Crossovers: The DC Cartoon Universe and "Static Shock"

Batman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, Superman, Teen Titans, The Zeta Project and Static Shock

Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1999)
Batman Beyond (1999)
Justice League (2001-2004)
Justice League Unlimited (2004-2006)
Static Shock (2000-2004)
Superman (1996-2000)
Teen Titans (2003-2006)
The Zeta Project (2001-2002)
Type: Crossovers
Group: 19

This is verrry strange. I became aware of these crossovers due to a kind of... online crossover. The co-creator of the show Static Shock is Dwayne McDuffie. Dwayne McDuffie also writes a column online at The Slush Factory. One of his columns was about comic book crossovers and in the course of it he kindly referenced my site. He even threw in a link to it.

Well someone sent me an e-mail alerting me to both the crossovers and the article. Very strange to have someone whose show I'm going to write about writing about my stuff. So in thanks for the link I dropped him an e-mail. And, having missed the episode in question and in utter laziness, I asked him for the poop on the episode. And he kindly did so.

Batman: The Animated Series is based on the famous DC Comics character (if I have to say more than that you really need to brush up your knowledge of pop cultural).

Batman Beyond was a spin off series of Batman: The Animated series set in the future. Terry McGinnis was the new Batman while former Batman Bruce Wayne, now elderly, acted as his mentor.

Based on the Milestone comic of the same name, Static Shock told the story of young black teen Virgil Hawkins. Exposed to a strange gas, Virgil gained the power to control electricity and took on the superhero name Static, fighting crime, fighting the good fight... you know the drill.

With all that info in place, I slide back into lazy mode handing you over to Dwayne McDuffie's summary thus creating a pseudo crossover of my own...

On the animated "Static Shock" episode, "The Big Leagues," Batman and Robin (the versions from the Warner Animation Cartoons), travel from Gotham City to "Dakota," the fictional home of Virgil Hawkins, who is secretly the teen-aged, electricity-wielding superhero called "Static. Their arch nemesis, the Joker (Mark Hamill) has come to Dakota to recruit super-powered "bang babies" for his gang. Static is in awe of Batman and desperately wants his approval, which by episode's end he conditionally earns.

This episode would link Static Shock to the various Batman cartoons, Batman Beyond, Superman: TAS, Justice League and "The Zeta Project" (a Batman Beyond spin-off). Zeta and Static Shock are further linked by an in-joke at the end of the Batman Beyond episode that served as Zeta's pilot. Zeta tries to escape in a train station where the PA announces trains boarding for Metropolis and (Static's home city) Dakota.

Okay, lazy time over. See that doesn't EVEN cover the situation now. Initially Static Shock was simply linked via a single crossover by Batman and Robin. Not any more baby. Static Shock has made it a habit of doing a big DC universe crossover each season. Following Batman and Robin, Static Shock ended up having adventures featuring The Justice League, Superman, Green Lantern and even a time travel adventure where he got to meet up with Batman Beyond's future Batman. In addition on several occasions characters have mentioned The Teen Titans although no full on crossover has happened with them. This might be because while the Teen Titans are part of the DC universe, the Teen Titan cartoon is tied into the DC cartoon universe in a sort of weird way making crossovers problematic. On the Teen Titan cartoon it is kept rather vague which ofthe many people to hold the role of Robin is actually in the costume though it is heavily hinted that it is Dick Grayson. Only Dick Grayson in Batman: The Animated Series is an adult and now Nightwing. And the Robin who appeared on Static Shock was the Tim Drake Robin. Keeping who is Robin on Teen Titans vague covers the bases of confusing the issue. If the Titan's Robin IS Dick Grayson then that would mean the Teen Titans cartoon would have to be set at a time before Batman: The Animated Series. If The Titans were to show up on Static Shock the writers would be forced to finally clear the issue up. Either the Teen Titans would show up just as they are on their show and we would know Tim Drake is their Robin OR they would show up with a different lineup and it would have to be explained that the Teen Titans adventures we've been watching on their show are set in the recent past.

Poobala.com Main Page/ Email Me