Black Lightning’s first solo series and origin story! With the power to generate electricity from within, Jefferson Pierce has donned a colorful costume and the secret identity of Black Lightning! However, it will take all of his abilities to protect his Metropolis neighborhood of Suicide Slum from those who seek to destroy it. With guest appearances by Superman and some familiar villains, Black Lightning makes DC Comics history. Collecting for the first time BLACK LIGHTNING #1-11 and WORLD’S FINEST #260, featuring work by creators Tony Isabella and Trevor Von Eeden, along with veteran inkers Frank Springer and Vince Colletta!

Black Lightning begins! Get to know Jefferson Pierce, a.k.a. Black Lightning, before his starring turn in the CW’s Black Lightning TV show! It’s been years since Olympic gold medalist Jefferson Pierce ran from a past plagued by his father’s murder and a superhuman power he couldn’t understand. In that time, decay has transformed his home, Metropolis’ Southside, into the notorious “Suicide Slum.” Accompanied by his wife and daughter, Pierce returns to make a difference in his old community as the new principal of Garfield High School. But there’s a storm of lawlessness sweeping Southside, fueled by corrupt politician Tobias Whale, the mysterious Swann, and his criminal organization, the One Hundred. Strengthened by his family, old friends and a Man of Steel’s support, Jefferson Pierce must now harness the electrical powers he once feared to become a beacon of hope…and strike down crime as Black Lightning! Writer Jen Van Meter (JSA CLASSIFIED, Hopeless Savages) and artist Cully Hamner (BATMAN AND THE SIGNAL, RED) recharge the origin of DC Comics' most electrifying Justice Leaguer in this classic take! Collects #1-6.

Tobias Whale escapes prison and uses Inspector Henderson to bait a trap for Black Lightning.

Captured by Tobias and Syonide, Black Lightning must save himself and Peter Gambi!

With contributions from Will Brooker, Jeffrey A. Brown, Scott Bukatman, John G. Cawelti, Peter Coogan, Jules Feiffer, Charles Hatfield, Henry Jenkins, Robert Jewett and John Shelton Lawrence, Gerard Jones, Geoff Klock, Karin Kukkonen, Andy Medhurst, Adilifu Nama, Walter Ong, Lorrie Palmer, Richard Reynolds, Trina Robbins, Lillian Robinson, Roger B. Rollin, Gloria Steinem, Jennifer Stuller, Fredric Wertham, and Philip Wylie Despite their commercial appeal and cross-media reach, superheroes are only recently starting to attract sustained scholarly attention. This groundbreaking collection brings together essays and book excerpts by major writers on comics and popular culture. While superhero comics are a distinct and sometimes disdained branch of comics creation, they are integral to the development of the North American comic book and the history of the medium. For the past half-century, they have also been the one overwhelmingly dominant market genre. The sheer volume of superhero comics that have been published over the years is staggering. Major superhero universes constitute one of the most expansive storytelling canvases ever fashioned. Moreover, characters inhabiting these fictional universes are immensely influential, having achieved iconic recognition around the globe. Their images and adventures have shaped many other media, such as film, videogames, and even prose fiction. The primary aim of this reader is twofold: first, to collect in a single volume a sampling of the most sophisticated commentary on superheroes, and second, to bring into sharper focus the ways in which superheroes connect with larger social, cultural, literary, aesthetic, and historical themes that are of interest to a great many readers both in the academy and beyond.

Black Lightning teams up with the DC Universe’s greatest heroes! Jefferson Pierce has been successfully battling evil with his power over electricity as Black Lightning, and his heroic exploits have caught the attention of the Justice League of America. Now the World’s Greatest Superheroes want Black Lightning to join their ranks, but will he accept their invitation? Collecting for the first time ever all of Black Lighting’s major appearances after the end of his original series, featuring work by creators Dennis O’Neil, Gerry Conway, Dick Dillin and Frank McLaughlin. Collects DC COMICS PRESENTS #16, DETECTIVE COMICS #490-491, #494-495, JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #173-174 and WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #256-259, #261.

Winner of the Newbery Medal, this remarkably moving novel has impressed the hearts and minds of millions of readers. Set in Mississippi at the height of the Depression, this is the story of one family's struggle to maintain their integrity, pride, and independence in the face of racism and social injustice. And it is also Cassie's story—Cassie Logan, an independent girl who discovers over the course of an important year why having land of their own is so crucial to the Logan family, even as she learns to draw strength from her own sense of dignity and self-respect. * "[A] vivid story.... Entirely through its own internal development, the novel shows the rich inner rewards of black pride, love, and independence."—Booklist, starred review