Tag Archives: Black Lightning

11 Things to Check Out Before Black Panther

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The hype is strong out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s newest addition — and not without reason. While I am prohibited from revealing major plot points or spoilers from Black Panther, what I would like to provide is a sort of guide to what you’re getting into. Think of it like a wine and cheese pairing list to prepare your appetite before you go into see this next film.

1. Avengers: Age of Ultron / Captain America: Civil War.

The second one may seem obvious — it was the first time we saw Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa on screen, and it tells us at least a little bit about his home country of Wakanda. But we’re also introduced for the first time to Martin Freeman as Everett Ross, who shows up a lot in Black Panther. 

But many of us will have forgotten (or tried to forget?) that Andy Serkis showed up for about 10 minutes in Age of Ultron as Ullyses Klaue, a South African arms dealer who stole vibranium from Wakanda, which Ultron then took from Klaue, along with a sizeable portion of his arm. This becomes important, so it’s worth revisiting at least that scene from Age of Ultron, and then watching Civil War, because Civil War is just so. dang. good.

It’s also worth noting T’Challa’s character arc in the film, especially as it relates to him being on Team Iron Man. In Black Panther, we’re treated to seeing just how much he respects international law and being subject to the Sokovia Accords. . . which is not at all, as we first see him in the film running an operation outside of Wakanda’s borders to rescue a colleague.

Also, note the final scenes he’s in with Zemo, and with Cap and Bucky in Wakanda. Boseman’s character work and scripting is excellent here, and this carries over into our film here.

Oh, and anyone who felt teased by this scene where a Dora Milaje is about to throw down with Black Widow?

“As entertaining as that would be. . .” Well, we get that entertainment in Black Panther. And the wait is worth it.

2. An Encomium To The Black Experience: Why I Am Excited To See Black Panther

This article by our own Troy Powell is a must-read. This is an incredibly thoughtful take on why Black Panther’s vision of afro-futurism is refreshing and exciting. Just go read it. I’ll wait.

3. Fruitvale Station and Creed

Director Ryan Coogler‘s career so far has been pretty well entangled with that of actor Michael B. Jordan and it’s great to see Jordan stretch his wings as the villain of Black Panther, Eric Killmonger. The MCU has often been faulted for relatively weak on-screen villains, but Killmonger is a rare exception.

To see their first collaboration, go back to Coogler’s first film, Fruitvale Station, which he both wrote and directed. It tells the true story of Oscar Grant who was shot by a San Francisco Transit Officer on New Year’s Day in 2009. It’s a heartbreaking story of hope and tragedy, and a film which I first reviewed as being “the best and most important film of 2013 that everyone who truly needs to see it never will.”

Coogler followed this up with the most unlikely of films– the Rocky franchise reboot/sequel Creed, also starring Jordan as the son of Apollo Creed who seeks out the aging champ Balboa to train him. The single shot of the young Creed’s first fight is such a masterwork of filmmaking it’s worth the price of admission alone.

You add onto that really brilliant character work and an intense understanding of the franchise, and you can understand why Coogler was a great choice to take on the MCU. Coogler grows as a visual director, and it’s great to see his growth from a low budget film to a medium budget studio film to using Disney/Marvel money.

4. That Kendrick Lamar soundtrack

black panther soundtrackAnother common complaint about the MCU is lack of memorable music. And especially where the films have tried to pair up with popular music, results have been. . .  mixed. Yes, I love hearing Foo Fighters play Walk in the bar in Thor (and over the credits), but it doesn’t quite mesh with the film overall. And then you have Soundgarden playing some nonsense over the credits to The Avengers — in my mind, the only problem with that film at all. They should’ve just licensed a good Soundgarden song and called it good. (How much better — and more fitting — would “Rusty Cage” have been there?)

But from the moment we heard a hip hop sample of “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” in the first trailer for Black Panther, we knew we were getting something different.

You can listen to the album streaming on Spotify here and now.

5. A Nation Under Our Feet by Ta-Nehisi Coates

a nation under our feet 1

While this current run on Black Panther may not have a lot to do with the movie from a narrative or character standpoint, it shares something incredibly important which is a social commentary. Coates’ opening run on Black Panther may have been set in Wakanda and been about the politics of Wakanda, but it wasn’t hard to see parallels to our current political situation in the US.

This is completely true of the film as well. It’s also clear that Coogler and Coates are of similar minds about presenting a critique of colonialism (and our current neo-colonialist attitudes towards Africa). Our film also hits hard on the oppression faced by black Americans, a struggle Coates has written on extensively and which finds itself woven into the philosophical discussions of A Nation Under Our Feet.

Beyond that, the basic premise of this run is whether T’Challa and Wakanda have some duty to the larger world or only to their country and their throne. That resonates thematically with T’Challa’s growth in the film. It’s also paced similarly– with lots of dialogue and character and less action.

Please also check out our video review of this on Facebook.

On a side note, a quick shout out to one of my favorite podcasts, Funnybooks and Firewater, which covers comics and offers drinking games and custom cocktails to go with your reading. They covered this a few weeks ago, and if you ever wanted to hear four white guys from Utah and California struggle with their privilege and talk about why they love this book so much, this is worth a listen. Also, they’re currently halfway through Watchmen and inching up on their 100th episode, so check them out.

6. Black Panther by Christopher Priest

h/t to my colleague Jon Carroll, who recommended this to me. Starting in his 1998 run on Black Panther, Christopher Priest introduced the Dora Milaje and the character of Everett Ross, whom we see a lot of in this film.

7. Static Shock

Speaking of Christopher Priest, it’s worth mentioning and recommending Static Shock, which he co-created with Dwayne McDuffie (Rest in Power– we miss you still), Denys Cowan, Derek Dingle, and Michael Davis.

For kids of a certain age who will remember this fondly from the Kids WB lineup of cartoons, this was simply the height of early 00’s superhero awesomeness. It was also important to remember how groundbreaking this was at the time to have a superhero show led by a young black hero. Sure, Storm had been on the X-Men cartoon, but only as a part of a team that also included a fuzzy purple demon.

But this was the impetus for creating the character in the first place– greater representation and diversity in the world of comics and tv. Here’s hoping we also see more of him with the upcoming Young Justice continuation on Netflix as his inclusion was a highlight of Season 2.

8. Blade II 

Yes, for all the hype about this being the first time we’ve had a black comic book superhero in a big budget Hollywood movie, we’ve forgotten that Blade was a Marvel comics character before Wesley Snipes took on the role. However, in my opinion, the first film was good, not great. But Blade II is the far superior film.

Directed by Guillermo del Toro, contender for Best Director this year for The Shape of Water, we get Blade teaming up with a vampire clan to take out the Reapers, new creatures that feed on vampires. This also reunites Del Toro with Ron Perlman from their previous work on Cronos, but perhaps more importantly, set up Del Toro and Perlman to make Hellboy. 

The major difference between the Blade movies and Black Panther? It’s missing a broader social conscience. This is something the Blade franchise always seemed to approach but never quite executed on, using vampires as stand-ins for parasitic and oppressive capitalism and the resulting income inequality. You can read that into the first two Blade movies (we dare not speak about the third one), but it isn’t quite there in the same way Black Panther wears its social commentary on its sleeve.

Some have suggested along with Blade, I should also recommend Spawn, which also starred a black superhero. But then I would be recommending Spawn. And I just can’t bring myself to do that. The Summer of 1997 was very cruel to comic books at the movies. I’m still not sure what is the bigger ignominy– nipples on the batsuit or the entirety of Spawn. 

9. Ultimates II

A Marvel animated film based off the second arc of The Ultimates, or the comics themselves, in which the Ultimate Universe versions of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes (which became a sort of meta-blueprint for a lot of the MCU) enter Wakanda and meet Black Panther.

10. Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes

Because one good cartoon deserves another, this cartoon series for some reason met an early death after only two seasons despite some amazing work. Klaue shows up fairly early, and T’Challa shows himself the equal or superior of all of our Avengers.

11. Luke Cage and Black Lightning

Last but certainly not least, these are great tv shows, and certainly Luke Cage is set in the same universe. But I didn’t want to just fall into a trap of just listing every superhero adaptation with a black protagonist. What sets these apart is a clear connection with a strong social commentary on what it is to be black in America right now. It should go without saying that if you aren’t watching Black Lightning every week on the CW, you should be. And if you somehow skipped Luke Cage on Netflix, it’s a good time to catch up, especially before the next season of Jessica Jones comes out in a few weeks.

 

Well, there we go. While certainly not an exhaustive list, this should help you as you wait patiently to see this film later this week.

Did I miss anything? Have a favorite Black Panther tie-in? Leave it in the comments section. Wakanda Forever.

TV Review: Black Lightning S1E2 Lawanda: The Book of Hope

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The community starts to suspect that Black Lightning may have returned; Jefferson Pierce struggles with his decision; Gambi urges him to take up the mantle once more and return to life as Black Lightning.

I was impressed with the first episode of Black Lightning. The second episode is all about the small details and that helps make the series continue to stand out from the crowded field of comic adaptations on television.

The episode picks up on the first with Jefferson Pierce figuring out if he really wants to dive back into the superhero world. There’s kids being held against their world in prostitution and the cops don’t seem to want to do anything about it… at least they come up with shitty excuses.

While that story is interesting, an exploration of the community and what one can do in their dual roles, it’s the small details of the episode that’s great.

What’s particularly interesting is a scene with one of Jefferson’s daughters Anissa. In it we see Anissa with her girlfriend in bed talking. Anissa talks about her destroying her sink in the previous episode but says she did so when she went to “go pee.” While that might seem like a minor thing, I can’t think of too many shows, if any, admitting bodily functions yet having a woman being the one who did it. It’s a small detail, but a detail that adds authenticity to the show and weirdly feels groundbreaking in some way.

And that’s the thing the show exudes is authenticity.

One gets the feeling from the the dialogue, the interactions, this is the writers and creators’ world. There’s nothing about what happens that doesn’t feel like something that’d actually be said in the real world and the series doesn’t go overboard in all of that. It feels natural and reel. There’s another relationship moment with Anissa’s and a boy and the awkwardness again feels so realistic.

There’s also a real sense of emotion through it all. In the triple exploration of relationships. There’s acknowledgement of PTSD. You feel the sense of struggle within Jefferson. All of that is on the shoulders of the cast who raise what they’re working with to the next level (and what they’re working with is really good).

Black Lightning is great. It takes the superhero live action formula and shakes it up in positive ways that makes it leapfrog the competition. A fantastic addition to live action comic adaptations that will hopefully help raise the bar.

Overall Rating: 9.0

10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Black Lightning

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The CW‘s Black Lightning, the new show based on the DC comic book character of the same name is actually an icon in the comic book world in that Jefferson Pierce was one of the first black comic book characters created by DC comics. I decided to explore “10 more Things You Might Not Know” about him and his daughters Jennifer and Annisa, ultimately heroes “Thunder” and “Lightning”.

Check out the list below and see if you knew all of these:

  1. Black Lightning Was Co-Created by A Black Man – I’m not quite sure why this fact is rarely mentioned, but in 1977, Black Lightning was the first black comic book character actually co-created by an African-American. Artist Trevor Von Eden, who is African-American was the artist on the entire first run of Black Lightning which was written by Tony Isabella.
  2. Black Lightning was Originally a Racist Character Called Black Bomber – Seriously, he was a white racist, who would turn into a Black man when under stress. Isabella is actually the person who convinced DC Comics NOT to go that route. However, in 2008, Dwayne McDuffie did decide to briefly highlight the ridiculous character under the moniker The Brown Bomber.
  3. Black Lightning Originally Had No Innate Powers – Kind of like Tony Stark, Pierce’s powers instead came from his suit. His belt, created by his friend, mentor and tech-tailor, Peter Gambi, (kind of like James Bond’s “Q”) could generate and channel force fields and he often used it like a whip.
  4. “Suicide Slum” vs Freedland – In the comics, Pierce’s neighborhood is located on the Southside of Metropolis in an area called “Suicide Slum”. An area that I don’t think Superman ever visited. This neighborhood has been changed for the CW version to the fictional area of Freedland. But it is not clear whether Freedland is still within Metropolis or just near it.
  5. Black Lightning is NOT an Adult Static Shock – While Jefferson Pierce and Virgil Hawkins (Static) both do have the ability to manipulate electricity and yes, their suits look similar they have slightly different powers. Pierce internally pulls electricity from his body and can direct it in the forms of lightning bolts. In a heightened state he can also turn into pure electricity itself. However, Virgil pulls electricity out of the air around him, and also has the ability to manipulate metal. Pierce also is old enough to be Virgil’s father as is demonstrated in this clip from Young Justice from 2016.
  6. He is an Athlete Turned Superhero – Like Cyborg and Mosaic, who all were athletes before they gave it all up to fight crime, Black Lightning was once an Olympic Decathalete, which means in addition to the metagene, and a suit that lets him control his powers, he also has some trained talent as well in terms of speed and agility.
  7. Tobias Whale Might Have Been Immortal in the Comics – In DC Comics lore, the 100 or El Ciento, were a group of humans who had achieved a type of immortality through alchemy and science in Spain and then spread out across the world with different factions, later being called the assassins group The 1000. (Simliar to Marvel’s The Hand). Tobias Whale was an original 100 member who made Metropolis his base, which means technically, he might have been immortal as well at some point in BL/Batman lore. The CW actually stuck to canon here, by casting an albino rapper turned actor Krondon as Black Lightning’s nemesis Whale. The only thing that is different, is that the character is no longer obese, although he does have incredible strength and they did keep his weapon of choice, a harpoon.
  8. Black Lightning is Not Part of the Arrowverse – The CW “Arrowverse” is basically made of up the shows, Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, and Legends of Tomorrow. Although premiering on the same network, showrunners Salim Akil and Mara Brock Akil say that Black Lightning does not share their universe and currently has no crossover plans. I can see why. The Pierce’s were all born with their powers, whereas Barry Allen (The Flash) and other metahumans on the show gained theirs through a suspicious electrical storm.
  9. Thunder is a Lesbian Superhero -Thunder was created by Judd Winick and Tom Raney, and she first appeared in Outsiders #1, August 2003. As Jefferson’s eldest daughter, Anissa Pierce is also one of the few lesbian superheroes in comics and had a long-term relationship with Grace Choi. Choi, a bisexual Amazon (in the comics), is also a superhero and along with Anissa is a part of Batman’s vigilante Outsiders. The CW has cast Canadian-Vietnamese actress Chantal Thuy as Choi so it looks like they will be bringing Anissa’s comic book relationship to life onscreen as well. This means that the CW is bringing the first queer representation to primetime that includes women of color.
  10. Lightning Was a JSA Member – In the comics, Annisa Pierce was forbidden to use her powers and to fight crime until she graduated from college. Ignoring her father she ends up in a coma after a fight. To avoid the same rebellion in his younger daughter Jennifer (a.k.a.- Lightning), Jefferson allows Jennifer to join the Justice Society of America so that at least she will be part of a team and have some protection.
Processed with MOLDIV

Processed with MOLDIV

Karama Horne is on a mission to shine a light on indie, female and comic artists of color and highlights them and their work on her blog theblerdgurl. She also is a freelance producer for SYFYWire and is a regular guest on SYFYWire’s Who Won the Week Podcast. She’s always on twitter, but you can find her hanging out on facebook, instagram,  tumblr  , youtube and soundcloud on her own podcast as well.

 

 

Black Lightning Lights Up The CW with Solid Ratings

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Black Lightning debuted this Tuesday for The CW delivering solid ratings for the channel. The show scored a 0.8 rating among adults 18-49 and 2.31 million views. It retained all of The Flash‘s audience, its lead in. The show was behind other channels though in the same time slot. It wasn’t too far behind Fox’s LA to Vegas which had a 0.9 and a repeat of NCIS: New Orleans for CBS, also 0.9. It tied The Mick at 9:30 on Fox which had 0.8 and 2.3 million viewers.

It was the best rating the The CW this season in the time period and highest-rated debut since Legends of Tomorrow in January 2016.

(via TV By the Numbers)

TV Review: Black Lightning S1E1 The Resurrection

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Retired vigilante Jefferson Pierce gets pulled back into fighting crime as his alter ego Black Lightning.

If there’s been one comic television property this season I’ve been excited and counting down to, it’s Black Lightning, the latest entry into the world of DCTV on the CW. Created by Tony Isabella and Trevor Von Eeden, the character debuted 1977 in Black Lightning #1 and featured a former Olympian returning home to teach at a school and dispense justice against a local gang called the 100.

With some small tweaks, the show so far has taken the basic building blocks of the original character and updated him. And that update, is an impressive one taking on today’s socio-political issues head on. Black Lightning’s greatest strength may be the fact at how unflinching it is at speaking the truth. The episode makes that apparent in its first few sequences with Jefferson Pierce and his kids being pulled over by police who have “mistaken” Pierce for a recent robber, at least that’s the excuse they give him. Police harassment and brutality isn’t a topic many television shows are willing to tackle but this one isn’t pulling punches.

At the recent “DC in D.C.” event co-creator Mara Brock Akil said the series was developed in a moment of what was happening in Black communities and that’s apparent from the first episode. But it’s the way that it’s done which is fascinating. While Pierce is battling for his community by creating a safe zone in his school, he’s dragged by his politicized daughter. And then pulled fully in due to activity of the gang. It’s a clash of generations in many ways and how this dynamic is explored going forward will be interesting.

How the show differs itself from the other DC Comics shows is fascinating as well. The use of music, the direction, the show’s style sets itself apart. It’s telling a unique story in a unique style compared to its sibling shows. The violence too differs with the prevalence of guns and the impact of those bullets. The show is willing to push things in interesting ways when it comes to its lead too. One particular scene has Pierce in a shower with the camera panning down delivering a sexy moment for the viewers.

The cast is fantastic with Cress Williams leading the show in the title role and coming off as a father and adult who’s of a different time and way. Again, the generational is emphasized as in how he conducts himself compared to his daughters. Everyone though is solid in their roles and hopefully everyone gets their moments as the series plays out.

The first episode is a solid one planting a flag and making a statement that’s clear as to what we can expect from it. This isn’t your typical comic adaptation, it has something to say and isn’t afraid to do so. A socially and politically aware debut that entertains as much as it gets you to think and take notice.

Overall Rating: 9.0

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