Black Lightning Premiere Review: 6 Ups And 1 Down From 'The Resurrection'

5. A Fully Realised Hero And World

One of the refreshing aspects of this story is that it's not just another origin story; instead, it's a rebirth. Black Lightning has already been a hero and, though we get tidbits in this episode about his past (and will no doubt continue to fill in some blanks), for the most part it simply picks up the story with the mythos of the character already established in this world.

We get an instant feel for the hero's city, with the pilot nicely capturing some of the broken down feel and the current of tension, fear, anger, and violence that runs through it. That too goes for Pierce himself, who feels like a very firmly established character: he's done the superhero game, and is now a matured person wanting to help his community in other ways, but still bristles with anger underneath.

It's impressive to get such a clear sense of character and place in one episode, and should only help Black Lightning in the long run.