Static Shock – 17shaq

Virgil’s excited when NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal, pays him a visit, but Shaq’s perky public relations person constantly overbooks his schedule, leaving the two with no time to kick it. Complicating matters further, metahumans known as the ROUGHPAC have locked onto
Static’s scent and are tracking him all over town, in and out of costume.

Media by Bird Boy
Review by Matt Zimmer

Voices:
Phil LaMarr as Virgil Hawkins/Static
Jason Marsden as Richie Foley
Kevin Michael Richardson as Robert Hawkins
Michele Morgan as Sharon Hawkins
Maria Canals as Shelley Sandoval
Tone Loc as Hyde
Karyn Parsons as Tracy Flackman
Chick Vennera as Ferrett
Shaquille O’Neal as Himself

Static teams up with Shaquille O'Neal in this fun crossover.

After a tussle with the metahumans Ferret, Hyde, and Kangorr Static accidentally rips off a piece of his costume. After the fight Virgil answers a summons from Robert who wants him to meet an old friend–Shaquille
O'Neal. Shaq wants to have fun and hang out with Virgil and Richie–when his pushy agent isn't always forcing him to make public appearances and media connections. Shaq invites the Hawkins and Richie to a celebrity dinner party which the Metahumans crash searching for Static by means of
Ferret's keen sense of smell and the bit of Static's costume. Virgil is almost cornered but manages to escape with his family, Richie and Shaq.

The next day when playing hoops with Shaq the superstar lets Virgil know that he sometimes feels he has to be two people; and when the Metahumans track them again Virgil says he feels the same way and lets Shaq know he is actually Static. Shaq creates a diversion for Virgil to change into
Static and Static and Shaq team up to stop the Metahumans. At the end of the episode Shaq tells reporters that Static was the real hero.

Okay, I know this episode sounds really bad on paper but hear me out.
It's actually kind of fun. If I were a little kid who loved basketball I would think this episode was the greatest thing ever. As it stands it's really cute and serviceable for a celebrity crossover episode.

Shaq comes off likable and like a little kid who always wants to have fun but can't because of his mean manager. While Static's decision to reveal his secret identity to a complete stranger has always struck me as questionable I have to keep in mind that Virgil is just a kid and the idea of showing off to one of his idols is probably irresistible.

The animation, like a lot of season two episodes is nice and rubbery and full of great character expressions (Static Shock has the best character expression animation in the DCAU). It's fun to look at and it's funny to see Shaq towering over a huge Bang Baby. This episode is kind of dumb but it's fun nonetheless and a good example of how crossover episodes should be done.

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