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Black Lightning (Collected Editions) #4
Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands
Jefferson Pierce has returned to Cleveland, ready to teach students by day and bring his brand of superhero justice by night. But when criminals with black-market weapons based on alien technology start wreaking havoc on the city, Black Lightning is going to need more than the tech built into his new costume to retake the streets.
And once the villainous Tobias Whale reveals himself, turning the citizens and the police against Jefferson, the city's only hope is going to be if Black Lightning manages to recruit some new allies to take down Whale once and for all!
Written by Black Lightning co-creator Tony Isabella with shocking art by Clayton Henry (The Uncanny X-Men, Suicide Squad) and Yvel Guichet (Black Panther: Soul of a Machine), this collection brings together the complete Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands six-issue miniseries and features a never-before-published afterword by Isabella.
And once the villainous Tobias Whale reveals himself, turning the citizens and the police against Jefferson, the city's only hope is going to be if Black Lightning manages to recruit some new allies to take down Whale once and for all!
Written by Black Lightning co-creator Tony Isabella with shocking art by Clayton Henry (The Uncanny X-Men, Suicide Squad) and Yvel Guichet (Black Panther: Soul of a Machine), this collection brings together the complete Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands six-issue miniseries and features a never-before-published afterword by Isabella.
152 pages, Paperback
First published October 23, 2018
2 people are currently reading
67 people want to read
About the author
Tony Isabella
399 books24 followersTony Isabella is an American comic book writer, editor, artist and critic, known as the creator and writer of Marvel Comics' Black Goliath; DC Comics' first major African-American superhero, Black Lightning; and as a columnist and critic for the Comics Buyer's Guide.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 4, 2022
This was a pretty fun read I will say!
So the story is mostly Jeff in his home in Cleveland saving people but when he fids someone has turned people against him by fake electrocutio and the people thinking it was him well he has to work in secret and save people and also clear his name ad protect his city from falling in a rampage of gun violence and also protect two children from being gunned down by cops ad other stuff and all in all its a great read and my favorite moment is him vs Tobias whale in the end ad he is way different than in the TV show and I like that aspect of it and the battle is awesome and I just love the JL cameos especially Superman and Flash there haha!
So yeah its a great deal overall ad it makes for a fun read and you get to pretty much know about the character from the right go and meet other supporting characters and wow they sure changed who Anissa is and how she is related to Jeff, not sure I like it. But still the other ones like Tommi are fun and all. One thig I like is how they got the creator of the character to come back annd do stories about him and how even in the end he says he keeps reinventing the character every decade ad so that was a fun tid-bit! Speaking of art this book is beautiful and is easy on the eyes and really makes for a great compliment to the writing!
So definitely check this one out!
So the story is mostly Jeff in his home in Cleveland saving people but when he fids someone has turned people against him by fake electrocutio and the people thinking it was him well he has to work in secret and save people and also clear his name ad protect his city from falling in a rampage of gun violence and also protect two children from being gunned down by cops ad other stuff and all in all its a great read and my favorite moment is him vs Tobias whale in the end ad he is way different than in the TV show and I like that aspect of it and the battle is awesome and I just love the JL cameos especially Superman and Flash there haha!
So yeah its a great deal overall ad it makes for a fun read and you get to pretty much know about the character from the right go and meet other supporting characters and wow they sure changed who Anissa is and how she is related to Jeff, not sure I like it. But still the other ones like Tommi are fun and all. One thig I like is how they got the creator of the character to come back annd do stories about him and how even in the end he says he keeps reinventing the character every decade ad so that was a fun tid-bit! Speaking of art this book is beautiful and is easy on the eyes and really makes for a great compliment to the writing!
So definitely check this one out!
April 12, 2019
Yet another reboot of Black Lightning. Some of the changes I found odd, like they wanted to have their cake and eat it too. Jennifer and Anissa are now Pierce's cousins instead of his daughters and do little more than say hello. Black Lightning is much younger now, in his early twenties. Isabella talks about the changes to the mythology in his afterward and how this was written before the CW show. The tone of the book deals with casual racism and social injustices in America. In fact that's the main focus besides trying to stop Tobias Whale from running alien guns in Cleveland. Honestly I found the book a bit boring compared to previous versions Isabella has written of Black Lightning. Clayton Henry and Yvel Guichet's art is solid.
April 12, 2019
Come on...Really?Sealed windows and doors?This might be the worst trap I've been lured into.I mean you do realize you're locked in here with me, don't you?
-Black Lightning
-Black Lightning
December 21, 2018
I have become a fan of Black Lightning since reading the original story from the 1970's and most recently from Jamal Ingle. This is a new story from co-creator Tony Isabella that has the title character in the city of Cleveland than Metropolis. The themes of Racial Profiling, Race, and Gang Violence helps make the story relate-able. Tobias Whale looks more menacing than in his previous incarnation. Don't believe me? Read it for yourself.
I enjoyed reading the story and even picked up this volume because I also am a fan of the current tv series. This is a must read and to add to your collection of graphic novels.
I enjoyed reading the story and even picked up this volume because I also am a fan of the current tv series. This is a must read and to add to your collection of graphic novels.
October 14, 2018
It's good that Isabella is writing this character but wow does this book have problems.
World: The art is solid, the line work is direct, the colors pop and the sense of action is good, it's solid solid book to look at. The world building here is also well done re-orienting readers new and old to the Black Lightning character with a lot of familiar and new pieces. If you watch the tv show than you won't be really lost here as all the pieces are pretty much all here in a slightly different way. That being said the way the world building is done is rather choppy and illogical with the weapons and the villains and the school and the relationships, they just show up with not a lot of set up making new readers scratching their head a bit. It's good but it's janky.
Story: I commend Isabella for writing a topical book and I commend him trying to respect the black community and try to represent them but there is a very thin line when a book is on point and a book is preachy and overly sincere to the point that it's not and this book crosses that line repeatedly. Yes there is talk of gun violence, police violence, the casual racism of America and and injustice of the system and I like these book but for some reason the book comes off as trying to hard instead of allow these things to come out organically. It's a 6 issue mini series so Isabella really wanted to hit all the topics but that is way too much, you can't have everything and the kitchen sink cause the book just comes off as whiney and preachy. The dialog is also rather choppy and wooden and it feels dated, a book from a past era. The pacing of the story, the basic premise of the Whale and his plan and how simple the world view it, you can't try to tackle complex sociological issues and also have a villain that simplifies them into something enough for a word bubble it comes off as preacy and a gimmick. Gimmick, that's what I felt in the end, the social issues that this book could have gone into come off as a gimmick and that's not what you want for an important character like this in comic book history.
Character: Jefferson is written okay, not overly deep and his motivations are very on the surface and pure there is little grey area in his character and I found that to be a weakness. The issues this book tackles are complex and not always black and white and Jefferson should not be also, oh well. The villain was one note, his plan was a yawn and the overall arc was rather bland. The other characters that show up are good as they are from his book's past but also rather thin in writing so nothing really stick.
It was a missed opportunity that ended up being a gimmick more than a topical book.
Onward to the next book!
*read individual issues*
World: The art is solid, the line work is direct, the colors pop and the sense of action is good, it's solid solid book to look at. The world building here is also well done re-orienting readers new and old to the Black Lightning character with a lot of familiar and new pieces. If you watch the tv show than you won't be really lost here as all the pieces are pretty much all here in a slightly different way. That being said the way the world building is done is rather choppy and illogical with the weapons and the villains and the school and the relationships, they just show up with not a lot of set up making new readers scratching their head a bit. It's good but it's janky.
Story: I commend Isabella for writing a topical book and I commend him trying to respect the black community and try to represent them but there is a very thin line when a book is on point and a book is preachy and overly sincere to the point that it's not and this book crosses that line repeatedly. Yes there is talk of gun violence, police violence, the casual racism of America and and injustice of the system and I like these book but for some reason the book comes off as trying to hard instead of allow these things to come out organically. It's a 6 issue mini series so Isabella really wanted to hit all the topics but that is way too much, you can't have everything and the kitchen sink cause the book just comes off as whiney and preachy. The dialog is also rather choppy and wooden and it feels dated, a book from a past era. The pacing of the story, the basic premise of the Whale and his plan and how simple the world view it, you can't try to tackle complex sociological issues and also have a villain that simplifies them into something enough for a word bubble it comes off as preacy and a gimmick. Gimmick, that's what I felt in the end, the social issues that this book could have gone into come off as a gimmick and that's not what you want for an important character like this in comic book history.
Character: Jefferson is written okay, not overly deep and his motivations are very on the surface and pure there is little grey area in his character and I found that to be a weakness. The issues this book tackles are complex and not always black and white and Jefferson should not be also, oh well. The villain was one note, his plan was a yawn and the overall arc was rather bland. The other characters that show up are good as they are from his book's past but also rather thin in writing so nothing really stick.
It was a missed opportunity that ended up being a gimmick more than a topical book.
Onward to the next book!
*read individual issues*
May 4, 2018
This comic, which I read in issues, wasn't my favorite, probably on the lower side of 4 stars. I think the show works better for me than this comic, especially the family part - I really like the family drama and that background on the show, so I missed that here... Also I felt like this was more scify and less realistic than the show - that realism is my favorite thing about it!! On the good side, I really like his relationship with his best friend and that's something I wish was incorporated into the show; and then those connections with the Justice League were very nice :)
February 18, 2019
It's nice to see Tony Isabella getting a chance to write Black Lightning again. This is a pretty good series, if you're OK with a fairly earnest, straightforward, superhero story. The story is well-structured and well-told. There's definitely a specific worldview being pushed here, and that might annoy some people. I'm fine with it. I'd love to see Tony get a chance to work on a Black Lightning ongoing series, but I guess that's not likely.
December 20, 2018
After falling in love with the character due to the excellent CW show, I decided to read this. This was the first solo Black Lightning comic I've ever read, and I really enjoyed it. Different from the show, but still good. A good jumping on point for people who haven't read much of the character or would just like to see a sort of soft reboot for him.
May 6, 2019
[Read as single issues]
I am a bit split about this one , in the end I'd say it's a 3.5 out of 5 star book .
The book gives Black Lightning a new origin story , and depending on what they have changed and how much appetite you as a reader have for changes , you can like or dislike this book before the end of the first part of this volume.
In terms of plot though , Black Lightning tries to imbibe American Current affairs and problems faced by Black citizens in their neighborhood and in the country , with Comic superhero element and personally I largely liked it . Or so to speak , it worked for me .
I even liked Tobias Whale , the Big Baddy and how BL dealt with it was also enjoyable for me . And the art was fantastic as well.
But the constant cheesy lines thrown around and how the story progressed issue to issue really annoyed me , sometimes it all felt rushed and sometimes it felt stagnated . Overall I enjoyed it but the lingering feeling remains that it could have been better
I am a bit split about this one , in the end I'd say it's a 3.5 out of 5 star book .
The book gives Black Lightning a new origin story , and depending on what they have changed and how much appetite you as a reader have for changes , you can like or dislike this book before the end of the first part of this volume.
In terms of plot though , Black Lightning tries to imbibe American Current affairs and problems faced by Black citizens in their neighborhood and in the country , with Comic superhero element and personally I largely liked it . Or so to speak , it worked for me .
I even liked Tobias Whale , the Big Baddy and how BL dealt with it was also enjoyable for me . And the art was fantastic as well.
But the constant cheesy lines thrown around and how the story progressed issue to issue really annoyed me , sometimes it all felt rushed and sometimes it felt stagnated . Overall I enjoyed it but the lingering feeling remains that it could have been better
July 5, 2019
I want to see this charcater suceed for a lot of reasons. When written by Ton Isabella, Jefferson Pierce is grounded much more in the "real" world than many of his contemporary African-American super heroes. When Isabella first debuted Black Lighting he stood out from the crowd as an intelligent, thoughtful man who could do good as a school teacher and super hero.
As far his solo series goes, the character has worked best when written by Isabella. For whatever reasons, his own or editorial, changes made to this character for the Rebirth timeline don't quite work.
Pierce now has never been married, doesn't have children and Tobias Whale is no longer an albino and in some ways is a stereotypical villain (Whale really doesn't shine as much as he could or should).
The main selling point here , in a non-heavy handed way, is the various discussion topics raised in the story such as...
Gun control, blended families, street crime and cops and the neighborhood learning to trust each and work was a community.
As far his solo series goes, the character has worked best when written by Isabella. For whatever reasons, his own or editorial, changes made to this character for the Rebirth timeline don't quite work.
Pierce now has never been married, doesn't have children and Tobias Whale is no longer an albino and in some ways is a stereotypical villain (Whale really doesn't shine as much as he could or should).
The main selling point here , in a non-heavy handed way, is the various discussion topics raised in the story such as...
Gun control, blended families, street crime and cops and the neighborhood learning to trust each and work was a community.
May 6, 2019
3.5. A big part of that is that it's a reboot, but only reboots enough to get me confused. There's an opening scene in which we learn this is the "real" Tobias Whale and the original albino villain was a relative and an imitator (Isabella says he wanted to get away from the Evil Albino stereotype). But why does nobody refer to Black Lightning battling the albino Tobias? If he didn't, why even bring it up? And this is the first time he's met his (in other incarnations) wife, Lyn? I should not have to guess at what parts of Black Lightning are still canon.
Otherwise, a lively story involving Whale putting superweapons in criminal hands; cops will have to buy their own to keep up, the NRA will demand private citizens have access to the same, and presto, Whale's munitions business makes millions. It's a decent story, but it lacks the intensity of the earliest Black Lightning work. A shame.
Otherwise, a lively story involving Whale putting superweapons in criminal hands; cops will have to buy their own to keep up, the NRA will demand private citizens have access to the same, and presto, Whale's munitions business makes millions. It's a decent story, but it lacks the intensity of the earliest Black Lightning work. A shame.
June 18, 2019
You know those old video games where if you score enough points, your score restarts back at zero?
That's what this book is like, except replace points with social justice. You are absolutely beaten over the head with it so much that any positive impact you would have gotten out of reading this is negated and you start at zero again.
Minor spoilers here, but Black Lightning gets accused of murder. This is a very public murder that he's accused of. The person standing closest to him, A POLICE OFFICER AND ONE OF HIS FRIENDS, can see plainly that he isn't the killer. She saw the whole thing happen. But she lets her fellow officers think otherwise because then there's racial tension.
Other examples...
- The police literally put out an APB on two 10 year olds and label them as armed and dangerous. I know its supposed to be a reference to the tragic playground shooting, but it is waaaaay too over the top to be effective at all.
- A black man is shot by an officer for "trying to escape." Ok so, you'd think this would be a great teaching point, except the scenario doesn't make sense. Its really forced.
- There's this completely unexplained animosity for Black Lightning. This is a world where super-heroes exist, and yet so many first reactions are JUST SHOOT HIM! SHOOT THE GUY OBVIOUSLY HELPING US!
-Seriously, part of Tobias Whale's master plan is to get the NRA involved. And ok, sure, maybe that's part of the plan, but its literally mentioned like every other page like its a really big deal that they get involved and it really doesn't make a difference in the grand scheme of things.
-Oh, and they randomly changed Whale again, for no reason.
I like Black Lightning, I like Tobias Whale, but again, this could have been a great teaching tool for people to understand the divisions in our society. But there's so much bludgeoning.
That's what this book is like, except replace points with social justice. You are absolutely beaten over the head with it so much that any positive impact you would have gotten out of reading this is negated and you start at zero again.
Minor spoilers here, but Black Lightning gets accused of murder. This is a very public murder that he's accused of. The person standing closest to him, A POLICE OFFICER AND ONE OF HIS FRIENDS, can see plainly that he isn't the killer. She saw the whole thing happen. But she lets her fellow officers think otherwise because then there's racial tension.
Other examples...
- The police literally put out an APB on two 10 year olds and label them as armed and dangerous. I know its supposed to be a reference to the tragic playground shooting, but it is waaaaay too over the top to be effective at all.
- A black man is shot by an officer for "trying to escape." Ok so, you'd think this would be a great teaching point, except the scenario doesn't make sense. Its really forced.
- There's this completely unexplained animosity for Black Lightning. This is a world where super-heroes exist, and yet so many first reactions are JUST SHOOT HIM! SHOOT THE GUY OBVIOUSLY HELPING US!
-Seriously, part of Tobias Whale's master plan is to get the NRA involved. And ok, sure, maybe that's part of the plan, but its literally mentioned like every other page like its a really big deal that they get involved and it really doesn't make a difference in the grand scheme of things.
-Oh, and they randomly changed Whale again, for no reason.
I like Black Lightning, I like Tobias Whale, but again, this could have been a great teaching tool for people to understand the divisions in our society. But there's so much bludgeoning.
September 18, 2024
This was well-written and entertaining, but not enlightening. It seems natural that a story about a black super-hero is about racial conflict, police brutality and gun control (or lack there of), but that's exactly my problem with it. It brings nothing new to the table and the people who should read it... never will. These are very important issues of course, but there should be more to a black character than a kingpin copy-paste, sci-fi guns and trigger-happy cops. There should be much more depth than what is offered.
Still, I would recommend this to anyone who, like myself, has never read a Black Lightning comic.
Still, I would recommend this to anyone who, like myself, has never read a Black Lightning comic.
April 18, 2020
A fine enough retelling of Black Lightning’s early career and his first encounter with Tobias Whale. In some ways I like this over Black Lightning: Year One, where the setting is more grounded and doesn’t have a supernatural component. On the other, Jefferson is missing his familial relationships (his wife and daughters get cameos), and while a lot of complex themes are included like systemic racism and gun violence, they aren’t explored in a meaningful way. In short, Cold Dead Hands is good, just not great.
October 25, 2018
Super duper heroics. A cut above the rest.
August 8, 2019
This was ok. Kinda like the TV show
September 2, 2019
Timely and relevant.
March 9, 2020
I didn't really like this version of the story - perhaps I have to much of a fondness for my other versions that got to me first.
October 14, 2021
Good enough story dealing with police vs community and a gun runner, but it felt kinda weird being written by a white man. Some of the dialogue didn't ring true.
August 1, 2024
Fun character, cheesy politics but I’ll take comics with liberal pro-gun control views over the paranoid libertarian comics any day. Love the Cleveland references too.
May 7, 2025
An excellent miniseries that holds NO punches!!
Jenny Isabella (Black Lightning’s wonderful transfemme creator) wrote the hell outta this one.
On to the next!
Jenny Isabella (Black Lightning’s wonderful transfemme creator) wrote the hell outta this one.
On to the next!
August 3, 2019
Original Black Lightning writer Tony Isabella has some good ideas with making Jefferson younger and setting him in Cleveland, and several parts of the story are at least competently handled.
The book has one problem: It's woke to an extreme at a cost of telling good stories. Let's be clear, Black Lightning stories have always had a slight political overtone in dealing with issues of crime, poverty, and race. What this six-issue mini-series does is try to make sure and check every single woke issue, and the best way to do that is copious amounts of exposition boxes to clearly identify every possible progressive cause and ideal the author embraces.
I can't begrudge a little politics, but this is a book that overdoes it. It drips of self-importance and takes itself way too seriously.
The book has one problem: It's woke to an extreme at a cost of telling good stories. Let's be clear, Black Lightning stories have always had a slight political overtone in dealing with issues of crime, poverty, and race. What this six-issue mini-series does is try to make sure and check every single woke issue, and the best way to do that is copious amounts of exposition boxes to clearly identify every possible progressive cause and ideal the author embraces.
I can't begrudge a little politics, but this is a book that overdoes it. It drips of self-importance and takes itself way too seriously.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews