Black Lightning

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Name: Black Lightning
Abbreviation(s): BL
Creator: Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil, based on characters from DC Comics created by Tony Isabella and Trevor Von Eeden
Date(s): May 2017[1]-present
Medium: live-action TV series
Country of Origin: USA
External Links: Black Lightning (comics) Wikipedia
TV show Wikipedia, TV show Official Site, TV Show Official Twitter, TV Show IMDB
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Black Lightning is a DC Comics superhero who was created by writer Tony Isabella (creator of Luke Cage for Marvel) and artist Trevor Von Eeden in 1977. Jefferson Pierce/Black Lightning was DC's first African-American superhero to headline his own series. While his comic only lasted eleven issues (before being folded in 1978 due to DC's financial issues), he subsequently appeared in Justice League of America which increased his popularity outside of his own book. In 2018, the character was the basis of a CW live-action television series focussing on him and his family.

Canon

In the comics, Black Lightning was originally a schoolteacher from the crime-ridden Suicide Slum area of Metropolis who acquires electrical superpowers from a technologically advanced power belt that he puts to use to clean up crime in his neighborhood, and who goes on to become a successful superhero. Later versions had him "internalise" the belt's powers as the result of a metagene, which is later passed onto his daughters who also become superheroes, Thunder and Lightning.

For the television series:

"Jefferson Pierce, who retired from his superhero persona Black Lightning nine years ago, is forced to return when his daughter Jennifer, who is hellbent on justice and a star student, gets recruited by a local gang."[2]

Main Characters

Recurring Characters

Fandom

As a comic character, Black Lightning is popular with readers (he was ranked 85 on IGN's "Top 100 Comic Books Heroes" list in 2011[3]), however most of the fandom activity appears to be connected to the television series.


After the CW released a first look trailer,[4] excitement[5] for the series appeared on various media sites such as Tumblr, Twitter, and Facebook. There were some mixed reviews because it wasn't a live-action Static TV series (a well known black superhero character due to the Static Shock animated series being the first introduction to the character for most fans),[6] the fear that the show sounds too good to be true (the main cast being POC, an established comicsverse lesbian character with Anissa Pierce),[7] and that it would not be part of the Arrowverse and others are happy that it will not be part of it.[8] Gifs/Gifsets and reblogs of the first look and poster appeared within days of the release of the video.

The series was proposed to Fox first and is not part of the Arrowverse, however due to Fox selling it to the CW, it's quite possible the series could eventually be apart of it much like Supergirl[9] although it will not be part of the next four-way DC crossover.[10][11][12] References to two characters from the Arrowverse, Supergirl and Vixen[13] in an episode of season one, executive producer Salim Akil says the lines were not meant to indicate they were in same universe, but just a "fun reference" for fans of the DC Universe and "If there’s ever a crossover, Supergirl will come to Freeland, or Green Arrow will come to Freeland.” [14]

A tumblr blog for the fandom, Daily Black Lightning was established in May 2017.

Shipping

The two most popular characters are canon femslash pairing Grace Choi/Anissa Pierce ("Thundergrace") and the canon het pairing Jefferson Pierce/Lynn Pierce. Other femslash pairings also started appearing, for example Anissa Pierce/Chenoa and Anissa Pierce/Iris West (in crossovers with the Arrowverse).

Gen fanworks are also fairly common within the fandom, mostly dealing with the Pierce family.

Fanworks


Fanfiction

Fanart

Archives & Fannish Links

Tumblr Fandom

Resources

References

  1. ^ First Look Trailer released
  2. ^ Wikipedia TV Series
  3. ^ Black Lightning - Wikipedia
  4. ^ First Look Trailer at the CW
  5. ^ Some positive comments: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5]
  6. ^ Some Static-related comments: [6], [7], [8]
  7. ^ Comments: [9], [10], [11], [12]
  8. ^ Some Arrowverse-related comments:[13], [14], [15], [16]
  9. ^ CBS's Supergirl was set in a different universe than the Arrow and The Flash in the early first season, and many of the early reports/interviews established it being apart of the Arrowverse, before eventually establishing a crossover episode between Supergirl and The Flash where Supergirl was apart of the multiverse: Supergirl is on Earth-38 while Flash & Arrow is on Earth-1. It's second season and the network change to the CW allowed for more crossovers between the shows.
  10. ^ CW Announces Fall Lineup: ‘Arrow’ Moves to Thursdays, Next Crossover Details Revealed. May 18, 2017.
  11. ^ Regarding peoples' confusion about BL as part of the rest of the DCCW universe...
  12. ^ Black Lightning Not Part of Arrowverse, Won't Be Part of CW's Next DC Crossover. May 21, 2017.
  13. ^ Black Lightning Season 1 Episode 9 "The Book of Little Black Lies"
  14. ^ Black Lightning boss addresses those Arrowverse references by Chancellor Agard on EW. April 16, 2018. (Accessed on April 28, 2018.)
Related Concepts, Fandoms, Terms, Fanworks
See also Batwoman, Arrow, The Flash, Vixen, Constantine, Legends of Tomorrow, Arrowverse
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