Talk:Black Lightning/Archive 1

Untitled
I seem to remember a Saturday Night Live skit featuring Superman's funeral (shortly after Superman's death in Superman #75). Sinbad played Black Lightening, but the other heroes (including Batman, who should have known him from the Outsiders) acted like they didn't know him. Anyone care to comment?


 * at least three such series have contained specially-created black superheroes with electrical powers who weren't Black Lightning - series regular Black Vulcan in Super Friends and guest stars Soul Power in Static Shock (not to mention Static himself) and Juice in Justice League Unlimited

Yes, let's not mention Static himself, since he isn't relevant to the point.

The point is that they could have used Black Lightning in Super Friends instead of creating Black Vulcan, and they could have used Black Lightning in Static Shock instead of creating Soul Power.

They couldn't have used Black Lightning in Static Shock instead of Static, because it's an adaptation of the already-existing Static comic book.

Come to think of it, they couldn't have used Black Lightning in Justice League Unlimited instead of creating Juice, because the whole point of Juice is that he's a riff on Black Vulcan, so he had to be a new character.

Hmm. I think I need to rework that bit, to try and make the point clearer.

--Paul A 02:43, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

This was a well-written article. My only thought is that a) I read in an article once that Black Vulcan basically IS Black Lightning in Superfriends, and that they thought Black Lightning sounded odd for a character on a kids' cartoon, and b) it would be nice to see a "Powers and Abilities" paragraph explaining what he can do, and perhaps hunt down the name of his daughter Thunder's mother. I've always wondered that, since I am new to reading DC. Just a thought. This was well-written. And I love the bit about Sinbad on SNL. That skit rocked.

Should some mention be made of Pierce's daughter Joanna, who died in Green Arrow v3 ? I'd add it if I was totally certain the story was canon. Korvac 18:22, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

Possible Similarities
I caught a bit of the 1974 Charlton Heston disaster flick Earthquake on TV last night. And the stuntman character portrayed by Richard Roundtree wears a costume that bears a striking resemblance to Black Lightning's costume. Even some of "blaxploitation" speech patterns are very similiar. Anyone else notice this?--85.158.137.195 14:31, 8 February 2007 (UTC)Lucas

Do we want to edit this statement: "Black Lightning is the first fictional african-american superhero published by DC Comics." to read that he is the first major or first stand-alone african-american superhero published by DC? John Stewart predated him by several years as a stand-by for Green Lantern. Also, what is the point of using the phrase "fictional" in that sentence? Please comment; Otherwise I am going to check back in a few days and adjust. KConWiki 15:42, 24 March 2007 (UTC)

Im confused .The last issue of green arrow before the year later story line had lightning helping the blown up building that speedy was in and that blew up again when merlin was stabbing arrow ....so what happened ? how did he, speedy, and conner make it out unharmed?plus lightning is now a member of the justice league.

Joanna?
Who in the name of cheese and crackers is Joanna? She is only mentioned once in the article.

Lots42 00:50, 26 July 2007 (UTC)
 * Joanna Pierce was his niece. --68.81.70.65 (talk) 00:00, 15 October 2008 (UTC)


 * Language!129.139.1.68 (talk) 18:16, 20 April 2010 (UTC)

WikiProject Comics B-Class Assesment required
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 * Done - needs more references. (Emperor (talk) 18:24, 11 January 2009 (UTC))

Thomas Randolph Quotes
How fury darts a lightning from your eyes.

I can throw valour as a lightning from me.

--Xero (talk) 15:12, 11 January 2009 (UTC)

Milo Sweetman Quotes
Justice, like lightning, ever should appear to few men's ruin, but to all men's fear.

Of mortal justice if thou scorn the rod, believe and tremble, thou art judged of God.

--Xero (talk) 15:16, 11 January 2009 (UTC)

Thomas Randolph quoting Sweetman
Thomas Randolph quoted Milo Sweetman as seen in the book The Literature and the Literary Men of Great Britain and Ireland, Volume I (Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1858). In his production of Sweetman, the Woman-hater, Thomas Randolph uses Sweetman's original quote "Justice, like lightning, ever should appear to few men's ruin, but to all men's fear", the origin of this quote is then later attributed to Randolph himself. --Xero (talk) 15:24, 11 January 2009 (UTC)

Needed cross-reference
"Black lightning" also refers to a motorcycle: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Black_Lightning Adding the cross-reference at the top would be appreciated... 131.81.200.92 (talk) 17:56, 11 June 2009 (UTC)

No mention of Black Vulcan? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.115.208.61 (talk) 07:35, 26 March 2017 (UTC)

References List
The references list has some messed up code, but I don't know how to fix it. I'm here to read about BL, not contribute knowledge. Could someone who understands the subject fix the list? --OGoncho (talk) 18:29, 29 September 2009 (UTC)

Two Major things that need to be included here:

1. The "year one" origin (which i hate) is a HUUUUUGE retcon of The original Stories from the seventies. Pierce was NOT married and was nowhere near old enough to have a college age daughter. I seem to be one the few people on the internet who've noticed this, and i wasn't even around in the 70's, i just got a hold of the old issues recently and liked them.

2. As i understand it ABC wanted ethnic diversity on superfriends, hence the creation of the Japanese tornado guy and the Indian cheif. They wanted to use Black Lightning, but Tony Isabella as a certian amount of control and recvies royalties, and either DC/ABC didn't want to pay him or he didn't allow them to use the charecter. So ABC just created a knock off called "Black Vulcan."

The 2000's Justice League cartoon was unable to get permission to use him either for the same reason. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.237.33.94 (talk) 20:04, 7 February 2010 (UTC)

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Ownership issue.
I am ASTONISHED that there's no mention in this article of the ownership issue creator Tony Isabella has for decades been claiming existed. It's why Black Vulcan on Super Friends (and indeed why the Tobias Whale espy on Justice League Unlimited) but the article doesn't even mention WHAT the issue between DC and Isabella was when it tells THAT.

I just found out the TV show existed, and Google>here to find out why/how the lawyers greenlit the show (and indeed, I've never understood the basis of Isabella's claim, though that appears to be because he was developing BL long before he pitched the character to DC -which does sound legally air-tight if he can prove that and was careful about the wording of all work-for-hire waivers he ever signed with them- and I was able to deduce that much from the previous development mentions here, so there's at least that) and I'm VERY disappointed to find no disputed ownership section. Now I have to look up Isabella's blog and take his word for it.

SHAME, Wikipedia - with a TV show, we're talking potential big-money lawsuit, depending on whether Tony's gotten some check(s) I've never heard about, or actually lost a suit in court. 172.220.144.3 (talk) 22:12, 15 March 2018 (UTC)


 * One of the tenets of Wikipedia is that anyone can edit it, to correct or add information. If in all the time you took to type the above, you could have simply found a reputable source that documents the dispute you are referring to and added it to the article yourself. If you are unsure how to do so, then just paste a plain unformatted URL here on this Talk page and an editor familiar with how to format it can take it from there. JesseRafe (talk) 22:32, 15 March 2018 (UTC)


 * Phooey. That would involve me having any interest whatsoever in navigating byzantine Wikipedia editor politics -of which I am not- and doing the research for you, of which I am not.  My point stands, thank you.


 * -However, I did discover after I posted here that Isabella says he loves the show and is currently happy with DC. -I deduce with great confidence that someone's written him the check I assume he's wanted for decades for creating BL previous to the work-for-hire situation.  I didn't make it to his blog.  Actually documenting it, per Wikipedia standards, I leave to another. 172.220.144.3 (talk) 18:07, 20 March 2018 (UTC)

Weaknesses?
Does he have any weaknesses that can be listed? Persistent Corvid (talk) 04:00, 1 July 2019 (UTC)