User blog comment:Leena1445/Pairs/@comment-34954086-20121108232559/@comment-1038387-20121109122204

Race is always an issue. Dakota City is based on Detroit, and they didn't shirk away from things. Drug use, teen pregnancy, bullying, gaybashing.

Statis is a wimpy kid. For the story, you could search for the Static: Trial by Fire trade paperback. It's also reprinted in Static Shock: Rebirth of the Cool.

He retired because being Static hurt the people he loved (Frieda was possessed by an alien parasite once, and another hero girl he loved was killed because of him), he did not have the time for a stable relationship (Daisy and Madison were stood up all the time) and it did not give him time to fully pursue a career. He was bright, and to have a high education in Dakota City is really the only way to establish yourself. But being Static hurt his grades.