REVIEW: ‘Static: Shadows Of Dakota,’ Issue #2

Static: Shadows of Dakota #2 is written by Nikolas Draper-Ivey and Vita Ayala, illustrated & colored by Draper-Ivey, and lettered by Andworld Design. It’s published by DC Comics. Virgil Hawkins is juggling a lot, both in terms of helping his family rebuild Dakota City after the fallout from the Big Bang and dealing with metahuman hunters. But soon all of those problems come crashing together when the hunters invade the community center his father’s spearheading. Meanwhile, more is revealed about the mysterious organization hunting metas and why they’ve landed in Ebon’s crosshairs.

This issue lets Draper-Ivey push his storytelling muscles, both in terms of art and writing. Artwise, he continues to deliver an anime-influenced flair to his work, especially in a fight scene toward the back half of the issue. One page features Static leaping from the ceiling, lightning lancing from his hands as he attacks the hunters. And another panel makes good use of Virgil’s electromagnetic abilities, splitting the page into a myriad of images featuring people’s reactions. But where Draper-Ivey really succeeds is in the body horror. Take the transformation of the massive metahuman D-Struct. His body begins to swell and double in size, as his skin cracks open to reveal glowing veins. This scene feels less like it belongs in a superhero comic and more in a horror film. And that’s not even going into what happens on the first page.

The bulk of the issue is dedicated to Virgil bonding with Quincy, a young student he’s been tutoring. Quincy is developing his own set of metahuman abilities and feels like Virgil is the only one he can trust, which ends up mirroring the journey that Virgil went through in Season One. Draper-Ivey and Ayala pour plenty of genuine human emotion into the conversations between Virgil and Quincy: Virgil tells Quincy about how his parents had to miss out on his extracurriculars to provide for him, and the two bond over playing their favorite video game. All of this bonding only serves to make the issue’s final page hit harder.

The writers also deal with the theme of change throughout the issue. Obviously, there are changes that the metahuman population of Dakota is going through. Many of them express uncertainty as well as fear over their new abilities. And becoming a superhero isn’t the only change in Virgil’s life—one of his friends is moving away, and there’s the whole Quincy thing. Change is a constant, and how we deal with it can shape our lives for the better or worse. The question that’s dangled in front of us this issue is: will Virgil be able to handle all the changes in his life or buckle under the pressure?

Static: Shadows of Dakota #2 puts the pressure on its titular hero as his superhero and personal lives collide in explosive fashion. Even though this issue is a bit of a breather compared to the first issue, it’s no less engaging. This series continues to be a reminder of why Static is an amazing character, and you should definitely be reading it.

Static: Shadows of Dakota #2 is available wherever comics are sold.