Black Lightning is embarrassing. Not that his powers suck: he can generate, project, and absorb electricity. So that's pretty cool. It's not that his first series only ran 12 issues, and that his career played out in other characters' titles. No, it's that he actually wore an afro wig as part of his costume, so that he could appear more "urban" than the olympic athlete that he was. Having already made the Panther-esque hero Luke Cage for Marvel comics, Tony Isabella went one step further for DC's "coloured" content, creating a black man who goes out of his way to talk jive. Throw in a goofy wig and a superhero name that actually references his race and you shouldn't wonder why white people are afraid to sing along to rap music.