Jefferson Pierce / Black Lightning is about to get the spotlight again. On Friday, as part of DC’s November 2024 solicitations, the publisher officially announced a new Black Lightning miniseries from writer Brandon Thomas and artist Fico Ossio. Spanning five issues, the Black Lightning title will be spinning out of the events of the recent Absolute Power crossover event, as well as Jefferson’s role in Mark Waid and Dan Mora’s Justice League Unlimited series. The series, which is part of DC’s All In initiative, will co-star Jefferson’s superhero daughters Anissa Pierce / Thunder and Jennifer Pierce / Lightning. Black Lightning #1 will arrive on Wednesday, November 13th, with a main cover by Ossio and variant covers by Sanford Greene, Taurin Clarke, and Juliet Nneka.
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“In the wake of Absolute Power, everything’s changed for Jefferson Pierce and his family,” Thomas told The Beat, who first broke the news of the series. “He’s embraced a critical front-facing role within the newly reborn Justice League Unlimited, and has also created a crisis response unit that confronts and defuses newly emerging Metahumans before their powers become a danger to themselves and others.”
What Is Black Lightning #1 About?
In Black Lightning, Black Lightning is back, and this time, it’s a family affair! Jefferson Pierce leads the Justice League’s new metahuman outreach initiative, helping those with powers before they can cause harm to themselves or others—but everything changes when its his own daughter, Anissa Pierce, who comes to him for help. With Thunder’s dangerous new powers and the new Masters of Disaster jeopardizing the coexistence between humans and Metas, Black Lightning is on the front lines of a culture war brewing in the suburbs of Metropolis!
“Working on this,” Ossio revealed. “I had the great opportunity to redesign the suit and look for Black Lightning, Thunder, and Lightning! I had a blast working on that and hope the fans enjoy our take on these characters. We brought back some of the Black Lightning classic design and gave more personality and uniqueness to Thunder and Lightning. You’ll see hints of Jefferson’s original costume, but modern and more like armor with sharp edges. This is BLACK LIGHTNING we’re talking about!”
“This story is highly personal for Jefferson,” Thomas added, “because he’s doing this with the help of his youngest daughter Jennifer, and effectively combining his roles as both Super Hero and educator. His oldest daughter Anissa plays a key role in the series as someone whose powers have changed after ABSOLUTE POWER, and is in dire need of her father’s help. While the Pierce family struggles to hold it all together, a mystery rival consolidates power and legitimacy, weaponizing public sentiment that declares that ‘Waller was right‘ to fear these power mad gods.”
Keep scrolling to check out the first look at Black Lightning #1!
