The revival of Milestone Media and its DC imprint, Milestone Comics, is here. The publishing initiative focused on bringing to life a superhero universe — the Dakotaverse — centered around the experiences of characters of colour is finally ready to return to life.
Rumblings of a Milestone revival have been going on for years, with plans for the imprint’s return circulating since 2015. Now, as shared today at DC’s Fandome and elaborated on by the Washington Post, the imprint has a set date for its return. And it’s soon.
The new iteration of Milestone will include a lot — a digital-only series starring Static, the Dakotaverse’s most popular character by far and star of a fantastic TV show produced by the late Dwayne McDuffie, who was one of Milestone’s founders; a Static Shock graphic novel written by Hollywood director and producer Reggie Hudlin, drawn by Kyle Baker; and a new series starring the Dakotaverse’s Icon and Rocket, illustrated by Milestone co-founder Denys Cowan; and a Milestone Returns No. 0 book available via digital for 24 hours on September 12th, coinciding with the next online DC event.
As revealed on the Fandome stream, the imprint’s revival also features plans to republish the classic Milestone books via digital starting in September, and hopes for a broader multimedia focus for these classic characters, as well as new ones created specifically for the new Milestone. While there were no specifics, movies were definitely mentioned, as were TV adaptations, cartoons, and audio adventures.
Milestone was founded in 1993 by Dwayne McDuffie, Denys Cowan, Michael Davis, and Derek Dingle. It was, and remains, one of the largest projects ever created in the mainstream comics space to highlight Black characters and allow them to be helmed by Black creators. Milestone’s output was, by all accounts, revolutionary. It ran for four years before being shut down in 1997. After plans to relaunch the imprint surfaced in 2015, Charlotte McDuffie, the late Dwayne McDuffie’s wife, sued Cowan and Dingle alleging that McDuffie’s estate was owed money related to attempts to revive the imprint; the suit was settled in 2019. According to the Washington Post, DC had no comment on whether or not the suit contributed to the delay in reviving the brand.
At any rate, now is a fantastic time to revive Milestone, as major protests across the United States and the world, spurred on by ongoing police brutality against Black Americans, highlight the need for Black voices to be given platforms and power in every avenue of American life.
The new Milestone begins with Static Shock digital return in February 2021, with further releases coming throughout the year.