DC Comics Honors Akira With Static Shock Cover

Akira is easily one of the most legendary, well-known movies in the world of anime, with the property still receiving homages to this day, and it seems that DC Comics is the latest company to pay homage to the story of Kaneda and Tetsuo thanks to a comic cover of Static Shock. The teenage superhero has recently returned to the comics publisher with his title Static Shock: Season One, with artist Nikolas Draper-Ivey using Virgil in a scene that pays tribute to the anime franchise which was originally created by the prolific artist, Katsuhiro Otomo.

Static Shock is a teenage superhero that was originally introduced as a part of Milestone Comics, which subsequently became a part of Warner Bros Entertainment and thus a part of the DC Comics’ universe. With Static easily becoming the most popular hero introduced in this universe, thanks in part to his 2000 animated series which landed on the programming block, Kids WB, the character remains a major hero in DC’s roster. Currently, a live-action movie for Static Shock is in the works at Warner Bros, with producers Michael B. Jordan and Reginald Hudlin looking to bring a brand new story to the electric-powered young hero.

DC Comics took the opportunity to share this upcoming Static Shock cover via its Official Twitter Account, showing off just how much artist Nikolas Draper-Ivery loves anime and the property that was created by mangaka Katsuhiro Otomo:

Inspired by anime, but uniquely his own 🖌⚡️ Artist @NikDraperIvey and @nerdist explore Japanese art influences in STATIC: SEASON ONE: https://t.co/oTlsBxEVK9 #DCMilestone pic.twitter.com/rQTe6HrFnV

— DC (@DCOfficial) September 17, 2021

In a recent interview with the Nerdist, the artist of this upcoming cover went into detail regarding his love of anime, while also revealing that his father showed him Akira at a very young age:

“He showed me Akira at a really young age. He was like, ‘You need to see this.”

On the anime front, Otomo revealed a few years back that his franchise would be returning to the world of animation via a new television series which would stick closer to the source material of the manga, but no new information or footage has been revealed regarding this upcoming take on the world of Akira. 

What do you think of DC Comics’ stunning homage to the world of Akira? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of Static Shock.