Criminals, Get Twisted; He's Superhero Gifted
The Good: The artwork is pretty solid, and definitely one of the more coherent of the Milestone series'. Of special note is the display of Static's lightning. It just looks so damn cool, and so damn unique for electricity combat.
On that note, his abilities are pretty unique. He can use his electricity straightforward, but he can also channel it into electromagnetism, powering his transportation, and creating a lot more options in combat. This is what really sets Static apart from Black Lightning. And Static doesn't take this advantage lightly, he's using both of his power styles constantly.
Static's banter is incredibly witty. Sure he comes off kind of like 'black Spider-Man,' but it works well. Whether it's straight up ripping it off or not, it's very entertaining. They didn't just try to copy Spider-Man exactly, they actually did plenty of work writing Static.
Static's such a neat laid back character. His dialogue is so casual, and I feel like they took some extra care in some of the panel layouts to really help emphasize his casual demeanor. It makes Static a more interesting and relateable character.
There's a nice balance of Static's school life, home life, and Superhero life. All 3 parts of his life are equally emphasized. This is the perfect way to write a 'teen hero.' This also makes his story so far feel interestingly grounded, as things are pretty much the fare for 'bad neighborhood' but where some of the people have super powers. This is the touch that makes it stand out a bit.
The Bad: Ewwww. Static's old costume is really not that great. Basically pure black spandex that runs from his feet to the top part of his face. And a baseball cap.
The biggest surprise about this so far is that, aside from being about a black superhero, is that this isn't as super unique as the rest of Milestone. Though I guess it kind of works for this series.
In Conclusion: 4/5
If you're expecting Static to blow your mind, STOP. It's not a godlike groundbreaking masterpiece, at least not right out of the station. What it is is a damn good teen superhero comic, well grounded without overdoing it, and a ton of fun to read. If you're a Static fan, I would HIGHLY recommend picking up the trade with the First 4 issues so you can see what he began as, and how he differs from the show; as not enough people know the differences too well. And maybe if it gets some good sales they'll make trades for the rest of Milestone. OR BRING THEM BACK PERHAPS!? Oh well. It's good.