Growing up in the ’90s/early 2000s, my Saturday mornings usually consisted of a big bowl of cereal and whatever superhero cartoons were on at the time. Two standouts were Batman Beyond and Static Shock; the former because it took the inherently ridiculous idea of a teenage Batman and made it work, the latter because Virgil Hawkins was the first time I truly saw myself in a superhero. Imagine my shock (pun intended) when a Static Shock episode hurled Virgil into Terry McGinnis’ world, leading the two to join forces! Batman/Static: Beyond #1 not only plays off the basis of that episode, but finds a new way to bring both heroes into each other’s orbit.
Years in the future, Static has become one of Earth’s greatest heroes and is helping bring the Earth into the intergalactic alliance known as the Collective. He’s also helped invent new energy with his Q-Wave Energy Grid, which is set to launch in Gotham City. However, an attack by the Jokerz results in the Grid being damaged, and to make matters worse Terry’s classmate, Melvin Kim, is caught in the crossfire.
When it comes to telling new stories in the world of Static Shock or Batman Beyond, you need a writer who has a clear love for those worlds and an idea to push them further than they’ve ever been. I’m happy to report that Evan Narcissse is that writer. Narcisse perfectly balances the Static elements and the Batman Beyond elements; we see Terry at school, working with his friend Max, and fighting off Jokerz as Batman. Virgil, on the other hand, divides his life between superheroics and his family, and is one of the few superheroes who can make that balance work.
Joining Narcisse is Nikolas Draper-Ivey, who rose to fame with his work on Static: Season One and Static: Shadows of Dakota. It’s safe to say that Draper-Ivey has become the Static artist for a generation, and he gets to design a new costume for Static that incorporates the best of what’s come before. Not only is Static rocking a long white coat, but the black and yellow accents perfectly fit his electromagnetic powers. Draper-Ivey’s anime-esque style also perfectly fits the world of Batman Beyond, which drew heavily from Akira and Blade Runner; there’s even a deep cut Easter egg that Beyond fans will appreciate.
DC
Narcisse and Draper-Ivey don’t just balance their heroes’ screentime, but also the action sequences and the bigger ideas at play. The former lets Terry and Virgil shine, as Terry utilizes his fighting skills and the tech in his Batsuit to apprehend the Jokerz. At the same time, Virgil brings the full brunt of his electromagnetic abilities to bear, which Wil Quintana renders in shining gold. When it comes to those deeper themes, the perspective shifts to Melvin and his growing resentment of how technology is separating him from his family. Any good sci-fi worth its salt will explore the potential dangers of any technology, and this comic more than succeeds – especially if you remember the connection Static has to the Q-Wave.
Batman/Static: Beyond #1 isn’t content to coast on the potential of Batman Beyond and Static joining forces; it also delivers a visually stunning, carefully crafted story about the responsibility inherent with new technology. Some fans might think it’s schway. Other fans will definitely feel a shock to their systems.
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