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Static Shock: You Can’t Keep a Good Character Down

any new titles, characters, and publishers were introduced to 2010, when the company released Milestone Forever, a two-issue series
the comic book market in the early 1990s. Most of them have that effectively concluded the original Milestone universe.
Mdisappeared into the realm that collectors call “lost universes” Following that, the characters were blended into the main DC
or “dead universes,” but others left lasting impressions. Universe with varying degrees of effectiveness (Static being part of the
One of the stand-out titles from this period was Static, which was Teen Titans seemed a natural, while his stand-alone Static Shock series
initially published from 1993 to 1997. quickly sank out of site).
Static was one of the first four series launched by Milestone In 2015 it was announced that Milestone would be making a
Media, a company founded by Dwayne McDuffie, Denys Cowan, comeback, but with legal wrangling it didn’t actually happen until May
Michael Davis, and Dereck T. Dingle in an effort to 2021. In the meantime, it was announced that actor Michael B.
create a superhero universe in Jordan, known for his performances in Black Panther and Creed,
which characters of color had signed on to produce a Static Shock movie. At present, it is
had significant representation still in development.
(which certainly was not the The market for the original Milestone titles, like many other
case in the comics that had come collectibles during the COVID era, has been wild. Static always has
before them). Through a unique commanded a slight premium compared to the other Milestone
arrangement, Milestone’s titles titles, but collectors have finally figured out how scarce high-grade
were released through the copies of the early issues are, and how scarce the final issues of the
much bigger DC Comics, series are in any grade (high grade copies of the
both in comic shops and on Static Shock: Rebirth
the newsstands. of the Cool mini-
Without downplaying the series are equally dif-
achievements of the whole line, ficult to find).
there was something magical And just before
about this character and the the “it’s actually hap-
series. Many recognized it pening, no, seriously,
as a spiritual descendant of the for real this time”
early days of Marvel’s Amazing announcement came
Spider-Man. from DC Comics that
Virgil Hawkins, a quick-witted Milestone 2.0 would
high school kid, frequently finally be heading to
bullied, gained incredible powers fans, we announced
and became the electrifying Static that Static and fellow
(later called Static Shock) after Milestone character
being caught up in a gangs Hardware would be
vs. police melee called “the Big Static #1 (Milestone/DC Comics, 1993) featured on the cover
Bang” in the fictional city of was one of the original launch titles for of The Overstreet Comic
Dakota. Many other heroes and Milestone Media and introduced readers to Book Price Guide #51,
villains got their powers from the Static (later Static Shock). which is due in comic
same incident. shops on Wednesday,
Static was co-written initially by McDuffie, an industry veteran, and July 21, in both hard-
Robert L. Washington III, a newcomer, and illustrated by John Paul This first edition of The Shadow set a world cover and soft cover
record when sold for $156,000 at Heritage
Leon. Their work was not just another superhero comic book story, on Thursday, May 20, 2021. editions (www.gem-
though it had all the trappings. It was infused with a focus on Virgil, his Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions. stonepub.com).
friends, and his enemies as they grew up, went to high school, and The Shadow Knows … Success at Heritage
confronted the issues of the day. A scarce first edition of The Shadow has set a world record for most
This is not to say there wasn’t plenty of superhero action; there was. expensive pulp magazine ever sold. The first issue of the hero pulp sold
For my money, the first year of Static was the best superhero monthly for $156,000 in Heritage’s Rare Pulps & Collectibles Auction on
comic at the time. Thursday, May 20, 2021.
Following the cessation of the Milestone line in 1997, Static was “The price realized for The Shadow #1 is the highest recorded for a
launched as a cartoon entitled Static Shock on The WB network as part pulp of any kind,” Rick Akers, Heritage Consignment Director of
of their Kids’ WB block of programs. It ran from September 23, 2000, Comics, said. “I expected it might pass $50,000, but things got pretty
through May 22, 2004. exciting when it surpassed $100,000, with heated live bidding.”
A four-issue mini-series, Static Shock: Rebirth of the Cool, written by “The consignor contacted me after the auction and said he was
McDuffie and illustrated by Leon, was released in 2001, during the run thrilled with everything from start to finish with Heritage Auctions and
of the cartoon. That character did not appear in comics again until the results,” Akers said.
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