Black Lightning & Katana's Comic Romance is About To Kill Him
In the latest issue of Batman: Urban Legends, Black Lightning is being targeted due to his relationship with the assassin-turned-hero Katana.
Warning! Spoilers ahead for Batman: Urban Legends #2, "Outsiders- Chapter 2"
The Outsiders' Black Lightning may just get himself killed due to his relationship with the assassin-turned-hero and fellow Outsider Katana. In their most recent story featured in Batman: Urban Legends, Jefferson Pierce had been helping Tatsu Yamashiro search for her lost Soultaker sword, which contains the soul of her late husband Maseo. However, both of the former Outsiders were attacked by a clan of monstrous ninjas, and Black Lightning may just pay the price for Katana's actions due to her possible feelings for him.
Outsiders, Caretaker- Chapter 2 from Brandon Thomas and Max Dunbar sees Black Lightning having found and rescued Rex Mason's Metamorpho, all while Katana has been captured by the ninja clan. Surprisingly, the clan's leader is none other than Shiori, the mother of Katana's late husband Maseo, and she's not happy that Katana lost her son's soul and kept it a secret. Likewise, Shiori appears to be some sort of sorceress, commanding vast forces of dragon-esque ninja creatures.
Not only is Shiori displeased with Katana for losing the Soultaker, but she's also angered that Katana might have replaced the love she had for Maseo with Black Lighting. While Katana denies this and says that they're just friends, Shiori believes the sword left Katana intentionally (similar to the will of the One Ring in Lord of the Rings), and that it had abandoned her due to the conflict of her own heart and growing feelings towards Jefferson. As a result, Shiori is no longer content with leaving her son's sword in Katana's hands, determined to punish Tatsu's apparent betrayal of her son by sending her forces to kill Black Lightning before seeking the sword herself. As such, the new chapter ends with Black Lightning fighting for his life (with help from Metamorpho).
While it remains to be seen if Black Lightning and Katana's romance will grow into an actual relationship, there are certainly enough feelings present to warrant Black Lightning risking his life for the woman he loves. While Jefferson and Rex are determined to fight through the entire horde, it certainly seems as though they have their work cut out for them. Likewise, Katana is going to have her own battle to worry about against Shiori, whose power might be too much for Tatsu alone to handle, especially considering that she's without her iconic blade.
It would certainly be interesting if Black Lightning and Katana were to become an official thing in the DC Universe, as it would definitely be new territory for them both. Black Lightning has been struggling to find his place in the world after the Outsiders disbanded, and forming a new romance with Tatsu would certainly be a big new step. Likewise, Katana deciding to be with Jefferson would be huge, as her love for her late husband and desire for revenge over Maseo's death have long been her driving force and core motivation. Hopefully, answers and new insights into their possible relationship will come to light with future issues from DC Comics.