DC Africana Appreciation: Vol. 2

[Agent Z]

this could've been perfect had they had him in Freeland or even Brick City. I've grown to really hate the idea of Jeff being in Metropolis, I feel like it doesn't do anything good for either character. It puts Jefferson in Sups' shadow (and he already has enough issue fighting off being in Batman's shadow as is) and it feels weird that Superman learns that there is a section of his city that's impoverished and he would just leaves it to someone else. I'm not the biggest fan of Superman but that doesn't seem like something he'd have let get to that point, especially considering how often he sweeps through Metropolis and other cities around the world and back, it just looks like "leave it to the black hero because that's where the poor black people are" which just doesn't work for as a critique of Superman's social oversight in the same way that it would for say Batman and The Hill or something.

Superman has been shown to be out of his depth in certain areas and agreed to leave things to other people who best know what they are doing. If Jefferson is doing a good job in Suicide Slums without Superman's help, he would see no reason to get involved. It's no different than other superheroes leaving Gotham in Batman's hands.

[Frontier]

this could've been perfect had they had him in Freeland or even Brick City. I've grown to really hate the idea of Jeff being in Metropolis, I feel like it doesn't do anything good for either character. It puts Jefferson in Sups' shadow (and he already has enough issue fighting off being in Batman's shadow as is) and it feels weird that Superman learns that there is a section of his city that's impoverished and he would just leaves it to someone else. I'm not the biggest fan of Superman but that doesn't seem like something he'd have let get to that point, especially considering how often he sweeps through Metropolis and other cities around the world and back, it just looks like "leave it to the black hero because that's where the poor black people are" which just doesn't work for as a critique of Superman's social oversight in the same way that it would for say Batman and The Hill or something.

I think ideally BL should definitely be in Freeland, but I liked what they did with Jefferson and Superman in Black Lightning: Year One so I'm not particularly against it either, but maybe he just starts out there and then moves to Freeland. Or the other way around...

[Tzigone]

Superman has been shown to be out of his depth in certain areas and agreed to leave things to other people who best know what they are doing. If Jefferson is doing a good job in Suicide Slums without Superman's help, he would see no reason to get involved. It's no different than other superheroes leaving Gotham in Batman's hands.

It's a major problem for me. Remember, Superman was active for years before Black Lightning was. And yet, he never came to that area, never tried to help. Oh, hell no. That's just character assassination of Superman to me. I also have fairly major problem with other heroes not doing anything when Gotham is taken over, too, for the record.

And I'm previously on record in favor of not having other heroes in a major hero's city precisely because of the aforementioned being one's shadow issue. They might get him out of the shadow in-universe, but in mainstream perception, very little chance of that if he's in Metropolis.

Of course, Suicide Slum wasn't originally in Metropolis, anyway. But it has been for a long time now, I admit.

[Will Evans]

The Golden age Guardian and the Newsboy Legion lived in the Suicide Slum.

So technically Suicide Slum had a superhero before the rest of Metropolis.

[Agent Z]

There are places in the world, the entire universe in fact, where Superman does not or cannot help. It isn't character assassination to show a character can't do everything and be everywhere.

If Jefferson where living in Freeland instead of Metropolis, you still have a population of black people that aren't receiving any aid from Superman.

[Tzigone]

The Golden age Guardian and the Newsboy Legion lived in the Suicide Slum.

So technically Suicide Slum had a superhero before the rest of Metropolis.

Suicide Slum was in York City back then. Of course, that's not in continuity anymore, I admit, and in the meta-sense, Superman was around before Guardian, anyway.

There are places in the world, the entire universe in fact, where Superman does not or cannot help. It isn't character assassination to show a character can't do everything and be everywhere.

This is his city. And it's not about not doing everything, but about not doing anything. Literally never having been there or intervened in single mugging, etc. Just not even trying, writing off an entire section of the city and its people as not worth saving through inaction (it apparently never crossed his mind to fight crime in the single most crime-ridden part of the city or else he just decided not to, depending on the version). That is not okay. and it was retconned in deliberately with full understanding and intent that Superman come off badly because of it.

[Robanker]

this could've been perfect had they had him in Freeland or even Brick City. I've grown to really hate the idea of Jeff being in Metropolis, I feel like it doesn't do anything good for either character. It puts Jefferson in Sups' shadow (and he already has enough issue fighting off being in Batman's shadow as is) and it feels weird that Superman learns that there is a section of his city that's impoverished and he would just leaves it to someone else. I'm not the biggest fan of Superman but that doesn't seem like something he'd have let get to that point, especially considering how often he sweeps through Metropolis and other cities around the world and back, it just looks like "leave it to the black hero because that's where the poor black people are" which just doesn't work for as a critique of Superman's social oversight in the same way that it would for say Batman and The Hill or something.

I think the original Black Lightning run addressed it by pretty much saying that any time Clark tried to do something there the 100 would go into hiding and effectively put the entire problem on pause, implying he made it worse because they were biding their time and getting smarter/more effective with the time off. Jefferson's approach apparently works better for the particular situation, but truthfully it's the same reason none of Bruce's more qualified friends take over Gotham; it's his territory and his IP will flounder if characters who can/should just deal with it... well, do. It's why I think it's stupid to ever really ask those questions, like how the JLA show up in No Man's Land and Bruce told them to go home for whatever reason. Like, damn Bruce, I guess everyone has to suffer so it can happen your way. Sarah Essen says hi by the way.

Superman ignoring a part of his city because he supposedly makes it worse by showing up is a hand wave, but it's still dumb. Move Jefferson to his own place OR just have the 100 be a newer thing that BL begins his career fighting. Freeland is a fine option and it lets Jefferson actually set the pace of his setting instead of adapting to whatever happens in Superman's book or the DCU plate-spinning of occupying a real city which means no creative team will build it up because they're borrowing from real world history to build up the setting. Freeland's not the best name but I still think it's better than setting the book in Cleveland or Metropolis.

[kurenai24]

We're about to have 2 new black female speedsters with Future State, one is the blonde Flash with prosthetic legs and the other is the new Black Racer, but I could have sworn we had a black female speedster before these 2 characters; I'm not sure if the character was actually canon or not but I remember she had asthma and her costume was red and black, does anybody remember her name?

[Robanker]

We're about to have 2 new black female speedsters with Future State, one is the blonde Flash with prosthetic legs and the other is the new Black Racer, but I could have sworn we had a black female speedster before these 2 characters; I'm not sure if the character was actually canon or not but I remember she had asthma and her costume was red and black, does anybody remember her name?

https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Danica_Williams_(DCAU)

Sounds like Danica. Honestly never heard of her, but I figured asthma would be unique enough among speedsters and gave Google a spin. Hope it was of help.

[Will Evans]

Yeah. She’s basically Flash Beyond. aka the Flash during the Batman Beyond Future.


But don’t forget about XS, Jenni Ognats. Barry’s granddaughter and Impulse’s cousin.

[skyvolt2000]

Suicide Slum was in York City back then. Of course, that's not in continuity anymore, I admit, and in the meta-sense, Superman was around before Guardian, anyway.


This is his city. And it's not about not doing everything, but about not doing anything. Literally never having been there or intervened in single mugging, etc. Just not even trying, writing off an entire section of the city and its people as not worth saving through inaction (it apparently never crossed his mind to fight crime in the single most crime-ridden part of the city or else he just decided not to, depending on the version). That is not okay. and it was retconned in deliberately with full understanding and intent that Superman come off badly because of it.

He can't be everywhere 24/7 like Batman can't for Gotham.

In Batman The Hill-black folks pretty much told Batman they were NOT scared of him. Because he stays out of black areas.

Also you have a white hero come waltzing into a black area-folks would just hide. If he came every blue moon. If he STAYED there and was seen a lot-different story.

It's not a hand wave it's an issue with your writers.

Jeff in Freeland means he can do whatever without being held hostage by whatever mess is going on in Metropolis.

And lets go back in time for a moment-Steel's comic book.

Had Steel NOT gone back home-how big and bad would his guns get and how dangerous than Venom (that made Bane) be in that black community? Why no villain has not setup show in the hood and build up is beyond me.

How many black kids could Joker corrupt? Kobra? Brother Blood? Glorious Geoffrey? Heck Darkseid? Rah Ghul?

[Will Evans]

Moving off heroes for a second.....

When is Black Spider going to get such importance compared to other Batman villains?

I mean with him you could go full rogue with him. Or with his anti-drug motif, go anti-villain like Harley and Poison Ivy.

I mean Killed Croc is Batman’s only notorious black villain and most people don’t know he’s suppose to be black.

[Agent Z]

Moving off heroes for a second.....

When is Black Spider going to get such importance compared to other Batman villains?

I mean with him you could go full rogue with him. Or with his anti-drug motif, go anti-villain like Harley and Poison Ivy.

I mean Killed Croc is Batman’s only notorious black villain and most people don’t know he’s suppose to be black.

I don't think he'll ever have as much prominence as any of the other Batman villains. There is far too much competition. The only chance I see of a black villain rising to prominence is if they're attached to a black hero as well. Or they're Black Manta.

[kurenai24]

https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Danica_Williams_(DCAU)

Sounds like Danica. Honestly never heard of her, but I figured asthma would be unique enough among speedsters and gave Google a spin. Hope it was of help.

Yes that's her, thank you.

Yeah. She’s basically Flash Beyond. aka the Flash during the Batman Beyond Future.

But don’t forget about XS, Jenni Ognats. Barry’s granddaughter and Impulse’s cousin.

I actually did forget about XS, where the hell is she, isn't she a legionaire...

Moving off heroes for a second.....

When is Black Spider going to get such importance compared to other Batman villains?

I mean with him you could go full rogue with him. Or with his anti-drug motif, go anti-villain like Harley and Poison Ivy.

I mean Killed Croc is Batman’s only notorious black villain and most people don’t know he’s suppose to be black.

Imma be honest I've never heard of the character and I don't think writers even remember who that character is, but all writers want to do when it comes to Batman is play with the iconic villains or create new ones, so I think we can only look to Aquaman for Black Manta and Suicide Squad for Amanda Waller for any black villain which is a shame b/c just like there is a lack of black heroes, there's a lack of black villains.

I appreciate Bendis creating a black hero and a couple of black villains when he came over.

[9th.]

Endless Winter, I'm annoyed that writers INSIST on him being in Metropolis but I'm glad they went with younger versions of his daughters

I'm happy they gave him his family back, the next thing they need to do is develop Lynn. As far the city goes at least it's an easy fix, they can easily move him to another city.