As others have said, it is a good idea but forceful and too on the nose to be effective. Which I find really odd because Prince has done this concept before with extreme effectiveness. This time it felt like he needed to inform people of what is going on in the world but like... dont most of us know it? We use books to escape all the crap he brings up. I do not want to be reminded of reality in this way when I read an ICM book. This might be one of his biggest 'miss' issues. more

great throw-back to the 90s, probably better written than the old stuff. really good start.

Super fun.

I am astounded about Prince’s capabilities. The mix of complexity, psychology and straightforward genre storytelling reminds me of the best moments of Vertigo in its heyday. And Whenever I think I got Prince worked out, he surprises me anew. Must be the most exciting author working in comics today. Just wish he would expand beyond then anthology format and would start a long form series.

The best issue yet. The art is amazing, and the story being told is really well done.

Not bad, but not great either. Ridley writes in prose, which does not take advantage of the comic book medium; the story wouldn't be any different without the images.

The story itself come off as tedious and lacks payoff. Pierce spends most of the book tackling systemic issues by punching "thugs" and tossing bootstraps. He individualizes pretty much everything, including things like the Iran Hostage Crisis, which serves to frame his mindset within the time period but, in effect, also acts as apologetics for Reagan voters.

In the end, Pierce learns the error of his ways, sort of; he's nice to John Stewart... whom he initially disliked even though he didn't know anything about him.

In the end, we walk away from this story without properly acknowledging the root of poverty because punching gangsters ends up legitimately improving the neighborhood... On top of that, the theory that you just need a good teacher to improve a school's performance also proves itself out: I guess we don't need to give them proper funding after all. So, if your neighborhood sucks, it's because you haven't destroyed every human connection in your own personal life by giving 110% as an individual. I don't know that this is the intended message by the writer, but this is my interpretation. more

Exposition History of the DC Universe ft. black characters

Couldn't read all of it and that is a sign of a bad comic.

Black Lightning is portrayed in way where he's a condescending asshole to superheroes and lacks empathy. The writer Ridley tried to be political but the racial discrimination was too on the nose and lacked a certain nuance that would have made this compelling.

Perfect. So much Heart in a marvel book... enjoyed every page and just kept thinking: man, why are there not more comics like this from the big two. I’m shocked how low the resonance was for this issue. For me a 10/10

is this some kind of adaptation or branded stuff? utterly forgettable and joyless. was expecting more from rahal.

Excellent!