Static Shock, a review

Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own Static Shock. Static Shock is an animated series owned by Dwayne McDuffie, Milestone comics and DC comics. Please support the official release.

Static Shock, a Review

Let’s go back: It’s the year 2000. You’re a kid on the sofa, looking for Saturday morning cartoons. You turn on to the WB and find a superhero. Only, there’s one thing different about him: He’s black. He wasn’t a sidekick. He wasn’t a side character. He wasn’t part of a team. He was the main character and the star of his own show.

Static Shock was a superhero Saturday morning cartoon that somehow became a cult hit among fans. Many people reference the good days when Static Shock was on the air, and they were right. Static Shock deserves praise because it did things so well.

Synopsis: Virgil Hawkins is an African-American living in the city of Dakota. Living with his father, a social worker, and his sister, he attends school like a normal child, and gets picked on by the occasional bully. Luckily, Virgil has made some friends with a gang, who usually watch his back. Unfortunately, this gang also wants him to join them as they go to the docks to ‘put an end to the bullying permanently’. Virgil, unwillingly, becomes part of a gigantic gang brawl and tries to escape from it. However, police interference fires upon a strange purple gas which spreads through the air.

Okay, before we go any further, let’s get this out of the way. Was there ethic stereotyping in the purple colored gas? I would say yes, there was. However, I don’t think the constant use of a color caused the mass appeal the show would undoubtedly bring.

What happens after what is dubbed ‘the Big Bang’ is that Virgil gains powers over electricity, being able to manipulate metal, and shoot out bolts of lightning as well. On that, he decides to become a full fledged superhero, fighting for justice in Dakota city.

Static Shock is one of those Saturday morning cartoons that always stuck with you. At first, it was because of the character alone and his skin color. However, as you kept watching, the show did so much more than the average episodic adventure.

Characters: Okay, is Virgil a black man’s Peter Parker with the prior status as a victim and with a parent who happened to die of a gunshot? At first, yes. However, thanks to some talent voicework ala Phil Lamarr, and some good character development, Virgil feels like his own human being than a pale imitation. He suffers through guilt, drama, and pressure, but he’ll always spring up next week with a witty one liner.

As with good heroes, there must be worthy villains. Luckily, there’s plenty of villains to choose from. Hotstreak is a sociopath who just loves to burn things. Shiv makes light weapons, including knives to cut his opponents. But possibly the best villain out of the bunch would have to be Ebon, a shadow manipulating thug who runs a gang called the Meta-breed.

What makes these villains so great is not just they’re dangerous, but their motives are kept down to earth. Rather than having them do something bland and large, like taking over the world, Ebon strictly wants to run the city and maybe get rich doing so. He isn’t someone out for conquest, merely benefits. After all, most gangsters involved in the Big Bang don’t want more than money. Using smart tactics such as recuiting specific members and keeping a close eye on Static, he’s a villain worth writing about.

Theme: What really made Static shock great was how it captured urban living so well. Most criminals affected by the gas only have short-term goals such as stealing banks and maybe living well. Hotstreak, for example, terrorizes, not because he has a bigger idea in mind, but simply because he wants to see things burn.

Family is also a great issue that is fully developed in the series. A lot of the criminals who fall to crime have family troubles or are manipulated by an older sibling. Dwayne, for example, is a 10 year old who can conjure up any imaginary thing to life. However, his brother Aaron manipulates him to stealing money and destroying public property. Edwin Alva Jr. destroys everything his rich father holds sacred, mostly his enterprise. Even Rubberband man must face his brother, Ebon, when he tries to manipulate him. You might say Static can only be the moral compass of the series because his family life is much healthier than the criminals he faces.

Reform is also a theme within the series. Rubberband man started out as an advesary of Static. However, after dating Static’s sister, he decides to turn a new leaf, though it isn’t quite as easy as looked. However, his character arc was a satisfying payoff to a decent character.

Static Shock worked not only because of talent voicework but also because of how it dealt with social issues. From gun control, to racism, to bullying, to gang wars, Static Shock talked about issues on the streets and taught morals from them. Few cartoons are willing to stare controversy right into the eye. That’s why I give Static Shock a full recommendation, because it has nerve to tell it like it is.