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Warning: Spoilers for Milestone Universe: The Shadow Cabinet #4!I’ll be honest, I’m a sucker for romance, especially when it comes to the kind of romance found under the DC Comics umbrella. No offense to Marvel or any other publishers out there; they’ve got some great couplings themselves, but nothing gets me more excited than some of the best DC love affairs. Batman and Catwoman? Superman and Lois Lane? That’s hard to beat – inject it into my veins, please.
It looks like DC Comics has won me over with another romance, but its newest might be the most unexpected yet: Static and Rocket, per Milestone Universe: The Shadow Cabinet #4 by Joseph P. Illidge, Darryl Banks, Atagun Ilhan, Ray-Anthony Height, Chris Sotomayor, and Andworld Design.
While the ending of this issue most definitely seems to confirm a new crimefighting duo (which is exciting in itself), it also strongly hints at a romance – and maybe even a comic series – starring two of the most iconic heroes from DC’s Milestone subsidiary. Maybe a Static and Rocket series is wishful thinking, but the romance is something that DC can’t pass up.
Icon and Rocket: Season One (2021-2022) by Reginald Hudlin, Leon Chills, Doug Braithwaite, and More
While the Dakotaverse-altering Shadow Cabinet series is where Rocket and Static’s relationship gets its most significant development, the two have had a dynamic that existed prior to DC Comics’s latest romance tease. The two get properly acquainted with each other in Icon and Rocket: Season One, which frames Virgil Hawkins and Raquel Ervin as classmates at the same high school. Their first massive Milestone crossover together happens in issue #5, which sports cover art of Static forming an electric heart shape around himself and Rocket, to the latter’s disapproval.
They get to know each other better when Virgil reveals his secret identity as Static to Raquel after she spoke to the class about Icon, Rocket, and the superhero community at large. Rocket isn’t impressed by Virgil’s reveal and just wants to be left alone. She changes her tune in Icon and Rocket: Season One #6 when Static saves her life from Benedict Lord (best defined as a giant cockroach alien) moments before he tries to kill her. Beaten within an inch of her life, Static uses his electricity powers to give her some much-needed life support.
Icon and Rocket: Season One #5 and #6 were conceived by the creative team of Reginald Hudlin, Leon Chills, Doug Braithwaite, Andrew Currie, and Brad Anderson.
When Lord is defeated, and they see Icon kiss Xiomara Collins to celebrate, Static considers doing the same, until Rocket threatens “Don’t even think about it.” These issues set a precedent for a romance from DC Comics and the Milestone brand. Rocket and Static had interactions in the previous version of the Milestone Universe from the ’90s, prior to the latest Dakotaverse revamp, but there wasn’t much to their interactions beyond an occasional crossover. The latest comics, though, started pushing them towards “something more” years ago, and DC is finally following up with an even bigger tease.
Is There a Romance on the Horizon?
Milestone Universe: The Shadow Cabinet takes place after the conclusion of the previous Milestone series, Icon vs. Hardware, during which, because of a multiverse invasion involving Prime Earth’s Brainiac, actual World War II-era Nazis invaded Dakota. This invasion shook Static to his core, convinced that he must only focus on protecting his city to protect his family. Rocket tries to talk some sense into him in anticipation of an incoming global threat, but it’s only his mother in the last issue who can get through to him, opening Static’s schedule up for him to join the final fight against Edwin Alva in issue #4.
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Static arrives in the nick of time to save Rocket’s life. By the end, the two exchange pleasantries. Static even promises to never leave Rocket alone again, but those pleasantries come with what I think could be interpreted as flirting. The gaze that Rocket and Static share on the final page reads as intimate, especially with the caveat of Raquel asking Virgil if he’s trying to put a “shock to [her] system,” not to mention calling him “flyboy” in the same panel. I’m no Don Juan, but that sounds like a romantic connotation. An art of seduction, if you will.
The Comics Industry as a Whole Has a Shortage of Black Couples
There’s a lot to be excited about given the prospect of a Static and Rocket pairing, be it romantic or not, especially if you’re as much of a Milestone fan as I am. However, speaking to just my comic book fans out there, especially if I can single out our black readers, this pairing is a big deal to me because it would present DC Comics with their first high-profile black superhero couple. That isn’t meant as a knock against DC, as this deficit in black love is a more industry-wide issue than a publisher-specific issue.
The same way that it’s important for readers to see superheroes who look like them, it’s important to see romance that reflects their identity.
At best, readers get the occasional interracial couple, but as far as one black superhero paired with another, there just aren’t many – or any, really – couples in DC, especially on the level of Superman and Lois. It’s a rare sight. Certain readers will chastise me for singling out race, but the fact of the matter is that diversity is important. The same way that it’s important for readers to see superheroes who look like them, it’s important to see romance that reflects their identity. DC Comics pairing Rocket with Static could help progress and promote diversity in the comic book industry.
Milestone Universe: The Shadow Cabinet #4 is available now from DC Comics.
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