There’s electricity in the air. Static, to be exact. Around the turn of the century, Static saw his birth in Milestone Comics and rebirth in the animated series Static Shock. With the movie and TV industry grasping at every superhero in their catalogue, sooner or later Static will get his encore. For fans of Static, what key books would help start a collection?

 

STATIC #1

The first appearance of Virgil Hawkins was in Static #1, which was published in June 1993. If there’s one key book of Static’s to collect, it’s this one. Even the freshest of princes collected this book (more on that later). In this issue, we get introduced to Virgil and the full origin story of how he got his powers. As a bonus to Virgil’s first appearance, this book is also the first appearance of best friend Rick Stone and the major antagonist Hotstreak. A three for one; good deal.

Random trivia for this book: In various episodes of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, a framed issue of Static #1 can be seen on the wall of the pool house Will Smith’s character resides in. Also, is it a coincidence that his son Jaden has been rumored to be attached to a live action Static Shock movie? It’s definitely a risky gamble to participate in event-driven investing; but if you like the character already, it could be a cool key book to hold onto if you’re willing to keep it for the long term. Fingers crossed for a tweet from Jaden Smith.

 

BLOOD SYNDICATE #2

Fans of the cartoon series Static Shock might be wondering what comic issue had the 1st appearance of the villainous Ebon. Unfortunately, Ebon was created exclusively for the tv show. But on the bright side, the mechanism that created Static, Ebon, and the other “Bang Babies” was a peculiar gas called Quantum Juice, which did have a 1st appearance in comics. This story arc of Quantum Juice and Bang Babies premiered in Blood Syndicate #2 (1993).

 

STATIC #34

Another key antagonist for Static is Karmon Stringer, also better known as the Rubberband Man. His 1st appearance was in Static #34 (1996). In the animated series, this character was modified into Adam Evans, who also went by the same moniker “Rubberband Man.” Definitely a must get in the Static rogues gallery.

 

 

STATIC #3

What is Captain America without his shield? Like our favorite super heroes and their iconic props, Static’s tool of choice is his Static Saucer. It serves multiple functions from transportation to a shield for bullets. The first appearance of the critical Static Saucer was in Static #3 (1993).

 

 

STATIC SHOCK #1

The most recognizable costume of Static’s first appears in Static Shock #1 (2011). This costume designed by Hardware had a plethora of high tech functions built in that would make Batman jealous. This issue also happens to be the first appearance of Sunspot and the various members of the Slate Gang.

 

 

SHADOW CABINET #0

No hero is complete without the occasional team up with his super peers. While Static has been known to team up with the Teen Titans, his first group was the Shadow Cabinet. The first appearance of the Shadow Cabinet, led by the fearless Dharma, was in Shadow Cabinet #0 (1994).

 

 

 

"I put a shock to your system!" - Virgil