Brandon Thomas' DC All In Black Lightning: The Standard made me realize how much I miss the Black Lightning TV show. If hampered in the way all CW shows were hampered, Black Lighting distinguished itself as a family drama and for its grappling with racial issues. Thomas channels Cress Williams in his story (also Christine Adams), and it makes Thomas' Jefferson Pierce someone we want to follow throughout. The use of an obscure Superman antagonist also gives Thomas' miniseries points in my book.

It was enough, for me, to make up for Thomas' bland use of Pierce daughters Anissa (“Thunder”) and Jennifer (“Lightning”). Thomas assumes we know the basics of those characters — here’s where the TV show might be a detriment — and so he never explains their status quo prior to the events of Absolute Power. That makes it difficult to feel for Anissa, especially, throughout her arc in the book. Thomas' character is so different from the one that Nafessa Williams played, and yet given so little background of her own, that I often felt more tentative than I did engaged.