This is another post that is going to feel very dated because this is already happening. The imprint, "Milestone" is back at DC and after years of talking about it, they have finally brought it back. In a nutshell, Milestone was created back in 1993 by a couple of black artists and writers as a way to diverse comic books, which was severely lacking at the time. I had a long post talking about my complicated history with Milestone. I have scrapped that and will spare you all of that. In summary, as a kid getting into comics, I didn't give it a chance because while I wanted more black super heroes, I wanted them in one of the big two, Marvel or DC. To me, they were not legitimate enough. So I never gave them a chance until I was much older. It is something that I regret.
As an adult, I got into them and realize how special it truly was. I could also trust that because it was created by black creators, what I was getting was authentic. Not some white guy's interpretation of black people based on a movie or two he just watched. There are obvious influences from where they came from, but as a whole, I thought they were all good. They will feel very dated, because they are very rooted in the culture and language in the mid-nineties. The themes, however, still play well today.
Taking us to the present, I was excited when DC was finally going to actually have this happen and announced creative teams on the books. It was a mix of some of the creators that were part of the original launch and up and coming or established black creators from today. We still had to wait a while for them to come out and right now they are happening as "seasons". This is comic book talk for limited series. I don't like this approach because I feel like it gives you too easy of an out to cancel them.
At this point, three issues of "Static" and two issues of "Icon and Rocket" and an issue of "Hardware" have come out so far. Static feels very much rooted in today and gives a more updated take on the character. The backdrop for all of this is with racial protests and how experimental gas was used on the crowd. That is how the various characters will develop powers. It is something that feels very relevant while trying to be socially conscious. In this respect, I think the series has been good so far. I think the dialogue is authentic, the characters feel real enough. Vita Ayala (writing) and Nikolas Draper-Ivey and ChrisCross (artists) did a great job. I have found myself reading more and more of Vita's work and I will now actively search out more of what they have been working on.
"Icon and Rocket" on the other hand feels a little dated. It feels exactly like the original "Icon" series, even if some subtle changes were made. That is not a good thing. This is supposed to be an update that is modernized for the now. Not a series that is just drawn differently, but still essentially the same. As first issues go, it was kind of dull. The second issue did get better. It's a disappointment to me, given the team that is on it. Reginald Hudlin and Doug Braithwaite are industry pros, so my bar was set a little higher. I think there is still a chance to turn it around, so I'm not giving up on them just yet.
I was probably looking forward to Hardware from Brandon Thomas (who I have recently discovered over the years) and industry vet and original artist, Denys Cowan the most. With the first issue, it didn't disappoint. I will say that as a first issue, it is only setting up the status quo.
I will definitely write again when all the series have concluded.
Here's my hot take though. I am afraid that the books will not do well enough to warrant more coming out. DC will get to say, "Well we tried" this diversity thing and that will be that. I just don't have enough faith in the fans of the big two to actually support diversity in comics with their dollars. So I hope people go out and buy these books so that we can get more. I think having books like these in the big two will help the creators get noticed more and then they can get more opportunities to work on their own creator owned, passion projects. It can only be good for the business in the long run. I do recommend giving these a shot.
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