Happy Black History Month! What better way to celebrate than with new comic books? From Milestone, no less!
More to the point, Static: Shadows of Dakota #1 is the beginning of Static’s latest superhero outing following the Milestone Returns revival initiative at DC. Nikolas Draper-Ivey has said that readers can expect a darker story compared to Season One, but how do he and co-writer Vita Ayala bring this latest adventure to life?
SPOILERS AHEAD for Static: Season One and Static: Shadows of Dakota #1!
The issue opens with Virgil minding his business as he makes his way through the city on what looks to be an average day. After confronting some police officers who were going out of their way to accost an unhoused woman, a large explosion rocks the street. As the dust settles, we see Static spring into action against a group of what look like mercenaries, neutralizing them and their vehicle in short order.
This sequence is perhaps the highlight of the issue, as it showcases Virgil’s sense of justice and devotion to his community, both in and out of costume. In addition, the scenes displaying Virgil’s powers are fittingly electric (pun absolutely intended). Draper-Ivey’s depiction of the lightning that arcs off Static and his board is incredible, with some neat distortion around the edges that really brings it to life.
Following this is a brief scene that touches on the theme of “consequences” that Draper-Ivey mentioned in his press roundtable, before we get our first glimpse of Ebon. This pair of pages is a good showcase of some of the strengths and weaknesses of this issue. On the one hand, Ayala and Draper-Ivey write dialogue that (mostly) flows well between Static and Isaac. On the other hand, the dialogue between Ebon and the escaping mercenary is pretty poor by comparison; at least with Virgil and Isaac, I can imagine the conversation taking place. Ebon is (supposedly) a dark, menacing, boogeyman-type figure, and his dialogue does not give me that feeling. However, given that this is only the first issue, things may improve as more is revealed about the character.
The next scene sees Virgil using his time outside of his costume to mentor a young man with a similar affinity for science (who may or may not also be the creative team’s take on another metahuman from the 2000s animated series). This is yet another showing of the creative team’s understanding of Virgil’s character and voice; he is a light to those around him, the kind of person you’d want to have in your corner if things go bad. On the other hand, this scene draws another criticism from me for the lighting. I’m not sure if Draper-Ivey does his own coloring, but the end results are a mixed bag for me, as a handful of panels throughout the issue show Virgil and other characters looking very flat in the face, while others are more clearly defined.
The issue’s final sequence sees Ebon make his first full body appearance (though it’s still hard to see him given his powerset), and here, Draper-Ivey is in top form. The deep, inky blacks in the shadows are contrasted by the glow of Ebon’s eyes and his partial silhouette, creating a figure that is decidedly alien. This is complemented by Ebon’s dialogue; he’s very much collected and in control of the situation, even if he still doesn’t sound particularly menacing. And juxtaposing this entire dynamic are the final panels of the issue, showing the mercenary being thrown in front of an oncoming train. I don’t know about you, but the idea of being overtaken by living darkness only to wake up to a subway bearing down on you is legitimately terrifying. Shout-out to Draper-Ivey and Ayala for being able to show that Ebon is not to be trifled with.
All in all, I was not blown away by this issue, but I am definitely interested to see where it goes next. If you have an itch for a new superhero comic that happens to feature one of the most popular Black heroes at DC, then Static: Shadows of Dakota #1 might be exactly what you’re looking for.
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