On a dark and rainy night, Jefferson Pierce is pinned face down on the hood of a police vehicle while his daughters watch with expressions of anger on their faces. After avoiding giving him an explanation for why they pulled him over in the first place, one officer eventually says that a local liquor store was robber earlier that evening.     

“And I’m sure the description is what? A black man, dressed in a suit and tie. Getaway car, a mid-sized Volvo wagon!?” said Pierce. His eyes began to spark with lighting as the street lights and vehicles suddenly shut down.

This is the scene that’s sets the tone for “Black Lighting”, a new series on the CW network that resurrects an old, lesser known comic book character in a modern way.

The series started off a little rocky for me. I found the acting from Cress Williams (Black Lightning) to be unconvincing and the themes such as the unfair treatment of African Americans seemed a little strong.

As I continued to watch the episodes that have premiered thus far, I realized that I just wasn’t used to a superhero show that wasn’t about a young character learning to use their powers.

Pierce has been retired from crime fighting for the past nine years and has since become a high school principal. But after the local gang “The 100 Gang” crosses the line by endangering the lives of his two daughters, Black Lightning decides that “It’s time the people know, Black Lightning is ready to strike back.”

Clint Worthington summarized the series on consequenceofsound.net, writting, “It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it’s refreshing to see this level of positive representation in the world of superheroes – not just for the hero himself, but for his family and the community he speaks for.”

Black Lightning doesn’t just put on a super-powered suit at night and fight crime. He does what he can as principal and as father by day to keep his community and family safe.

Black Lightning struggles to either be peaceful when crimes are committed or to fight fire with fire. One moment he may respond with a quote from Martin Luther King and another moment he may react in a manner which relates more to Malcolm X.

I really enjoyed the soundtrack, which features original hip hop tracks from lesser known artist Godholly to soul tracks from well known artist Al Green. It’s just one of the many ways that the show has managed to mix the old with the new.

What I didn’t enjoy was how poorly his goggles cover his face, yet no one outside of his partner and ex-wife can seem to figure out Black Lightning’s secret identity.