DC Comics Celebrates Black Lightning’s 50th Anniversary With New One-Shot Special

2027 sees the 50th anniversary of Black Lightning, and DC Comics is marking the occasion not with a birthday cake but with a new 48-page one-shot special celebrating five decades of one of DC’s most iconic black characters. 

DC Power: Black Lightning 50th Anniversary Special will feature a main story by Black Lightning co-creator Jenny Isabella (Black Lightning), Brandon Thomas (Black Lightning: The Standard), and Fico Ossio (Black Lightning: The Standard), as well as back-up stories from writers Danny Lore, Greg Anderson Elysée, and Al Letson and artists Karen S. Darboe, Darryl Banks, and Sedat Özgen.

Expect stories to feature many of Jefferson Michael Pierce’s fellow superheroes, such as the Outsiders, Mr Terrific, Steel and even his ex-wife, Lynn Stewart.

Here’s more:

“In the main story, the celebration finds Black Lightning entrusted with protecting Metropolis while Superman is away. But as an old enemy plots his demise from the shadows, Jefferson will once again have to prove that protecting a community means more than simply winning the fight.

Jefferson Pierce has saved the world countless times, but with another battle for its fate looming on the horizon, does he still have time to repair his relationship with his ex-wife, Lynn Stewart? As Jefferson considers what comes next for the two of them, his responsibilities as Black Lightning continue to pull him in every direction.”

And here’s co-creator Jenny Isabella with her views on contributing to this special and working with newer talents, too:

“I’m excited about the special. As the old lady of the team, I get to work with a bunch of talented ‘youngsters’ who love and respect my creation. Plus, we have an alternate cover by my pal Trevor Von Eeden, the first artist who drew Black Lightning and who is justifiably considered a co-creator of the character and his world. I had a blast returning to these characters. It’s a book that brings the action, the drama, the sense of peril, and the fun. So much fun.”

“As much as it can be said that someone who doesn’t own a character can have a chosen successor, Brandon is mine. Collaborating with Brandon was amazing. He gets Jefferson Pierce in a way only a few writers have. He’s an incredibly gifted, hardworking writer. I think the comics world is just beginning to realize how good he is.”

Brandon Thomas added:

“I discovered Jenny felt this way a few weeks ago, well after we’d agreed to work together on this,” said Brandon Thomas, “and I was incredibly grateful and humbled by her support. It is without a doubt one of the kindest things anyone in comics has ever said about my work and my pursuit to serve and honor characters like Jefferson Pierce. Any opportunity I have to contribute something to his and his family’s legacy will be embraced to the fullest, and doing so alongside his actual creator is something I never imagined possible.”

“It was an honor and an incredible amount of fun, and I think that will show in the story. The theme is quite simply love — for his family, his history, and his presence within the DCU for 50 long years. Here’s to 50 more.”

DC Power: Black Lightning 50th Anniversary Special features a main cover by Edwin Galmon and Andrew Dalhouse, with variant covers by Fico Ossio and Tamra Bonvillain, Trevor Von Eeden and Chris Sotomayor, and a glow-in-the-dark variant cover by Cully Hamner. and is out on 27th January, 2027, from DC Comics.