The Other History of the DC Universe #5 Preview

[lemonpeace]

the lightning effect isn't that deep. comics is a visual medium, it's just an aesthetic choice to show her powers in action which playing on the fact that she's part of the Black Lightning family of characters. it's not like DC's ever had her actually manipulating electricity or shooting lightning bolts. it's like when people were trynna complain about the Flash family having electricity in their aesthetics too; it's largely just used for superficial effect to add some visual excitement, it's not a big deal. doubly so here considering how rarely it's even used and how intangibly it's applied even when it is used.

[Powertool]

Wouldn't the Whitebeard equivalent of DC be Vibe, since their power sets are based on vibration manipulation?

Conceptually, maybe. In practice, Vibe's vibrational discharges were often depicted as concentrated energy beams, making them visually very similar to any other superhero who can emit energy from their hands. Whitebeard's power on the other hand are famously depicted as activating on impact, even if it's just with thin air, just like Thunder's demonstrations of power in Winick's Outsiders.

the lightning effect isn't that deep. comics is a visual medium, it's just an aesthetic choice to show her powers in action which playing on the fact that she's part of the Black Lightning family of characters. it's not like DC's ever had her actually manipulating electricity or shooting lightning bolts. it's like when people were trynna complain about the Flash family having electricity in their aesthetics too; it's largely just used for superficial effect to add some visual excitement, it's not a big deal. doubly so here considering how rarely it's even used and how intangibly it's applied even when it is used.

And so much for women asserting themselves as their own individuals! You have a heroine with a powerset which gives you literally earth-shattering ways to depict it in action and your first idea is to give her a placard saying "Hi! I'm Black Lightning's daughter! There would be other things about my character but that's the only important one"? And people wonder why so many new creations peter out and go die in a ditch so quickly!

As I said:

Lazy.

Unimaginative.

Repetitive.

[Agent Z]

It looks cool... if you've never seen artwork of a comic book character generating lightning/other types of sparkling energy from their eyes. At the 100 millionth time, it just becomes lazy and unimaginative.

God forbid a 2nd generations heroine can have a different powerset than her parent-- a powerset, by the way, which in the hands of a capable writer would potentially make her the American comic equivalent of Whitebeard from ONE PIECE (increase your density up to a certain level and you can literally warp reality). But no! Your father has electric powers? You also get electric powers! A Black superhero with control over lightning is such an underutilized concept, after all!

I have got to start reading One Piece one of these days. Apparently, anything can happen in that series.

[John Venus]

One Piece can get pretty crazy with it's powers but I can't recall a character using density manipulation to warp reality. The aforementioned WB can tilt islands and create shock waves by just punching the air. There are characters who can kick the air like it's a trampoline or evolve to from an egg to a chick to a chicken and then back again or use light powers to kick someone with the speed of light or the cyborg dinosaur. That's just the surface level stuff without getting into what Law, Big Mom, Brook, Jinbei, Marco and Katakuri can do with their powers.

You know after this I actually really hope that dc would consider giving Ridley a series (it can be a mini) about the Black Lightning family. He wrote Jefferson really well in the first issue and I’m liking what I see here in terms of getting Thunder as a character and her history.

Seconded.

I think he would really well with an Outsiders book or a JSA book.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

I thought it was an interesting look at the Pierce family. If Ridley did a V2, I'd be happy.

[king81992]

I have got to start reading One Piece one of these days. Apparently, anything can happen in that series.

You have no idea and powersets/plot developments in One Piece are tame compared to some stuff you see in other series.

[Powertool]

I have got to start reading One Piece one of these days. Apparently, anything can happen in that series.

One Piece can get pretty crazy with it's powers but I can't recall a character using density manipulation to warp reality. The aforementioned WB can tilt islands and create shock waves by just punching the air. There are characters who can kick the air like it's a trampoline or evolve to from an egg to a chick to a chicken and then back again or use light powers to kick someone with the speed of light or the cyborg dinosaur. That's just the surface level stuff without getting into what Law, Big Mom, Brook, Jinbei, Marco and Katakuri can do with their powers.

Sorry, I could have worded that sentence better. I mean that the combination of Whitebeard's inhuman strength and his earthquake-generating superpowers can literally defy the laws of physics, creating cracks in the fabric of reality just by punching thin air. It'd be easy to imagine Anissa going one step beyond (in a very Eiichiro Oda-esque power progression) and use her ability to increase her density to the point that generating shockwaves on impact is the last of her foes' problems. In other words, she's potentially a walking, talking gravitational pit waiting to happen. Maybe not very useful while confronting street thugs, but a pretty nifty business card to be taken seriously on a cosmic scale ("Hi! I'm Anissa Pierce, but you might know me as The Earthling With Black Holes In Her Fists").

[Agent Z]

Sorry, I could have worded that sentence better. I mean that the combination of Whitebeard's inhuman strength and his earthquake-generating superpowers can literally defy the laws of physics, creating cracks in the fabric of reality just by punching thin air. It'd be easy to imagine Anissa going one step beyond (in a very Eiichiro Oda-esque power progression) and use her ability to increase her density to the point that generating shockwaves on impact is the last of her foes' problems. In other words, she's potentially a walking, talking gravitational pit waiting to happen. Maybe not very useful while confronting street thugs, but a pretty nifty business card to be taken seriously on a cosmic scale ("Hi! I'm Anissa Pierce, but you might know me as The Earthling With Black Holes In Her Fists").

That does sound like an interesting power.

Question is, will it be something handled well?

[John Venus]

WTF, WB does not warp reality. The laws of physics in One Piece just works differently that's partly why you have characters who can literally ricochet off the air like it's a trampoline. What WB does with his punches is not warping reality, he is just using his earthquake powers to create vibrations that can turn into powerful shock waves which he uses to create tsunamis, level entire fortresses and could potentially crack the earth like an egg shell. The most out their ability of his was the ability to tilt islands but that's explainable because he got the 'earthquake' power and thus he has the power over tectonic plates which allows him to do that kind of crazy thing.

[9th.]

You know after this I actually really hope that dc would consider giving Ridley a series (it can be a mini) about the Black Lightning family. He wrote Jefferson really well in the first issue and I’m liking what I see here in terms of getting Thunder as a character and her history.

No more minis! Give me a full fun more than 12 issues that expands his mythology. Something you can really sink your teeth into.

[kcekada]

You know after this I actually really hope that dc would consider giving Ridley a series (it can be a mini) about the Black Lightning family. He wrote Jefferson really well in the first issue and I’m liking what I see here in terms of getting Thunder as a character and her history.

The Mal/Karen Duncan issue was the only one that really connected with me. I'd really like to see someone tap the lost potential of the two.

[sifighter]

I have to say I respect Ridley’s decision to not get into Flashpoint stuff and only focus on pre-crisis to right up Flashpoint history, a current look at present day dc for the final page.

As someone who likes Outsiders from that era and legacy heroes like Thunder I really liked this issue, but I also really do see the value in it from a personal perspective as well outside of the hero stuff. I’m sure some people will dislike parts or even the entire series for its subject matter and sometimes personal perspectives that were at times angry opinions through the lens of that specific character but never feels like it’s the writers own opinions if that makes sense. But overall I think it was a well told series overall with great art.

[king81992]

The Mal/Karen Duncan issue was the only one that really connected with me. I'd really like to see someone tap the lost potential of the two.

I thought the Mal/Karen issue was the weakest one.

[Shimbo]

I loved the issue and loved the series as a whole. I could do with a Pierce ongoing, or JSA, or the Outsiders. Anything. Please DC, give Ridley something else to write.

I think my favorite issue is the Tatsu one, but it might be because she's my favorite character out of those featured. Loved how he wrote Anissa's reverence towards Tatsu and bringing up the importance of an elder stateswoman of the hero community inspiring her.

Also laughed at loud at the Grace "schooling" Anissa on sexuality: Grace has sex with men but relationships with women, then laid Anissa down and showed her what she meant by that. Great scene.

That last spread of the newer characters is great but I do wish Bunker was there, too, but I guess that's a Nu52 character...but Yara and the Monkey Prince and other newer characters are there.

[sifighter]

I loved the issue and loved the series as a whole. I could do with a Pierce ongoing, or JSA, or the Outsiders. Anything. Please DC, give Ridley something else to write.

Yeah I like his Batman stuff, but he definitely has some range here with all of these characters.