It’s a great time to be a comic book fan. Not only have superhero movies based on beloved Marvel and DC comics dominated the box office in recent years, but the heroes have owned the small screen as well between The CW’s groundbreaking Arrowverse of shows to HBO’s Peacemaker and The Penguin. Animation has also been a thriving outlet for comic book stories with Harley Quinn and X-Men ’97. In fact, animation has always been a great home for comics and now, one of the most underrated animated DC series is finally back—and it’s free to stream.
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Now streaming on Tubi is all 52 episodes (that’s four seasons) of Static Shock. The series, based on the Milestone Media superhero Static created by Dwayne McDuffie, first debuted on September 23, 2000, as part of The WB’s kid’s programming block. The series followed Virgil Hawkins, a teenage boy who, after exposure to a mutagen gas during a gang fight, ended up with electromagnetic powers and became the hero Static. The series marked the first time an African American superhero was the headline character of their own animated series.
Static Shock is One of DC’s Best Heroes (And the Series is One of It’s All Time Best Shows)
Static Shock is quite possible DC’s most underrated superhero—and the animated series was also criminally underrated when it was originally airing. Static Shock as a series was like nothing else in the animated superhero space, with the series frequently taking on serious real-world issues like racism, bullying, and gun violence and doing so in a way that kids could not only understand and identify with, but that also respected their intelligence. The series approached its stories and messages authentically in a way that appealed to its young audience, which is why more than 25 years later, it is still beloved.
The show’s quality as well as its groundbreaking nature also make it’s untimely cancellation all the more frustrating as it was, ultimately, a victim of consumerism. Series star Phil Lamarr has previously said that because it was perceived that there wasn’t a market for toys and merchandise to be sold for Static Shock, the series was ultimately cancelled. The irony here is that there has been continued calls for more Static Shock, both on screen and on comic book pages, pretty much consistently since the show’s end. Now, with the show finally available to stream—and for free on Tubi—it is likely to reach an even larger audience than ever which could hopefully turn into the beloved character getting a second chance. After all, DC is undergoing a bit of a renaissance with its films and television shows thanks top James Gunn’s DCU. Perhaps the time is finally right for one of comics greatest heroes—and greatest animated series.
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