Book: Static Shock volume #1: Supercharged (issues #1-8) by Scott McDaniel, John Rozum and Andy Owens
Description:
The brilliant, yet slightly awkward high school student Virgil Hawkins transforms into the cocky electromagnetic hero Static! A mysterious tragedy forces the Hawkins family to relocate from Dakota to New York City and Virgil must start all over again in a new high school, as well as a new internship at S.T.A.R. Labs. But is he ready to take on the new villains who lurk in New York City's underworld?
Rating: 3 1/2 stars
My Review:
I read the single issues, not the trade edition. These are the only eight issues of the series before it was cancelled. This was good although I wish it could have been better.
This wasn't as bad as many fans have said but there were some things that were confusing or not explained properly. Since this was the New 52, it was supposed to be written in a way that made it easy for new readers to understand. Instead, It had me wondering if I missed an issue or something. Also, the artwork could have been much better. There were a lot of behind the scene problems that plagued this series as well.
I wonder if the late Dwayne McDuffie were still alive, how this series would have been. I kind of wish this series was modeled after the cartoon series. It was a great way of introducing the character to new fans (myself included) as well as all the great supporting characters on the show. Well, on to my review.
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Issue #1 "Recharged", had Static dealing with someone called Sunspot, a guy who had stolen plasma technology from S.T.A.R. Labs. They were battling it out over NYC with Static winning in the end. However, before Static could question Sunspot, some other villains (a high tech biker gang called the Slate gang) decided to quiet the thief permanently. The story follows a room full of villains discussing the problem that Static has become and then devise a plan to get rid of the hero. The only thing that felt really unclear was the scene (near the end) with Virgil at home getting ready for school. There was no explanation as to why there were two Sharon's (Virgil's sister).
Issue #2 "Disarmed", continues with Static fighting the Slate gang and a green assassin creature. The reader also got to see the chaos of Sharon and her clone in one scene but no real explanation as to how Virgil's sister was cloned.
Issue #3 "Turnabout", also continues with Static fighting the biker gang and the green creature. This issue had Static using some detective skills to try and find out the location of the biker gang so he can try to bring them in to the police. However, before that can happen he is ambushed by the green creature but this time he is ready and finally stops the creature.
Issues #4 "False Impressions", opened with Static fighting some metahuman called Guillotina. The fight was so the villain Piranha could see how Guillotina held up against Static. This issue gave you a little more information about Sharon's clone situation and showed Piranha creating metahumans gang by an experiment. It ends on a cliffhanger, leaving Static fighting for his life against the metahumans.
Issues #5 "True Natures" and #6 "Unrepentant", continues with Static dealing with the metahumans and later coming to the realization of Sharon's situation. But it may have come a little too late, with one of the Sharon's being abducted. Having found a lead, Static followed it back to the Slate gang to try to find Sharon. Static ends up getting some assistance from two other heroes - Hardware (who is sort of like a benefactor to Static) and Technique - to save Sharon. The readers also find out who was behind Sharon's clone situation. There was also a surprising revelation from one of the villains who has a connection with Static. This does have a nice ending with the Sharons dealing with their situation.
Issue #7 "Out of Phayze", had Virgil accompanying the Sharons to S.T.A.R. Labs so they can be analyzed to figure out if they have any inherent differences. While at the facility, Static had to stop two rampaging robots that were destroying the building. However, the real cause of the problem was a thief who could phase through walls. After catching the crook, Static found out the reason for the theft which was interesting.
The finale issue "Harsh Truths", opened with Static trying to stop a machine from destroying the city. However, the main issue was trying to stop the metahuman who was controlling machine. She had been bullied and wanted to seek her revenge against the three who tormented her. After dealing with that situation the remainder of the story focused on Virgil speaking with the school psychologist. He was describing his life before moving to NYC and how he was fitting in at his new school. The psychologist for some reason had it in her mind that Virgil was an abused child which it seemed like her underlining reason for talking to him. The readers know that Virgil's unexplained absences and late attendance is due to him being a superhero. Despite, Virgil's attempts to clear up the situation, it still felt a little weird to have that in the issue but I guess that's why it's titled Harsh Truths. Lastly, I did like the last page with Virgil and his friends. Even though the series was cancelled, it ended with Virgil eager to see what the world had in store for him in the future.
Too bad the series wasn't given a chance to get better. Maybe in the future Static will be back, maybe even given another chance with his own series or added to the New 52 Teen Titans.
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