DC Comics is making Static Shock: Rebirth of the Cool available to read for free on DC Universe Infinite. All fans would have to do is register and they can read the first issue without paying a penny. Static has only become more popular over time. Just last year at DC FanDome, the company announced a big initiative to get Milestone Media back rolling. Any plans to bring back those iconic characters had to have Static front and center. This motion toward getting fans familiar with his comics roots is a good idea for younger fans who might have only seen Virgil Hawkins on streaming platforms in the animated show. (It would also seem that there is a live-action movie in the works with DC Comics as well.)
Rebirth of the Cool is written by Dwayne McDuffie with ink and pencils by John Paul Leon. (R.I.P.! to a pair of legends.) Milestone Media braintrust member Reginald Hudlin talked to the fans about how they were approaching all these characters.
A hero this cool is a shock to the system. ⚡️
Get ready for this month’s DC Book Club with STATIC SHOCK: REBIRTH OF THE COOL #1, free-to-read with #DCUniverseInfinite registration: https://t.co/VyssdtweoI #DCMilestone #BlackHistoryMonth pic.twitter.com/JR2frt0Y7p
— DC (@DCComics) February 8, 2022
Hudlin explained, “We’re talking with other divisions at Warner Bros, even those in animated about doing (Milestone Media) feature films, and we’re also involved in extending the Milestone characters into new media, like podcasts with a series of stories on the podcast. We want to deliver Milestone Media on whatever platform you want.”
Static voice actor Phil LaMarr also mentioned, “Virgil is what I always wanted as a comic book kid growing up: Black Spider-Man. A good (comic-book) story can make you live it, feel it, and when it does, it resonates on a whole other level. It was so real world, and a textured story removed from the 1930s ‘We are exhibiting the world’,” LaMarr mused. “I felt like it was drawn by somebody who lived in a building I could go into. It touched on archetypes as a comic fan that I loved, but also touched on my life as a Black man in the real world.”
Here’s how DC Comics describes Static Shock: Rebirth of the Cool:
“Having retired from crime-fighting at the tender age of 14, Static is astonished to be called back to arms by some of his fellow “Bang Babies,” all empowered in the “Big Bang” battle. But even with the help of the mighty hero Hardware, can Static defeat Dakota’s greatest superhero-who has now become its greatest villain?”
Have you read Static Shock’s solo book before? Let us know down in the comments below!
