A superhero for today: young, hip, and cool as hell.
What They Say:
A mysterious tragedy forces the Hawkins family to relocate from Dakota to New York City! Virgil embarks upon new adventures in a new high school and a new internship at S.T.A.R. Labs and as Static, he dons a new uniform and establishes a new secret headquarters!
The Review:
Static Shock was one of those series in the new 52 that I didn’t care about at all. I have no idea who Static is, I’ve never read him in a previous comic, and the PR just wasn’t there to try and coerce me. But one of the things I enjoy is trying something new that seems even in the most remote way that I might like it. With that, Static Shock is pretty damn cool.
This book seems to try and shove as much stuff as possible into it but pulls it off really well. We meet our hero, we get a taste of his powers, we meet his family, we get an exciting, fun fight immediately, and we get….physics? Throughout the fight that opens the series, Static is constantly making comments about how physics and energies work. It’s what he does. He uses the laws of physics in conjunction with his powers to THINK about how to combat his enemy. Not just thinking in terms of strategy but thinking about how to scientifically stop the bad guy. I thought this aspect was pretty cool. It’s kind of like Firestorm in that way, just physics instead of chemistry. So we have this 16 year old, we get a glimpse at his family life, his personality, his heroics, and his nemeses. Through the first fight we are introduced to a conspiracy in the making and a new battle to lead us into the next issue. The villains certainly look cool enough and may just be bad enough to provide a challenge for our young upstart. Besides, the final splash page shows they can do damage and that anything is possible with this series.
While it isn’t stand alone, it is extremely easy to get into. We are introduced to the hero and story quickly and with wit, the enemy is shown but not fully explained which gives me a pull to keep reading and find out more, and most importantly the issue doesn’t act as if we need to know anything outside of these pages. Static Shock is the kind of series DC should be pushing a lot harder than they are. It has wit, humor, action, and the ability to be relevant to the modern age without any alienation or pretentiousness. The best part is that it is not forced. This issue grows very organically in the way it creates the world and hero and gives the comic world something we need more of…an extremely likable, intelligent, and awesome minority role model.
In Summary:
Static Shock seems really under the radar to me and was a complete “Why the heck not” purchase. But this issue brings something different to the table that we could use more of. It isn’t incredibly violent and bloody, it is something that all age groups could really enjoy, and it is fun and hip without really trying. There doesn’t seem to be any walls Static Shock needs to break down in order to be successful in terms of story telling, the art is top notch by the way, and characterization is on track; people just need to actually buy the series. Fans of the Cartoon Network animated DC shows would really love this but I implore more people to check it out as well; give Static a chance he won’t disappoint.
Grade:B+
