Post by ryokowerx on Sept 11, 2011 18:30:33 GMT -5
(cross-posted from my Facebook account. I hadn't originally intended on picking up all the new #1s but the 50% off deal at DCBS turned out to be too good to pass up. Feel free to discuss, agree or disagree)
So what the hell is this? I'm going to try to write a review of each of the new #1 issues put out by DC Comics. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, DC Comics (home of Superman, Batman, etc.) is completely restarting most* of the history they have established with their comic books since 1939. (* some continuity remains but all events that remain are considered to have happened within a five year span of time) If you're still confused, think of it as everything being set back to square one and all these superheroes are new things to show up rather than a given part of the world.
Anything I say from this point on is my opinion and reflects only my feelings. Please take your nerd rage elsewhere if you disagree or at least be civil in your disagreement.
NOTE: I have not read Flashpoint #5 which kicks off this new history so I'm going to try to approach these issues as if someone completely new to comics were picking them up for the first time. If you're interested in what I have to say, I'd encourage you to go to your local comic book shop (if you have one) or you can buy them digitally at Comixology (http://www.comixology.com).
PLOT SUMMARY:
The issue opens with Virgil Hawkins having to evacuate from his part-time job at S.T.A.R. Labs because of a runaway experiment with a plasma protection suit. He changes into his Static Shock costume and fights the pilot finally dispersing the suit's charge through a bridge. As he is helping the pilot, a sniper kills the unfortunate man. We then a brief few pages of a mysterious group led by a fish-man named Piranha who also has some crooked police detectives on their bankroll as well. At home Virgil is having problems convincing this parents that he should be allowed to get a driver's license. He visits his "secret lair" that has been set up by his mentor, Hardware. The mysterious group, unsure if Static Shock heard anything from the pilot before he died, sends a assassin named Virule after him. As the issue ends, Static Shock is flying along and gets shot.
THE ART:
The art duties is handled by Scott McDaniel. The art is serviceable and is your standard level of competence you'd expect to see in any modern comic but pales in comparison to some of the big art guns gracing some of the other titles. It gets the job done.
THE STORY:
Scott McDaniel and John Rozum co-write the issue and the best thing that I can say about Static Shock is that it's fun. We get a good indication of Virgil's personality and his life, far more so than the superheroing. He is believable, slightly sarcastic and likable. Things get interesting when we find out that the "accident" with the plasma suit was not and the lengths that Piranha's group will go to to ensure their secrecy. I'd also like to commend the writer on their grasp of science. There is no technobabble and everything that Virgil does with his energy powers is grounded in real physics.
VALUE FOR YOUR MONEY:
Static Shock is another of the $2.99 comics and I'd recommend it if you're looking for a comic without so much violence or horror aspects to it. One person dies after being shot and Static Shock gets shot at the end but he just looks like he's being dispersed rather than any blood being shown. Personally, I'm happy to see one of the Milestone characters coming back and he's used well. This is probably not a comic I'd actively go out and get monthly but I'd certainly be willing to pick this up in a trade paperback.
NEXT WEEK:
Batgirl #1, Green Arrow #1, Hawk and Dove #1, Justice League International #1, Men of War #1, O.M.A.C. #1, and Stormwatch #1.
STATIC SHOCK #1
So what the hell is this? I'm going to try to write a review of each of the new #1 issues put out by DC Comics. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, DC Comics (home of Superman, Batman, etc.) is completely restarting most* of the history they have established with their comic books since 1939. (* some continuity remains but all events that remain are considered to have happened within a five year span of time) If you're still confused, think of it as everything being set back to square one and all these superheroes are new things to show up rather than a given part of the world.
Anything I say from this point on is my opinion and reflects only my feelings. Please take your nerd rage elsewhere if you disagree or at least be civil in your disagreement.
NOTE: I have not read Flashpoint #5 which kicks off this new history so I'm going to try to approach these issues as if someone completely new to comics were picking them up for the first time. If you're interested in what I have to say, I'd encourage you to go to your local comic book shop (if you have one) or you can buy them digitally at Comixology (http://www.comixology.com).
WARNING! SPOILERS OFF THE PORT BOW CAP'N!
PLOT SUMMARY:
The issue opens with Virgil Hawkins having to evacuate from his part-time job at S.T.A.R. Labs because of a runaway experiment with a plasma protection suit. He changes into his Static Shock costume and fights the pilot finally dispersing the suit's charge through a bridge. As he is helping the pilot, a sniper kills the unfortunate man. We then a brief few pages of a mysterious group led by a fish-man named Piranha who also has some crooked police detectives on their bankroll as well. At home Virgil is having problems convincing this parents that he should be allowed to get a driver's license. He visits his "secret lair" that has been set up by his mentor, Hardware. The mysterious group, unsure if Static Shock heard anything from the pilot before he died, sends a assassin named Virule after him. As the issue ends, Static Shock is flying along and gets shot.
THE ART:
The art duties is handled by Scott McDaniel. The art is serviceable and is your standard level of competence you'd expect to see in any modern comic but pales in comparison to some of the big art guns gracing some of the other titles. It gets the job done.
THE STORY:
Scott McDaniel and John Rozum co-write the issue and the best thing that I can say about Static Shock is that it's fun. We get a good indication of Virgil's personality and his life, far more so than the superheroing. He is believable, slightly sarcastic and likable. Things get interesting when we find out that the "accident" with the plasma suit was not and the lengths that Piranha's group will go to to ensure their secrecy. I'd also like to commend the writer on their grasp of science. There is no technobabble and everything that Virgil does with his energy powers is grounded in real physics.
VALUE FOR YOUR MONEY:
Static Shock is another of the $2.99 comics and I'd recommend it if you're looking for a comic without so much violence or horror aspects to it. One person dies after being shot and Static Shock gets shot at the end but he just looks like he's being dispersed rather than any blood being shown. Personally, I'm happy to see one of the Milestone characters coming back and he's used well. This is probably not a comic I'd actively go out and get monthly but I'd certainly be willing to pick this up in a trade paperback.
NEXT WEEK:
Batgirl #1, Green Arrow #1, Hawk and Dove #1, Justice League International #1, Men of War #1, O.M.A.C. #1, and Stormwatch #1.