Static Shock 3 (January 2012)

Every issue of Static Shock I wonder if it’s possible for McDaniel to get worse as an artist and as a writer. Once again, he doesn’t disappoint.

Besides the action scenes being incomprehensible, they’re badly paced. The big action scene this issue is reduced to one crappy page. It’s sort of amusing in its incompetence.

Speaking of incompetence, on to McDaniel and Rozum’s writing. Static’s special science high school–named after Dwayne McDuffie no less–is overrun by gang bangers. Science-happy gang bangers.

And then there’s the narration. Static is just as bad Spider-Man cocky in his day-to-day narration as he is in his dialogue with bad guys. Except we’ve never seen the women drool all over him; he appears to be a complete zero with the ladies. Overcompensating? Closeted denial?

The dueling clones are still interesting. They’re so compelling, not even McDaniel can ruin it.

CREDITS

Turnabout; writers, Scott McDaniel and John Rozum; penciller, McDaniel; inker, Andy Owens; colorist, Guy Major; letterer, Dezi Sienty; editor, Harvey Richards.; publisher, DC Comics.

Static Shock 2 (December 2011)

I’m not sure where to start.

Now, the first issue of Static Shock was unbelievably bad, but this second issue… it somehow manages to be even worse.

Maybe I just blocked the awfulness.

First, the art. McDaniel and Owens open with an incomprehensible action scene. Apparently, Static’s arm gets cut off and reattaches. I only figured out the extent of the injury during the truly godawful page where he talks to himself about his problems. The art doesn’t show this event clearly enough to follow it.

Then there’s the villains. They don’t just talk in exposition, they talk in exposition and tell the other villains exactly what to do–which kind of kills the narrative progression.

Oh, the gang stuff. Apparently, gang members in the new DC Universe talk like Steve Urkel.

I can’t believe Rozum’s got his name on this garbage. Static Shock‘s not just bad, it’s laughably incompetent.

CREDITS

Disarmed; writers, Scott McDaniel and John Rozum; penciller, McDaniel; inker, Andy Owens; colorist, Guy Major; letterer, Dezi Sienty; editor, Harvey Richards; publisher, DC Comics.

Static Shock 1 (November 2011)

The first issue of Static Shock ends with the titular hero about to be killed by some superhumans on floating mopeds. Unfortunately, I don’t think he’s going to die. Because if he did die, I’d never have to read a third issue of this series.

I’m not even going to talk about the Scott McDaniel art. It’s an easy target—it’s impossible to tell what’s going on and I can’t figure out why the book needs two inkers. They do about the work of a third of a bad inker.

Anyway, skipping McDaniel… the writing is awful. It hurts me to say it, because I like John Rozum’s work usually, but Static Shock is the most incompetently written book in the DC relaunch so far. And there are some really bad titles it’s worse than.

McDaniel and Rozum write a voiceover, not a narration.

It’s indescribably bad; just utter garbage.

CREDITS

Recharged; writers, Scott McDaniel and John Rozum; penciller, McDaniel; inkers, Jonathan Glapion and Le Beau Underwood; colorist, Guy Major; letterer, Dezi Sienty; editor, Harvey Richards; publisher, DC Comics.