*Synopsis*
Miles Morales is Spider-Man. This may sound simple and it has become a fact of life for Miles, but that doesn’t make it easy. Miles is black and Puerto Rican, and his father has quite the checkered past. Even though he’s changed, Miles worries that some of that “bad blood” still flows through his veins. It could help explain why Miles got suspended last week. Maybe Miles Morales just isn’t cut for being a superhero, or maybe he’s just not ready.
This CW show follows the fictional superhero, Black Lightning, a man with the ability to control electricity. After a chain of events affecting his family transpire, Jefferson Pierce finds himself coming out of his nine year retirement to save his daughters. With the help of Gambi, aka The Tailor, Black Lightning uses his new and improved suit to attempt freeing the people of Freeland from the clutches of The 100, a notorious gang with control over the community.
Black Lightning addresses various social, political, and cultural issues. From marches and discrimination to the relationship of children and parents and how that affects later life. Sexuality is also lightly addressed through one of the characters. Anissa is definitely my favorite character because she is a total activist dead-set on making the world a better place.
I got caught up in the hype of Black Lightning after seeing the endless images popping up along my Twitter and Instagram feeds. I finished the entire first season in two days on Netflix (#NoRegrets).
I loved the social commentary and the subtle easter eggs. If you look closely in one of the first few episodes, there’s a picture of Jefferson Pierce shaking President Obama’s hand. I found that interesting. The dialogue was wonderful, the fight scenes were cool, and there was definitely a lot of thought put into this show.
Rae's Reads and Reviews 