Rick Stone (comics)

Richard "Rick" Stone is a Fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics and a supporting character of Static/Virgil Hawkins. Created by writers Dwayne McDuffie and Robert L. Washington III, and artist John Paul Leon, Rick first appeared in Static #1 (June 1993), one of the titles published by Milestone Comics, an imprint of DC Comics. After the closing of Milestone Comics, Rick became part of DC's mainstream universe of characters. On the Static Shock series from the DCAU he gained more popularity when he was reinvented as "Richie Foley" (voiced by Jason Marsden) and later became Static's superhero partner Gear.

Publication history

Rick Stone appeared in the same issue as Static in Static #1 (June 1993) created by Dwayne McDuffie, Robert L. Washington III & John Paul Leon (artist).

Fictional character biography

Milestone & DC Universes

Longtime best friend of Virgil Hawkins, alias superhero Static, Rick Stone attends Ernest Hemingway High School same as Virgil Hawkins, Daisy Watkins, Frieda Goren & Larry Wade.

Throughout the original comic series of Static, Rick showed signs of being gay, he was also constantly being made fun of by local thug and Virgil's High School bully Chuck because of it. In the comic's very first issue, he is introduced on the receiving end of a gay joke from Chuck about his performance at a school assembly. In issue #15, Virgil and Chuck talk about a comic book character named "Captain Thunder". Chuck says the character is gay, but Virgil disagrees and tries to get Rick to side with him; instead of agreeing with Virgil, Rick says "He is kind of a boy scout", probably to avoid seeming gay to Chuck again.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

Later Chuck makes another gay joke about Rick calling him "Richard the pink, knight of tutu". Rick tries to make a serious response, but before he can make his point, Chuck makes another joke and laughs with his friends Felix and Larry. Virgil remains silent and doesn't try to help Rick out. One day when Virgil goes on patrol as Static, he hears someone call out for help; he then sees Rick next to a boy who is unconscious. Static asks Rick what happened, and Rick says it started out with a gay bashing by some local gang.^{[7][8][9][10][11][12]}

After flying the boy to a hospital, Rick tells Static that he is going to a gay teen support group and implies that he is attracted to another boy his age. Later, Rick shows up to school with his face bruised. His friends ask him what happened and he says that he was gay bashed; he tries to get their support in planning a teen support group for gay rights. The scene carries into the next issue with Rick leaving after Chuck tries to turn it all into a joke.^{[13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24]}

Virgil doesn't help matters when he tells Rick that he "Should've kept the secret to himself". Virgil and Rick's friend Frieda calls Virgil to talk to him about his homophobia and to try to help him understand. Eventually Frieda, her friend Daisy Watkins, and Rick go to a gay rights convention together.^{[25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36]}

The New 52

There's no appearance of Rick Stone in the New 52.

Other Versions

DCAU

Rick Stone was renamed "Richie Foley" on the TV series, Static Shock from the DC Animated Universe. While Rick Stone was gay in the Milestone Comics, it was never addressed whether Richie share his comic counterpart's sexual orientation. Although Richie is aware of Virgil's secret identity in the show; in the comics however, Rick never learns of Virgil's double life. Instead, Virgil's other friend' Frieda Goren was Virgil's confidant; however the show's version of Frieda has no idea Virgil is Static.

Richie Foley is the best friend of Virgil Hawkins; and after Virgil caught up in the "Big Bang" riot, Richie comes up with the idea of Virgil using his new powers to become a super hero.

Early on, Richie grew jealous of Static's powers, and yearned powers of his own. He began working for a man named Ragtag and his criminal gang; Ragtag had the ability to grant superpowers to other people for a brief period as long as they served him. Richie is given the ability to Manipulate Gravity by Ragtag, and uses these abilities to become a superhero by the name of "Push". The effects of his "Push" powers were temporary, however, eventually wearing off. Richie quickly grew addicted his powers, leading him to work for Ragtag, helping in his criminal activities in exchange for continued used of his powers. It is only after Static intervenes that Richie snaps out of it and helps Static get Ragtag arrested.

Later on, after extended exposure to "Big Bang" residue off of Virgil's clothes, Richie slowly develops his own powers. His new-found powers included increased intelligence and the ability to mentally manipulate technology. Richie begins acting as Static's sidekick on the field, going under the pseudonym Gear, using technology and gadgetry of his own invention to assist him and Static in crime-fighting.

In an episode of Batman Beyond Static travels into the future, and meeting his future self along with Batman (Terry McGinnis). Here, Static finds that Gear has stayed as his ally in the 2040s. The future Richie has appeared to have gained a significant amount of weight, causing the time-displaced Static to comment on his weight; and upon returning to his own time, he suggested to his friend to "lay off the fries".

Concerning Rick/Richie's transformation into Gear, Dwayne McDuffie stated that Richie was given superpowers because it was becoming "increasingly difficult to work Richie into stories, without having him order Static around all the time over the Shock Vox." Regarding the response of fans, he said, "Gear worked out very well for us, the ratings improved after he showed up and he arguably bought us an extra season on the air."

Milestone Forever

Static appears as a major character in the 2010 limited series Milestone Forever, a project designed to detail the final fates of the Milestone launch characters prior to being assimilated into DC's continuity. In this possible future, the reader first learns that Virgil is attending his ten year high school reunion, and has given up his life of crime-fighting as Static and is now pursuing a career in medicine. Rick (now going by "Richie", just like his television version on Static Shock), is now working as a director in Los Angeles, and is open about his homosexuality.

Powers and abilities

Rick Stone

Rick Stone is a gifted student at Ernest Hemingway High School' that He, Virgil, Daisy Watkins and Frieda Goren all go to. Rick has an interest in science and technology; he's shown to be a good and talented inventor as well as a natural mechanic.

Gear

In the TV show Static Shock where Rick was reinvented as "Richie Foley", he became exposed to the same kind of molecular gas from the "Big Bang" event which also gave Virgil his powers as Static and decided to join him in his crime-fighting adventures as Gear.

Rick/Richie's powers included a boost in his brain capacity, and made him a Technopath. He became a High-Level Genius with the ability to manipulate and control technology with his mind; as wells as being an expert in Gadgetry, Robotic Science & Engineering which allowed him to build his own devices and hardware which he all controlled by using his Technopathy which made him a formidable opponent in battle.

Weapons, Equipment & Transportation

Richie's technology as Gear included:

• A sensor and neural interface control helmet.
• Back-Pack: A supercomputer with a neural link to Gear that could cling to his back, or walk on four legs, it also had in-built tracking and analyzing equipment.
• Jet-Blades: Roller skates with built-in jet rockets for extra speed.
• Jet-Boots: Boots with jet rockets, which granted him the ability of flight.
• Jet-Board: A hover board that resembles a surfboard which also allowed him to fly.
• Zap-Cap, Mark I: Tiny grenade-like explosive balls which give off an electric-shock.
• Zap Caps, Mark II: More grenade-like balls that can eject metal constricting wire bands that can tie-up enemies when detonated, for restraining purposes.

Push

When he was transformed by Ragtag into "Push", Richie could manipulate gravity and create fields around himself, but it was only temporary and needed to keep going back to Ragtag so he could be given more power.

In other media

Television

• Rick Stone was renamed Richard "Richie" Osgood Foley in the DC Animated Universe TV series, Static Shock. The series creators did this because, Richie's character was based on Rick Stone, Virgil's best friend in the comics, who is gay. However, since his sexual orientation could not be explored within the context of a children's television series, it was not addressed. Richie was voiced by Jason Marsden.

Richie wasn't present for the "Big Bang", but Static's clothes still carried some of the gas with him and when Richie smelled them he soon developed powers himself. His powers remained dormant until season three. His powers as Gear are superhuman intelligence, having invented a number of weapons and devices for Static and himself to use. His superhuman intelligence also comes with the power of Technopathy that he can use his visor and Back-Pack with that he also invented.

• In the Batman Beyond episode "Future Shock", it is revealed that in that future timeline both Gear and Static are still active as heroes and are now members of the Justice League. It is also shown that Gear put on some weight, which is quickly noticed by Static's time-traveling younger self.

References

External links

• http://www.comicvine.com/rick-stone/4005-64091/
• http://www.comicvine.com/rick-stone/4005-64091/issues-cover/
• http://dcanimated.wikia.com/wiki/Gear
• http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Richard_Stone_(Dakotaverse)
• http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Richard_Foley_(DCAU)
• http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Rick_Stone
• http://www.dcauresource.com/profiles/good/g/gear.php