Review
Static Shock The Complete Fourth Season
Static Shock The Complete Fourth Season collects all 13 episodes of "Static Shock" for the first time following January's release of the Third Season by Warner Archive. The Complete Fourth Season released on April 24, 2018 with a MSRP of $24.99.
Static Shock's fourth season left me conflicted back when it aired on Saturday morning television. I loved it when Static got to meet the Batman Beyond cast and his future self, teamed up with Anansi again, and had a solo team up with Green Lantern John Stewart as well as expanding on Dakota City with new Bang Babies and other menaces and concluding a few recurring plots from all the way back in season one. But other episodes were... not as cherished. Hoop Squad. I said it. Or somethings come too late to matter like Robert finding out his son was Static all along. And the ending. Boy, that one could have been executed better.
As a fan of Batman Beyond, I love any chance to see that era re-visited. I was not disappointed by the premiere "Future Shock" which not only explored that era after the events of "Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker" but also revealed what the future Static and Gear were like. The late Dwayne McDuffie even got in a reference to Static's children from the comics. Another favorite was a follow up to "Static in Africa" with "Out of Africa" where Anansi teams up with Static in Dakota City and we learn more about his mythology. "Fallen Hero" features John Stewart, framed yet again, and comes into conflict with Static and Gear. This was another one that unexpectedly expanded the back story of established characters from past series like Stewart and Sinestro. That one moment of Sinestro showing off his collection of fallen Lantern's rings still stands out in my memory. Team up episodes, aside, "Army of Darkness" adapts more Milestone characters into the mix, a plus in my book, and "No Man's an Island" concludes the Alva arc as well as adds a bit of depth to HotStreak. Beyond that, the other episodes made this season a mixed bag for me. I wasn't a fan of the ending but at least we know Static and Gear are still saving Dakota and the world well into the future.
The collection uses a clear DVD case as like season 3. The interior sports the flip arm instead of the type of case like season 3 where disc 1 and 2 were semi-overlain atop each other in season 1 and 2. The cover art is a small improvement over the season 3 cover but the back cover is a little cringe worthy as it combines present and Beyond characters. The collection also glaringly does not have a subtitle track like the previous seasons. There is a bonus episodes are on disc two, the two part "The Once and Future Thing" season 1 finale of Justice League Unlimited. While it would have been nice to have a retrospective with some of the cast and crew or a commentary track instead, it is appreciated they were able to squeeze something extra into the collection like with the season 3 release. Static Shock The Complete Four Season is a highly recommended purchase. At long last, the entire series is collected on DVD!
Contents
Disc One
*Future Shock
*She-Back!
*Out of Africa
*Fallen Hero
*Army of Darkness
*No Man's an Island
*Hoop Squad
*Now You see Him...
Disc Two
*Where the Rubber Meets the Road
*Linked
*Wet and Wild
*Kidnapped
*Power Outage
*Special Feature: Justice League Unlimited "The Once and Future Thing"
*Special Feature: Justice League Unlimited: "The Once and Future Thing: Part Two, Warped"