Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1399900
D E PA R T M E N T 41 KEYFRAME MY HERO! "I discovered superheroes through … the Super Friends. That was my first introduction to the DC universe, and I'm sure, like many kids, it captured my imagination and I think that was also my gateway into comic books in general. So I think for me it was the Justice League. That was my intro to the world of superheroes." – Brandon Vietti (Young Justice, The Batman) "Once upon a time when I was younger, I was desperate for anything with a superhero in it. Now they're everywhere. There are pre- school superhero shows, [and] a show like Batman: The Brave and the Bold that has elements for an older audience. And there's stuff like Young Justice where, if we're doing our job right, takes it to a deeper level. I think that it's going to continue. In essence, the geeks have inherited the earth. Finally!" – Greg Weisman (Young Justice, The Spectacular Spider-Man: Attack of the Lizard ) FALL 2021 41 The stakes were by no means comedic for Virgil Hawkins, though, the 14-year old Dakota City teen who acquired powers over electricity and magnetism to become the hero Static of Static Shock. By the time producer Swinton O. Scott III got to the show in its third season in 2002, Static was a well- established hero both of comics and his own show. The series made a point of embracing issues of inclusivity and diversity. Static went to Africa, teamed up with the Justice League, and fought plenty of bad guys. He also struggled with the challenges that come with living in a single parent household and having to do homework and chores. Scott sees parallels between Static and another notable teen superhero, the web-slinging Spider-Man whose alter ego, Peter Parker, was originally a more or less typical high schooler, preoccupied with school, girls, and looking after his Aunt May. Although cleaning up the city may have been the right thing to do, the Spidey of comic book fame "would have rather stayed at home or gone on a date with Gwen Stacy," says Scott. "But he got this power to help people and that went beyond his teenage sensibilities that we all have. He said, 'I realize I have to do this. This is my duty now.' I think we effectively put that into Static Shock, as well." THE NEXT GENERATION While Spider-Man also experienced a plethora of reinventions in animated TV and in the comics, many point to the baton-passing coolness of the 2018 CG film Spider- Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which gave us the first cinematic look at a new hero, Miles Morales. Miles, like Peter, is a teenager struggling with stuff at home and at school. As he's learning how to cope with his powers, Miles also has to deal with spider power-endowed men, women, and pigs from alternate universes, all of whom are looking to help him on his journey. In taking on Miles, Character Designer Shiyoon Kim jumped at the chance to create a character who was multi- ethnic (half Black, half Puerto Rican) and also contributing to a new take on an old superhero. Having previously worked as Lead Character Designer on Disney's Big Hero 6, Kim found himself once again creating an underdog who became a hero—an idea he particularly enjoyed. What these new superheroes come down to, according to Kim, is the "whole idea that anyone can wear a mask. That really resonated with me." As for Bruce Timm, 30 years after Batman: The Animated Series, he will resurrect the Dark Knight once again for the new HBO Max/Cartoon Network project, Batman: Caped Crusader—a series said to be steeped in the character's noir roots, and one that's sure to prove that there's no end to the exciting—and surprising—turns a superhero's life can take. Image courtesy of Warner Bros.