Static Shock

Static Shock is an American superhero animated television series based on the Milestone Media/DC Comics superhero Static. It premiered on September 23, 2000, on the WB Television Network's Kids' WB programming block. Static Shock ran for four seasons, with 52 half-hour episodes in total. The show revolves around Virgil Hawkins, an African-American boy, who uses the secret identity of 'Static' after exposure to a mutagen gas during a gang fight which gave him electromagnetic powers. It was one of the few times that an African-American superhero was the titular character of their own broadcast animation series.

Part of the DC animated universe, the series was produced by Warner Bros. Animation from a crew composed mostly of people from the company's past shows, but also with the involvement of two of the comic's creators, Dwayne McDuffie and Denys Cowan. Static Shock had some alterations from the original comic book because it was oriented to a pre-teen audience. Nevertheless, the show approached several social issues, which was positively received by most television critics. Static Shock was nominated for numerous awards, including the Daytime Emmy. Some criticism was directed towards its jokes—which were said to be stale and too similar to the Spider-Man style—and animation, which was said to be unnatural and outdated. The series also produced some related merchandise, which sold poorly; McDuffie cited the low sales as one of the main factors behind the series' cancellation. In spite of this, its popularity revived interest in the original Milestone comic and introduced McDuffie to the animation industry.

## Plot

Virgil Hawkins is a 14-year-old who lives with his older sister Sharon, and his widowed father Robert in Dakota City. He attends high school with his best friend Richie Foley, and has a crush on a girl named Frieda. He also has a dispute with a bully named Francis Stone, nicknamed "F-Stop." A gang leader named Wade recently helped Virgil, hoping to recruit him, but Virgil is hesitant, as he knows his mother died in an exchange of gunfire between gangs. Wade eventually leads Virgil to a restricted area for a fight against F-Stop's crew, but it was interrupted by police helicopters. During the dispute with the police, chemical containers explode, releasing a gas that causes mutations among the people in the vicinity (this event was later known as "The Big Bang"). As a result, Virgil obtains the ability to create, generate, absorb, and control electricity and magnetism—he takes up the alter-ego of "Static". The gas also gives others in the area their own powers, and several of them become supervillains. The mutated people become meta-humans known as "Bang Babies" and their mutations apparently spread to other people around them.

## Characters

Main articles: List of Static Shock characters and List of DC animated universe characters
* **Virgil Ovid Hawkins / Static** (voiced by Phil LaMarr) – A high school student in Dakota City. As a result of accidental exposure to an experimental mutagen in an event known as the Big Bang, he gained the ability to control and manipulate electromagnetism, and uses these powers to become the superhero "Static". Countless others who were also exposed also gained a wide variety of mutations and abilities, and Static spends much of his time dealing with these "Bang Babies", many of whom use their abilities in selfish, harmful, and even criminal ways.
* **Richard "Richie" Osgood Foley / Gear** (voiced by Jason Marsden) – Virgil's best friend and confidant. At first, he merely provides support for his friend, making gadgets for him and helping to cover for Virgil to protect his secret identity. In the third season, it is revealed Richie's passive exposure to the Bang Gas gave him super-intelligence, which enabled him to easily invent rocket-powered boots and "Backpack", a highly intelligent multipurpose device worn on the back capable of surveillance and other semi-independent activities. With this equipment, he became a superhero named "Gear" and becomes Static's full-time partner in crime-fighting.
* **Robert Hawkins** (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson) – A social worker who runs the Freeman Community Center as head counselor. He is a widower and the single father of two teenagers—Virgil and Sharon. A strict but caring and genuinely understanding parent, he dislikes gangs and the destructive attitudes of most Bang Babies, and his work at the community center is motivated by a desire to counteract their bad influence on young people.
* **Sharon Hawkins** (voiced by Michele Morgan) – Virgil's older sister, Sharon attends college, but she still lives at home. She volunteers at a hospital, and counsels young people at the Freeman Community Center. While they do argue frequently, Sharon and Virgil really do care about each other and are quick to come to the other's defense if one of them is in danger. After their mother died, Sharon took it upon herself to act as the woman of the house, including when it comes to allocating chores between her and her brother, not least of all the cooking (which, at least according to Virgil, Sharon is not all that good at).
* **Adam Evans/Rubber-Band Man** (voiced by Kadeem Hardison) – A meta-human transmorph, whose body structure consists of shapeable rubber. He is the younger brother of Static's archenemy, Ebon. Rubber-Band Man first appears as a tragic villain when he goes after an opportunistic record producer who stole one of his songs. He subsequently breaks out of prison but decides not to pursue a criminal career, however. He and Sharon eventually start dating, with Sharon helping Adam turn over a new leaf. He and Virgil initially clash, but Virgil comes to accept Adam's relationship with his sister and they become allies in crime-fighting, with Adam even becoming like an older-brother figure to Virgil.
* **Ivan Evans/Ebon** (voiced by Gary Anthony Sturgis) – The head of a large group of Bang Babies called "The Meta-Breed" and the series' main antagonist. Ebon is an unusually powerful meta-human. As a living shadow, he is able to create inter-dimensional portals and can manipulate pure darkness and shadows, as well as transport others to various locations of his choice.

## Reception

### Accolades

*Static Shock*Template:'s episode "The Big Leagues" earned director Dave Chlystek a nomination for Outstanding Achievement for Directing in an Animated Television Production at the 2002 Annie Awards. This episode was also nominated for a Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing in Television Animation in 2003. That same year, for the episode "Jimmy", McDuffie and Burnett were awarded the Humanitas Prize in the Children's Animation Category in 2003. At the 30th Daytime Emmy Awards in 2003, the show was nominated for Special Class Animated Program and Richard Wolf was nominated for Achievement in Music Direction and Composition. At the 31st Daytime Emmy Awards in 2004, both the animated series and Wolf were again nominated for the same categories—this time, Wolf won the award.

### Reviews

Leonard Pierce of *The A.V. Club* described it as "a surprising and sometimes rewarding success". October 2001 issue of *Wizard* listed the 100 best cartoon shows ever as selected by their readers, with *Static Shock* ranked at number 88. Jonathon Dornbush, in a 2014 *Entertainment Weekly* article, included it among the nine best comics-based animated TV series. He asserted, "*Static Shock* didn't have quite the name recognition of its DC brethren when it debuted, but the show proved it could stand alongside the greats." Charlie Jane Anders, for io9, ranked it 91st on a list of the best science fiction and fantasy shows; she commented, "amidst a glut of superhero cartoons, this is one of the most memorable."

In *The Superhero Book*, Andy Mangels praised *Static Shock*Template:'s multicultural approach, while Emily Ashby from Common Sense Media lauded it for encouraging diversity. Mangels declared that "*Static Shock* provides solid superheroic entertainment and a role model and promotion of diversity for not only African-American viewers, but for audiences of all colors and ages." Writing for *Entertainment Weekly*, Monique Jones praised the series for a positive depiction not only of an African American superhero but of an African country—Ghana. Jones also commended how the series incorporated social issues in "an easily digestible" way without having to "sugarcoat" them. Lynne Heffley of *Los Angeles Times* commented it "isn't your typical Saturday-morning cartoon series", praising its themes and electing the episode "Jimmy"—about gun violence—as an example. Evan Levine, writing for *Rome News-Tribune*, asserted that "the series is at its best when it confronts issues actually facing kids."

Jones commended Virgil's portrayal as an everyman teenager, while Ashby appreciated Virgil's "relatable" character. Colby Lanham of Comic Book Resources said Virgil "was perhaps the most human of many superheroes on television at the time" and considered the series was canceled too soon. Ashby was also positive to the fact that Virgil usually counted on dialogues before going into action; this action was also praised by John Sinnott of DVD Talk, who said it is "something that most animated heroes never think to do." Ashby also applauded Virgil's "surprising depth of character" to not follow a gang but to use his powers for good.

While Levine praised "its bright, cartoony visuals [that] are a notch above those of many other animated series," Sinnott considered some of the animation to be "a little stilted." Sinnott called it "a fun series overall", but considered some jokes to be "a little stale". Neil Dorsett of DVD Verdict was generally disappointed; he called voice acting "very standard", and said that "artwork and animation are also both behind the times". Dorsett also criticized Virgil's one-lines, which "invites, like many other elements of the series, comparison to Spider-Man." He, however, pondered that his opinion may come from a bad first impression: "Although there are lots of things to nitpick about the show, there's not really anything wrong with it." Both Sinnott and Dorsett compared it unfavorably to the original comic book.

*Entertainment Weekly*Template:'s Ken Tucker questioned why The WB made a TV show based on a cancelled, poorly-sold comic and criticized the "uttering tired, condescending lines" professed by Virgil. Nancy Imperiale Wellons from the *Orlando Sentinel* said "Virgil has a believable relationship with his family -- including a strong father figure -- but the show's pacing lags." Paul Schultz wrote for the *New York Daily News* that "Many of the characters -- the conservative, the annoying sister -- are cliches." Thelma Adams criticized the show in the *New York Post*; first she called it "formulaic but appealing" and ultimately dubbed it "lame".

## Legacy

The show's popularity led to new demand for Milestone's Static comics: the first four issues of it were reissued as *Static Shock: Trial by Fire* in 2000 and a miniseries, *Static Shock!: Rebirth of the Cool*, was released between January and September 2001. It also led to the production of an unreleased video game, toys, and books. In May 2003, Midway Games announced the production of a platformer video game based on the show for the Game Boy Advance. Although it was displayed at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, the game was later cancelled. For a period starting on July 4, 2004, Subway Restaurants released a series of toys based on the TV series to be offered in the United States and Canada. On September 1, 2004, Scholastic Corporation published two tie-in children's books written by Tracey West.

McDuffie's work on *Static Shock* placed him in the circles of animated series, and he became a writer and producer for shows like *Justice League*, *Teen Titans*, *Justice League Unlimited*, and *Ben 10: Alien Force*. McDuffie was responsible for diversifying the DC animated universe's Justice League by including black and female characters. Moreover, Arie Kaplan credits McDuffie and his co-writers for giving "a depth and complexity" the group was lacking since the 1970s. A future, older version of Virgil appeared in the *Justice League Unlimited* episode "The Once and Future Thing, Part 2: Time, Warped" in January 2005.

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17. ↑ Lanham, Colby (September 17, 2016). 10 Animated Superhero Shows Canceled Too Soon. Valnet Inc.
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31. ↑ Static Shock Chapter Book #1.
32. ↑ Soul Power! (Static Shock Chapter Book, No. 2).
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