never really got a chance to fully benefit from the kind of interconnected, multiversal-hopping madcaps that the CW’s other comic book shows enjoy, it spent four seasons carving out a distinct space on the network where Black superheroes could stand front and center as the focus of their own stories. Last night, it had its swan song in “The Book of Resurrection: Chapter Two: Closure.”
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From the very beginning,
Black Lightning used its heroes and the city of Freeland to tackle the kinds of stories about systemic, anti-Black racism that are every bit as much a part of American history as comic books themselves. In doing so, Salim Akil’s series brought its DC characters to life with a purpose beyond immediate entertainment. Though the series arrived in 2017 already comfortable in that mode of social justice-focused storytelling, it’s been interesting to watch other series like