Static Shock #1 cover image

With “The New 52,” the re-launch of DC Comics’ superhero line, Static is back in a new comic book, Static Shock.  Static/Virgil Ovid Hawkins and his family moved from Dakota City to New York City, as the Milestone Media characters move into the DC Universe.  Virgil’s new after school job is at S.T.A.R. Labs, and Hardware is his mentor/benefactor.

As Static Shock #1 opens, trouble is brewing at S.T.A.R. in the shape of an inept bad guy named Sunspot.  Taking on Sunspot, however, puts Static right in the crosshairs of the Slate Gang.

THE LOWDOWN:  For readers to fully enjoy the new Static Shock, they will need to be somewhat familiar with the Milestone Comics universe.  Otherwise, this is a comic book for ‘tweens, as it remains evident that the template for Static is Spider-Man.  The drama and conflict are not particularly intense, and I doubt readers used to the dark, modern superhero melodramas, with their often mature subject matter and sometimes gritty violence, will find enough vinegar in this story to hold their interest.

Static Shock #1 is moderately well-written and the art is good (except for the characters’ faces).  There are enough seeds of future intrigue planted here to bring interested readers back – like me

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Readers who miss Milestone Comics will want to at least try Static Shock.

B