Originally Posted by
Gamesradar
Nrama: DC has revealed in the solicitation copy Duke Thomas and Black Lightning are the other characters from the last Outsiders incarnation to star in this story. What can you tell us about how we find each character? DC has made no secret Black Lightning shows up as literal black lightning?
Thomas: Ha, yeah, I was curious if that was gonna get out there before it shipped, but I won't say much more about Black Lightning and his current status, but Duke's current POV is something that felt like a perfect escalation and gives him a real prominence within this future DCU. His identity as the Signal is public, and he's used that to carve out a role as a face of the resistance, making him a wanted man by the Magistrate. When the issue opens, he's smuggling some protestors out of the city, trying to get them to"the outside" and under the protection of Katana.
So this scary new world has demanded more from everyone, and Duke Thomas is now equally at home giving inspirational speeches, and leading protests/rallies, as he is at busting heads. I loved writing him with this new state of mind, and though he and Katana are initially apart, there's a lot of devotion and commitment still there, and you'll see that on display.