章節 179: Spotlight#188/189: Static Season One/Shadows of Dakota
Have you ever wanted a shock to your system? If so, you'll enjoy Static Season One/Shadows of Dakota by Vita Ayala and Nikolas Draper Ivy.
Summary
Virgil Hawkins has never been your average kid. All his life, the young man has had this drive and energy to succeed and succeed. He's got great friends, is at the top of his class, and always tries to pay those loved ones back through helping the community—a purpose that grows ever stronger when an event later known as the Big Bang hits the city of Dakota like a freight train.
In its wake, a good portion of the city's population has become Bang babies, people gifted with superhuman abilities. While most are victims of circumstances, some other Bang Babies have decided to use the event's chaos to wreak havoc alongside those responsible. But others choose to fight the good fight. People like Virgil, whose drive has concentrated into a set of electromagnetic abilities he decides to use for good as Static.
Characters
Virgil Hawkins/Static: Our lovely main character, Virgil, is a caring, responsible man with an inner spark inside of him. Before, it came out in the form of his incredible intelligence and adventurous drive. Now, after the Big Bang, Virgil must learn to temper both his powers and rage when he discovers more of what's going on in his community.
Sharon Hawkins: Virgil's big sister, Sharon, is a nurse alongside their mother. Compared to their far stricter parents, Sharon is a bit more down to earth. She is always there to be Virgil's support if he needs it but is also willing to give him shit whenever he does something foolish.
Darius: An underground news reporter. Darius is a young man attempting to shine an unfiltered view of what happens in Dakota. Due to the nature of his work, he's a very calm and pragmatic person who can handle many situations.
Fracnis Stone/Hotsreak: Formerly a racist school bully, Fracnis' discriminatory rage has evolved into a dangerous pyrokinetic since getting hit by the Big Bang. With an impulsive nature and complete lack of a moral code, Hotstreak is a dangerous adversary.
Ivan Evans Ebon: The main antagonist of the second season, Ebon is a Bang Baby on the warpath ever since the corrupt business Alva Industries stole his brother. Years of living in Dakota's dark side have culminated in Ebon being a literal shadow of his former self. He, too, serves as a beacon for other Bang Babies, but unlike Static, he isn't afraid to hold his punches.
Overview
Sit back for this one, guys, gals, and envies, because we're in for a little history lesson. Static originally premiered as part of Milestone Media, a comic book company born in 1993. It was created by multiple African American creators like Dwayne McDuffie, Denys Cowan, Micheal Davis, and Derek T. Dingle, who wanted to see more representation in a medium that still lacks it.
Also nicknamed the Dakotaverse, Milestone created multiple African-American superheroes like Hardware, Icon, Rocket, and Static while being distributed by DC Comics. Each of them handles darker subjects than the typical comic wouldn't allow. Still, out of the four shows, Static endured the most in pop culture thanks to Dwayne McDuffie's animated rendition of the character in Static Shock, which ran from 2000 to 2004.
From that point on, the Dakotaverse got absorbed into the central DC universe, and Static would make some choice appearances here and there till now. This new version takes a lot more after the animated show but with significant differences on an updated Milestone universe starting in 2020.
Those significant differences are that both of Virigl's parents are alive, the Big Bang started from an anti-violence protest, and Virgil's identity is revealed quickly to his friends/families. These changes, for the most part, are acceptable, but I do think that last detail explores my overall issue with Season One. The 6-issue format is an easy read for newer fans of the character.
However, I think a story primarily focused on Static trying to save his community from the same government interference he's trying to fight against pre-Big Bang, so there should be more community building. We get lots of build-up into Virgil's immediate circle of people, plus how he gets his iconic outfit. But I would've liked to have a couple of issues building up his impact on Dakota while giving him more time to breathe the Rogues Gallery he gets later in the book. Still the book doesn't hold back from showing themes of gang violence, police brutality and political corruption.
I will say, though, that Season One, for my slight disappointments, pretty much gets solved immediately by Shadows of Dakota. I think the combination of Nikolas Draper Ivy's co-writing and the story cast is getting massively stripped out immensely. While Alva Industries still plays a significant role, I think Ebon is a great antagonist.
He's a great villain in the show, but the comic amps him to another level, exploring his backstory more while giving him a clear parallel to Static. If there is a running theme in both books, it would probably be passion, and one uses it. When applied constructively, Anger and passion can be a good thing, but if it's misapplied or too raw, it doesn't help anyone. You're allowed to be hurt and express those feelings. But becoming what you hurt is a different story.
Of course, if all that history and cool fun facts didn't convince you into the show, then how about that CRAZY ASS ART. From these 13 issues alone, Nikolas Draper Ivy has become one of my favorite comic artists. He carries a very anime-style inspiration art, and his ability to ink and color helps to make Static feel like a poppy and strong series with amazing fights.
In a story all about overcoming the darkness with light and Virigl's intelligence being highlighted, Nikolas takes full advantage of that. Between the concept art for the series, the fun parallels, and the sleek designs, I will miss his work on Static as we enter season 3.
Epilogue
All in all, I'm super excited about whatever this new Static series will do. By Shadows of Dakota, the creative team managed to get a good grasp over the stories this new universe can take the character. With Draper pursuing his projects in the meantime, though, we'll have to shock up the spotlight and see where it takes us next.
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