Lightning Strikes
DC vs. Vampires and How We Got Here in the First Place
Thanks for reading Worthwhile Nonsense. Before I jump into the news on the writing front, I wanted to share a quick update about my adopted hometown.
The State of Things in Asheville
The Mannings now have power, internet, phone, and running water, although the water in our reservoir is nowhere near clean enough to drink. But things are progressing: our water went from looking like a hazy IPA to something relatively clear. In the meantime, we’ve found a great spot nearby where we can fill up jugs of potable water.
People here are working around the clock to fix this situation, while other crews continue clearing the fallen trees, fixing roofs, and just generally cleaning up the mess Helene left behind. Honestly, the progress has been nothing short of astounding, and it’s been made possible by local and federal government efforts, private businesses, and volunteers. Most of the roads are back open already, and even Biltmore is welcoming visitors. Many businesses downtown are struggling, though, so tourist money is certainly welcome if you’re doing your holiday shopping anytime soon.
If there’s been one takeaway after Helene and the election, it’s that I continue to be proud of our little hippy mountain town. It’s proven to be a safe haven for people of all walks of life, and I’m not sure we could’ve found a better place to raise our family.
Now on to the comics!
DC vs. Vampires: World War V #4
The first of my new pair of Black Lightning stories is out now at comic shops. DC vs. Vampires: World War V #4 not only continues the main story of a DC Universe overrun by all things vampiric (by Matthew Rosenberg, Otto Schmidt, Pierluigi Casolino, and Tom Napolitano), but it also features the next chapter in our Black Lightning saga, “Keep the Message.”
A sequel to the back-up story we told in the pages of DC vs. Vampires: All-Out War #4 (“Kill the Messenger”), this installment also features art by Acky Bright and a script by me. Tom Napolitano lettered this one, and it was coordinated by then-editor Ben Abernathy. He since passed the reins to editors Ash Padilla and Matthew Levine, who ran this (and our following issue) to the finish line.
So do you need to read anything beforehand to understand our comic? Well, it helps, but it’s not necessary. Ours is a pretty simple story of a man searching for his family in a dystopian world where everything going bump in the night is cause for concern.
Will Black Lightning be reunited with his wife and kids? Are they even still alive, or have they joined the ranks of the undead? Anything can happen in this alternate universe, so be sure to snag your issue now.
From the Batcave
Most people know that I’ve been a big Batman fan since childhood, but the truth is, I’ve loved Black Lightning for just as long. The reason being, I got my start as a comic reader and Batman collector from an issue of Batman and the Outsiders, a 1980’s superteam in which Batman quits the Justice League to form his own strike force. Black Lightning was a founding member of that team, and was featured prominently on the cover to Batman and the Outsiders #10, the first comic book I ever read.
These are my two copies of that particular issue. On the left — with the bent pages and detached cover — is my original. On the right is a later copy I had signed by the issue’s writer, Mike W. Barr, when I met him as a guest of the Akron Comic Con. Mike has written some of my favorite comics, and if you haven’t read his Batman: Year Two, you’re doing yourself a disservice.
As a kid, I poured through the pages of my BATO issue over and over. By the time I was done, I was pretty sure I wanted to work in comics. The story wasn’t anything too exceptional, just one superpowered team fighting another, with a few nice character beats for the issue’s main protagonist, Black Lightning. But it was my entry point to Gotham City, to superheroics, and to the work of several comic book legends.
The book was drawn by then-newbie, Steve Lightle. During the dawn of ebay, I was able to snatch up six pages of Steve’s original art from the issue. Pages 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, and 21 hang on the wall by my desk, constantly distracting me from whatever job I’m supposed to be writing at any given time. This was one of Steve’s first gigs for DC Comics, and while the issue was mostly inked by Sal Trapani, some of its pages were ghost-inked by legendary Batman artist and editor Dick Giordano.
Years later, when I had a chance to chat with Steve, he mentioned that Dick had helped Sal with the inking chores, as Sal was Dick’s brother-in-law. Dick had chosen a few of his favorite pages to ink, including my personal favorite of the bunch, page 15.
Steve would go on to become a big name in comics in his own right in the pages of Legion of Super-Heroes, Flash, and elsewhere. He died much too young at 61 of a covid-related heart attack in 2021.
These pages remain some of my most prized possessions, and the jewels in the crown of my otherwise ridiculous Batman collection. (More Bat-stuff to come in my next newsletter…)
They Call Him Mr. Mirror
My 15-day run writing the Dick Tracy newspaper strip has come to a close, but don’t let that stop you from reading our comic from the beginning! Drawn by fellow longtime Tracy fan, Howie Noel, our two-week Minit Mystery introduces a new villain named Mr. Mirror to challenge everyone’s favorite yellow-clad detective. Howie drew the image above to commemorate our run on the strip, and I’ve had fine art prints made of it to bring around to comic shows next year.
Fingers crossed that we get to return to the strip soon. We have fun plans for Mr. Mirror, including a reveal of his true identity. Tracy fans, get excited!
Read our entire run for free at the gocomics site by clicking here.
