After an extended holiday break, the Triple M is back baby! (Sorry about last Monday folks….. I have no excuse….. Bahlactus has already beaten me about the head and neck with a large blunt object so my punishment has been dished out) I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season; I know the Munson household did! This week we have one big book coming your way – Static # 3!

(Click the cover for a larger version!)

This issue begins smack dab in the middle of a massive scene of destruction, as Static is helping people get out from under piles of rubble near Akkads(a restaurant) in downtown Dakota. He uses his magnetic powers, to scoop debris off people after he realizes he can’t just lift the rubble. He also puts out a fire by ionizing the air around the flames, causing the fire to transform to Ozone gas which, while poisonous, dissipates quickly and causes no harm to any bystanders. He truly demonstrates that he is a hero who will use his brain, as he gives thanks for the Chemistry class that provided him with the solution to the fire.

How Static found himself in this situation is cleared up as Static flashes back to his afternoon job, where he is interrupted in cleaning duties by a frantic phone call from Frieda telling him about a phone call she had just received from their friend Larry. While she was talking with Larry, a commotion began when some “terminator” guy showed up saying he was after Static, then the line went dead. Knowing Virgil’s secret she tells him to leave work and rush off to save the day. Virgil makes up an excuse to his employer, who has obviously heard this from him before, as she confronts him with the multiple excuses he seems to make on an almost daily basis to get out of work. She pretty much tells him if he leaves, his job is toast!

Static is jarred from his thoughts by one of the members of the crowd hollering to him that he knows who caused all the destruction. He called himself Tarmack, and as the kid tells Static “He say he the Mack who’s gonna turn your momma out”. (I think this may be the first time I can remember quoting a “momma” joke from a comic) Virgil, vowing to fins Tarmack later, flies back to his job to find a help wanted sign in the window. “This NEVER happens to Icon” Virgil muses as he realizes he will have to tell his Mom that he lost yet another job. The price of super-heroics when you are a McWorker!

The next day at school, Larry is recounting the look of our hero’s new found arch villain. “a six foot blob of silly putty that turns into Riddock Bowe whenever it wants to” He apparently is able to generate a tar-like substance and hurl it at his foes, and also sees malleable to assume shapes as well as being super strong. Should be quite the challenge for Static, and in no time at all it becomes just that. Virgil and his friends are approached by a classmate telling them that Tarmack is ripping up the park calling Static out for a showdown, and Static goes into action!

Static shows up at the park, after a convenient “Asthma” excuse provided for Virgil’s staying behind while the gang runs to check out the fight, and proceeds to take Tarmack out. Virgil shows his improvement in the “banter with the super-villain” category by calling Tarmack various nick-names such as “Hatrack”, “Tarpit”, and “Bootblack” as he thrashes him with metal from the park. The fight is definitely going Static’s way when, Tarmack, much like Zod in Superman II, sees Virgil’s weakness for protecting the innocent bystanders watching the fight. Tarmack throws a car on someone, and Static tells Tarmack to leave the people out of their fight, if he is half the man he says he is! Tarmack calls him a punk and tells him to show up at the Avalon Mall at midnight, where there will be no one to get in their way.

Once the fight clears, Virgil catches up with his friends on a subway ride home and they discuss the fight. Larry believes Static is gonna get his butt handed to him, while Virgil (of course) thinks Static will triumph. Frieda counters with some “suggestions” that Static wouldn’t fall for such an obvious trap of a showdown in a place arranged by a villain. Virgil, after the others exit the train, quietly assures her that he has to show up to keep Tarmack from doing more damage in his quest to take out Static. He tells her that he knows it’s dangerous, but that he has a brain and a plan!

Virgil prepares for his fight in two ways, he makes the trash can lid he flies on a little more portable by making it collapsible, and brushes up on some chemistry to set his trap. Midnight comes and so does Tarmack, as he stands in the parking lot fuming that Static hasn’t arrived. Then in the shadows comes a floating form, it’s Static. Tarmack forms a large hammer with one of his hands and bashes the floating form of our hero. However the impact of his blow reveals an inflatable clown filled with water as Static truly shows up behind Tarmack and wraps him up in a fence. The Fight is on; as our issue concludes with a shocker (I’ll let the last three pages speak for themselves):

(Click the scans for a larger version!)

Holocaust is the man who sent Tarmack after Static! But will he harm him or try to recruit him? To be continued indeed!

This issue of Static was not exactly heavy on plot; rather it was heavy on action. It did show us a couple of different sides of Virgil, as he uses his brain to take out Tarmack instead of just relying on his powers. It also showed us a potential love triangle as Larry starts to show some interest in Frieda, which Virgil kind of catches on to, as he calls her “baby” a couple of times in the issue. That should cause some interesting sparks to fly if/when it gets out into the open. Overall a fun read, particularly due to the banter that flies in the battles with Tarmack, and Holocaust showing some sort of interest in Static should prove an interesting tie-in to the Milestone universe as a whole. I hope you will all wait with baited breath for the next issue!

Well that wraps up this weeks column, Next week we will cover Blood Syndicate #5 and after that we will be back to a regular 2 milestone books a week schedule! Have a great week!

This entry was posted on Monday, January 8th, 2007 at 1:07 am and is filed under milestone mondays. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.