"Black Lightning" Creator Tony Isabella & DC Comics Reconcile

[Tupiaz]

Yeah, that was my point. Although, in the case of Bob Kane he got all the credit and Bill got nothing. In the case of Black Lightning, Tony and Trevor each got credit. But like Bill, Tony had his problems over creative ownership. Nevertheless, both cases are similar because the writer had a huge input on how the character should look. I'm sure Vin Sullivan had his own input on how to make Batman better, as well. So the process of creation for Batman and for Black Lightning seemed similar to me.

Fair enough. I thought your point was Tony Isabella had created Black Lightning the same way Bob Kane has created Batman with little input to the final product.

[j9ac9k]

I personally like the name "Black Lightning." I think you could get away with the character being influenced by blaxploitation movies when he was a kid and not have it be that big a thing. (is it that much stranger than how rap artists rename themselves?) Batman was influenced by Zorro, you can have BL be influenced by (what is now) the past rather DC trying to jump on a trend at the time.

I also think a great way to re-introduce him (has he been re-established in the DC52?) would be to have him head up the Outsiders as *his* team. And maybe keep Batman in the mix by having Bruce Wayne (not Batman) be their money guy. It gives Batman a different way to be a part of a super-team, gives Bruce Wayne the man an added dimension, and the Outsiders and BL can form their own identity rather than it just being "Batman's other team."

[Alpha Male]

This is good news! I've been following this for a long time! I'm glad they settle things with Tony instead of waiting until he croaks. Hopefully there are plans for a Black Lightning ongoing as well as appearances in ARROW.

[Maverick]

I also think a great way to re-introduce him (has he been re-established in the DC52?) would be to have him head up the Outsiders as *his* team. And maybe keep Batman in the mix by having Bruce Wayne (not Batman) be their money guy. It gives Batman a different way to be a part of a super-team, gives Bruce Wayne the man an added dimension, and the Outsiders and BL can form their own identity rather than it just being "Batman's other team."

Bruce Wayne, not Batman, as a financial face, but Black Lightning as the leader. I can dig that.

[Maverick]

His name is Black Lightning. End of. Just give him a new costume (even his new52 costume was trash)
Give him a black costume, a solid black costume. Maybe some yellow. But please change the all blue and yellow costume that he is currently wearing as of the new52.

And change his lightning back to blue/white. There would be no need to make his lightning black if having an all black costume is simply embraced by creative teams. The name controversy becomes less controversy, if he is indeed wearing all black.

[Slaughter]

I don't mind keeping Cyborg as a league founder if we can retcon Black Lightning in, may actually be better because it solves the "tokenism" problem.

I personally like the name "Black Lightning." I think you could get away with the character being influenced by blaxploitation movies when he was a kid and not have it be that big a thing. (is it that much stranger than how rap artists rename themselves?) Batman was influenced by Zorro, you can have BL be influenced by (what is now) the past rather DC trying to jump on a trend at the time.

I also think a great way to re-introduce him (has he been re-established in the DC52?) would be to have him head up the Outsiders as *his* team. And maybe keep Batman in the mix by having Bruce Wayne (not Batman) be their money guy. It gives Batman a different way to be a part of a super-team, gives Bruce Wayne the man an added dimension, and the Outsiders and BL can form their own identity rather than it just being "Batman's other team."

Black Lightning being influenced by blaxplotation movies is a nice idea.

And I would say no on anything involving Black Lightning and the Outsiders. Black Lightning should be a League Founder in a equal standing to the others, and in no way connected to the Outsiders. His own man, as he was conceived in the beginning. Considering how many "Electric Black Super-Heroes" are around, its time the original came back.

[MrHashasheen]

This cheered me up, hearing it. Tony Isabella's struggle to get back with Black Lightning always got a frown out of me.

And yes, I think Black Lightning could easily be the "Seventh Man" in the Justice League over Cyborg. Now I just need to reconcile it with BL heading up Outsiders with Batman, because that history is still pretty cool to me. Maybe as a post-League founding, with Batman and BL founding the unit together...

[gwangung]

I personally like the name "Black Lightning." I think you could get away with the character being influenced by blaxploitation movies when he was a kid and not have it be that big a thing. (is it that much stranger than how rap artists rename themselves?) Batman was influenced by Zorro, you can have BL be influenced by (what is now) the past rather DC trying to jump on a trend at the time.

I also think a great way to re-introduce him (has he been re-established in the DC52?) would be to have him head up the Outsiders as *his* team. And maybe keep Batman in the mix by having Bruce Wayne (not Batman) be their money guy. It gives Batman a different way to be a part of a super-team, gives Bruce Wayne the man an added dimension, and the Outsiders and BL can form their own identity rather than it just being "Batman's other team."

Boy, I love these ideas.

[Crazy Diamond]

http://ohdannyboy.blogspot.com/2011/...-of-black.html

Just read this old blog post about what happened with Black Lightning. It really cleared up what happened.

[Lord of Narrative]

How is black lightning so bad, but black panther, a name of a militant group and current hate group, is fine?

[MrHashasheen]

How is black lightning so bad, but black panther, a name of a militant group and current hate group, is fine?

Black Panther came before the Black Panthers did. And the panther imagery evokes the African wildlife and imagery, whereas Black Lightning... is blaxpolitation? Which I don't mind, personally. It's a badass name either way.

[Sandy Hausler]

Black Panther came before the Black Panthers did. And the panther imagery evokes the African wildlife and imagery, whereas Black Lightning... is blaxpolitation? Which I don't mind, personally. It's a badass name either way.

According to Wikipedia, the Black Panther Party became active in 1966, the same year that T'Challa first appeared. But I certainly admit that it's unlikely that Stan Lee named the character after the party.

Sandy Hausler

[ed2962]

Black Panther came before the Black Panthers did. And the panther imagery evokes the African wildlife and imagery, whereas Black Lightning... is blaxpolitation? Which I don't mind, personally. It's a badass name either way.

I feel the same way.

[Claude]

How is black lightning so bad, but black panther, a name of a militant group and current hate group, is fine?

Because there is such a thing as a "Black Panther", in much the same way that there is such a thing as a "Cheetah".

Whereas "Black Lightning" is called that because he's black, and has lightning powers.

[Lord of Narrative]

Because there is such a thing as a "Black Panther", in much the same way that there is such a thing as a "Cheetah".

Whereas "Black Lightning" is called that because he's black, and has lightning powers.

Still, YOU KNOW that casuals are gonna say "they would call him BLACK Panther" when the movie comes out.