It has been a few years in the making, but the Milestone characters are finally back! In partnership with DC Comics, Milestone Media will be releasing a bunch of new comic book series as part of DC’s Earth M imprint.
For Milestone, representation is the goal. These comics will set themselves apart from most superhero comics by focusing on characters from minority backgrounds, told by a range of comic book creators. Further to this, the stories will use superheroes to explore the themes relevant to what’s going on in the world today.
This guide will take you through everything you need to know about the Milestone revival. Read on to find out which comics are included in Earth M, how you can read them, and heaps more.
What is Milestone?
Almost 30 years ago, a group of African-American comic book creators made waves in the comic book industry when they formed Milestone Media. Consisting of Dwayne McDuffie, Denys Cowan, Michael Davis, and Derek T. Dingle, the company created comics that aimed to correct the underrepresentation of minorities in superhero comics.
The result was the Dakotaverse, a shared universe, which included comic book titles such as Static, Icon, Hardware, and Blood Syndicate. These comics starred characters from different backgrounds and often used the superhero genre to explore real-world themes.
Static was one of the most popular of Milestone’s characters, who ended up getting his own animated series, Static Shock, which ran for four seasons.
What also made Milestone unique was the company’s agreement with DC Comics. Through this partnership, DC would publish, market, and distribute the comics, but Milestone would retain copyright and creative control.
Beyond the initial run in the 90s, the Milestone characters have sporadically returned for short runs. At one point, some of the characters were introduced into the wider DC Universe and interacted with DC’s heroes.
As mentioned in the introduction, this year sees the characters return once again. This time they will feature in their own imprint, with a bunch of rebooted series.
Do I need to have read previous Milestone comics to understand this?
It doesn’t matter if you haven’t read any of the previous incarnations of Milestone. This new version is a reboot, allowing readers to start fresh from the very beginning. You won’t need to know anything about the characters to start reading.
Do I need to read DC’s other comics as well?
Nope! You don’t need to know what’s going on with current or past DC Comics in order to understand the Milestone. In fact, they will be set on a different universe known as Earth M.
A digital-first approach
All of the Milestone comics will be available on digital formats first. Issues will then be released in a print format, approximately three months later.
The digital versions of the comics will be dropped on Mondays, with DC Comics describing these days as Milestone Mondays.
You will be able to find the digital copies on Comixology and the DC Comics app (iOS/Android). Print versions will be available at all good comic book shops and online.
Where do I start?
The Milestone imprint will all begin with a one-shot called Milestone Returns: Infinite Edition #0. This comic will retell the event referred to as The Big Bang, which will introduce the characters and set up the comics imprint. It will give readers a taste for what’s to come in future comics too.
This was previously released as part of DC Fandome and available to read for only a few days back in 2020. For this more permanent release, DC will be including an additional 24 pages to it, giving people who read it last year another reason to check it out again.
Digital Release: February 26th
Print Release: May 25th
Which comics are part of this?
While we don’t have all the information at the moment, these are the comics that DC have confirmed will be part of this new imprint.
Static: Season One
Written by Vita Ayala. Art by ChrisCross (layouts) and Niklas Draper-Ivey (finishes).
Virgil used to be a bullied nerd, but, after the events of the Big Bang, now finds himself with electromagnetic powers. Although, he soon finds out that he’s not the only one with powers. Some of them will use these powers for good, but others will take advantage of them to cause destruction.
In playing the hero Virgil, also known as Static, will get caught up in an over-militarised police force’s response to black kids getting powers.
Digital Release: April 12th
Print Release: TBC
Icon & Rocket
Written by Reginald Hudlin and Leon Chills. Art by Doug Braithwaite.
When Raquel Ervin broke into the home of a wealthy lawyer, she never expected him to actually be an omnipotent alien. The pair will team up to stop drug trafficking in the neighbourhood, which will set them on the mission of eliminating all drug trade. This will have unexpected consequences when the global economy begins to collapse.
Digital Release: June 21st
Print Release: TBC
Hardware
Written by Brandon Thomas. Art by Denys Cowan and Bill Sienkiewicz.
Hardware follows Curtis Metcalf, a young prodigy who works at Alva Industries. He thought that they wanted him to help change the world, but instead, he has been made the fall guy for the Big Bang. Now he’ll have to use all of his smarts and inventions to clear his name and make the world better at the same time.
Digital Release: August 21st
Print Release: TBC
Will there be other comics?
Based on the fact that these comics are referred to as “Season One”, you can make the assumption that there will be more coming. Additionally, When Milestone’s revival was announced a few years ago, there were a few other comics mentioned along with the ones listed above. Since that time, DC has gone through changes behind the scenes. As a result, plans may have changed.
These comics may be announced at a later date, acting as part of a second round of titles in late-2021 or 2022.
Updating…
There is a bunch of details that DC Comics has not announced yet. When they do, I’ll make sure this guide is updated so you have everything you need to know.
Have Your Say!
Are you excited for the Milestone revival? Share your thoughts in the comments below or via Facebook or Twitter.
I’m a big fan of comic book superheroes and l been collecting comics for 37 years since 1984. I you bring back all 20 of Milestone Superteams:like Heroes inc., Blood Syndicate, Bangbabies, The Cooperative, Kobalt Detectives,Kobalt inc.,Shadow Cabinet, Icon and Rocket,Kobalt and Page,Capers Inc.,Tower Patrol,Hoop Squad,G.R.I.N.D.,S.H.E.R.D.,Union of Separatist Scientists,SpaceCops, Yoongar,The Darkstar Defense Force,The. Dakota Police Deptpartment,And DavyJonesLocker.