ICYMI! Static: Shadows of Dakota #6 – The Truth Beneath the Skin

It’s often said that it takes one bad day to turn a man into a villain, but Ebon shows that it takes an entire lifetime and one moment to reach that breaking point.

Throughout the Shadows of Dakota series, there’s been this throughline of Ebon going way too far in his crusade to save his brother and Static himself not going far enough to save his fellow Bang Babies. Both of these men and their motivations are in the right place, but their methodologies and inability to find common ground have kept them one step behind their enemies the entire time. This caused Ebon to seek out Static’s “help” in an effort to finally save the day, however it’s mainly been Ebon trying to bring Static to his side of things. Vita Ayala and Nikolas Draper-Ivey use this issue to try to bridge the gap between both men and explain what happened to Ivan Evans to turn him into the horrifying man that readers have enjoyed for these past few issues.

Ayala and Draper-Ivey don’t pull any punches in regards to the systematic issues that black people face in society, translating problems with the medical industry and policing to Ebon’s backstory. This showcases how his family have been failed by those with power, beginning to give him a simmering anger that burns into a full on inferno after the Big Bang. They also make a change to how his powers work with them not just being in control over nebulous shadows, but connecting to the angry spirits of the dead with a small form of telepathy. This makes him not only immensely powerful, but also grounded in a way that Virgil isn’t. He feels the rage and anger that the people of Dakota have been feeling for generations and in more ways than one, that has affected the man once known as Ivan Evans. 

Virgil Hawkins himself continues to come into his own as a hero in this issue. Where Static has spent the bulk of this series doubting himself and his abilities, especially after the death of Quincy, coming into conflict with Ebon has only strengthened his resolve. He sees the fury that the villain carries and only wants to counter it with the love and understanding that he’s managed to get from his friends and family as well as the sense of justice that he’s been taught. He lacks the need for vengeance that Ivan has, partly because he hasn’t had the same measure of tragedy, but that doesn’t stop him from having sympathy for what Ebon went through in his life. It’s this strength of self that allows Static to push through the darkness and find the flickering bit of light still within Ivan so that they can truly bond on equal ground.

As always, Nikolas Draper-Ivey’s art and coloring elevates this book to new heights with each and every page and panel. With the book primarily taking place in Ebon’s shadows, Draper-Ivey does his best to be creative in the ethereal space with a wide variety of impressive shots and page compositions. The initial few pages make use of wide shots to show the full extent of Ebon’s powers as he’s able to access the darkness of the entire city, making Static seem small by comparison as he tries to engulf Virgil in shadows. The next few pages make use of full shots to show both Static and Ebon juxtaposed against their respective family histories; bathing Ebon in a combination of his signature purple with a glow of red, emphasizing his own anger and the violence that he has had to live through. Static, on the other hand glows with his normal blues and whites, putting forth the idea of hope and heroism with Draper-Ivey utilizing his signature tv static effect over Virgil.

The linework in these and every other page of the book is absolutely insane. Draper-Ivey might have some of the cleanest lines in comics today with each and every one of them being precise and inked to perfection. He’s able to capture facial expressions such as terror and sadness in such a way that the feeling radiates off of the page – even with a character like Ebon that only uses his eyes to express himself. When things do begin to get frantic and the lines increase in thickness, Draper-Ivey adds a ton more background detail like shadow skulls and speed lines as Static and Ebon rush towards each other for their final confrontation in this issue. There’s even a potential reference to Berserk with an extreme close up to Static’s face as he charges up his energy and roars with a fury of his own, face white with a flurry of singular hatched lines making up the rest of his facial details.

In the final third of the book, Draper-Ivey makes use of a sort of painterly style with Ebon almost draining away the light from Static’s memories, trying to overcome him with wet looking inks, spatters and heavily dark blues. There’s a three panel page where Ebon stands amongst the shadow skeletons of his shadow realm with wisps of black swirling around him. It’s beautiful and shows the wonder of Ebon’s power next to the abject horror of it. This is countered by the digital looking effects of Static, from his borderless lightning, distorted RGB colors and the aforementioned television static snow.

AndWorld Design’s lettering acts as the detail that allows readers to understand and comprehend the conflict between these two men. As always, they give each character their specific thought boxes and dialogue bubbles to set them apart from one another. Static’s thoughts are shown through their distinct blue background with white lettering, while his speech bubbles are normal with black lettering and white backgrounds. Ebon, on the other hand, continues to stand out with his bubbles being black with purple lettering. Of course, the real fun presents itself in the form of the sound effects used in the issue! From the BANG of a cop’s gun to the KRATHOOM as Static powers up and regains his sense of self in Ebon’s shadow realm, there’s a palpable sense of volume in the book. Though the best sound comes in the form of a special move from Static with the TASER PUNCH in the krunch font. It’s absolutely fantastic and hype in the final pages in the book.