WHERE?
There was a 17 year gap between his solos.
Where does it say he could not have had a wife and kids between those gaps?
A daughter who did not start super heroing until AFTER she finished college.
Green Arrow had a kid that we did not see until years later.
Why is there an issue at Dc to show black men with families or children since New 52? All of them got spayed or neutered.
Even Mal & Karen-this book will be the first time someone did something with that couple besides break them up.
I was a fan of the American Way and I'm looking forward to this. I wish there was a south asian/west indian protagonist for one of the chapters but oh well. I still want him to do that Luke Fox book- 5g or not.
You do know that Black Lightning didn't just disappear from DC Comics between those two solos right? He appeared literally dozens and dozens of times over the years and received major focus in almost every Outsiders series. The only way those daughters could make sense with his history is if he hadn't known about them (which is what they did with Green Arrow and why that works). As it is, they are a total messy retcon. Read some old comics if you don't believe me.
Just because he does not talk about them in Outsiders or whatever book he BARELY appeared in does not nullify their existence.
How many times did Sam Wilson acknowledge his nephew? Jim Wilson-who hung around the Hulk for years and Sam said nothing. Jim got AIDS and Sam said NOTHING. Jim died and Sam said NOTHING.
Black Goliath has a nephew that we did not see until after he died. Wouldn't we have had a mention of him BEFORE his death?
Kent Nelson has a nephew Khalid Nassour who we did not see until 2015. Did we need to have his exist back in 1940?
Shuri is Black Panther's STEP SISTER. Her mother is Panther's STEP MOTHER. Both were outsiders that married into the family. Funny how everyone forgets that detail.
Kwezi Dzana is Panther's cousin. Or does that not matter because he just popped up?
Panther also has a WHITE brother. Does he not count because he was created in 1999 and not 1960s?
Storm has a nephew. Named after her father. He did not show up until the wedding. If Spike shows up will he not count either because we did not see either in Storm's first appearance?
Rhodey has a sister. We did not see her until 2003. Her daughter did not show up until 2014. His Dad did show up until 1995.
So why is this fine with these guys but not Jefferson?
And FYI.............
Black Lighting has a SISTER, a WHITE brother in law, a nephew and a niece (who slept with Green Arrow in 2003). Who did not pop up until 2009.
Jefferson did not mention them in Outsiders either. So they don't count?
Joanna Tanner (Green Arrow vol 3 26-30)
The rest Black Lightning Year 1 2009.
Feel free to read up
I don't read Marvel so I neither know nor care about those examples.
And I don't need to read up on Winick's crappy "Green Arrow" run or the excellent "Black Lightning: Year One". I read both of those series the first time. You seem to have missed a lot of Black Lightning's history though if you think he "barely" appeared anywhere before, what... 2003? Try his solo features in "World's Finest" or "Detective Comics"; or almost any issue of the various "Outsiders" series' in which he was a major cast member; or his co-feature appearances in "Brave and Bold" and "DC Comics Presents". Jefferson received strong characterization in all of them.
But to get back to your point: there's a BIG difference between a heretofore unannouced sibling/niece/nephew suddenly showing up in an adult's life and two adult daughters whom he apparently has close relationships with doing the same. Many adults do not have close contact with their siblings. I have not spoken with or about one of my brothers in more than ten years. So if he or one of his children suddenly visited me, the people in my current life wouldn't be that surprised by their existence. But if I suddenly revealed my two adult daughters whom I'd been raising and living with their whole lives and sorry you never noticed all the times I had you over to visit or told you about my life, they would be understandably shocked and confused.
So IMO yes, they are retcons. And messy ones at that. You seem to be trying to convince me either that they're not, or that I'm holding the Pierce family to some weird double-standard or something. I'm not sure why. If you think differently, that's your perogative.
I hope that the series is successful and gets a deluxe hardcover edition eventually. And an animated adaptation.