The debut of Milestone’s Static #1 was almost 28 years ago to the day. Created by the co-founders of Milestone, Dwayne McDuffie, Dennis Cowan, Michael Davis, and Derek T. Dingle, and drawn by the late John Paul Leon, the character of Virgil Ovid Hawkins would go on to be one of the most impactful characters in comics in the ’90s. The comic book series inspired Static Shock, the animated series that ran on the WB Network’s kids block starting in 2000 for four seasons. The show (also produced and written by McDuffie) influenced an entire generation who grew up with Virgil (voiced by the legendary Phil Lamarr) in their living rooms.
The new Milestone, now an imprint within DC Comics (not to be confused with Milestone Media, the media company run by Hudlin, Cowan, and Dingle), finally returned last month with a new story, Static Season One #1. The new story, written by award-winning writer Vita Ayala (New Mutants, Shuri), features layouts by award-winning artist ChrisCross (Truth & Justice, Green Lantern) and art and color by Black Panther album designer and manga artist Nikolas Draper Ivey (XOGENASYS, Dream Vesper). On July 27, Milestone will release Static Season One #2.
To say the return of Virgil Hawkins to the comic book world was highly anticipated is an understatement. Of course, bringing back beloved characters from a favorite franchise is always a daunting task. But with the pressure of a pandemic, worldwide protest movements, and new online audiences, rebooting was probably one of Milestone’s most daunting tasks.
To read the full interview with Vita Ayala, head on over to Syfy!
Are you excited for Static Season One #2 to arrive on July 27? Let us know in the comments! 