Static Team-Up: Anansi #1
- Writer:
- Evan Narcisse
- Artist:
- Charles Stewart III, José Marzan Jr.
- Cover Artist:
- Nicholas Draper-Ivey
- Publisher:
- DC
- Price:
- $4.99
- Release Date:
- 2023-06-13
- Colorist:
- Luis Guerrero
The Milestone Universe and the electrifying hero Static are back, and they're not alone. Written by Evan Narcisse, with art by Charles Stewart III, inks by José Marzan Jr., and colors by Luis Guerrero, Static Team-Up: Anansi #1 takes place between the events of Static: Season One and Static: Shadows of Dakota and marks the triumphant return of the hero Anansi, who may or may not be the actual heroic spider trickster god of African lore.
Static is pulled away from a Juneteenth celebration when news that his friend and fellow Bang Baby, Devonte, is being pursued by a terrifying cult hunting down the supernaturally enhanced citizens of Dakota City. Luckily, Anansi has the know-how to help Virgil find his friend–and his confidence before it's too late.
Anansi hasn't made many appearances since the animated series, where he played a mentor and teacher to Virgil in Ghana and Dakota City. He was an instantly memorable figure thanks to his reality-warping storytelling powers. Here, he reprises his role as a trickster mentor to the streetwise yet naive Static. Given that this issue is set in Static's earlier days while he's still inexperienced as a hero and in need of some external guidance, this is a good vehicle for Anansi's return with some touching moments between these two excellent Milestone characters.
Written to coincide with Juneteenth, this issue weaves together themes of African mythology and history, generational trauma, the slave trade, African American culture, magical cults, the mythos of Dakota City, and the Big Bang that granted Static his powers. This is a lot for any series to handle, and it's even more cumbersome for a single issue. As a result, writer Evan Narcisse, despite his skill, ambition, and deep understanding of Static and his world, doesn't have enough time to discuss or explore these themes.
The fight scenes in Static Team-Up: Anansi #1 are very well done. Between Staic's anti-gravity electrical powers and Anansi's reality-warping psychic abilities, which can render characters' thoughts and stories as images, Static Team-Up: Anansi #1 has some of the most dynamic and creative fight choreography in recent comics. Because of Anansi's verbose speech and Static's youthful witticisms, the fights and sequences of this issue are wordier and more expository than normal, but the dialogue never interferes with the visuals.
The visuals of Static Team-Up: Anansi #1 emphasize the magical and otherworldly themes throughout this issue, especially through colorist Luis Guerrero's palette, rendered in magical and supernatural colors. Pages are flooded with light and bold shades of gold, purple, and fiery red. The panels on every page are crammed with a staggering amount of detail, and unfortunately, this can be hard on the readers' eyes and leaves little room for the lettering or the story to breathe. There are many instances where panels and pages are stuffed to the brim in places where more negative space would have been more effective. As a result, the pages of Static Team-Up: Anansi #1 can feel a little hectic and chaotic.
Static Team-Up: Anansi #1 is a great story with two fantastic characters, but its brevity doesn't do it any favors. However, this issue does open up new possibilities for Static and his future, and it is always great to see DC's take on a literal Spider Man step into the spotlight.