I cannot tell you how excited I am for Black Lightning, for many reasons. One, it's the first DC TV show to focus on a black superhero, but he's also not 20 years old. Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams) is a dad and a school principal, and he hung up his suit a long time ago for the benefit of his family. But now his community needs him to be a vigilante again because of the rise of gang called The One Hundred, and that will be a really interesting struggle to see. Plus, it seems like his day job actually matters (unlike some of the other CW superheroes). It's something that The CW has not tried before, but it could be great.

The network has now released the first episodic images from the show, but without any other details yet (other than the synopsis we've seen for awhile). Still, the new photos give us a better look at the suit (which I love), as well as a glimpse at some of the other characters, not to mention Jefferson's role as a principal.

The series, which comes from Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil, premieres Tuesday, January 16th. Check out the new images below:

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Image via The CW
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Image via The CW
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Image via The CW
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Image via The CW
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Image via The CW
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Image via The CW

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BLACK LIGHTNING –– Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams) is a man wrestling with a secret. As the father of two daughters and principal of a charter high school that also serves as a safe haven for young people in a New Orleans neighborhood overrun by gang violence, he is a hero to his community.

 

Nine years ago, Pierce was a hero of a different sort. Gifted with the superhuman power to harness and control electricity, he used those powers to keep his hometown streets safe as the masked vigilante Black Lightning. However, after too many nights with his life on the line, and seeing the effects of the damage and loss that his alter ego was inflicting on his family, he left his Super Hero days behind and settled into being a principal and a dad. Choosing to help his city without using his superpowers, he watched his daughters Anissa (Nafessa Williams) and Jennifer (China Anne McClain) grow into strong young women, even though his marriage to their mother, Lynn (Christine Adams), suffered.

 

Almost a decade later, Pierce’s crime-fighting days are long behind him…or so he thought. But with crime and corruption spreading like wildfire, and those he cares about in the crosshairs of the menacing local gang The One Hundred, Black Lightning returns — to save not only his family, but also the soul of his community.

 

Based on the characters from DC, BLACK LIGHTNING is from Berlanti Productions and Akil Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, with executive producers Greg Berlanti (“Arrow,” “The Flash”), Salim Akil & Mara Brock Akil (“Being Mary Jane,” “The Game,” “Girlfriends”), and Sarah Schechter (“Arrow,” “The Flash”). The Black Lightning character was created by Tony Isabella with Trevor Von Eeden.