Review: Black Lightning- Cold Dead Hands

Quick Summary

Pros: The main narrative is an enjoyable superhero story and has a great conclusion. The book is paced well, allowing character-driven moments to stand out from all the action. The book provides some well-executed commentary on contemporary social issues.

Cons: Some of the book’s subplots integrate poorly into the main storyline. The book’s artwork is just alright.

Overall: This is a fun book that stands out in a good way. The narrative is enjoyable, the characters are well-written, and the book’s approach to social issues is well-thought-out. Some of the book’s subplots are poorly executed but this doesn’t have a very large impact on the read as a whole. Ultimately, this book is for readers who want to see a solid Black Lightning story or who are just looking for a superhero story that feels a bit different than the usual approach.

Story

Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands, by Tony Isabella, is an enjoyable miniseries that still feels distinct from other mainstream offerings. The volume features Black Lightning’s attempt to protect his community from the chaos created by a criminal mastermind. Their battle is enjoyable throughout and gets really good at the end of the book. Plus, on top of this standard superhero story, a well-executed commentary on social issues helps the book stand out from other comics. The only real problem is that some of the book’s subplots connect poorly to the main narrative. However, for the most part, this volume is fun and thoughtful.

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At the forefront, Cold Dead Hands has all of the superhero drama one would expect from a well-written mainstream comic book. There is some fun action, as Black Lightning takes on villains in his city; there is some suspense, as a major villain executes his plan across the city; and there is some character drama, as characters deal with personal issues and even some romances. While all of this is enjoyable, I particularly enjoyed the book’s finale. The book’s final clash makes its seem like the villain has everything figured out only to flip the script in a way that makes Black Lightning out to be a great hero. 

However, where Cold Dead Hands really shines is in the way it feels different from a mainstream comic book. One way in which this happens is through the book’s focus on social issues. Critiques on systemic racism, police, and the exploitation of underprivileged communities are integrated well into the main narrative and help enhance everything that is taking place. Another way in which is happens is through the book’s pacing. The narrative here isn’t constantly focused on action and providing page after page of combat sequences, like some other books out there. It takes the time to develop the characters and showcase them in some less-stressful moments.

The only real problem in the book is that some of the subplots don’t fit together very well. Black Lightning’s new costume gets some spotlight yet is only relevant to the plot for a page or two. White Thunder is set up as a major threat yet has little impact after his clash with Black Lightning. And Usagi only receives a quick introduction before going on to play a major role in the book’s conclusion. It seems like if this was a longer series, these points could have had time to develop further and connect to the main narrative in more meaningful ways. However, the way they are executed here just isn’t that great.

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Art

The artwork in Cold Dead Hands ends up being just alright. Clayton Henry’s work looks clean in most places and has an appealing style to it. It does well in depicting the action-packed scenes and the more emotional moments. However, there are places where character proportions seem a bit weirdly distorted and there are places where faces just look strange. In addition, Yvel Guichet’s style is quite different from Henry’s, so the few Guichet pages in this book clash with the Henry pages. All in all, the artwork in this book is alright but doesn’t quite reach the same level of quality present in the storytelling. 

Continuity

Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands is a mostly standalone miniseries that tells an independent story.

The story from this volume does not directly continue in any specific comic. However, Black Lightning reappears in the Batman and the Outsiders series, starting with Batman and the Outsiders Vol. 1: Lesser Gods (Review).

This volume also references the stories from other comic books, detailed below:

• The first issue of this collection references a different version of Tobias Whale who had an altercation with Black Lightning. Their conflict is depicted across DC Universe Presents #13-16, collected in DC Universe Presents Vol. 3: Black Lightning and Blue Devil.
• References are made to Black Lightning’s connection with Batman. This connection was a feature of the original Batman and the Outsiders series but was generally considered out-of-continuity. However, it was brought back into continuity through a brief scene in Dark Days: The Forge #1, collected in Dark Days: The Road to Metal (Reading Order).