WrenchNinja

Member
Oct 25, 2017
18,806
Canada


The episode is called "Jimmy" and aired in 2002. It's hard to believe this was on Kids WB. Like even without the blood, this is some heavy stuff for a kid to see and process.

With how common school shootings are now, it makes me wonder if cartoons should tackle heavier subjects like this more directly.

Dwyane McDuffie and Alan Burnett won the 2003 Humanitas Prize for this episode.
 

Rvaan

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,734
I watched a lot of Static Shock but forgot about this episode.
This episode might have gotten the show cancelled today.
 

Bor Gullet

Member
Oct 27, 2017
12,403
mmmmmmmm no this show ran for 2 more seasons after this episode and Virgil got a new suit and Gear and Justice League crossovers

There was also a Batman Beyond crossover, and regular Batman crossovers with characters like Joker, Harley, and Ivy.

The crossover episodes are entertaining enough, they brought back all the same voice actors from the other shows which is nice.
 

Rvaan

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,734
mmmmmmmm no this show ran for 2 more seasons after this episode and Virgil got a new suit and Gear and Justice League crossovers
I know it ran for a bit after this episode. I'm saying that if the show was airing today in 2018 and aired a school shooting episode there would be people calling for it to be cancelled.
 

Slayven

Never read a comic in his life
Moderator
Oct 25, 2017
94,470
I wished people read Milestone. The cartoon was santized to hell and back
 

jwk94

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,482
It's sad that more people don't know about this show or Virgil. Freaking loved every bit of this show, except his original outfit. That episode with him going back to save his mom was so sad.
 

Aadiboy

Member
Nov 4, 2017
3,772
I remember the show getting better once it started becoming more DCAU-like in the later seasons.
 

Pop-O-Matic

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
13,063
This is a show that had the origin for our hero and most of the villains be "gang fight down by the docks goes really badly" so it's not like something like this was too out there for it.

I know it ran for a bit after this episode. I'm saying that if the show was airing today in 2018 and aired a school shooting episode there would be people calling for it to be cancelled.

OK KO just did a blatant gun-control episode a couple of months ago and it's still on the air, so...
 

Cordy

Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,649
Remember the episode where Vergil found out that Richie's dad was racist? Man.

That show had some powerful episodes.
 

PSqueak

Member
Oct 25, 2017
12,464
I always found weird that the first few seasonse (or maybe it was just season 1?) basically had serious messages in all of them, besides this one there are also racism episodes and of course the series had a strong anti gang violence message, also there was a dyslexia episode.

But in later seasons they kinda...stopped? And went full superhero shenanigans.
 

N.Domixis

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
9,208
Wow can't belive stuff like that's was common back then, similar to how decades before this things like nazis, cat calling , smoking and alcohol were normal in cartoons
 

Zan

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,571
That's the point of these types of episodes though, isn't it? To highlight a real danger? There's another one where his dad's a racist.

Remember the episode where Vergil found out that Richie's dad was racist? Man.

That show had some powerful episodes.

Never saw the show, so i'm clueless as to how racist we're talking here. Diet Racist or Original Recipie Racist Classic?
 

PSqueak

Member
Oct 25, 2017
12,464
Never saw the show, so i'm clueless as to how racist we're talking here. Diet Racist or Original Recipie Racist Classic?

Obviously he never used the n-word, but i remember him being very blatantly racist.

I remember the show getting better once it started becoming more DCAU-like in the later seasons.

It literally became DCAU, which was kinda funny.

In season 1 Virgil makes a joke along the lines of "Even Clark Kent had a day job" or something to that effect implying superman was fictional in their world.

Then they eventually just made him meet the justice league and stuff, and they even teased a OG Teen Titans crossover, which sadly never happened.
 
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jph139

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
14,593
Is it accessible digitally anywhere? I should read through it.

Nah. Lots of legal trouble with it recently, about the rightsholders and all that. But with DC relaunching the brand (...at some point) I think/hope that's being sorted out shortly. And they'd be dumb not to rerelease the original stuff.

Getting that material into people's hands should be priority #1. If it was published today people would be calling it "ahead of its time," nevermind 20+ years ago.
 

Dark Ninja

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,082
This show never clicked with me. I like Static on other shows though Batman Beyond and Young Justice.
 

Sanjuro

Member
Oct 25, 2017
31,765
Massachusetts
I never really appreciated it much. It came out kind of around that second wave of late 90s/00s cartoons and felt like DC heroes had a shitty new friend.

Long after the fact I remember reading some of the books and a couple episodes and it noticed it wasn't that bad, but it is was past the point then.
 

Shang

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,761


The episode is called "Jimmy" and aired in 2002. It's hard to believe this was on Kids WB. Like even without the blood, this is some heavy stuff for a kid to see and process.

With how common school shootings are now, it makes me wonder if cartoons should tackle heavier subjects like this more directly.

Dwyane McDuffie and Alan Burnett won the 2003 Humanitas Prize for this episode.

There was an episode in the first season of Gargoyles back in 1994 that dealt with the accidental shooting of Eliza, complete with her lying in a pool of blood. The episode ended up getting pulled from rotation for years. They only started re-airing it when they censored the blood.



Interestingly, both episodes were made within the decade that the Assault Weapons Bans was in place. I do wonder whether they could be made today given the power of the NRA, who'd probably use FOX News to complain about cartoons trying to indoctrinate kids.
 

vypek

Member
Oct 25, 2017
12,753
I forgot they also had an episode with Richie's dad being racist. I think someone pulled the audio from it to lay it on top fo Goof Troop or A Goofy Movie to pretend like Max lost a friend cause Goofy was racist.
 

Fancy Clown

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,485
This is the only episode I remember. Was definitely serious business as a kid
I forgot they also had an episode with Richie's dad being racist. I think someone pulled the audio from it to lay it on top fo Goof Troop or A Goofy Movie to pretend like Max lost a friend cause Goofy was racist.
Oh shit, no I remember this episode too
 

Sou Da

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
16,738
In the comics, wasn't Hotstreak a racist?
1269343-sonsofodin_001.jpg


very.
 
Oct 25, 2017
26,560
I always found weird that the first few seasonse (or maybe it was just season 1?) basically had serious messages in all of them, besides this one there are also racism episodes and of course the series had a strong anti gang violence message, also there was a dyslexia episode.

But in later seasons they kinda...stopped? And went full superhero shenanigans.
Yeah. I kind of preferred that. The early episodes were just so heavy handed and then it became a full on DC superhero show that still touched on topics.

It's like, the very special episodes are important, but shit sometimes I want to watch him zap a bitch.

Still enjoyed the time travel episode where he met his mom.
Really enjoyed that episode he lost his shit because everyone thought Green Lantern turned evil.
 

Sou Da

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
16,738
Yeah. I kind of preferred that. The early episodes were just so heavy handed and then it became a full on DC superhero show that still touched on topics.

It's like, the very special episodes are important, but shit sometimes I want to watch him zap a bitch.

Still enjoyed the time travel episode where he met his mom.
Really enjoyed that episode he lost his shit because everyone thought Green Lantern turned evil.
I kind of prefer the earlier ones because they remembered what his powers actually were.
 

Spinluck

â–˛ Legend â–˛
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
28,877
Chicago
This show had some really real shit in it.

I still receive recall watching the one with Richie's dad being a racist.
 
Oct 25, 2017
26,560
Though between this and that Office Space thread, I have to ask, do people not remember shootings being a thing people talked about back then?

Even 7th Heaven had their own version of this.

Then there was that one commercial where the two kids found the gun in the closet and they're both staring at it, but it's pointed right at one of the kids and then it cuts away right as the gun goes off.
 

PSqueak

Member
Oct 25, 2017
12,464
Though between this and that Office Space thread, I have to ask, do people not remember shootings being a thing people talked about back then?

Even 7th Heaven had their own version of this.

Then there was that one commercial where the two kids found the gun in the closet and they're both staring at it, but it's pointed right at one of the kids and then it cuts away right as the gun goes off.

Back then these episodes existed but shootings themselves were kinda rare, not at the rate they're happening now, which is why there is more buzz around it.
 

Antrax

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,484
Though between this and that Office Space thread, I have to ask, do people not remember shootings being a thing people talked about back then?

Even 7th Heaven had their own version of this.

Then there was that one commercial where the two kids found the gun in the closet and they're both staring at it, but it's pointed right at one of the kids and then it cuts away right as the gun goes off.

Yeah, one of the episodes in season 1 of King of the Hill makes workplace shooting jokes all through it.