Last yr DC helped relaunch the enduring Milestone line of comedian books with all-new “seasons” of Static, Icon and Rocket, Hardware and Blood Syndicate. Yet, of all of the 4 headliners, Static stays the preferred by far. Aided by a technology who grew up seeing an animated Virgil Hawkins on display screen, Static: Season One was a wholesome mix of the unique comedian collection and the animated collection of the early 2000s.
But now that the retelling of Virgil’s origin story is out of the way in which, Nikolas Draper-Ivey is able to get severe with the just-launched Static: Shadows of Dakota. Bumped as much as co-writer alongside Vita Ayala, Draper-Ivey is taking Static and the world of Dakota to some intense new locations as he reimagines a well-liked villain from the animated collection into the stuff of modern-day nightmares.
On the heels of the primary challenge’s debut, we spoke with Draper-Ivey about returning to Milestone’s flagship title, what differentiates Static: Shadows of Dakota from Season One, his tackle the character Ebon and a lot extra!
From one Static fan to a different, I appreciated a tweet you made not too long ago lamenting how he’s typically misnamed “Static Shock” by folks. Was there any stress to title the collection “Static Shock” for the identify recognition?
No, DC knew precisely what they wished to name it proper off the bat. If something, they emphasised to me how necessary it was to maintain calling him Static. They introduced that to my consideration. Now, since I’m writing and drawing it, it’s my job to convey it to everybody else’s consideration. And if it’s actually my job to get the character’s identify proper, then I can’t be unsuitable. (laughs)
Ebon is the foremost participant within the new collection, and straight away he’s a far scarier and violent iteration of the character in comparison with his animated unique. What about Ebon actually captured your creativeness, and the way was the collaboration course of with him particularly like between you and Vita?
I’ve at all times appreciated Ebon as a personality, and it was a superb use of him for our story for me to variety of vent about some issues. Obviously, Static is a extra hopeful, optimistic character, however…there’s so much of belongings you wish to speak about and specific, and Ebon is the right character to get that out of you. Things which have been weighing on my coronary heart. It’s actually private. I don’t wish to give something away or reveal something, however the factor that drew me to him is how cutthroat he’s. In our model, it’s going to take greater than a flashlight to do away with him, ? His talents are actually going to have an effect on folks, getting them to ask, “How do you fight that?”
I really like the way you and Ayala have been mixing completely different parts of the unique Milestone comedian and the Static Shock cartoon. At the tip of challenge #1, we see Ebon asking about his brother, who within the cartoon was Rubberband Man. Should we count on an analogous relationship right here, or will this be one thing else that’s new to the mythology?
I’ll say it’s just like the present, in that Rubberband Man is his brother. But persons are going to be excited by this model and know why it’s necessary that Ebon finds him. It could find yourself being controversial at first…that’s all I’ll say.
One factor that actually struck me with Season One was how Virgil’s powers have been made public to so much of folks in Dakota. Is the key id one thing you and Vita aren’t interested by with this model of Static?
In Shadows of Dakota, we see extra of him attempting to maintain it a secret. Even although it’s apparent while you type of squint at Static you could know who he’s, on this season, it’s extra of a daily factor. In this story, as soon as he picks up his superhero mantle, issues have actually modified. And that’s one thing that we variety of make a joke about with Ebon who appears to be like at Static like, “What are you doing? Why are you advertising yourself?” (laughs) That’s one other approach by which the 2 differ, however Virgil’s secret id is extra of a factor on this season.
What has come to characterize this contemporary Milestone relaunch—and particularly, the brand new origin for Virgil—is the present torrent of race-related actual world occasions that may affect the characters in the event that they existed. What’s been the largest real-world affect on the Static “seasons” and was there one thing particularly that impressed Shadows of Dakota?
Yes, a number of issues. I might fairly not go into them as a result of there are such a lot of. Much of it is a response to so much of ache I’m feeling and so much of different persons are feeling. Asking questions like, how would you go round with the powers of a god if it meant bringing hurt to others sorts of folks? Would you do it? Would you attempt to scare them? Save them or be the Boogeyman?
I don’t wish to give an excessive amount of away, however there have been so much of real-world occasions that impressed us. When I began engaged on this, it was 2020 and like so much of others, I used to be in a fairly darkish place, however I used to be additionally questioning if this could nonetheless be related upon launch. It sucks that sadly so much of these items are nonetheless related, nonetheless occurring.
Virgil’s bought each Daisy and Frieda in his nook as we enter this season. Will there be any romance between any of them?
Well, the story isn’t actually centered round that, however there’s a number of hints right here or there, and the reader can see the place we’re going. The story is so intense that there’s not a lot time for smooches, however there’s some of it there.
Do you’ve gotten a playlist you take heed to when engaged on Static? Is there a playlist you suggest to readers when studying Static?
I really like listening to so much of film composers, just like the Tenet soundtrack. There’s so much of film scores that I’ll go into, nevertheless it’s often throughout the tone of the story I’m attempting to inform. Tenet, as an example, has an electrical, fast-paced variety of really feel.
Finally, what’s your favourite episode of Static Shock, and do you’ve gotten a favourite story from the earlier Static comics?
Definitely Rebirth of the Cool I actually love, particularly that John Paul-Leon paintings. As far because the cartoon, the episode with Richie’s dad (“Sins of the Father”), the place Robert tells Richie’s dad to cease being a racist. I really like that episode, and Ebon’s in it! I additionally just like the episode (“Consequences”) the place Static’s actually feeling himself and Daisy will get damage because of this and it teaches him to relax out and never be so hubristic.
Static: Shadows of Dakota #1 by Nikolas Draper-Ivey and Vita Ayala is now accessible in print and as a digital comedian ebook.
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