Warning! Spoilers for Icon and Rocket: Season One #5
Virgil Hawkins AKA Static has met Raquel Ervin AKA Rocket at their high school, making a Milestone team-up seem inevitable. Throughout 2021, the Dakotaverse began to take form with titles such as Static: Season One, Icon and Rocket: Season One, and Hardware: Season One. Now, the heroes are crossing paths with each other and putting the gears in motion for a Justice League of their own.
If it hadn’t already been addressed by the series, readers could have guessed that Raquel Ervin and Virgil Hawkins attend the same high school. The fully conceptualized Dakota City has many characters, settings, and events that overlap in the three ongoing titles. Milestone’s world-building was ahead of its time in the 90s, and it continues to prove its ambition with current comics. Previously, Hardware played a crucial role despite his minor cameo during Static: Season One, and Virgil meets another hero in Icon and Rocket: Season One #5, written by Reginald Hudlin and Leon Chills with art by Andrew Currie and Doug Braithwaite.
Virgil and Raquel sit in the same class, and have a brief conversation in the hallway afterwards. During their exchange, Virgil reveals to her that he’s Static. Aware that Raquel is Rocket, he is attempting to create ties with his fellow Dakota superheroes. The scene takes place following the conclusion of Static: Season One, when he has fully grown into his superhero persona. Virgil tells her in confidence, “I can be someone you can talk to about stuff like that. About your other life. The one as a hero… Because I’m Static.” Although she doesn’t seem very interested, Virgil’s initiative is planting a seed for a future team-up with Icon and Rocket.
The unfazed Raquel Ervin has become preoccupied with high school life, as she is interrupted by her ex-boyfriend, Ant. Meanwhile, Virgil is hassled by a few other students, homaging Static #1 when he shows off what he can do against bullies in the hallway. The first time, he nearly went too far in a fight using his electromagnetic abilities. Now, he quickly takes the harassing students down by shocking them off-panel. With the issue taking place after Static’s first season, the moment exemplifies Virgil’s growth as a hero.
It also shows growth in Virgil that he is willing to reveal his identity to his fellow student-superhero. Previously, it had been teased by the Milestone creative team that the three titles’ first seasons might converge with an event. With Static and Rocket now aware of each other’s secret identities, all of the ground is covered, with Virgil as a mutual friend of Raquel and Hardware.