Black Lightning #2 – Brandon Thomas, Writer; Fico Ossio, Artist; Ulises Arreola, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: This book seems to be the one that is most directly reflecting the fallout from Absolute Power, with Black Lightning being in charge of tracking down and helping the people who have absorbed powers that weren’t supposed to be theirs and can’t fully control them. Complicating this, his daughter Anissa is one of those people – in a sense. Her powers have been altered, going haywire and needing to be controlled with a power-dampening bracelet, and she’s semi-estranged from her father. She’s seeking help from a therapist on the Watchtower – if you can call a robot counselor a therapist – but not entirely voluntarily. It’s been clear for a while that Jefferson doesn’t always have the best relationship with his oldest daughter, and the current plot seems to be bringing that out in full force. Jeff has more responsibilities than ever – and that leaves much less time for the ones he already had.
Complicating things, the new surge in superpowers is being met with an equal surge in bigotry from politicians, as the formerly Blue Earth-affiliated Councilman Harriman has begun propagandizing against the new metahumans, casting them as ticking time bombs and easing into going after all superheroes as a whole. Harriman is an intriguing new villain, and while his whole schtick is a little too Marvel-esque for my tastes, I can’t say it’s not realistic. I was also happy to see Ron Troupe make a cameo here – the Daily Planet reporter was a mainstay in the 90s, but like most of that supporting cast he’s sort of faded away. Overall, this is a pretty compelling story that seems to be bringing together a lot of characters who don’t often interact. The use of Steelworks is a great follow-up from that miniseries, and Natasha Irons’ new suit is definitely an impressive upgrade!
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
