?
Still, for the most part, this is a hugely assured debut, with a clear message and definite tone. Without question, Black Lightning delivers a better pilot than any of its DC TV sister series, many of which went on to great success after shaky debuts.
'The Resurrection' climaxes with a ferocious final action sequence set to Jack White's 'Lazaretto' that's so satisfying because, after all the early tension and build-up, it feels earned. It remains to be seen if the show can keep on feeling so fresh and different now Jefferson's back to full-time heroics, but if Black Lightning maintains, you can expect this show to be huge. Sparks will fly.
Review: ‘Black Lightning’ Is Pulp With a Purpose
What stands out about “Black Lightning” are not the scenes in which the title hero zaps a gajillion volts of justice through a crew of murder-minded gang members. You can already see that sort of thing on CW — home to “The Flash,” “Supergirl,” “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow” and “Arrow” — and the rest of superhero-supersaturated TV.
What you don’t see so often on this youth-oriented network is what happens after. Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams), the hero’s middle-aged alter ego, lies in bed, sore and moaning from the exertion. “Black Lightning is getting too old for these streets,” he says.
The other distinctive part of the show is, of course, the “Black” in the title. “Black Lightning” is immersively, not incidentally, black: The good guys and bad guys, teachers and students, victims and criminals and reporters are mainly African-American.
“Luke Cage” and “Marvel’s Runaways” have diversified the comics-TV lineup. (“Black Panther” arrives in theaters in February.) But this show’s race-forward sensibility and its older protagonist, conflicted about getting back into the game, give “Black Lightning” its spark.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/15/...w-black-lightning-is-pulp-with-a-purpose.html
The series was developed by Salim Akil, who produces with his wife, Mara Brock Akil; the two have worked together on “Girlfriends,” “The Game” and “Being Mary Jane.” Producers also include Greg Berlanti, of CW’s other comics franchises, but this show has a different sensibility. It’s pulpy entertainment with a sense of purpose.
Most superhero series, for instance, begin with young protagonists discovering their powers. “Black Lightning,” airing Tuesdays, is the reluctant comeback story of a hero grappling with heroism’s limits.
By day, Jefferson is a high school principal, something of a local hero for his outreach to troubled students. Until nine years ago, though, he patrolled the fictional city of Freeland, wearing a space-age electro-suit that one observer likens to a Parliament-Funkadelic outfit.
Targeted by the police for vigilantism, he wearily gave it up. But he’s drawn back in as the city is overrun by a brutal gang, the One Hundred, which ends up threatening his two daughters: Anissa (Nafessa Williams) and Jennifer (China Anne McClain).
In the first two episodes, “Black Lightning” is suffused with the ideas of Black Lives Matter, though it comes at them from an angle. The pilot, for instance, involves street protests, not against police brutality but against gang violence. But the parallel images are unmistakable, as is the use of smartphone video by ordinary citizens, in both episodes, as a means of fighting back.
In a key early scene, Jefferson is driving and arguing with Anissa, whom he just bailed out after her arrest at a protest. He quotes the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: “Returning violence for violence multiplies violence.” She answers with Fannie Lou Hamer: “I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.”
Suddenly, they’re pulled over by police officers — one of them white — who suspect Jefferson in a liquor-store robbery, though he’s in a suit and driving a Volvo wagon. For a moment, his eyes flare with the glow of his suppressed power, but he reins it in.
The superhero who must hide his nature from the authorities is old hat in comics. So are arguments over vigilantism and the limits of nonviolence. But the context of “Black Lightning” is everything. Here, the image — a powerful black man quelling his emotion and struggling to present as calm, smaller, nonthreatening — has the strength of parable.
The weakest part of the show so far is the actual superheroism. The One Hundred’s members are thinly sketched, and they make paltry competition for an armored superguy who shoots lightning from his fingertips.
Their leader is a more intriguing, ruthless presence: Tobias Whale (Marvin Jones III, who raps under the name Krondon), an African-American with albinism who denigrates other black people as “darkies.”
But the arch-villain gets little screen time early on. Mr. Williams has to carry most of the story. Fortunately, he’s up to it, inhabiting his character’s strength, his burden and his sense of humor in a series that’s picked an opportune moment to strike.
What stands out about “Black Lightning” are not the scenes in which the title hero zaps a gajillion volts of justice through a crew of murder-minded gang members. You can already see that sort of thing on CW — home to “The Flash,” “Supergirl,” “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow” and “Arrow” — and the rest of superhero-supersaturated TV.
What you don’t see so often on this youth-oriented network is what happens after. Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams), the hero’s middle-aged alter ego, lies in bed, sore and moaning from the exertion. “Black Lightning is getting too old for these streets,” he says.
The other distinctive part of the show is, of course, the “Black” in the title. “Black Lightning” is immersively, not incidentally, black: The good guys and bad guys, teachers and students, victims and criminals and reporters are mainly African-American.
“Luke Cage” and “Marvel’s Runaways” have diversified the comics-TV lineup. (“Black Panther” arrives in theaters in February.) But this show’s race-forward sensibility and its older protagonist, conflicted about getting back into the game, give “Black Lightning” its spark.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/15/...w-black-lightning-is-pulp-with-a-purpose.html
The series was developed by Salim Akil, who produces with his wife, Mara Brock Akil; the two have worked together on “Girlfriends,” “The Game” and “Being Mary Jane.” Producers also include Greg Berlanti, of CW’s other comics franchises, but this show has a different sensibility. It’s pulpy entertainment with a sense of purpose.
Most superhero series, for instance, begin with young protagonists discovering their powers. “Black Lightning,” airing Tuesdays, is the reluctant comeback story of a hero grappling with heroism’s limits.
By day, Jefferson is a high school principal, something of a local hero for his outreach to troubled students. Until nine years ago, though, he patrolled the fictional city of Freeland, wearing a space-age electro-suit that one observer likens to a Parliament-Funkadelic outfit.
Targeted by the police for vigilantism, he wearily gave it up. But he’s drawn back in as the city is overrun by a brutal gang, the One Hundred, which ends up threatening his two daughters: Anissa (Nafessa Williams) and Jennifer (China Anne McClain).
In the first two episodes, “Black Lightning” is suffused with the ideas of Black Lives Matter, though it comes at them from an angle. The pilot, for instance, involves street protests, not against police brutality but against gang violence. But the parallel images are unmistakable, as is the use of smartphone video by ordinary citizens, in both episodes, as a means of fighting back.
In a key early scene, Jefferson is driving and arguing with Anissa, whom he just bailed out after her arrest at a protest. He quotes the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: “Returning violence for violence multiplies violence.” She answers with Fannie Lou Hamer: “I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.”
Suddenly, they’re pulled over by police officers — one of them white — who suspect Jefferson in a liquor-store robbery, though he’s in a suit and driving a Volvo wagon. For a moment, his eyes flare with the glow of his suppressed power, but he reins it in.
The superhero who must hide his nature from the authorities is old hat in comics. So are arguments over vigilantism and the limits of nonviolence. But the context of “Black Lightning” is everything. Here, the image — a powerful black man quelling his emotion and struggling to present as calm, smaller, nonthreatening — has the strength of parable.
The weakest part of the show so far is the actual superheroism. The One Hundred’s members are thinly sketched, and they make paltry competition for an armored superguy who shoots lightning from his fingertips.
Their leader is a more intriguing, ruthless presence: Tobias Whale (Marvin Jones III, who raps under the name Krondon), an African-American with albinism who denigrates other black people as “darkies.”
But the arch-villain gets little screen time early on. Mr. Williams has to carry most of the story. Fortunately, he’s up to it, inhabiting his character’s strength, his burden and his sense of humor in a series that’s picked an opportune moment to strike.
TV Review: ‘Black Lightning’ on the CW
The Greg Berlanti/DC Comics empire adds its first African-American lead — and injects new life into the superhero show
By Sonia Saraiya
@soniasaraiya
CREDIT: GUY D'ALEMA/THE CW
With:
Cress Williams, Nafessa Williams, China Anne McClain, James Remar, Damon Gupton, Christine Adams, Marvin Jones III
If you are familiar with CW’s comic-book shows — a family of programs that includes DC Comics’ “Arrow,” “The Flash,” “Supergirl,” and of course the Archie Comics’ oddity “Riverdale” — then you probably know what to expect from the network’s debut “Black Lightning,” which takes the story of an embattled high-school principal and turns him into a community crusader. The superpowers in executive producer Greg Berlanti’s shows all have the same splashy, glowing quality — as do the teenage romances, whose ups and downs are irresistible even for an audience well past their teen years.
But of course “Black Lightning” is different, in one way that feels both really big and really minor: Its titular superhero is a black man. Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams), principal of Garfield High, is trying to keep his students safe so they can all invest in the neighborhood around them. Those students include his two daughters — Anissa (Nafessa Williams), now a teacher at the school, and Jennifer (China Anne McClain), a rebellious, popular high schooler prone to skipping out of her dad’s speeches. Jefferson has superpowers, but he hasn’t been Black Lightning in almost a decade, following through a promise he made to his estranged wife, Lynn (Christine Adams). But his alter-ego — secret from his daughters and most of the world — will rise again. In the remarkably tight pilot, Jennifer starts flirting with a minor lackey of the fearsome gang that runs the neighborhood — The 100 — and ends up bringing her father into a direct clash with gang violence that he’s been avoiding. And in examining the story of a man driven to righteous violence, “Black Lightning” is cutting into one of our culture’s thorniest subjects: The inconvenient anger of black men, and what to do about it.
MORE REVIEWS
Film Review: ‘12 Strong’
Palm Springs Film Review: 'The Miner'
Through the lens of a superhero’s struggle, “Black Lightning” engages directly with some of the prevailing questions about race that are currently political talking points, making them into some of the ongoing anxieties that Jefferson and his family have to face. This includes his fraught relationship with the police. During a traffic stop where Jefferson is pushed to the ground in the rain by two white cops, you can see the lightning of his superpowers begin to glow behind his eyes. He has to force himself to disengage. But complicating matters is the fact that his friend Inspector Henderson (Damon Gupton), who is also black, is the law officer he most often goes up against, suggesting how complicated the relationship can be between law enforcement and the communities they serve.
Similarly, Jefferson’s adversaries in The 100 are not just black men, but black men he knows; in the pilot, we meet a terrifying gang member who attended Garfield and remembers Jefferson fondly. “Black Lightning’s” contemporary, sharp gaze is not just interested in race — with Anissa and Jennifer, the show examines sexuality, success, and destructive drinking — but it never ignores it, either. In one of the show’s most fascinating commentaries, which is derived directly from the original comics, Black Lightning’s primary foe is the notorious Tobias Whale (Martin Jones III), an African-American with albinism. (Jones is also albino.) It’s an outsize way of examining subtle issues — but sometimes, outsize is what you need.
By the second episode, “Black Lightning” falls back on the soapier character drama that keeps the show humming along, with just enough cheese- and/or beefcake to remind you you’re watching a show for teens. But overall the show is an object lesson in how to revive what is otherwise a tiresomely ubiquitous format — the superhero show — by finding a new entry point for its drama. DC has been outflanked by Marvel properties when it comes to African-Americans on screen; “Marvel’s Luke Cage” debuted on Netflix in 2016, and the studio’s hotly anticipated “Black Panther” comes to the silver screen next month. But better late than never; “Black Lightning” — with its promise of Anissa becoming Thunder in short order — is a good, satisfying, layered addition to the CWcanon.
TV Review: 'Black Lightning' on the CW
Drama, 13 episodes (2 reviewed): The CW, Tues. Jan. 16, 9 p.m. 60 min.
CREW: Executive producers, Greg Berlanti, Salim Akil, Mara Brock Akil, Sarah Schechter
CAST: Cress Williams, Nafessa Williams, China Anne McClain, James Remar, Damon Gupton, Christine Adams, Marvin Jones III
The Greg Berlanti/DC Comics empire adds its first African-American lead — and injects new life into the superhero show
By Sonia Saraiya
@soniasaraiya
CREDIT: GUY D'ALEMA/THE CW
With:
Cress Williams, Nafessa Williams, China Anne McClain, James Remar, Damon Gupton, Christine Adams, Marvin Jones III
If you are familiar with CW’s comic-book shows — a family of programs that includes DC Comics’ “Arrow,” “The Flash,” “Supergirl,” and of course the Archie Comics’ oddity “Riverdale” — then you probably know what to expect from the network’s debut “Black Lightning,” which takes the story of an embattled high-school principal and turns him into a community crusader. The superpowers in executive producer Greg Berlanti’s shows all have the same splashy, glowing quality — as do the teenage romances, whose ups and downs are irresistible even for an audience well past their teen years.
But of course “Black Lightning” is different, in one way that feels both really big and really minor: Its titular superhero is a black man. Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams), principal of Garfield High, is trying to keep his students safe so they can all invest in the neighborhood around them. Those students include his two daughters — Anissa (Nafessa Williams), now a teacher at the school, and Jennifer (China Anne McClain), a rebellious, popular high schooler prone to skipping out of her dad’s speeches. Jefferson has superpowers, but he hasn’t been Black Lightning in almost a decade, following through a promise he made to his estranged wife, Lynn (Christine Adams). But his alter-ego — secret from his daughters and most of the world — will rise again. In the remarkably tight pilot, Jennifer starts flirting with a minor lackey of the fearsome gang that runs the neighborhood — The 100 — and ends up bringing her father into a direct clash with gang violence that he’s been avoiding. And in examining the story of a man driven to righteous violence, “Black Lightning” is cutting into one of our culture’s thorniest subjects: The inconvenient anger of black men, and what to do about it.
MORE REVIEWS
Film Review: ‘12 Strong’
Palm Springs Film Review: 'The Miner'
Through the lens of a superhero’s struggle, “Black Lightning” engages directly with some of the prevailing questions about race that are currently political talking points, making them into some of the ongoing anxieties that Jefferson and his family have to face. This includes his fraught relationship with the police. During a traffic stop where Jefferson is pushed to the ground in the rain by two white cops, you can see the lightning of his superpowers begin to glow behind his eyes. He has to force himself to disengage. But complicating matters is the fact that his friend Inspector Henderson (Damon Gupton), who is also black, is the law officer he most often goes up against, suggesting how complicated the relationship can be between law enforcement and the communities they serve.
Similarly, Jefferson’s adversaries in The 100 are not just black men, but black men he knows; in the pilot, we meet a terrifying gang member who attended Garfield and remembers Jefferson fondly. “Black Lightning’s” contemporary, sharp gaze is not just interested in race — with Anissa and Jennifer, the show examines sexuality, success, and destructive drinking — but it never ignores it, either. In one of the show’s most fascinating commentaries, which is derived directly from the original comics, Black Lightning’s primary foe is the notorious Tobias Whale (Martin Jones III), an African-American with albinism. (Jones is also albino.) It’s an outsize way of examining subtle issues — but sometimes, outsize is what you need.
By the second episode, “Black Lightning” falls back on the soapier character drama that keeps the show humming along, with just enough cheese- and/or beefcake to remind you you’re watching a show for teens. But overall the show is an object lesson in how to revive what is otherwise a tiresomely ubiquitous format — the superhero show — by finding a new entry point for its drama. DC has been outflanked by Marvel properties when it comes to African-Americans on screen; “Marvel’s Luke Cage” debuted on Netflix in 2016, and the studio’s hotly anticipated “Black Panther” comes to the silver screen next month. But better late than never; “Black Lightning” — with its promise of Anissa becoming Thunder in short order — is a good, satisfying, layered addition to the CWcanon.
TV Review: 'Black Lightning' on the CW
Drama, 13 episodes (2 reviewed): The CW, Tues. Jan. 16, 9 p.m. 60 min.
CREW: Executive producers, Greg Berlanti, Salim Akil, Mara Brock Akil, Sarah Schechter
CAST: Cress Williams, Nafessa Williams, China Anne McClain, James Remar, Damon Gupton, Christine Adams, Marvin Jones III