What would have made "Static Shock" a better show?

[Static Z]

It seems not a lot of people liked or watched Static Shock.

http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=208941

In your opinion, what would have made it a better show?

Was not following the comics closely enough the problem? Should it have followed the comics more closely than it did, both in tone and stories/characters?

[DisneyBoy]

Static not being 15? I think the biggest problem was that the character was younger, so of course the demographic was younger.

Make him 18 in the third season or something, and you've got an interesting character.

Too much of the show was just a retread of other, better shows.

[Antiyonder]

While I did enjoy the show for what it was, I was under the impression that the show's tone was suppose to be more serious upon Season 3. Did they have a change of heart or just execute it poorly?

[Blackstar]

First, let me say that if someone were to take another shot at a Static Shock TV series, I think that it should be a reboot rather than a continuation of the Kids' WB show. I'd prefer it if the producers just disregarded the 1st series and started fresh with a clean slate. That said...

1. Not have the series try so hard to be subconsciously hip.

2. Cut down on the hip-hop soundtrack.

3. Don't rely so much on cameos, crossovers and guest stars, as this made it seem as if the series couldn't stand on it's own merits.

4. Respect Dwayne McDuffie's wishes and have Virgil's mother be alive and well on the show, the way she was in the comics. The Dead Mother Syndrome cliche is beyond tired.

5. Cut back on the "Very Special Episodes". Every other story doesn't have to end with a PSA.

6. No more episodes that are even remotely like "Hoop Squad", please!

[ABrown]

Well, I always enjoy an attactive girl in the mix. Batman:TAS, Superman:TAS, Batman Beyond, and Justice League all had their share of them. Having one on Static Shock wouldn't have hurt anything.

[Silverstar]

Well, I always enjoy an attactive girl in the mix. Batman:TAS, Superman:TAS, Batman Beyond, and Justice League all had their share of them. Having one on Static Shock wouldn't have hurt anything.

They sort of tried that with the character of She-Bang, who was basically a TV-ized version of Static's sidekick from the comics, Dusk. She only appeared in 3 episodes, though.

But I agree, Team Static doen't have to be an all-boys' club, provided they brought Gear back, that is. (Opinions differ on him.)

[ABrown]

They sort of tried that with the character of She-Bang, who was basically a TV-ized version of Static's sidekick from the comics, Dusk. She only appeared in 3 episodes, though.

Oh, I remember her. But the Static Shock girls were, well little girls. I don't think that they were a day over 14 years old. I'm thinking of the girls on Batman Beyond. They seemed a little more mature, if you will.

[Donomark]

I think more honest episode w/o cliche villains would have helped the show out. Unlike everyone else on this board, I like all of the PSA episodes, though they didn't need Static breaking the fourth wall at the end of them. Maybe a little bit more continuity.

But I still liked the show.

[AlgeaX]

I think the show could have used more credible villains. With the exception of Ebon none of them really seemed menacing.

[DisneyBoy]

3. Don't rely so much on cameos, crossovers and guest stars, as this made it seem as if the series couldn't stand on it's own merits.

This was done more as a stunt to boost ratings than anything else. I don't think we're looking at a situation here where the producers strongly felt Static had to be connected to Batman and Superman, etc...the way say, Filmation producers intentionally linked She-Ra and He-Man back in the 80s.

If there was another Static show ever, I suspect it would definitely lose the faux-hip-hop presentational aspects and try and stand on it's own. I think a comic series (which now appears to be happening) is a better place for creative types to figure out how to best use Static. Maybe he's the next Robin, or just some Legion back-up character. Time will tell.

[Dusty]

IMO there was no problem with it, I enjoyed that show very much,


D.

[Manhunter]

First, let me say that if someone were to take another shot at a Static Shock TV series, I think that it should be a reboot rather than a continuation of the Kids' WB show. I'd prefer it if the producers just disregarded the 1st series and started fresh with a clean slate. That said...

1. Not have the series try so hard to be subconsciously hip.

2. Cut down on the hip-hop soundtrack.

3. Don't rely so much on cameos, crossovers and guest stars, as this made it seem as if the series couldn't stand on it's own merits.

4. Respect Dwayne McDuffie's wishes and have Virgil's mother be alive and well on the show, the way she was in the comics. The Dead Mother Syndrome cliche is beyond tired.

5. Cut back on the "Very Special Episodes". Every other story doesn't have to end with a PSA.

6. No more episodes that are even remotely like "Hoop Squad", please!

I have to co-sign this. Also:

7. Keep Freida as Virgil's confidant.

8. Bring in Larry Wade, Chuck, Thor, Felix, etc. (even if BS&P wouldn't let the producers portray Rick as being gay)

9. Give Hotstreak his comics powers (pyrokinesis fueled by super-speed)

[J!!!]

I liked the show more when it wasn't in the DCAU so that would have helped.

[Light Lucario]

While I did like the show for what it was, I could also see some more improvements if a reboot ever took place. I would like to have the series stay closer to the comics. I haven't read them myself, but it does sound interesting and the material could provide some good storylines in the series. I did like some of the crossovers, mainly the second Batman, JL and Batman Beyond crossovers, but I think cutting down on some of those would be good. Definitely get rid of any crossover with pop stars and the Hoop Squad.

I also agree that having a better selection of villains would be good too. I can only think of one or two villains that were really intense out of the whole series. Maybe have some arcs throughout the series, but that would probably help with being closer to the comics too.

[desi]

For a show that talked a little about gangs and racial problems, Static Shock was goofy and a childish show. In a way, it contradicted itself by trying to talk about darker subjects but also trying to be a generic kids' show. If anything, Static needs to be darker and edgier.

The other problem I had with show was the origins of the characters. Static and almost every villain shared the same origin...and Gear's origin was unbelievable. I mean that in a bad way. It was total BS. Gear got powers because of a gas he never inhaled? Origins are an important part of comic books and superheroes and if a writer can't do that than they are in a wrong business.

[Wolf Boy2]

For a show that talked a little about gangs and racial problems, Static Shock was goofy and a childish show. In a way, it contradicted itself by trying to talk about darker subjects but also trying to be a generic kids' show. If anything, Static needs to be darker and edgier.
I agree. I think Static Shock ought to be grounded in the world of urban gang violence the same way that Batman:TAS was grounded in noir, white collar gang violence.

It doesn't have to be overly violent or bloody, but seeing Static combat street gangs would have been a good thing. It's actually what the pilot led me to expect, with the bangers and the gun and all.

Maybe throw in a few gangbanger episodes that have no supervillians. Maybe have Static round up some realistic drug dealers, for instance. Not fantasy strength serums but regular old crack dealers (like the realistic meth and crack refferences in "A Bullet for Bullock").

What irritated me about the hip hop element was how HAPPY it was. Most of the gangsta rap I've heard is pretty bleak, and the inner city doesn't seem like a sunny, happy place. It really shoud've been more of an urban war zone than a nice lil' town. I realize that this element was there, but it wasn't accentuated. BTAS remains the model, as it played heavy themes very well but under harsh Fox censorship. There is no excuse for such a weak show to run alongside "Batman Beyond" on KidsWB, except for bad writing.

But .... I'm also the guy who hates costumed villians. So naturally, "MORE GANGSTERS!!!!!" is what I want from every superhero show. :sweat:

[Master Toon]

5. Cut back on the "Very Special Episodes". Every other story doesn't have to end with a PSA.

I love PSAs. Especially the retro ones like on G.I. Joe.


I liked the show more when it wasn't in the DCAU so that would have helped.

What was so wrong with the crossovers?

[Gonzales]

Better animation. Honestly, watching it was painful to my eyes.

[matthewscott614]

The animation in Static Shock is just horrible.
The crossovers are ok but the rest is crap.
Plus all the dated ghetto lingo sure does not help matters!

[Blackstar]

What irritated me about the hip hop element was how HAPPY it was. Most of the gangsta rap I've heard is pretty bleak, and the inner city doesn't seem like a sunny, happy place. It really shoud've been more of an urban war zone than a nice lil' town. I realize that this element was there, but it wasn't accentuated. BTAS remains the model, as it played heavy themes very well but under harsh Fox censorship.

For me, it wasn't so much the happiness of the show as it was the inconsistency. On the 1 hand, Static Shock was a nice friendly show filled with nice happy people (except for the villains, of course) and shiny happy morals tacked onto the episodes, and then other times, SS tried to go the dark, depressing route by throwing in elements such as racism, gang violence and to oh-so-shopworn cliche of the Dead Mother Syndrome, in this case, having Virgil's mother conveniently killed before the 1st episode. Seeing Virgil going through the "Boo-hoo! My mom is dead!" angst in every other episode really brought down the show for me.

Static Shock couldn't make up it's mind if it wanted to be a friendly, happy show or a dark, depressing show. Pick a motif and go with it, please.

[Wonderwall]

Well I wont retread what already has been said especially since anyone who's read about my posts knows I don't care much for the show. One thing that bugged me was the city he lived in( Dakota was it? ) was so bland too look at. There wasn't a single BG that looked good at all or even stood out. I really think had Dakota had some kind of unique look( or at least less generic ) it would helped the show as well..assuming its other problems were addressed of course.

[Collie]

Could have done without the non-superhero guest stars (Shaq, the other NBA guys, L'il Romeo). Past that, the show was A+ all around.

[Master Toon]

Better animation. Honestly, watching it was painful to my eyes.

Did you like Jetix's Legend of the Dragon?



Plus all the dated ghetto lingo sure does not help matters!

It was ghetto lingo it was just slang that anyone and his grandma can use.


oh-so-shopworn cliche of the Dead Mother Syndrome, in this case, having Virgil's mother conveniently killed before the 1st episode. Seeing Virgil going through the "Boo-hoo! My mom is dead!" angst in every other episode really brought down the show for me.

What are you talking about? He was never crying over his dead mother in every episode. There was that one episode when that kid showed him a gun and Virgil got upset because his mom was killed by a gun and then there was the episode where he traveled to the past and tried to save her. Those are the only 2 mom-heavy episodes.


Static Shock couldn't make up it's mind if it wanted to be a friendly, happy show or a dark, depressing show. Pick a motif and go with it, please.I guess that's true but it never bothered me back then.

[Hollaman]

I believe that this show was great for the first 2 seasons and parts of the third. If they was any way to improve this show it would've been to follow the original comic WAY more closely than it did storywise.

[Kenny E. McCall]

And also, if they want to do team-up episodes, have them rely on characters from Dwayne McDuffie's own Milestone Media universe, such as Icon and Rocket, Blood Syndicate, Xombi, Hardware and Shadow Cabinet.

Otherwise, I agree with everything you said.

[AlgeaX]

Looking at people's responses coupled with my own ruminations, it seems that Static Shock's biggest drawback was that it lacked a disinct voice and style of it's own.

It was a well put together show and I'm sure everyone involved worked there hardest but all in all there was very little in it that you couldn't get out of anyother superhero show. Frankly, it seemed a tad generic.

Batman: TAS is a quasi crime noir story about a man driven by his inner demons to singlehandedly wage war on injustice.

Superman: TAS is a retro- Buck Rogers style adventure of a an icon of truth and justice.

The Spectacular Spider-Man is the story of a young man's attempt to live up to the great responsibilty thrust upon him by fate while at the same time confronting the callenges of adolecence.

Static Shock is the story of... a guy who shoots lightning out of his hands. It seems a bit lacking somehow.

One thing in particular that always bugged me was that Virgil never had any real motivation to become a superhero. He basically woke up one day and said "Hey, I got superpowers, guess I'll just slap on a goofy costume on go fight crime then." Where's the drama in that?

[Collie]

Where's the drama in that?

Is drama a requirement? Heck, Superman didn't have any motivation to do the superhero thing other than having the powers, either. Virgil, like Clark, was a conscientious, responsible young man who realized his powers needed to be used for good.

Not everybody has to BatWangst.

[AlgeaX]

Is drama a requirement? Heck, Superman didn't have any motivation to do the superhero thing other than having the powers, either. Virgil, like Clark, was a conscientious, responsible young man who realized his powers needed to be used for good.

Not everybody has to BatWangst.

Well Superman's motivation for fighting evil is basically that he's freaking Superman. Virgil was just a regular fifteen year old. I'm not saying he has to be driven by inner demons or anything, but if you expect me to belive that a teenager is going to dress up in blue spandex and risk his life battling ruthless crinimals on a daily basis, then your going to have to give me some compeling motivation. That's just a basic rule of good storytelling.

[J!!!]

What was so wrong with the crossovers?
It felt more real without them in a sense.:sweat:

[Dusty]

Personally, I think everyone is way too hard on this show, (sure it had its problems) but I think there are more "Why Static Shock Sucks." threads than there are fish in the sea, IMO Static Shock was a great show,


D.

[ABrown]

Personally, I think everyone is way too hard on this show

Well, here's why I think that a lot of people give Static such a hard time: it's because it became a part of the DCAU. It's supposed to co-exist with shows like Batman Beyond and Justice League, and it's really not at the same level as those shows. It's like asking a high school junior varsity basketball player to hold his own with the players on the varsity team, or a minor league baseball player to compete at the majors. Static would've received a lot less criticism had it never become a part of the DCAU.

[Dusty]

I like more because it is part of the DCAU, but... whatever,


D.

[Light Lucario]

Well, here's why I think that a lot of people give Static such a hard time: it's because it became a part of the DCAU. It's supposed to co-exist with shows like Batman Beyond and Justice League, and it's really not at the same level as those shows. It's like asking a high school junior varsity basketball player to hold his own with the players on the varsity team, or a minor league baseball player to compete at the majors. Static would've received a lot less criticism had it never become a part of the DCAU.

I understand your point of view and I respect that. However, I'm not sure if the fact that it became part of the DCAU is the source of Static Shock's criticism. One could barely tell that it was in the DCAU outside of the crossover episodes. While I did enjoy the show and all, I could point out some of its flaws and it wouldn't be because of it being a part of the DCAU. It was more like the series needed to stand more on its own with some more intense villains than what they usually had. Of course, most of the non-superhero cameo episodes were pretty weak too and it honestly could have used some more characters and/or storylines from the comics.

[AlgeaX]

Personally, I think everyone is way too hard on this show, (sure it had its problems) but I think there are more "Why Static Shock Sucks." threads than there are fish in the sea, IMO Static Shock was a great show,


D.

I don't think Static Shock sucks at all. I watched it when I could and generally enjoyed it, but I do think it had it's flaws and should have been much better then it was; espiecially considering the high quality of talent behind the scenes.

It was a good show but it could have been great.

[Blackstar]

I wouldn't say that Static Shock sucked, but there was definitely room for improvement. I don't know how much of the fault lied the writing or how much of it was due to the network's interference, but Static Shock:TAS had the potential to be considerably better than it was.

[Master Toon]

but if you expect me to belive that a teenager is going to dress up in blue spandex and risk his life battling ruthless crinimals on a daily basis, then your going to have to give me some compeling motivation. That's just a basic rule of good storytelling.

Maybe he has a Bruce Wayne complex and wants to make sure that no one gets hurt like his mom did. And then there's the fact that he's a teenager with a good heart and superpowers. If I was in his position I'd become a superhero too. It's like a dream come true.


Well, here's why I think that a lot of people give Static such a hard time: it's because it became a part of the DCAU. It's supposed to co-exist with shows like Batman Beyond and Justice League, and it's really not at the same level as those shows. It's like asking a high school junior varsity basketball player to hold his own with the players on the varsity team, or a minor league baseball player to compete at the majors. Static would've received a lot less criticism had it never become a part of the DCAU.

Isn't Zeta part of the DCAU? How come no one is giving that show a hard time?

[AlgeaX]

Maybe he has a Bruce Wayne complex and wants to make sure that no one gets hurt like his mom did. And then there's the fact that he's a teenager with a good heart and superpowers. If I was in his position I'd become a superhero too. It's like a dream come true.

Tying it back to his mom might have worked but I don't remember the show ever going there. And while everyone may fantasize about being a superhero, i'm not sure how many of us could really cope with the immense respons responsibilities and sacrifices that such lifestyle would a logically demand. Nobody wants to be Batman, they may want to be the a rich badass with a sexy super car but they don't want to watch their parents murdered in front of them or get in fist fights with a homicidal clown.

Now that I think about it that might have been a cool angle to explore; have Virgil start his superheroic career thinking it's going to be a fun silver agey adventure only to be brought back to earth by the danger and violence of it.


Isn't Zeta part of the DCAU? How come no one is giving that show a hard time?

I could lose half my fingers in a freak blender accident and still be able to count on one hand the number of Zeta episodes I've seen. I'm guesssing most people never really paid any attention to it.

[ABrown]

Isn't Zeta part of the DCAU? How come no one is giving that show a hard time?

Well, here's a thread that could possibly be viewed as someone giving Zeta a hard time: http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=225118

But I think that the reason that you don't hear (or in this case see) as much Zeta bashing is:


I could lose half my fingers in a freak blender accident and still be able to count on one hand the number of Zeta episodes I've seen. I'm guesssing most people never really paid any attention to it.

[Blackstar]

Isn't Zeta part of the DCAU? How come no one is giving that show a hard time?

Because hardly anyone remembers The Zeta Project now. Only a select few people are even aware that the show existed.

[Wonderwall]

Isn't Zeta part of the DCAU? How come no one is giving that show a hard time?

Static had about twice as many episodes as Zeta. Zeta also had, to me, a more interesting premise and dynamic. Also Zeta never had as many awful episodes that Static had and always had a different locale( going back to my first post ) as opposed to SS. From what I read Zeta also had a pretty good second season, an improvement over the first but like 5 people saw it. Those are really the only reasons I can think that people dont rag on Zeta.

[Hollaman]

Well Superman's motivation for fighting evil is basically that he's freaking Superman. Virgil was just a regular fifteen year old. I'm not saying he has to be driven by inner demons or anything, but if you expect me to belive that a teenager is going to dress up in blue spandex and risk his life battling ruthless crinimals on a daily basis, then your going to have to give me some compeling motivation. That's just a basic rule of good storytelling.

That isn't poor storytelling. Virgil is a geek and a huge fan of superheroes. It isn't so farfetch that he wants to live out his fantasy of being a superhero. But I guess it's impossible for someone to go out of their way to help someone when they have the power or resources to do so.

I doubt that he expected to fight supervillians, like in the first episode he stopped the normal criminal which with his powers he can easily overpower them. Supervillian activity didn't happen in Dakota before the Big Bang. The whole ruthless supervillians thing just sort of happened.

I mean maybe the reason why people don't consider Static "in the big leagues" is because most of his villians were comeplete jokes. Hotstreak was a legit badass from the beginning of the series to a joke by the 3rd and 4th season. Other great villians that he had were Alva (only at the beginning), Ebon, and Ragtag. The rest were just meh. They definently should've taken villians from the Static Comics and Milestone Universe. Like Commando X, Holocaust (Pyre), Dr. Kilgore, Snake-Fingers, Jump, Swarm, Promethus, ect...

Would I have liked the cartoon to have kept storylines and characters from the comic? Yeah, but all in all it the show wasn't bad. The so-called 'problems' with the show that everyone is talking about in this thread aren't really problems of the show. (If you want me to name the real problems I'll be happy to.) This show was STRONG (as in good) for the first 2 seasons. The Static Shock train was derailed during the third season and there was a horrendous train crash by the fourth season.

[AlgeaX]

That isn't poor storytelling. Virgil is a geek and a huge fan of superheroes. It isn't so farfetch that he wants to live out his fantasy of being a superhero. But I guess it's impossible for someone to go out of their way to help someone when they have the power or resources to do so.

Plain old altruism isn't farfetched just so much as not particularly interesting or unique. I mean how does that make Virgil any different from the hoards of d-list heroes at Marvel or DC.


I doubt that he expected to fight supervillians, like in the first episode he stopped the normal criminal which with his powers he can easily overpower them. Supervillian activity didn't happen in Dakota before the Big Bang. The whole ruthless supervillians thing just sort of happened.

I mean maybe the reason why people don't consider Static "in the big leagues" is because most of his villians were comeplete jokes. Hotstreak was a legit badass from the beginning of the series to a joke by the 3rd and 4th season. Other great villians that he had were Alva (only at the beginning), Ebon, and Ragtag. The rest were just meh. They definently should've taken villians from the Static Comics and Milestone Universe. Like Commando X, Holocaust (Pyre), Dr. Kilgore, Snake-Fingers, Jump, Swarm, Promethus, ect...

Like I said before Static's rouges gallery was pretty aneamic.

I'm not that familer with the original Milestone universe but from what I've read Holocaust sounds pretty badass, though you'd probably never get him past S&P.

Hotstreak's degeneration from scary ass sociopath to comedy relief mook was pretty jarring. I remember seeing him in the Joker crossover ep and having a hard time beliving this was the same guy who had terrorised Static in the first season

Never liked Alva, the whole evil industralist shtick just seems overdone and generic on anyone who isn't Lex Luthor or David Xanatos.

Ebon was pretty cool though.


Would I have liked the cartoon to have kept storylines and characters from the comic? Yeah, but all in all it the show wasn't bad. The so-called 'problems' with the show that everyone is talking about in this thread aren't really problems of the show. (If you want me to name the real problems I'll be happy to.) This show was STRONG (as in good) for the first 2 seasons. The Static Shock train was derailed during the third season and there was a horrendous train crash by the fourth season.

I liked the show, I just think it had alot of unrealised potential. Out of curiosity what do you think were it's main problems?

[Light Lucario]

Like I said before Static's rouges gallery was pretty aneamic.

I'm not that familer with the original Milestone universe but from what I've read Holocaust sounds pretty badass, though you'd probably never get him past S&P.

Hotstreak's degeneration from scary ass sociopath to comedy relief mook was pretty jarring. I remember seeing him in the Joker crossover ep and having a hard time beliving this was the same guy who had terrorised Static in the first season

Never liked Alva, the whole evil industralist shtick just seems overdone and generic on anyone who isn't Lex Luthor or David Xanatos.

Ebon was pretty cool though.

That's so true. As others have mentioned before, I think one of Static Shock's problems was the lack of really good and intense villains. Hotstreak was kind of like that during the earlier episodes, especially since he had a history of bullying Virgil well before either one of them had their superpowers. I don't think that there even was as much of a focus on Alva as a villain, at least not after his son turned to stone. Ebon did have more of a long lasting threatening villain status, possibly because of his design, his power or a combinaton of both. I still like the show, but I definitely think that it needed a few more villains like that in order to develop Static's own part of the world.

[Collie]

Well Superman's motivation for fighting evil is basically that he's freaking Superman. Virgil was just a regular fifteen year old. I'm not saying he has to be driven by inner demons or anything, but if you expect me to belive that a teenager is going to dress up in blue spandex and risk his life battling ruthless crinimals on a daily basis, then your going to have to give me some compeling motivation. That's just a basic rule of good storytelling.

His motivation is the same as Superman's: the responsibility to use his powers for good. Being born with them or getting them later is irrelevant.

[matthewscott614]

Flipping through the channels & I came across Static Shock.
Is it me or did the DCAU crossover episodes have
better animation then say when the show first started?

Not sure what they are running on that toon disney extreme right now.
The only ones I've seen are the crossovers so I have no idea.
But please someone ring the bell when the crossover are about to air.

Last time I think they aired was 2005 on the cartoon network.
Back then my video capture set up was not as good as it is now,
so I'm itching to re-record all of them, that is unless WHV releases
a special Static Shock DCAU Crossover DVD.

[Hypestyle]

I would have liked to see the show continue, introduce more milestone characters.. Icon & Rocket, Shadow Cabinet, Xombi, etc.

[John Cage]

As much as I take issue with the way you phrased the question (and come on, you're just asking the folks who hated Static Shock all along to come out of the woodwork that way), I don't disagree with folks who cited the inconsistent tone of the series as a failing. I figure they had to make concessions to get the stuff they did past WB's censors -- the gang stuff, the gun in the pilot -- but it did seem at odds with the lighter tone of the series for the most part. I'd also argue that the "very special episodes" were a problem too, but I'll let them slide because they were done for younger viewers, which, really the show was designed to target anyway.

As far as I'm concerned though, once the show hit the third season and really got into the superhero stuff and put the more realistic material to the side, it really got going. Granted that's taking a big part out of what made the Static comic unique out of the equation, but since they weren't able to do it justice the show was better off for it. The animation got a lot better too by the end of the run -- more consistant, richer colors, and all that.

I guess I wish they'd brought more characters in from the comics too, but I suppose I feel that way about any animated or live action comic-property. When I had the chance to meet Dwayne McDuffie a few years back he mentioned they wanted to bring Icon and Hardware into the series, but Kids WB insisted they be teenagers. I recall hearing that was a problem with the show too, that they were disuaded from having adult enemies for the first couple of seasons of the show and were only allowed to have Static fight non-teens once the show became a hit; guess they couldn't get them to budge on straight adaptations of Icon and the rest though.

Have a good day.
John Cage

[Rated XD]

Static Shock was an ok show but this would make the show interesting.

1.Make a main bad guy or a nemesis in the show.

2.The show animation could look more like STAS.

3.Every season the characters could look more aging.It would fit with Static in the Justice leaque.

[Wonderwall]

Static Shock was an ok show but this would make the show interesting.

1.Make a main bad guy or a nemesis in the show.

2.The show animation could look more like STAS.

3.Every season the characters could look more aging.It would fit with Static in the Justice leaque.

Only better animation would've helped this show from those 3. Static needed just more care with the bad guys they had. Not all shows need a main bad guy. I don't see why they would need to age the characters unless they warped forward in time, which would've been impossible as the studio wanted the show to stay teen.

[Cartoon-Man]

I wish it had been more serious and less lighthearted, since most episodes ended up being bland rather than funny to me. And I could have done without real-life celebrities appearing.


One thing in particular that always bugged me was that Virgil never had any real motivation to become a superhero. He basically woke up one day and said "Hey, I got superpowers, guess I'll just slap on a goofy costume on go fight crime then." Where's the drama in that?
I thought Virgil's attitude made it obvious that he liked being an hero simply because it was "cool" and fun.


For me, it wasn't so much the happiness of the show as it was the inconsistency. On the 1 hand, Static Shock was a nice friendly show filled with nice happy people (except for the villains, of course) and shiny happy morals tacked onto the episodes, and then other times, SS tried to go the dark, depressing route by throwing in elements such as racism, gang violence and to oh-so-shopworn cliche of the Dead Mother Syndrome, in this case, having Virgil's mother conveniently killed before the 1st episode. Seeing Virgil going through the "Boo-hoo! My mom is dead!" angst in every other episode really brought down the show for me.

Static Shock couldn't make up it's mind if it wanted to be a friendly, happy show or a dark, depressing show. Pick a motif and go with it, please.
Why should a show be limited to use a single theme, when Bruce Timm's cartoons had both serious and funny episodes, and were praised for it? Hell, even BTAS had plenty of comedy in it despite its general theme.

Also:

What are you talking about? He was never crying over his dead mother in every episode. There was that one episode when that kid showed him a gun and Virgil got upset because his mom was killed by a gun and then there was the episode where he traveled to the past and tried to save her. Those are the only 2 mom-heavy episodes.

[Beat]

I would have made it more like the comics. That means NO HOOP SQUAD. It felt like later on they went "Oh noes, he's black, we need to have a very special episode!" The comic tackled a ton of tough issues but none of them were hand over fist. Shock approached Captain Planet preachiness in later seasons.

[Blackstar]

Static Shock was an ok show but this would make the show interesting.

1.Make a main bad guy or a nemesis in the show.

Why would they need to do that? None of the other DCAU series did. Besides, heroes facing off against the same villain every week is boring.


2.The show animation could look more like STAS.That's superficial. The series animation style is minor and quite frankly, that's a lame reason to claim a series to be superior or inferior to another.


3.Every season the characters could look more aging.It would fit with Static in the Justice leaque.Again, that would serve no purpose whatsoever, and the process of animation is long and difficult enough without having to redesign your cast every season. None of the other DCAU series (or ANY other animated series, for that matter) aged their characters per season, and what would that add to the show? Static made 1 appearance on Justice League, and that was about 50 years in the future.

[ABrown]

heroes facing off against the same villain every week is boring.

Beast Wars/Machines says Hi.

But in this case I do agree.

[Wolf Boy2]

Beast Wars/Machines says Hi.

But in this case I do agree.
Well, with Beast Wars (or any Transformers series), it's nigh impossible to find credible third-party threats to the non-human heroes. Even then, Beast Wars did throw the Vok in as a third party menace. The original Transformers tried to use the Quintessons and TF: Animated used some lame humans. GI Joe had the same problem with Cobra (the millitary can't just go out and nab bank robbers, so it always had to be about Cobra).

However, Static Shock was about civilian humans and set on Earth. There was no need for a "main" bad guy. However, a solid arch enemy (a la the Joker) or a consistant gang/mob boss (a la Rupert Thorne or Wilson Fisk) would have been a good thing. The Bang Baby gang just didn't cut it. Static needed a true archfoe.

[AlgeaX]

However, Static Shock was about civilian humans and set on Earth. There was no need for a "main" bad guy. However, a solid arch enemy (a la the Joker) or a consistant gang/mob boss (a la Rupert Thorne or Wilson Fisk) would have been a good thing. The Bang Baby gang just didn't cut it. Static needed a true archfoe.

Umm, Static did have an archfoe in the form of Ebon.

[Wolf Boy2]

Umm, Static did have an archfoe in the form of Ebon.
Well, he didn't make much of an impact on me. He was certainly no Megatron or Xanatos.

[John Cage]

Well, he didn't make much of an impact on me. He was certainly no Megatron or Xanatos.

What about Edwin Alva?

Have a good day.
John Cage

[Silverstar]

What about Edwin Alva?

What about him? He only appeared in a handful of episodes, and was barely seen after "Junior". He could've been a formidable threat, but the writers barely utilized him.

[Light Lucario]

Umm, Static did have an archfoe in the form of Ebon.

I felt like Hotstreak was more like an archfoe for Static. At least in the earlier episodes. I think by either season two or three, he kind of lost his intense villain status. I think that the fact that Static didn't really have much of intense or really threntening villains was more of a problem than not having an archfoe.


What about him? He only appeared in a handful of episodes, and was barely seen after "Junior". He could've been a formidable threat, but the writers barely utilized him.

I agree with you. Edwin Alva really didn't feel like much of a threat to me, but I think the fact that he was barely seen and used throughout the series helped with making him weak villain.

[silvanoir]

I loved Static ( I still want it on DVD! )...

but I would get rid of the crossovers and celebrity guests. Those where the worst episodes. Hoop Squad being the bane of everyone's existence. And that one Superman episode, where all they could do was fight giant toys and gush like fangirls over how cool Superman is? UGH.

I liked that they were comic book geeks who got superpowers themselves. It was cute, and not everyone has to have an overly dramatic origin! It's fine how it started.. average kid gets powers, learns how to save the city.

I also like how it balanced several things... school life, home life, having fun, social issues, and being a hero. These were "real" people in the "real" world who happened to be heroes or villains, not costumed aliens.

I think over the seasons, as he got older and more experienced, the fights should have reflected that... no gushing over other heroes, but really becoming a respected hero in his own right. That's what I'd want from a new series, an older Static dealing with bigger and darker problems/crime. If street gangs are an issue in Dakota, really show that. Agreed on needing more threatening villains, not just confused kids (that's fine sometimes, but not all the time). I've read some fantastic fanfics where there was a big threat that took days for Virgil to fight and for Richie to think his way out of. I would like to see more of that... serious threats that last more than just one ep.

And overhaul "Gear"... costume, origin, everything. If used. I liked Richie better as best friend / inventor. He looked stupid in spandex. The super-brain was OK though ;)

(Oh, and a better animation budget would be nice)

[Dusty]

I loved Static ( I still want it on DVD! )...

but I would get rid of the crossovers and celebrity guests. Those where the worst episodes. Hoop Squad being the bane of everyone's existence. And that one Superman episode, where all they could do was fight giant toys and gush like fangirls over how cool Superman is? UGH.

I liked that they were comic book geeks who got superpowers themselves. It was cute, and not everyone has to have an overly dramatic origin! It's fine how it started.. average kid gets powers, learns how to save the city.

I also like how it balanced several things... school life, home life, having fun, social issues, and being a hero. These were "real" people in the "real" world who happened to be heroes or villains, not costumed aliens.

I think over the seasons, as he got older and more experienced, the fights should have reflected that... no gushing over other heroes, but really becoming a respected hero in his own right. That's what I'd want from a new series, an older Static dealing with bigger and darker problems/crime. If street gangs are an issue in Dakota, really show that. Agreed on needing more threatening villains, not just confused kids (that's fine sometimes, but not all the time). I've read some fantastic fanfics where there was a big threat that took days for Virgil to fight and for Richie to think his way out of. I would like to see more of that... serious threats that last more than just one ep.

And overhaul "Gear"... costume, origin, everything. If used. I liked Richie better as best friend / inventor. He looked stupid in spandex. The super-brain was OK though ;)

(Oh, and a better animation budget would be nice)
I thought the GL, JL, BM, and SM crossover eps were fine,
(but thats just me)


D.

[Light Lucario]

I loved Static ( I still want it on DVD! )...

but I would get rid of the crossovers and celebrity guests. Those where the worst episodes. Hoop Squad being the bane of everyone's existence. And that one Superman episode, where all they could do was fight giant toys and gush like fangirls over how cool Superman is? UGH.

I liked that they were comic book geeks who got superpowers themselves. It was cute, and not everyone has to have an overly dramatic origin! It's fine how it started.. average kid gets powers, learns how to save the city.

I also like how it balanced several things... school life, home life, having fun, social issues, and being a hero. These were "real" people in the "real" world who happened to be heroes or villains, not costumed aliens.

I think over the seasons, as he got older and more experienced, the fights should have reflected that... no gushing over other heroes, but really becoming a respected hero in his own right. That's what I'd want from a new series, an older Static dealing with bigger and darker problems/crime. If street gangs are an issue in Dakota, really show that. Agreed on needing more threatening villains, not just confused kids (that's fine sometimes, but not all the time). I've read some fantastic fanfics where there was a big threat that took days for Virgil to fight and for Richie to think his way out of. I would like to see more of that... serious threats that last more than just one ep.

And overhaul "Gear"... costume, origin, everything. If used. I liked Richie better as best friend / inventor. He looked stupid in spandex. The super-brain was OK though ;)

(Oh, and a better animation budget would be nice)

I definitely agree with getting rid of the celebrity guest star episodes since those were mainly promoting the newest trends/stars. I thought that some of the superhero crossovers were fine, like the second Batman crossover, JL, BB and GL. I also kind of liked the one with Superman, but you do have a good point about that episode too.

I also like the idea of a threat that takes more than one episode to solve. That might not work all of the time, but I think that could work if done right and used only once in awhile. Maybe once or twice a season would work out. As for Gear, I kind of liked him since it was interesting to have someone given super brain power instead of some kind of physical power. If the origin story was better developed, I wouldn't mind that at all.

[Plague Rat]

I just don't remember liking the style. I know that there were some redeeming qualities to it in some episodes, but the general style of the show was kind of a turn-off.

Or in general, the portrayal of Static was a bit... annoying.

[Silverstar]

As for Gear, I kind of liked him since it was interesting to have someone given super brain power instead of some kind of physical power. If the origin story was better developed, I wouldn't mind that at all.

I agree; I actually liked Gear, although admittedly, the explanation for his acquiring Bang Baby powers was kind of weak. I once read a Static Shock fanfic in which Richie was present at the Big Bang alongside Virgil, so they each received powers at the same time. That might have been a more plausible explanation.

[Collie]

I thought Virgil's attitude made it obvious that he liked being an hero simply because it was "cool" and fun.

Pardon the nitpick, but the quote this responds to is misattributed. The dude with the Shockwave avatar said that, not me. :)

[Light Lucario]

I agree; I actually liked Gear, although admittedly, the explanation for his acquiring Bang Baby powers was kind of weak. I once read a Static Shock fanfic in which Richie was present at the Big Bang alongside Virgil, so they each received powers at the same time. That might have been a more plausible explanation.

That's a good point. His powers did basically come out of nowhere when the series was already in its third season or so. I do like that idea that Richie was at the Big Bang like Virgil was. That would have been a better explanation for his powers, as well as give him more of a chance to develop as a superhero along with Virgil.