Project: Shock to the System: How Public Memory Shapes the African-American Narratives in Static Shock (2000)
Company: University of Illinois at Springfield
Scope: high school/college/adult level audiences
Format: Visual and written formats, live presentations including placement at the UIS StARS Symposium
Project Length: 8 months
Project Retired?: Yes
My Contributions: Infographic poster, award-winning speech composition, and a thesis paper signed by the voice actor of Static - Phil LaMarr!
Programs Used: Microsoft PowerPoint, MicrosoftWord, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign
Comic book companies perpetuate the inspiring ideology that anyone can be a hero, but that is difficult to believe when super-fans do not see many heroes that represent them. Comic book creator and founder of Milestone Comics, Dwayne McDuffie, was inspired by comic book heroes as a child, but realized that there needed to be a more diverse lineup of superheroes to inspire the generations to come.
Enter Static, McDuffie’s animated African-American superhero that went from comic book to starring in his own television cartoon series, which will be the focus of this analysis. Static’s superhero origin has a very real backstory that draws on McDuffie’s experiences as a child, and Static’s overall experience as he deals with adolescence in a nearly post-apocalyptic environment represents the lost perspectives and shared public memories of the African-American community.
Static’s fictional hometown of Dakota mirrors real-world Detroit and Static’s stories provide McDuffie the opportunity to present African-
American perspectives on damaging riots, divisions of race and class, urban blight and other aspects of the African-American community’s history in Detroit.
By analyzing the Static Shock cartoon, we can see how important and culturally significant it is to have a superhero narrative based in real African-American historical experiences. Static Shock not only acts as a historical source, but also as a lens on issues that the African-American community has faced. Written for children, Static connects the younger generations to a heritage that centers the African-American perspective.
In addition to presenting my thesis for recognition within the University of Illinois Springfield History Department, I was also invited to present at the UIS StARS (Student Technology, Arts & Research Symposium) Event and nominated by my professor for the Brookens Library Undergraduate Research Award. I also performed a compact, punchier and more humorous version of my thesis paper as a Speech to Entertain within the UIS Forensics Speech Team, where I placed and was awarded several times for my efforts. But perhaps the best recognition that I received was being able to have the TV voice actor for Static sign my thesis paper. Phil LaMarr remarked that it was one of the most unique things he’s ever signed for a fan, and after reading through my thesis page, told me it was great work and requested that I email him the full copy. I don’t know how I could get any higher praise than that.
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