Static Shock is an American superhero animated television series based on the Milestone Media/DC Comics superhero Static. It premiered on September 23, 2000, on the WB Television Network's Kids' WB programming block. Static Shock ran for four seasons, with 52 half-hour episodes in total. The show revolves around Virgil Hawkins, a 14-year-old boy who uses the secret identity of "Static" after exposure to a mutagen gas during a gang fight which gave him electromagnetic powers. It was the first time that an African-American superhero was the titular character of their own broadcast animation series.
Static Shock
Image: Jasonm 12
Image: Phil Lamarr (cropped)
Image: Michael Jai White by Gage Skidmore
Milestone Media Company LLC is a company best known for creating Milestone Comics, which were published and distributed by DC Comics, and the Static Shock animated series. It was founded in 1993 by a coalition of African-American artists and writers, consisting of Dwayne McDuffie, Denys Cowan, Michael Davis, Derek T. Dingle and Christopher Priest. The founders felt that minorities were severely underrepresented in American comics and wished to address this.
The "Return to the Dakota Universe" panel at the 2017 New York Comic Con. From left to right: DC Vice President of Creative Affairs Dan Evans (at the podium), Kyle Baker, Denys Cowan, Derek T. Dingle, Reginald Hudlin, Alice Randall, Greg Pak, Ken Lashley, and Jim Lee. Close-ups of the panelists can be found here.
