Warning: contains major spoilers for Static: Season One #3!
The DC Milestone hero, Static, has returned and has debuted his first costume in his new series. Static: Season One #3 shows Virgil creating his first costume in his rebooted series. However, long-time fans of the character may recognize certain elements of his outfit.
Static, the superhero alter-ego of Virgil Ovid Hawkins, first debuted in Static #1 in 1993. He was one of Milestone Comics' characters and ended up being the most popular. Eventually Milestone was acquired by DC and used as an imprint. Later he had his own animated television series, Static Shock, in 2000. Now, he is back in a brand new series that is part of bringing back multiple Milestone characters, including Hardware and Icon and Rocket.
Static: Season One #3 has the creative team of Vita Ayala, ChrisCross, and Nikolas Draper-Ivey. The new series creates another Big Bang, resulting in the creation of "Bang Babies". These are students who have gained powers as a result of chemicals sprayed on them during a protest in Dakota City. Virgil is one of them, gaining electromagnetic powers and going by the name of Static. Thus far, he has been discovering his powers and having confrontations with Hotstreak - a classmate and bully at Virgil's school. The latest issue has Virgil sewing his very first superhero costume.
Virgil's new costume is white and black. He has lightning bolt elements added to it, though a little off-center and off-focus compared to the one found on the Flash's costume. Static also has black fingerless gloves, a black mask with yellow-tinted goggles, and a black cap with an X on it. Fans who have been reading Milestone comics since the '90s and who have followed Static since the beginning may recognize certain aspects of this costume. Static's first costume was predominantly black, with a white lightning bolt accent across his upper body. It also featured a black mask, though this first iteration did not have goggles attached or worn over it. Most noticeably, back then, Static also wore a black baseball cap with a central white "X". The hat was a staple of the time and it is making a comeback.
In the '90s, many rappers and Black icons wore hats and clothing with an X on them. It was an iconic part of street fashion for the period. These hats are still being sold today and have been seen on figures like Spike Lee and rappers during the '90s. The X typically serves as a reference to Malcolm X, the famous civil rights activist. At the time, a note in the Feedback section of Static #1 in 1993 mentioned Static's hat no longer being "the pinnacle of superheroic fashion". It referred to the accessory as "Old Hat". However, the hat has made a strong comeback in fashion, as well as in Static's current iteration. Some things just don't ever truly go out of fashion and the need for heroes like Static is one of them. The icon of generation has returned and though this suit will eventually be upgraded - just like the original was - it is fun to see DC throwing back to Static's early days as a hero and bringing back elements from his very first suit.