Supergirl creator developing a Black Lightning TV series

Supergirl and Arrow co-creator Greg Berlanti is reportedly developing a series following Black Lightning, one of DC Comics’ first major black superheroes. According to Deadline, Berlanti is working with The Game creator Mara Brock Akil and her husband to get the drama off the ground, and the trio are currently shopping the project to multiple networks.

Black Lightning has the chance to be DC’s highest profile black superhero series to date. Created in 1977 by writer Tony Isabella and artist Trevor Von Eeden, Black Lightning, otherwise known as Jefferson Pierce, is an educator and eventual member of the Justice League with the power to control electrical energy. In the proposed TV series, Pierce will have retired from superheroics, but after his daughter’s life is endangered by his city’s underworld, he willingly steps back into his old alter ego.

The news about Black Lightning comes just weeks before the debut of Marvel’s own black superhero series, Luke Cage, on Netflix. (Interesting wrinkle: Tony Isabella wrote for the Luke Cage comic series before creating Black Lightning.) However, Pierce is far from DC’s first headlining superhero of color. The comics company also aired Static Shock, and is producing the second season of the Vixen animated series for CW Seed. Regardless, it’s a good time to be a DC Comics fan.

http://www.theverge.com/2016/9/1/12754000/greg-berlanti-black-lightning-tv-series-dc-comics