DC Comics announced the long anticipated return of minority-created imprint Milestone Comics. Characters such as Static, Icon & Hardware will be back. The legacy of Milestone Comics is well known to many minority comic book fans, but few of the imprints characters have made it to the mainstream.
Static Shock famously had a major presence in the DC Animated Universe. Icon and his sidekick Rocket appeared often in DC’s Young Justice. Other characters haven’t made the leap. With increased consumer appetite for minority driven comics, the time seems right for a fresh look at Milestone.
In last year’s DC Fandome event, Milestone was first reintroduced by new Milestone partner Reggie Hudlin. Hudlin, an Emmy Award Winning Director and writer of Black Panther spoke about it in the press release.
“The response from fans after the DC FanDome panel was overwhelming, and that makes this news even more exciting for Denys and me,” said Hudlin. “Introducing these ‘seasons’ of Static, Icon, Rocket, and Hardware is just the beginning. There will be more stories with these favorite characters to come, and fans will see appearances from the legendary Blood Syndicate, setting the stage for an explosive Milestone event later in the year.”
Milestone Goes Digital First
Milestone Returns: Infinite Edition #0 combines the original 17-page comic, released during 2020’s DC FanDome Hall of Heroes, with an additional 24 pages of completely new material written by Hudlin and drawn by artists Denys Cowan, Nikolas Draper-Ivey, Bill Sienkiewicz, and more.
As Hudlin noted above, more characters are coming to what is now known as Earth M. Earth M is the designation of the Milestone Universe in DC’s Multiverse. We’ll be getting stand alone series for Static, Icon & Rocket and Hardware. These will be the first wave of Milestone series releasing later this year. Below are some shots from the new character designs for Static and his nemesis Hotstreak.
Milestone will be releasing as a digital-first release, which has been the trend of comics of late. A physical release will be available in stores at a later time. Static launches Monday, April 12. Each 20-page issue will be available on participating digital platforms for $3.99. Icon & Rocket will debut in May of this year at the same price point, while Hardware will release in August.
Are you excited for the return of Milestone Comics? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.