Differences between Black Lightning and Static Shock

[Project#13]

What are the differences between Black Lightning and Static (besides the costumes and ages)?

[abetterday]

For me Static powers are like a mist of electricity. I recently learned about something called St. Elmos Fire which is a type of electrical disturbance that can occur during thunderstorms. St. Elmos Fire would be a good way to describe static powers and differentiate him from Black Lightning. But if you look on comicvine.com Black Lightning has a more extensive list of powers that Static.

electricuniverse.info describes St. Elmos Fire as 'something seen during thunderstorms when the ground below is charged and there is high voltage in the air between the cloud and the ground. The voltage tears apart the air molecules.'

[scribbleMind]

In the original run, Static was more of a master of magnetism, not outright electricity. The lightning thing is just something that happened overtime in other portrayals. This isn't to say OG static couldn't produce electricity like that, it just wasn't his thing. It wasn't very strong, it was usually a visual shortcut to show him giving something an electric charge, and it wasn't something he just tossed out all zappity zap. Most of Static's fights were won via magnetism and the various effects of magnetism and electric fields.

[Jabare]

The two are actually very different on a number of fronts. I’m at work so I’ll edit this later and give you the essay

[Dataweaver]

I'd actually say that it would be easier to list what's similar about them, rather than what's different: both have electrical powers, and both are black. Oh, and both are heroes. That's pretty much it. And even on those three points, there are significant differences in the details.

[Common Writer]

One is a talented inventor while the other is a high school Principal.

Ones a teenager, the other an adult.

One flies around on a Static Saucer, the other doesn't

BL is the more self-serious type while Static is usually the quippy one.

One is an Olympic athlete, while the other one is a science nerd.

[Captain Nostalgia]

I'm confused by that as well.

It Static just a less powerful junior Black Lightning? (Who uses static electricity instead high voltage current electricity)

or is there more to his powers going on?

[scribbleMind]

I think one could argue that Static is also a better tactician than Black Lightening. Static almost always relies on outsmarting his opponents. In Rebirth of the Cool he was the character everyone turned to for a plan and leadership. Characters smarter and more powerful than Static looked to him to come up with an answer even though he was retired at the time, which suggests that Static is the best *known* tactician in the Milestone universe. As far as being in a Captain America-esque field leader role, there isn't a character in the Milestone universe that has done it better than Static. Hardware is more of a strategist. Icon doesn't come off as tactical as Rocket. Rocket doesn't have the tactical feats that Static does (but is in the running for second imo). The Blood Syndicate is a mess. Of course, this isn't to say that Black Lightening is an awful tactician. There's just something worth noting about Static potentially being the best tactician in his comic-verse.

[Lee Stone]

I would say...

Personalities
Backgrounds
Supporting cast
Experience
Visuals
Types of stories that they fit into

[Dataweaver]

Basically, everything.

[DrNewGod]

You also have to remember that the redundancy of the characters wasn't deliberate. Static was created for the Milestone line, and was never intended to share a universe with Black Lightning. As others have mentioned, as created, Static's abilities were much more about magnetism.

Similarly, as created, BL didn't project lightning, but had a device that surrounded him with a high-amperage electrical field that acted like a taser on anything he touched, could repel gunfire, melt metals, and somewhat enhanced his strength. Overtime, the device was dropped by writers who characterized is abilities as meta-human (although that wasn't actually a term at DC at the time). In the mid-1980s, some time after he lost his own feature, BL was added to The Outsiders, and that's when writers and artists began depicting him as throwing electrical bolts. Subsequently, his electrical field began to be progressively de-emphasized while his ability to project lightning became more prominent.

[Dataweaver]

I could see connecting them in a mentor/pupil sorry of relationship in the DCU (assuming the Milestone characters are still available for use there); but it would kind of be like Ted Kord mentoring Jaime Rayes; they really aren't that similar.

[Primal Slayer]

Same differences between Green Arrow and Speedy/Red Arrow/Arsenal, Wonder Woman/Wonder Girl(s), Superman/Supergirl, etc..

[Dataweaver]

I'd probably say that Alan Scott vs. Hal Jordan would be a more appropriate comparison. Superficially, they're similar; but only superficially. When you get past the surface commonalities, they're nothing alike.

[lemonpeace]

Same differences between Green Arrow and Speedy/Red Arrow/Arsenal, Wonder Woman/Wonder Girl(s), Superman/Supergirl, etc..

yeah no, these are not the same

I'd probably say that Alan Scott vs. Hal Jordan would be a more appropriate comparison. Superficially, they're similar; but only superficially. When you get past the surface commonalities, they're nothing alike.

this is more accurate