When most people think of classic team-ups in DC Comics, they think of heroes like Batman and Robin, or Green Arrow and Black Canary, but artist Nikolas Draper-Ivey is challenging those preconceptions with his latest piece. Long-time Milestone favorite, Static, finds himself flying through the city with relative newcomer to the Bat-Family, the Signal, and the duo are perfect together.
Virgil Hawkins AKA Static is originally from Dakota City and was granted the power of near unlimited electrical energy by an explosion of Quantum Vapor. He was created by Milestone Comics founder Dwayne McDuffie and Denys Cowan and was set in the heroic mold of Spider-Man. Duke Thomas is a young metahuman from Gotham City with the power to control light and darkness. Created by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo, he first joined the “We Are Robins” movement in the absence of Batman, but was eventually recruited by Bruce Wayne to be a member of the Bat-Family. The idea of a team-up between Virgil and Duke is an appealing one as their powers, personalities, and abilities would make for a fun and interesting partnership.
The image, shared on Twitter by Milestone artist Nikolas Draper-Ivey, shows Static and Signal flying through a glassy cityscape. Duke wears his classic black and yellow armor, while Static is dressed in one of the alternative black and yellow costumes first designed by Draper-Ivey. The piece evokes a moment of joyful movement. The background skyscrapers blur as these two heroes soar triumphantly above the streets. The matching color schemes of their costumes complement each other well, almost as if they were always destined to be partners.
Signal and Static share many thematic elements, not the least of which is is the fact that they are young Black men who are fighting for the betterment of their cities. Both heroes are also incredibly smart, with Duke being identified as a prodigy at a young age and Virgil being a gifted student and talented inventor. Signal and Static are both incredibly powerful controllers of their respective energies: light and electricity. Combining those elements would be an amazing combination of gifts, and thanks to his time on the Outsiders, Duke is already accustomed to working with an electrically powered mentor, Black Lightning. Virgil is no slouch when it comes to super-powered team-ups either. Having existed in both the DC Universe and the Dakotaverse, he has worked with great heroes such as Icon, Rocket, and even the Justice League. But most importantly, they are just two very cool characters who deserve more exposure, and creating a team-up series could go a long way to promoting these young heroes.
Virgil and Duke are both comic book characters that break boundaries. Static was created by Milestone as a young African-American superhero at a time when that was not a common thing to see in the pages of comics. The Signal is breaking similar boundaries in the prominent Bat-Family, proving to be more than just another Robin. Nikolas Draper-Ivey has given fans the next great superhero team-up, and DC Comics should be taking notes.
