Static Shock #3

Title: Static Shock
Issue: 3
Date: January 2012
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Scott McDaniel, John Rozum
Penciler: Scott McDaniel
Inker: Andy Owens
Colorist: Guy Major
Letterer: Dezi Sienty
Editor: Harvey Richards
Cover: Khary Randolph, Emilio Lopez

This issue is almost all action, and it continues to be classic superhero fun. Static's battles are interesting, and there is a variety of villains that he's facing off against, all with their own agendas and subplots.

I'm continuing to enjoy the portrayal of Virgil Hawkins. He's a great mix of youthful confidence with inexperience, and he's really likable as a result. He doesn't sink into angst the way some teen characters seem to, and his intelligence comes through along with his courage.

I did think that some of the high school scenes in which Virgil tries to infiltrate the local gang culture seemed a bit contrived. These supposed gangbangers are awful quick to accept a newcomer they know nothing about. But I was willing to accept it for the sake of story pacing and keeping things light and fun, which has been a strength of this book since the first issue.

I got the news today that Static Shock has been canceled as of issue #8, and that's a disappointment to me. Out of 52 new titles, this was one of the best for just plain fun (the others I put in that category are Action Comics and Superman). In fact, in my opinion, Static Shock has been a more satisfying read than probably about 45 of the New 52. It's even more disappointing that of the six canceled titles, two of them featured African American lead characters (this one and Mr. Terrific, which I have not read). Hopefully the remaining five issues of Static Shock will bring the story to a satisfying end point. I intend to stick with this title to the end.

Rating: 7.5/10