Lightning Man #2 and #3 Review

Lightning Man is an independent superhero comics written and illustrated by my friend Leightnon Conor. As you can probably tell by th epic, it comes in digest size, rather than typical comic dimensions. The series is about Blake Robinson, a young man from Queen City, Ohio stuck by mystic lightning and granted superpowers. You can read my review of issue 1 here. Today I'm going to talk about issues 2 and 3.

Issue 2 focus on a fight between Lightning Man and cyborg nazi, Silver-Styke and the inner dialogue Blake is having during the fight. I like the fact that he's a socially conscious young man it shows with his commentary on the police that are watching the fight. The issue is an excellent mix of action and an examination of our young protagonist, who he really is, and why he does what he does.  Honestly, I think it's my favorite issue so far. 

Issue 3 starts connecting Lightning Man's tale to the past and great world. We see flashbacks to WWII and Blake's grandmother, Isobel. There is also mention of a hero that wore the symbol that gave Blake his powers. We're presented with panels of Blake interacting with his best friend and costume designer, Marisol. He fights a few villains and even teams up with the leader of the Supernova Six. He finally gets the courage to ask out his crush. The pair have an interaction and Blake shows his true character. The issue ends with Blake meeting a friend of his grandmother's, Marvo the Magician, who brings a dire warning.

I am really enjoying Lighting Man. Leighton has created a wholesome and hopeful superhero story, something of a rarity these days. The artwork is fun and there's some nice world building involved. I appreciate Leighton bringing in superheroes from the public domain. I'm really interested in seeing where the story goes. 

Use the links below to get your own copies of Lightning Man.

Issue #1

Issue #2

Issue #3

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My review of issue 1 included stats for Lightning Man. I've been updating those stats as more issues are released. I've decided to include the most up to date version here. 

Code Name: Lightning Man

Real Name: Blake Robinson

Team Affiliations: -

Medium Humanoid, Lawful Good

Armor Class: 16 (Dex, Costume, Static Field)

Hit Points: 76 (8d8+40)

Speed: 30 ft.

Challenge: 3 (700 XP)

Str 20 (+5) Dex 16 (+3) Con 20 (+5) Int 15 (+2) Wis 13 (+1) Cha 12 (+1)

Saving Throws: Con +5, Int +4

Skills: Insight +3, Perception +3, 

Damage Immunity: lightning

Senses: Perception 13

Languages: English

Traits

Regeneration: Lightning Man regains 10 hit points are the start of his turn if he has at least 1 hit point remaining.

Actions

Multiattack:  Lightning Man makes two Lighting Punch of Kraka-Zap! attacks.

Lightning Punch: Melee Attack. +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d4+5) bludgeoning damage plus 3 (1d6) lightning damage.

Kraka-Zap!: Ranged Weapon Attack. +5 to hit, range 50/150 ft., one target, Hit: 12 (2d8+3) lightning damage. 

Kraka-Boom! (Recharge 5-6): Ranged Weapon Attack. +3 to hit, range 50/100 ft., one target, Hit: 39 (8d8+3) lightning damage and adjacent creatures must make a DC 13 Constitution save. They take 12 (2d8+3) lightning damage, half of that on a successful save.