Comic Review: Static Season One #1

Static: Season One #1

DC Comics

Writer: Vita Ayala

Artist: ChrisCross, Nikolas Draper-Ivey

Static, the most famous face of Milestone Comics returns in a new series by Vita Ayala. The character of Virgil Hawkins has been around since the ’90s. A teenager was given the power to control electricity after attending a protest in which an experimental tear gas was used on the crowd. At one point Static’s animated show was second in popularity only to Pokemon. Despite that, the character has largely fallen by the wayside since then. Now, DC is hoping to revive the popularity of the character but will the book electrify its target audience?

The story, following on from the Milestone Returns Infinite Edition covers the aftermath of Virgil discovering his electrical powers. Since attacking a bully who had gained superpowers in a similar manner to him things have changed for Virgil. The soon-to-be Static has been left worrying about how his new powers will affect his daily life. Will his friends be scared of him? Will he be expelled? On top of this, his home life has changed drastically since attending the Black Lives Matter protest where he got his powers. Things have become tenser as Virgil’s family worries about his safety.

The book does a good job of making Virgil relatable. Once you take the superpowers out of it, these are all feelings common among teenagers. What will be the repercussions of standing up for yourself? How will your family react once they find out you did something dangerous? Tying this origin story into the Black Lives Matter protests also helps ground the book in reality. At the same time, this allows the book to delve into the political commentary that Milestone was originally famous for. By the end of the issue, we get some action as you’d expect with a superhero comic. It’s well-done and showcases Virgil’s intelligence as he combines his superpowers and scientific knowledge to tackle a threat to his family. The issue is a well-written update of Static’s origin for the modern-day that’s bound to resonate with young readers. At the same time, if you’re an older fan then you’ll still find the character recognisable.

The art throughout the issue is great. The colours are vibrant, the characters all look good and the action occurring on each page is easy to follow. The artwork throughout the fight near the end of the issue is one of the most visually appealing, unique, and dynamic fights I’ve seen in a comic in the last few years. I think the artistic highlight of the issue was seeing Static’s home life before and after the protests though. We get to different images of Virgil and his family having dinner. The colours, the mise-en-scene and the body language of the characters all work to convey the differences though. This is a family that’s changed from a happy, average family to one that’s scared for their son’s safety. You can tell they’ll never be the same again after these events and that helps make Static’s origin more impactful. The one downside is that you can tell the images have been created on a computer. If you’re a fan of the more hand-drawn look then Static might not be the book for you. It’s a fantastic-looking book if you can get past that hurdle though.

In summary, this issue was fantastic. I’d never encountered Static before this outside of Batman Beyond and the Justice League cartoon so this was new to me. Despite that, the book was extremely accessible. If you’re looking for a new superhero comic and don’t want to worry about the character’s long history then this is perfect. Static’s first issue had a good, down-to-earth story and great art, it was fun and I’d recommend it to anyone.