Black Lightning's Crazy Comics History - Comic Tropes (Episode 86)

[@HCC788]

I had some thoughts! My first thought is, the writers of the comics of that era may have seen a lot of Blaxploitation films, which also sometimes put "Black" in the title. Like Black Caesar. Could this have been inspired by the Black is Beautiful movement from the 60s? The only other super hero I can think of that was a teacher was Greatest American Hero from TV. There were probably more, but that's all I can think of.

[@HollowGolem]

Spiderman for a while. The Atom sometimes.

[@ll7868]

HoodedCobraCommander788 Dangit! Your comment put The Greatest American Hero theme song in my head. 🎼"...who coud it beeee? Believe it or not it's just meeee!"🎼

[@TheArchersTungsten]

Believe it or not I’m walking on air

[@MrThankman360]

Yea, we in the present sometimes forget (or ignore) how things were for people in the past. We have a tendency to judge ppl of the past by standards of the present. It's egotistical, short-sighted, and unfair.

[@Udgrasil13]

The Huntress (Helena Rosa Bertinelli) from DC is an English teacher

[@bahmat]

Black Vulcan (Harvey Birdman Attorney At Law): "You think I named *myself* Black Vulcan? Hell, no! I used to go by Supervolt. "Black Vulcan" was Aquaman's idea. And I said, well, maybe we should just call you White Fish."

[@Jarejander69]

In your pants.

[@HetLedie]

I'll tell you why all black superheros have electric powers. the the Black POWER movement...[cue snare drum]

[@jhusseyIII]

You joke, but given the way white creators handled early black characters I wouldn't be surprised if this informed the decision to give black characters electric powers. It doesn't even need to be a negative thing, either; see the book The Power, where women gain the ability to produce electric shocks. The book is a social commentary about power dynamics, maybe electricity was being used in a similar, less refined way back then.

[@damachilous]

That's a pretty good one.

[@DemonicRemption]

@@jhusseyIII I was about to comment how despite HetLedie making a joke, there might have been some truth to it.

[@roymakescomics]

You joke, but that's legitimately why lol

[@blackphoenix77]

Dwayne McDuffie and Tony Isabella (I think he was involved) actually created a character that was a homage/parody of the Black Bomber, the Brown Bomber, in Justice League of America #26 (2008). He was an obese white guy who turned into a super powered black dude whenever he shouted "Black Power!" He was bigoted, although it was seriously toned down from what the Black Bomber would've been like. In fact, when he turned Black, he originally asked Vixen if he could use the N-word; she told him absolutely not. DC editorial cut the line, so there's simply a panel with no dialogue balloons where he originally asked the question. *P.S. NEVER SHOCK YOURSELF EVER AGAIN.*

[@jonbodhi]

“If I saw Superman flying around with cornrows in his hair, I’d suspect Clark Kent a lot less!” Damn! I laughed for about two minutes straight. 👍

[@Quiro26]

Dude don,t that again! Great video, vey informative. By the way i remember a skit in SNL when Simbad the comedian playing Black Lighting goes to Supermans Funeral (this was way back in the 90's during the Death of Superman storyline). And the other heroes dont recognize him. Very funny skit.

[@jamesgreen8648]

I just saw that skit. Thanks for pointing it out. It was really funny.

[@bae_ofpigz]

Has anyone actually seen Bill O’Reilly and Shaquille O’Neal in the same room?

[@garyp3472]

That could be said of Bill Oreilly and pretty much any black man.

[@behindthescenesphotos5133]

@@garyp3472 Scroll through his guest list on IMDB. Not too many athletes, but Reggie White and Daryl Strawberry were among them.

[@bennett4789]

⁠did you really scroll through bill o’reilly’s imdb just to find two black guys he had on? to prove what? that bill o’reilly ISN’T racist? what a spectacular amount of effort for such an unconvincing defense

[@Acrocanthosaurus]

Then provide us with evidence of his racism. If you can. @@bennett4789

[@RockOfLions]

Unless I miss the intent of the OP it isn't that Bill O'Reilly is racist but that he's actually Shaq, a la has anyone seen Bruce Wayne and Batman in the scene room out Clark Kent and Superman? All that said, what has Bill O'Reilly done or said that is decisively racist. Being conservative doesn't count.

[@HyenaDandy]

I think the reason that black people are usually given lightning powers is that black superheroes typically have dark skin. A shocking observation, I know. Superhero design is fundamentally based (at least in a large part) on color blocking. A classic superhero hero should be recognizable even in a slight sketch or cartoon caricature. One of those large blocks of color is going to have to be the face, and you'll want something that stands out against the face. If the face is light, you want something noticeably darker, and if the face is dark, you want something lighter. That's why, while it's not unheard of, it's pretty rare to have a white superhero who wears yellow, AND that yellow doesn't have a noticeable dark border between skin and suit (Like Sentry) or the hero has a mask that covers at least half their face (Iron Fist, Hawkman.) It's not impossible, but it happens. Typically, black heroes will have to have either yellow or white as a noticeable part of their costume. And typically, the more dark colors there are, the less of the hero's face is visible. As a result, the easiest costume to design specifically to look good on a black person is going to have an electricity theme.

[@bouelf]

There are so many types of powers that could make for great iconic designs, electricity doesn't have to be the go to one. Look at Power Man, Black Panther, or ShadowHawk, great looks and no electricity powers.

[@damachilous]

I actually like this take on why. This makes plenty of sense. The comic industry has to overcome many challenges, one of which is inking and coloring. So this makes great practical sense.

[@g_oduofthenorth9618]

@@bouelf I think it's more that, when you think about it, there are very few white characters who do electricity, except electro, and he's not always white. Not all black characters should be electrically based, but I don't think there's any interest in a white electricity-based hero, because that's so hard to color right. The few times I recall a white hero becoming electric, like superman that one time, or that one enemy he has in the cartoon, their skin turns blue. I think the only way it really works is if you make the lightning more gold than bright white, and try to embrace some greek and roman mythology motifs, but you notice even with pictures of Zeus casting a lightning bolt in old paintings, they tend to make him cast in shadow as if he's in a thunder cloud, making the lightning bolt the only source of light.

[@TWH442]

Interesting theory.

[@mobyt.3900]

that makes sense. Luke Cage used to always wear a yellow shirt. oh, and a big chain belt.

[@Rometiklan]

HahA! Awesome vid! There aren't too many youtubers willing to take a tazer hit for his viewers. I salute you, sir! Thanks for shedding some light on a relatively misunderstood era of comics.

[@antonydrossos5719]

As a kid watching "Superfriends" on Saturday mornings, I didn't know the word "token", but I knew Black Vulcan was BS, obviously because I never saw him in any comic books

[@TJRtheOriginal]

I can't believe you just did that! ....Anyways, I just subscribed.

[@s0r03]

So close to his heart too....no fun ( even watching was painful)

[@jacobhexum7017]

that could have killed you they sometimes stop your heart

[@caincha]

I was going to say that....

[@northprime_unlimited]

Man that shock deserved a subscription 🤣 You literally keep it REAL I did not think you were gonna do that.😂 Your channel is GREAT!!👍🏽

[@animation1234111]

I don't think it's so much a weird coincidence, since of the black lightning-based hero seems easily traceable to me. Most of the characters you mentioned were directly lifted or otherwise derived from Black Lightning (his supporting cast, Black Vulcan, Stactic) or have lightning as just one of their many powers (like Storm).

[@aldi404]

The end of the video is really "shocking", Chris please don't kill yourself just to make a funny gag at the end ^^

[@timogul]

I would be willing to bet that most of the black heroes with electric powers are just inspired by Black Lightning himself. I mean he was one of the most prominent black heroes for a while, he was in the cartoon, a lot of the creators of the 90s and 00s grew up on the Superfriends, so maybe characters like Static were just their own variation on Black Lightning. As for Miles, I would be willing to bet that was just Bendis being inspired by one of his favorites, Jessica Drew Spider-Woman. Miles' venom blast is very similar to hers. That seems more coincidence than anything.

[@IamE0N]

He's not a superhero, but there's also the movie version of Electro.

[@nosonico867]

Oh yeah your right. That kinda seems racist if you just hear about it like that.

[@behindthescenesphotos5133]

And Shocker in Homecoming.

[@MichaelWhismanACBA]

A hero whose day job is baking donuts - Lars of the Stars Steven Universe fan confirmed!

[@elmori616]

I was checking no one comented on this... But you beat me.

[@bahmat]

Garnet doesn't have lightning powers though

[@streakyanchovy]

@@bahmat She actually kinda does. It's the thermoelectric effect caused by a combination of Ruby's pyrokinesis and Sapphire's cryokinesis. steven-universe.fandom.com/wiki/Garnet

[@joebaker5581]

"It would be like Bill Oriely turning into Shaq in times of trouble". Sweet Gorilla Jebus I'd watch that show!

[@abelvicuna6330]

The reverse would be way better! Shaq becoming Bill O'Reilly!

[@thekingofcheese9005]

I think it's honestly possible that the first black superhero having electricity powers could have been a coincidence, then later writers just got influenced, either consciously or without realizing it.

[@minipaintermatt]

I had never heard of black lightning before i saw the series on Netflix. Was cool to see that he and his wife had been through the whole superhero thing like how haven't more superheroes had that conversation. Omg you actually shocked yourself

[@jakenap7184]

I wanna see Garth Ennis take on the challenge of doing the Black Bomber, that would be ridiculous

[@TheJohno95]

You forgot Black Manta!!!!

[@toonbat]

At least in his case they would make a little more sense, since there are relatives of the manta, called skates, which do have electric powers in real life.

[@bfdidc6604]

Black Manta was kinda retconned into being black after many years of just being a masked villain.

[@CuriousCritter17]

Black Manta so he must be a black man. That makes it just as bad.

[@TheJohno95]

@@CuriousCritter17 But....He wears a black suit. And he's definitely a cool villain. The best Aquaman has got, anyway.

[@Paul_The_Spaceman]

And now Black Noir.

[@nickdirienzo2849]

Speaking as a fan, I come for your charm and ability to make comics feel new again even if you've read it before. You don't have to do stunts that could possibly harm you, I find you have enough wit in your humor to stay away from slapstick.

[@articuliere]

And thus you became White lightning.. or Masochisticman...

[@ComicTropes]

I wouldn't do that again.

[@DoveAlexa]

I think he's been Masochisticman for years now. Just remembering that Butter Soda he drank.

[@spendilten]

the taser sounds cool for a flash badguy

[@Udgrasil13]

@Michael Freed That was actually kind of addressed in the comics by Frank Miller. Guy called the Gladiator (Melvin Potter) designed some Costumes for Daredevil and for some Supervillains in New York.

[@damachilous]

My take on why black superheroes are primarily given electric based powers is based on a stereotype. The electric personality. Especially around the civil right era and you can see it very prominently now. Most public black figures exhibit what is called an electric personality. Dynamic, intriguing, charismatic, and intriguing are a few ways to describe it. During the era the trope began you didn't have to look hard to find it MLK, Malcom X, the leaders of the Black Panther movement (Huey P Newton, Bobby Seals), Muhammad Ali, and many others. How do you express the personality of black culture in a superhero in comic book form? Super strength, personality based powers, or cultural pride? All would be a positive way to represent the public perception of black culture. Or you could use electricity as a visual representation of the public perception of black cultural icons. Electric personality.

[@TheAdarkerglow]

As an electrician, I have a certain love of lightning, and in so far as I can find, it's been traditionally a symbol for Retribution, particularly Divine Retribution. But now, in a more contemporary view, the lightning bolt and electricity tend to be associated with civilization, with running electricity and through it enlightenment and power over the forces of nature. But I'm not sure why people would feel the need to give those powers to Black Superheroes.

[@xcar0982]

I think the black super hero with lighting powers is s reference to the Epic of Mwindo, a character from African folklore which powers includes lightning.

[@violagreene4643]

I think "black superheroes with electrical powers" thing isn't really as much of a thing as it is sometimes presented as. Lightning is Black Lightning's daughter, so she is more of an extension of him than a separate occurrence. Similarly, cartoon characters like Black Vulcan, Black Power, Soul Power, and Juice were created as deliberate analogs of Black Lightning. They also shouldn't really count. Storm controls the weather, so lightning is only a small part of her powers. And Static was created as part of a deliberately more ethnically diverse superhero line up in the Milestone universe. There was likely going to be an electrical hero in there no matter what and said hero was likely to be black.

[@MudflapNichols]

I mentioned the trope of comics calling black heroes "Black (fill in the blank)", and how silly I thought it was, in another one of your videos, before I saw this video. Now I feel stupid. Especially because, like you, when I tried to remember them all, there weren't as many as I thought there were. But it does seem like in the 70s and 80s, if you were a black super hero, your name was Black Something.

[@FilmTrekk]

bruh that taser at the end tho 😂😂

[@splashthefly9039]

The black superheroes and lightning power trope has probably something to do with the colour scheme. I mean, lightning is usually yellow, white or blue. All those colours go well with a darker skin tone. You guys know what I mean (also a weird fashion tip perhaps).

[@Comedyteamz]

4:12 hold up...so the they wanted to pitch a white racist that turns into a black super hero....that may just be the best idea I heard this week.

[@clarisacalderon9555]

maybe lightning is just a attractive power? I remember for a while zatch bell, Pikachu and static shock were popular around each other. its not a instantly aggressive power like fire. and it is actually pretty versatile as it can stun a opponent. be used to affect the environment. it can be amplified and dampened in a easily understood way so if it comes into contact with other powers in can change things up

[@ComicTropes]

It's a great power. It just seems like there could be a reason, perhaps an unconscious one, that leads to so many black heroes with lightning powers.

[@thomaskrogh85]

you know i think your on to something but maybe electric powers aren't popular powers for hero's but villeins are very popular with electric

[@zazenwind]

@@ComicTropes Maybe because it's less common than super strength or fire, creators used it to set newer characters apart.

[@trodgerable-u4i]

i also remember cole macgrath from infamous being a poster boy for Sony and the PS3 for quite a few years around the same time, lightning powers are indeed extremely cool.

[@AL-jg4pr]

@@ComicTropes Could it be because of the contrast of lightning and dark skin?

[@ochopantejardinero3327]

After this episode I would really love a Milestone media one with all the black superheroes.

[@MoarCheeseBirb]

There's another example of the black superhero with lightning powers that makes the trope even more weirdly consistent. Electro! Originally a white character, he was played by black actor Jamie Foxx in a Spiderman movie.

[@tonebone7449]

This is the first channel I have ever subscribed to. You took a taser for me. You have my undying loyalty.

[@dinkydotzero]

Black superheroes with electric powers is a play on the Black Power movement in the 60s and 70s. I know silly but true. So in the eyes of old 50-year-old Jewish guys power = Electricity. And the trope is born

[@frankrostko5769]

Damn!!! That was hard core dude!

[@moonled]

Gambi the tailor was introduced in The Flash 41 as a tribute to prolific Silver Age letter column writer and fandom organizer Paul Gambicini as a tailor specializing in super-villain outfits, because had written a letter to the Flash editor, later published in the letter column, asking the question, "Where do all these super-villains get their costumes?"

[@poisoned_ginsing7764]

I'm not gonna lie, I miss the old intro, but I could get used to this new one. Awesome video as usual though, much love Chris😊

[@WildBluntHickok]

I think with the "black superheroes with electricity powers" trope it's just a matter of Black Lightning being the original archetype. It doesn't go deeper than that and doesn't have a reason. Personally I would've expected Luke Cage's powerset to be the most overused one for black superheroes. Heh, imagine if the trope were "almost every black superhero has dream travel powers and is a poet". It'd be interesting to have such an artsy stereotype around instead of something more physical and street level. And considering how many black youth want to grow up to be a famous rapper the "poet" part would work.

[@Clockwonk]

White Tiger is kind of funny considering every White Tiger is hispanic.

[@seandarbe2521]

The Vodoun religious beliefs of the Caribbean and the American gulf Coast include a lightning God.

[@tartanphantom]

Another good episode, Chris. Now I think you qualify for that "Don't Tase Me Bro!" T-shirt that you've obviously had your eye on... :D

[@slothman1016]

The Bombastic Black Bigot has a nice ring to it.

[@thephantomscreamer2917]

Kudos to you too taking that taser shot, but seriously, all you have to do is look this stuff up on KZbin to see the effects. I'm surprised that you're surprised at how much it hurts.

[@cultofj3777]

I have some kind of an old convention zine from the late 70s that briefly mentions black superheroes of the decade. The writer references 'Say it Loud' by James Brown as an influence and that 'black' is in these character's names because they are proud to be and represent black heroes. I've never seen this written anywhere else but it makes sense to me. Although the idea that the writers were just lazy and drew influence from blaxploitation films is probably more accurate.

[@vitor262]

Omg you tasered yourself close to the heart

[@benadrylthundercrotch7144]

I seem to remember that early on black lightning would talk jive to further his secret identity, which I thought was pretty clever

[@nerdgentcare9989]

Outstanding episode again!! Can’t believe you did that at the end. Also your comments section is as good as your videos.

[@reedlipsey8205]

I can not believe you stun gunned yourself......hilarious

[@petersmith9633]

Ironically, there was a movie named White Lightning after the titular character as well as a grade of moonshine. It seems odd that you would have to add White to Lightning since all lightning is white, but there you go. Good stuff SkunkApe. BTW, why did you choose Skunk Ape? Into Bigfeet?

[@APIEngineering]

As for the Black Heroes having electrical based powers, I think it's just that, back during the 70's, they knew they needed more black super heroes, and well, there weren't a lot of heroes with lighting powers at the time. Also electrical based powers were thought of as kinda weak back then,so the thinking was, white comics fans wouldn't complain too much about a black character with mere "zappy powers". If they had made a black guy that was equal to Superman, there woulda been some controversy. When they made that comic with Mohammad Ali fighting Superman, it was a big deal, but then they said Supes wasn't using his full powers or whatever.

[@buttersstotch2014]

The guy on CW’s black lightning is an amazing actor

[@stuflames4769]

I'm not going to lie. With a badass writer behind him, Black Bomber could have been super interesting.

[@ROBOTTORETRO]

I worked on the second season of this show and while it wasn't the best show I've worked on, it was absolutely one of the best experiences I've had working for any company out of 12 years of production

[@Spikex1]

Holy crap! If nothing else after that zap, kudos for keeping it together enough to do the outtro. I definitely don't know if I would've been able to pull that off without needing to take a minute to compose myself first.

[@g_oduofthenorth9618]

I was thinking about the deal with black superheroes and electricity for a while, but then you asked the question yourself and it hit me: In a comic book, giving a white character electricity powers means that all of their panels are extremely low contrast. You either gotta give them a bunch of something else like green for electro, making them look ridiculous, or you gotta eventually turn them into a being of electricity, again, like electro. Electricity has high contrast if a black person is summoning it, because it shows up against their skin better than a white person, and so their costume doesn't have to be as elaborate. The electricity itself can also go into more extreme whites and blues, rather than darker golds and yellows. I think it becomes more obvious when you realize that while not all black superheroes have electric powers, most characters in comic books with electric powers are black. I mean, right now, the only white characters who I can think of with electric powers are electro (sometimes,) and... maybe flash or shazam? But they don't actually have electric powers, they just have bolts of lightning associated with them. Am I forgetting someone?

[@darylchurch2115]

I'm pretty sure Jon Stewart the black Green Lantern was originally known as Black Lantern.

[@lo1bo2]

Holy cow, I didn't think you were actually going to shock yourself!

[@ComicTropes]

I would not do it again.

[@blackphoenix77]

ComicTropes Please don't

[@raaulm2166]

This is 4 years late but shango is an African God from the yoruba religion that originated in Nigeria , he is the main god and the God of thunder and lighting, (In some versions he is also the god of fire) he is like an African Zeus

[@d36williams]

"I think having a tailor as a friend would be a benefit for any superhero" -- you would know! Don't use a stun gun near your heart if you can avoid it

[@louisalectube]

I never realized there were so many black superheroes with electrical powers! The more you learn...

[@RoachTheBoyWonder]

This was my favorite episode so far lmao the taser made me laugh out loud

[@scorpionzen]

Black Lightnings original power set had nothing to do with electricity. He had a magnetic belt that could create force fields. I don’t remember him have actual Lightning powers until Batman and the Outsiders in the early 80’s.

[@rorylumley4727]

He has hardly any black in his coustume blue is his main coustume color shouldn't he be blue lightning.

[@ComicTropes]

That's kind of a cool name, too.

[@jackmythos299]

Green Lantern John Stewart predates Black Lightning

[@joeysopinion4463]

I looked it up and apparently there is a God called Shango, he’s the God of thunder and lightning in African mythology, so there’s that that could culturally explain the connection to all of the black superhero’s with electricity based powers

[@LeeLightfoot]

and having Barbara Hanna be a thief!

[@rico1981]

Black Bomber!!!! Wow!!!! What a great story!!!!!!! 👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿

[@stefanschleps8758]

Hey Comic Tropes. Well, well, well. Its about time. Guess what? I am the creator of ''Black Lightning'' He is my idea! Complete with the double lightning bolts on the front of his costume. He is my idea. I sent DC comics the idea for him way back in the very early 70's or late 60's but probably as early as 1971. And certainly by 1973. It could actually have been '69 or '70. But we were STONED back then. And based him on a black dude that lived down the street. A guy I befriended as the hippie movement went into full swing. In my little neighborhood one mile from the NSA. Marvel already had the Black Panther. So I thought DC needed a black super hero too. My friend read comics. When he found out I was a DC fan he grimaced that they were racist, because they didnt have a black super hero and Marvel did. And so, as a way to honor the friendship I had with this older black cat, I created Black Lightning. Of course DC Comics never even sent me a proper thank you. Or any money. Or even any credit. But they did send me a card that said something to the effect that they would pass my idea around the ''bull pen''. But after that I never heard back from them. It wasn't long before they fleshed my idea out in a short lived comic cameo or maybe his own comic. But, yeah, glad you like him. And now he's had his own TV series.Too bad nobody knows about my creativity. They might offer me a job if they did. I recently created another character, a few of them for a comic strip I'm interested in working on. Thanks fior giving MY CREATION some publicity. Hope everyone likes the idea. ( Help?) Peace, its good karma. P.S. It was 1977 ?! Damn that was some good hash. Thanks again for representing. (Oh yeah, and several years later. I actually got hit by a bolt of lightning! Burned a hole through my shoe.)

[@JakobNoone]

I created Superman, man. It was 1938 or 1978 or something - man, we did a lot of Muscatel back then. And snorted a bunch of dehydrated cologne! Of course Harvey Comics never credited me! I created him because this one dude I tripped with back in the day always wore a blue sweater so I was like "Someone should create the superhero" - so I did. Too bad no one knows how creative I am. Gadfrey, we did a cow's udder full of drugs every night back then. I'm working on a new creation, too - based on bats! PS: It was 1977? That's the year I made Star Wars! I cut my friend's hand off with a laser sword! Because of all the black tar heroin and angel dust I don't remember all the details, but it involved Tunisia and smuggling pills through customs inside a rolling robot shell we kept a dwarf in. Wow!

[@kenansavage11]

Maybe the “Black hero with electric powers” trope is a play on the hole “Black power” line used in equal rights campaigns?

[@cecilDisharoon]

Stay tuned for the shock ending!!

[@ComicTropes]

Quite literally.

[@buttersstotch2014]

Dude you actually tazed yourself? Nice dude- you got balls I would never do that shit lol

[@MoarCheeseBirb]

Glad to see the Super Friends stuff come up. That situation with Hanna Barb is so entertaining.

[@TevyaSmolka]

Great video on black lighting man

[@ComicTropes]

Tevya Smolka Glad you liked it.

[@TevyaSmolka]

your welcome :)

[@comicbooks3054]

Just saw that video! I love the show but when you tasered yourself I couldn’t stop laughing! I work with those and I’ve been tased, no one understands how much those things really hurt!! 😂😂

[@revolutionarycinemaproduct6612]

Massive props to chris for taking that tazer like a fucking champ.

[@cosmoissleeping]

Constantine is not a superhero comic. At least not the vertigo stuff which is the only stuff anyone should read involving him

[@marksanford8237]

The example of "Black" names has puzzled me some, but I will point out that there actually are black panthers so that one is negated. Black Goliath dropped the "black" name. Reason given, 'you can see that I AM black'.

[@rasheduldeepon8733]

The ending to this episode was shocking!

[@rogerkhan1165]

15:00 Just finished watching your video on Dwayne McDuffie. I'm going to post there too. Sorry you felt you had to shock your self, but but black and lightning are part of the cultural myths. Shango was a lightning god and Oya was a storm goddess.

[@Sam-uz3ov]

I maybe creators give black characters lightning powers is cuz they think the whiteness of the lightning contrasted against the character looks cool

[@cruddddddddddddddd]

What??!! I can’t believe he tased himself 😂 😂😂😂😂😂 Okay. Whew. Almost choked on my cola. Storm also has lightning powers. Good observation.

[@euinemmett6445]

I’ve always wondered about the black ppl with lighting powers ever since I was a lil kid wondering when my lighting papers would kick in! A few years ago I read an article (not sure if true) where scientist had either theorized or proved that skin with a high melanin content (darker skin) has some chemical make up making it possible to conduct or direct electrical energy. I won’t say that’s why it’s been a troupe for so long but that article finally gave me some kind of answer lol.

[@Ratciclefan]

You forgot Soul Power from Static Shock :P He was another case of an animation wanting to use Black Lightning but DC not wanting to pay Tony Isabella the royalties

[@grownassedgamergamer807]

You actually unwittingly answered your own question. Shango The Thunderer is based on Shango The Orisha from African Mythology who was said to have created Thunder and Lightning and wielded a large axe. He was basically African Thor lol

[@Makeroomformushrooms]

Omg, I loved that shock bit, watched it a few times, hilarious the look on your face! Now you know how it feels to be black when the cops pull ya over 😂😂😂 are you aware of UK comic Viz, I'd love to see your take on it, I think you should start with the annual, the dogs bollocks😂😂

[@densealloy]

Billy Graham was awesome! Look at that cover of like cage #15 at 3:10 He was so good always loved his work. No one ever talks about him. To bad.

[@HIMMBelljuvo]

Well, the melanin that black people possess is Selenium based and Selenium is a good conductor of electricity so maybe that's why

[@ComicTropes]

HIMMBelljuvo Wow, a scientific take!

[@damachilous]

That's true but I doubt the comic book editors and creators thought that through.

[@RighteousBrother]

Learnt a lot of stuff I didn't know. Great work!

[@imdoneplus]

My favorite theme song “COMB MICK TROPES!”

[@pauldesigncomics2625]

There’s Tempest from Doom Patrol.

[@bouelf]

Here's another black character with electricity powers: Rapture from Savage Dragon!

[@Walawalacookie]

I know this is an old one but I just wanna say, I love your videos. Please don't get yourself killed with a tazer. XD

[@MrSafior]

I may have a theory aboot Black power with eltrecity power. Since a lot of stupid people associated black people to savagery, stupidty and other awfull stereotype; maybe associate them with the pinnecale of modernity and technology, electrecity; was a way to avoid this association.

[@franklinboyd123]

Every character you mentioned, except Storm and Spider-Man, are derived from or knock offs of Black lighting himself. Storm, as a Tribal African, just like the Native American Heros, all has nature powers. The Steel, War Machine, Cyborg, Death Lok thing is a head scratcher but probably a coincidence... I'm an African American and a high school history teacher AND a bootleg comics historian...

[@elmori616]

Super hero that works baking donuts... Nice, I wanna see that

[@shocknix]

Black Characters tend to have lightning powers because by the time they are introduced, most of the other popular elements and powers are attributed to other characters. Fire and Ice/Water go early and same with super strength and speed.