One reason Milestone Comics rose to prominence was the imprint's willingness to tell stories that explored real social issues, especially in comics about its flagship hero, StaticFrom the very beginning, Static (Virgil Hawkins) confronted issues ranging from gang violence to police brutality. One of his earliest and most memorable battles against injustice began when he tried to break up a race riot between segments of Dakota City's Black and Jewish communities, a problem that could not be fixed with superpowers.

The particular story took place in Static #5-7, written by Robert L. Washington III and drawn by John Paul Leon. After hearing a radio report that a nearby synagogue had been bombed, Virgil donned his Static costume and flew over to intervene. He discovered a race riot as Jewish congregants clashed outside the synagogue with a mostly Black crowd, each group hurling insults and wielding improvised weapons. While Virgil attempted to use his powers for crowd control, it was only when the white Rabbi and a Black pastor joined hands together, preaching peace and citing scripture, that the crowds dispersed. The two religious leaders thanked Static for trying to prevent further escalation and invited him to speak at an upcoming rally for peace.

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Static #5. Rabbi and pastor preach peace at a race riot after Commando X attacks a synagogue

As the riot ended, it was revealed that a supremacist called Commando X was fomenting rage among Dakota City's Black community. While denouncing white supremacy, Commando X conflated Black liberation with his own antisemitism and other biases. He had bombed the synagogue and riled the mob outside. The next place bombed was Virgil's school, targeted for being a place that taught white supremacist propaganda.

However, the real conflicts were the interpersonal struggles of the different people impacted by the bombings. In the aftermath of their school being attacked, one of Virgil's friends claimed Commando X was "calling attention to white society's everyday assault on the Black man." When Virgil's Jewish best friend Frieda asked what this had to do with the people of his faith, Virgil perpetuated untrue antisemitic stereotypes that he genuinely had been convinced of. Later, Frieda tried to explain how his words hurt her, and in the process used racist Black stereotypes. Neither meant to harm the other, but in their vulnerability after the bombing, Commando X's divisive rhetoric played on their ignorance. This prompted what is arguably the best scene in the story, where Virgil and Frieda were simultaneously approached by their parents to have sit-downs discussing these issues.

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Static #7. Virgil Hawkins's parents speak to him about racism and anti-semitism.

If not handled well, these talks might feel like monologues in an after-school special, but the carefully scripted scene dismantles both anti-Black racism and antisemitism, delivering the message with the genuine love and concern of parents trying to teach their kids. The scene shows how bigotry does not merely inflict pain on others, but can also come from a place of pain within. Both sets of parents addressed the difference between personal biases and systemic oppression, how racist rhetoric can lead to real violence, and the ways that disenfranchised people can still perpetuate such harm. Because of these talks, both Frieda and Virgil looked within and confronted their own biases, as well as the pain caused by what had been done to them. And by looking within, each was able to grow from it.

More than his bombs, Commando X's words set off Dakota City, by igniting long-simmering tensions. The arsonist attacked the peace rally that Static attended, causing it to end prematurely. Virgil found video cassettes at the library of a man spouting similar hate and figured out the bomber was actually Howell Rice, the host of an old public access TV show called Malcolm's 10. While investigating further, Virgil actually ran into Howell, but (as he was out of costume) Virgil managed to convince the arsonist that he was just a fan. Through their talk, Virgil learned the next locations that were being targeted. Donning his costume, Static diffused the explosives and apprehended Commando X, turning him over to the police. The villain did not appear again, but the themes of the story would continue to resonate and (tragically) still feel relevant a quarter-century later.

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