Static Shock – 01shocksystem

Fifteen year-old Virgil Hawkins, harassed at school by a dangerous bully, is transformed by a powerful gas mutagen into a master of electromagnetic energy, and decides to use his powers for good as a superhero.

Media by Bird Boy and James Harvey
Review by Matt Zimmer

Voices:
Phil LaMarr as Virgil Hawkins/Static
Jason Marsden as Richie Foley
Danny Cooksey as Francis Stone/F-Stop
Kevin Michael Richardson as Robert Hawkins
Danica McKellar as Frieda
Michele Morgan as Sharon Hawkins
Melissa Disney as Nurse
Omar Gooding as Wade
Gary Sturgis as Duke
Marcelo Tubert as Doctor
Art Bonilla as Cop
 

In "Shock to the System" fourteen year old Virgil Hawkins relates how he became the Superhero Static.

Virgil Hawkins is a smart and funny African American kid growing up in the city of Dakota. He lives with his father and sister Sharon (his mother was killed by gang-fire years earlier). Virgil is constantly being beaten up and is pushed to join a gang by his older friend Wade.
He is told to meet him and his crew down by the Dakota Docks that night.
Unbeknownst to him a huge gang-war is about to erupt. The police arrive and accidentally trigger a gas explosion caused by hazardous tanks that are broken open on the docks. Virgil manages to escape, but not before inhaling a large amount of the gas.

The next morning Virgil wakes up with electro-static powers. He calls his best friend Richie Foley and shows him how he can fly on metal debris and move metal through the air with his electric powers. They both decide he should be a superhero. After numerous costume changes
Richie decides on a look and Virgil calls him Static. Now Virgil has the confidence to talk to the girl he likes, something that he never had the nerve to do before. After defeating a gang up criminals and setting up decorations at his high school the Superhero Static is born.

The episode ends with it being revealed that the gas gave the other gang bangers metahuman powers too.

This was a solid first episode that set up the Static Shock mythology quite nicely. Though the series became more stylized as the years went on and tied itself into the DCAU with Batman, Superman, Batman Beyond, and Justice League crossovers the simple way the series starts is quite refreshing. I kind of miss the rubbery animation of the first two seasons. I’m also impressed at how well hip-hop is fused into the series when previous DCAU cartoons used the orchestral of Shirley Walker. A LOT of the slang is tired (which is to be expected after a few years) but other than some groan inducing dialogue the series still manages to give the audience empathy for Virgil’s situation, particularly because he lost his mother to gun-fire and is a hair-trigger away from joining a gang. I also got a giggle out of Virgil trying on a Black Vulcan costume (from the Superfriends) who seems to be Static’s inspiration.

A solid start to a much underrated series.

Story: ****
Animation: ***1/2
Average: ****