Thanks to The New 52, the DC Comics’ hero Static is officially gone from comics, with only the past to truly remember him. The character truly hit the mainstream over a decade ago with his own animated series Static Shock, and he eventually showed up in Batman Beyond and Justice League: Unlimited. In an era where even the biggest DC Comics characters can fail (hello, Green Lantern), it’s hard for the company to gain the same amount of traction as Marvel has. But, fans online have now shown that given the right handling, a Static Shock film can be possible.

A 13-Minute fan film from a group of Carnegie Mellon students appeared online a couple weeks ago, paying tribute to what would have been the 50th Birthday of Static’s co-creator Dwayne McDuffie:

While it’s not overly incredible, the film very much toys around with the early beginnings of Static’s superhero life. The special effects are great for only a budget of $5000, and it definitely showcases that the hero could be worthy of a big screen feature. There’s plenty of emphasis on romantic interest Daisy Watkins, and the found-footage beginning is one that I was absolutely blown away by. While it does have inklings ofChronicle, it seemed like an interesting route, especially with the character of Richie.

The illusion to Ebon is a great one, though I would have liked to see more classic villains, such as Rubber-Band Man (who’s an antagonist at first in the Static world). Though, with the special effects budget they have, what they do with Ebon is a fantastic use of his powers.

What do you think of the fan film?