Post by xLEGACYx on Mar 13, 2015 0:07:50 GMT
BELOW IS AN ARTICLE FROM ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY THAT WAS PUBLISHED LAST NOVEMBER. ALL RIGHTS ARE ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLYS AND MONIQUE JONES.
(I did not have time to write an article myself but found this that highlights what I wanted to talk about)
New 'Static Shock': 3 lessons to learn from DC’s classic animated series
by Monique Jones, Community Contributor @moniqueblognet
Nov 8, 2014 | 10:30AM
DC is bringing its popular Milestone Comics superhero Static Shock back to the forefront with the announcement of a brand-new Static Shock web series. A lot of details are still up in the air, including who will play the title character. It’s been rumored that Jaden Smith might take the electric mantle, but no matter who is cast, DC will have to do their best to make the live-action web series live up to the mighty titan that is the animated Static Shock series. If DC wants to capture the magic of the animated series and honor the memory of its creator, the late Dwayne McDuffie, here are three things the company should be cognizant of.
1. Virgil’s political and cultural weight: As a character, Virgil—the teenager who transforms into the electricity-wielding Static Shock after a gas explosion—is a cultural and political statement simply because he’s a black male lead in a genre that has only become especially multicultural in recent years. Similar to his Black Power-age predecessors (Storm and Black Lightning, to name a few), Virgil inspired a demographic of superhero fans who were thirsting for images of characters who looked like them.
Static Shock could have stopped at just having Virgil as the main character. But the show also educated viewers about Africa. The episode featuring Virgil’s family in Ghana didn’t include the usual tropes that Americans read as “Africa”; instead, viewers saw a bustling city, learned about Ghana’s history (such as gaining its independence from Britain and W.E.B. Du Bois choosing the country as his final resting place), and even got the term “pan-Africanism” thrown their way. On top of that, Static helped local hero Anansi (who’s named after the spider god featured in Ashanti myths) topple an evil plot led by, of all things, a humanoid leopard. Seeing Africa featured in a positive light meant a lot to many kids watching Static Shock—and it still means a lot, with Africa continues to be stereotyped by America as “uncivilized.”
The team behind the animated Static Shock used their platform to broaden viewers’ horizons about Africa and took to task many other aspects of our culture and society. If the web series uses its platform in the same way, it should be able to capture some of what made the animated series great.
2. Virgil as the Everyman: In addition to representing an overlooked demographic, Virgil also brought the idea of superheroism down to a real-world level. Virgil came from a middle-class, loving family mending itself after unforeseen tragedy—the death of Virgil’s mother from a gang shootout. Virgil traverses the tough world of high school with his best friend Richie as he struggles to hide his secret identity from his father. He faces flare-ups of racism from Richie’s dad and gang violence from the Bang Babies (others who were affected by the gas explosion). Static Shock is not just about saving the world; it’s a show about how to survive and succeed against overwhelming odds.
If the Static Shock web series wants to use the animated series as a springboard, it should relate the character to some of today’s social issues. One of the biggest successes of Static Shock was how it integrated issues that aren’t always discussed in superhero shows, like racism and gang violence, and spoke about the issues in an easily digestible way. It didn’t necessarily sugarcoat things while teaching the audience a lesson, and the web series would do well to keep up that tradition.
3. Think of Spider-Man: With the amount of juggling Virgil has to do with his family, superhero life, and social issues, he is, in many ways, like DC’s version of Spider-Man, the other popular Everyman superhero. In truth, Static Shock’s real-world aesthetic stems from McDuffie’s love of the Spider-Man comics. “I’d always been partial to Spider-Man as a child, particularly the teen version, and was disappointed with the adult, married to a fashion model Spider-Man who was running around in the comics at the time,” McDuffie told World’s Finest. “He was cool, but he wasn’t my Spidey. I wanted to do a contemporary teen hero to fill that then-empty niche.” McDuffie succeeded with his idea and then some, bringing to life a brand-new role model for new generations of superhero fans.
The creative team behind the new live-action Static Shock web series would be wise to retain all of the elements that made the original animated series such a powerhouse. Static is the boy-next-door, the boy everyone can relate to. He has faced tragedy and adversity, but has still come out on top. It’s that aspect of his character—not his actual superpowers—that make him such an effective shock to our systems.
Thoughts and Comments on the topic are always welcome.
(I did not have time to write an article myself but found this that highlights what I wanted to talk about)
New 'Static Shock': 3 lessons to learn from DC’s classic animated series
by Monique Jones, Community Contributor @moniqueblognet
Nov 8, 2014 | 10:30AM
DC is bringing its popular Milestone Comics superhero Static Shock back to the forefront with the announcement of a brand-new Static Shock web series. A lot of details are still up in the air, including who will play the title character. It’s been rumored that Jaden Smith might take the electric mantle, but no matter who is cast, DC will have to do their best to make the live-action web series live up to the mighty titan that is the animated Static Shock series. If DC wants to capture the magic of the animated series and honor the memory of its creator, the late Dwayne McDuffie, here are three things the company should be cognizant of.
1. Virgil’s political and cultural weight: As a character, Virgil—the teenager who transforms into the electricity-wielding Static Shock after a gas explosion—is a cultural and political statement simply because he’s a black male lead in a genre that has only become especially multicultural in recent years. Similar to his Black Power-age predecessors (Storm and Black Lightning, to name a few), Virgil inspired a demographic of superhero fans who were thirsting for images of characters who looked like them.
Static Shock could have stopped at just having Virgil as the main character. But the show also educated viewers about Africa. The episode featuring Virgil’s family in Ghana didn’t include the usual tropes that Americans read as “Africa”; instead, viewers saw a bustling city, learned about Ghana’s history (such as gaining its independence from Britain and W.E.B. Du Bois choosing the country as his final resting place), and even got the term “pan-Africanism” thrown their way. On top of that, Static helped local hero Anansi (who’s named after the spider god featured in Ashanti myths) topple an evil plot led by, of all things, a humanoid leopard. Seeing Africa featured in a positive light meant a lot to many kids watching Static Shock—and it still means a lot, with Africa continues to be stereotyped by America as “uncivilized.”
The team behind the animated Static Shock used their platform to broaden viewers’ horizons about Africa and took to task many other aspects of our culture and society. If the web series uses its platform in the same way, it should be able to capture some of what made the animated series great.
2. Virgil as the Everyman: In addition to representing an overlooked demographic, Virgil also brought the idea of superheroism down to a real-world level. Virgil came from a middle-class, loving family mending itself after unforeseen tragedy—the death of Virgil’s mother from a gang shootout. Virgil traverses the tough world of high school with his best friend Richie as he struggles to hide his secret identity from his father. He faces flare-ups of racism from Richie’s dad and gang violence from the Bang Babies (others who were affected by the gas explosion). Static Shock is not just about saving the world; it’s a show about how to survive and succeed against overwhelming odds.
If the Static Shock web series wants to use the animated series as a springboard, it should relate the character to some of today’s social issues. One of the biggest successes of Static Shock was how it integrated issues that aren’t always discussed in superhero shows, like racism and gang violence, and spoke about the issues in an easily digestible way. It didn’t necessarily sugarcoat things while teaching the audience a lesson, and the web series would do well to keep up that tradition.
3. Think of Spider-Man: With the amount of juggling Virgil has to do with his family, superhero life, and social issues, he is, in many ways, like DC’s version of Spider-Man, the other popular Everyman superhero. In truth, Static Shock’s real-world aesthetic stems from McDuffie’s love of the Spider-Man comics. “I’d always been partial to Spider-Man as a child, particularly the teen version, and was disappointed with the adult, married to a fashion model Spider-Man who was running around in the comics at the time,” McDuffie told World’s Finest. “He was cool, but he wasn’t my Spidey. I wanted to do a contemporary teen hero to fill that then-empty niche.” McDuffie succeeded with his idea and then some, bringing to life a brand-new role model for new generations of superhero fans.
The creative team behind the new live-action Static Shock web series would be wise to retain all of the elements that made the original animated series such a powerhouse. Static is the boy-next-door, the boy everyone can relate to. He has faced tragedy and adversity, but has still come out on top. It’s that aspect of his character—not his actual superpowers—that make him such an effective shock to our systems.
Thoughts and Comments on the topic are always welcome.
