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Releases - DVD - The Complete Second Season
 
Static Shock: The Complete Second Season
Release Information:
Street Date: 5/23/17
MSRP: $24.99
Sound Track Language: English
Run Time: 275 Minutes
Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio - 1.33, Standard [4:3 Transfer]
Sound Quality: English (Dolby Stereo 2.0)
Format: Made to Order DVD

Synopsis: Static Shock’s second season comes supercharged with new, dangerous metahuman menaces, an array of special guest stars, and more of its unique mix of high adventure and social drama. The stakes are higher as Static gets drafted into “The Big Leagues” when the dynamic duo – Batman and Robin – travel to Dakota in search of The Joker (Mark Hamill). “Uncle J” to the metahumans, The Joker is wreaking his own special brand of “hilarious” havoc on the citizens of Dakota, giving Static (Phil LaMarr) the opportunity of a lifetime – to team up with his favorite super hero! Other superstar surprises this season include Static stints from none other than hoop hall-of-famer Shaquille O’Neal (Steel, 1997) and the Backstreet Boys’ A.J. McLean, on hand to lend some music-career advice to Rubberband Man. Things get a little more serious in the special episode entitled “Jimmy,” which addresses the issue of gun violence in school.

Episodes:
Disc One
The Big Leagues
Power Play
Brother-Sister Act
Static Shaq
Frozen Out
Sunspots
Pop's Girlfriend
Bad Stretch
Attack of the Living Brain Puppets

Disc Two
Duped
Jimmy
Consequences
Troube Squared

Static Shock: The Complete Second Season
DVD Review by James Harvey

Teen superhero Static is back for a second season and, this time, a pair of DC Comics icons from Gotham City swing by to lend Dakota's favorite son a hand. And that just happens to be the beginning of a strong second season, one which effortlessly flows from the first season as Static continues to develop, both as a burgeoning hero and as a solid Saturday morning cartoon. Featuring some incredibly strong episodes, Static Shock: The Complete Second Season is a long overdue and very welcome release from Warner Archive.

Static Shock, something of a landmark series at the time of its premiere, debuted with a strong first season and just grew from there, year after year. There was an organic evolution to the series as it went along, as Static dealt with bigger and bigger threats, but the show never lost its core drive. It was a teen hero series with an African-American lead that, while bright and colorful, never really talked down to viewers. At the same time. the show also offered a brighter, sunnier look to the DCAU, but didn't use that as an excuse to play down important issues. Yes, there is plenty of humor and kid-friendly action, but when it really dives into these characters, it goes to some pretty deep places.

One of the great aspects of this season is its palpable growth and confidence gained after its successful first outing. It has the conviction to tackle something really heavy, like guns in school with the stellar episode "Jimmy." a gutsy move for a Saturday morning cartoon given how sensitive the topic is. Or, in the episode "Pop's Girlfriend," Virgil mentions he was stopped by the police because he fit the description of a suspect, heavily implying it was due to his race. Again: gutsy and pretty brave. Also, it took the steps to establish itself in the larger DC Animated Universe, another confident move by the series, with the crossover episode "The Big Leagues." Even at that time, the DCAU (a term coined right here at The World's Finest, believe it or not) already had a weighty reputation. But here comes Static, who strolls in and takes his claim to part of the universe (and for the better to, especially if you look ahead to the character's use in Justice League Unlimited).

This season also brings us some goofy episodes, like "Static Shaq" and "Attack of the Living Brain Puppets," which play out like fun done-in-one comic stories. Unfortunately, this season also presents us with possibly the worst episode of the entire Static Shock series, "Duped," which features an appearance by Backstreet Boy's A.J. McLean. Remember him? It's ... it's a rough watch. Rubberband Man is the only character who seems to come out of that episode unscathed, but just barely.

Other truly standout episodes of the season include the spectacular "Frozen Out" and "Bad Stretch." Static Shock really works when it's building up it's own world, but it can also toss in the odd serious episode without feeling out of place. It's a testament to the show's creative team that the series can throw different types of episodes at us and the show still feels like a solid, cohesive series. For a closer look at each episode included on this release, head over to the episode reviews section.

It's worth noting this release included two episodes - "Trouble Squared" and "Consequences" - that were held back from season two, and didn't air until season three.

In terms of the DVD release, it's offers the series and nothing more. There's no bonus content to speak of, but that's to be expected with these Warner Archive titles. What we do get though is, easily, the best home video presentation for Static Shock. The audio is crisp and solid throughout, with the video appearing clear with strong and vibrant colors, though there are some aliasing issues. Like the Static Shock: The Complete First Season release, this is a two-disc DVD-R set, not a regular DVD. To note, that's not an issue when it comes to be able to produce a quality release. The audio and video is solid. It's just noteworthy in that these discs will not have as long of a shelf-life as a regular DVD, so the utmost care is required in order for viewers to get the most out of these releases for as long as possible. Personally, I still find this to be a worthwhile purchase even if DVD-Rs are used.

Static Shock: The Complete Second Season is another fun installment of the DC Animated Universe, and a DVD release worth picking up for fans. With another season of Static Shock now available to purchase on DVD, something many fans thought would never happen, we're that much closer to having the entire DC Animated Universe on home video. It's well overdue, as this is a legitimately great series that deserve to be readily available for fans, new and old, to pursue. Yes, the release may be completely bare bones, but what matters is that we're finally getting it. While not every episode here is a home run, each still have their charm about them, and anyone who picks up this release will definitely not regret it. Recommended.

Check out these bonus video clips from the second season of "Static Shock!

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