The Other History of the DC Universe is a 2020 DC Black Label comic book written by John Ridley, with artwork by Giuseppe Camuncoli and Andrea Cucchi, colors by José Villarrubia, and lettering by Steve Wands. It is a look at the history of the DC Universe, re-contextualizing events from the perspective of the marginalized and minority superheroes.
The first issue, "1972-1995: Jefferson Pierce," takes a deep dive into the personal history of Black Lightning, even as he intersects with the emergence of the Age of Superheroes and the appearance of Black superheroes like John Stewart and Vixen, eventually joining up with The Outsiders.
The second issue focuses on Mal Duncan and Karen Beecher-Duncan, A.K.A. Herald and Bumblebee of the Teen Titans. The third issue follows Katana, while the fourth issue spotlights Renee Montoya. The fifth and final issue focuses on Annisa Pierce, Black Lightning's daughter who goes by Thunder.
For the Marvel Comics equivalent, see Marvels.
Tropes part of The Other History of the DC Universe:
- Adaptational Jerkass: Issues #2 and #5 exemplifies the hypocritical tendencies that writers attached onto Roy Harper as a result of the Aesop Amnesia of Snowbirds Don't Fly such as Bob Haney during the original Teen Titans run and Judd Winick in Outsiders (2003)
- Adaptation Deviation: Issue #4 changes much of the relationship between Renee Montoya and Kate Kane, including their initial meeting and the circumstance that lead to them breaking up.
- Adaptation Distillation: The very premise of the series necessitates condensing months or years of storylines into just a few pages.
- Amicable Exes: What Jefferson and Lynn become. They still love each other, but they don't get back together.
- Badass Teacher: Jefferson Pierce, full stop. He even ends up becoming Black Lightning in an effort to stop the 100 from targeting his students.
- Blaming the Victim: Discussed in issue #3, when Katana is going over the events of The Judas Contract. She pulls no punches in condemning Terra going down in history as a traitor and a sociopath, for the "crime" of being a teenage girl manipulated and statutorily raped by Deathstroke.Katana: History has a convenient way of blaming the victim.
- Book Ends: The first book is told from the point of view of Jefferson Pierce, Black Lightning. The final book is from the point of view of his daughter Anissa, Thunder.
- Central Theme: The series is an examination of the racial politics of the DC Universe as well as the real world to an extent. This means that the audience is bound to get a a Warts and All look at society.
- Issue #1 examines and deconstructs Black Lightning's personality by looking at the reasons why an African-American man in America would be angry. It also calls out the League complacency in society's ills without necessarily making them villains.
- Issue #2 is focused on Malcolm Duncan and Karen Beecher's experiences as the first black members of the Teen Titans. The story is a meta commentary on how DC often had excuses to keep them off the roster and how they were treated whenever they were allowed on the team.
- Issue #3 is focused on Katana and has a brief look at the history of Anti-Asian racism in the US such as the murder of Vincent Chin.
This issue was tragically relevant in light of a spike in racially motivated violence against Asian-Americans. - Issue #5 is focused on Anissa Pierce and the struggles of being a Twofer Token Minority - black, female and gay - being a Spin-Offspring as the daughter of Black Lightning, trying to be a representative of a section of superheroism who had no representative and the dysfunctions of letting worries run your life.
- Character Development: Jefferson starts off disparaging John Stewart for being the "backup" Green Lantern and not doing enough, before he finally meets John and realizes that John was just barely keeping his head above water and was trying not to become overwhelmed by everything. In fact, Jefferson goes through a lot of character development, going from a loner consumed by anger over his father's death to someone who knows the value of friendship and family, returning to his roots as a teacher.
- Comic-Book Time: Noticeable due to recalling in-universe events alongside real-world events—though characters do age, they seem to either age at a slower rate than the world around them, or just not have it affect them as much.
- Continuity Nod: Loads:
- Peter Gambi tells Jefferson the quote, "Justice, like lightning, should ever appear / to some men hope, to other men fear," just as he did in the original Black Lightning #1 comic. And just like in original comics, Peter Gambi was the reformed hitman who had killed Jefferson's dad and ends up Taking the Bullet for Jefferson.
- Batman recruits Black Lightning to help save Lucius Fox from Markovia, just like in the original Outsiders #1. Jefferson even gives the same excuse about why he can't go, although in this version, it's a lie.
- The destruction of Xanshi and John Stewart's failed attempt to save it are mentioned, both of which happened in Cosmic Odyssey #2.
- The first issue ends with Jefferson moving to Brick City to become a teacher again...which he did in Black Lightning (1995) #1.
- Continuity Snarl: Issue #4 entangles Renee's relationship with Daria Hernandez with her relationship with Kate Kane, having Renee see both of them at the same time. Originally, Renee was with Kate first, as she was just a patrol officer when they met. She only met Daria after becoming a detective.
- Deconstructor Fleet: The series as a whole deconstructs the lore of the DCU in huge swaths.
- Doing In the Wizard: Issue #3 drops a massive bombshell that Katana's Soultaker, the infamous cursed sword that steals the souls of those slain by it, is actually just a ridiculous rumor that Tatsu decided to roll with after establishing herself as The Dreaded across East Asia's criminal underworlds. And her reputed mental connection to the souls trapped inside Soultaker? Tatsu was just simply talking to herself as a coping mechanism over the killer she became after the death of her loved ones. In fact, Tatsu admits that she isn't even a real martial artist (she was just a gymnast before she married Maseo) and largely owes her success to approaching combat with a total disregard for her own life as well as capitalizing on the fear of those she hacks into bits.Tatsu: If others were buying into the stereotype that all Asians were masters of martial arts, or that I wielded a devil sword swelled my mythology, then all the better. I was just a widow. The Soultaker was just sharpened steel. But in life, fear is sometimes the most potent weapon.
- Driven to Suicide:
- John Stewart after failing to save the planet Xanshi from being destroyed. Stewart would send his ring away and then try to shoot himself...only for the ring to return and save him from the bullet. Over and over again.
- As in Gotham Central, issue #4 shows that Renee reaches this point as her professional life begins to deteriorate and her alcoholism takes hold. Daria, her girlfriend, again prevents her.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: Issue #4 recounts Renee Montoya's overarching struggle with accepting and being open with her sexuality, an inner turmoil peppered with alcoholism, cheating, pointless violence, and other harrowing details. By the end, having imploded her career as a detective and finding a new purpose as The Question, she finally accepts herself and finds lasting love in the form of Kate Kane.
- Happily Married: Mal and Karen, by the end of issue 2.
- Hypocrite:
- Jefferson's hands off approach to one of his students getting bullied in order to get him to fend for himself (granted he stated he would not let him get hurt), casts a complex light on the criticism he lobbies towards the Justice League not getting involved in the Iranian Hostage Crisis (obviously the incidents are of vastly different scopes, but the spirit of the problem is there).
- Karen points out in the second issue that it was rich in hindsight for Roy Harper to give everyone he saw as “second-stringers” in the Teen Titans so much crap when he was secretly a junkie.
- I Did What I Had to Do: Karen is critical of Superman's decision to shelter his teenage cousin Kara. It isn't until Kara dies during the Crisis on Infinite Earths that Karen realizes that Clark was just trying to protect the last member of his biological family.
- Keeping Secrets Sucks: Jefferson's wife, Lynn, leaves him in part due to his inability to juggle his two lives, and refusing to let her support him as Black Lightning (which she'd long since figured out).
- Issue #5 reveals that this extended to his daughters Anissa and Jennifer as well, which fueled parts of Anissa’s issues with him.
- Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: While the series takes a realistic approach to the DC Universe and doesn't go into too much detail of the mystic side, this trope is most prominent in the Herald and Bumblebee issue; Mal recounts his experiences with the supernatural such as fighting Azrael, the angel of death. Karen says that those experiences were just stress-induced hallucinations.
- Perspective Flip: For the history of the DC Universe.
- Redemption Equals Death: Played With. Jefferson refuses to think this about Peter Gambi. His sacrifice to save Jefferson doesn't make up for killing his father. He instead considers it "only a dramatic suicide."
- Take That!: Issue #3 has a rather scathing and long overdue shot at Deathstroke regarding his relationship to Terra from the Teen Titans. Katana discusses how Terra was remembered as an insane slut who killed herself and deserved it, rather than being acknowledged as a mentally unwell young woman who was groomed, manipulated and repeatedly raped by a child molester. It not only calls out Slade for raping Terra and the double standard about it, but also calls out the fans who applauded Slade for being "a badass" and being "honorable."
- Issue #5 has Anissa tear into Roy Harper and Dick Grayson, remarking that they conceal their Daddy Issues with casual sex and petty rivalry, and it results in The Outsiders being Failure Heroes until Jefferson takes over.
- The miniseries as a whole also takes plenty of shots at Batman, specifically Bruce's blatantly jerkish and manipulative behavior towards his fellow heroes over the years. Every featured protagonist has had at least some negative experience with the Dark Knight to vent about with the exception of Mal and Karen. And even then, the couple have to deal with Dick Grayson, who is constantly described as dealing with the baggage of being raised as the Bat's sidekick.
- Thou Shalt Not Kill:
- Averted with Katana who was a Vigilante Man and assassin before she joined the Outsiders. Over time, she becomes less reliant on lethal force as a first resort but never discards the option entirely.
- Katana is also skeptical that Batman has never killed anyone given how brutal his fighting style is.
- Token Minority: John Stewart and Cyborg are viewed as this in issues #1 and #2.
- The series as a whole deconstructs this trope, showing the effect this has on the heroes themselves, as well as showing that the people who view them that way aren't necessarily perfect.
- Unreliable Narrator:
- Issue #1 is narrated by Black Lightning, who, though he does his best to be accurate, tends to see his bitterness at the inadequacies of other superheroes cloud his judgment on them somewhat. This is best shown in his description of John Stewart, where he's initially pretty scathing, viewing him as an inadequate Token Minority settling for being the substitute Green Lantern. When he actually talks to John, he realizes that his impression was completely off the mark, and actually becomes good friends with him.
- Issue #2 is narrated by both Malcolm Duncan and Karen Beecher. They have differing views on how certain events regarding how the Titans treated them occurred.
- Villains Want Mercy: Tadashi, Katana's original employer, hires Lady Shiva to kill Katana and take Soultaker from her because of its value. After Katana reclaims Soultaker, she hunts down Tadashi for revenge. Tadashi begs for his life but his pleas fall on deaf ears.
- Warts and All: Certain decisions made by superheroes are viewed in a less than flattering light by the point-of-view characters in each issue and the series is a criticism on DC's handling of its racial minority characters over the years. However, the series also gives credit where it is due and the narrators are acknowledged to have their own biases and flaws.
