When Milestone Media launched its imprint at DC Comics in 1993 it was a huge deal. An entire line of ethnically diverse books created by equally ethnically diverse creative teams. It was something of a game changer at the time, a breath of fresh air in a decades stale industry full of Caucasian heroes and villains and little else, and was a forbear of the more recent movement for inclusion, and while it didn’t last nearly long enough it was popular enough to launch the Static Shock animated series from page to screen, and is fondly remembered by its legion of devoted fans.
Well, we have good news for them. The Milestone characters are coming back! After a brief attempt to meld the two universes a few years ago, it was announced today at San Diego Comic-Con that Milestone will now be integrated into the DC Multiverse as Earth-M. How this will effect the events in Static‘s solo title is unclear, but it will be nice having those characters back, in whatever capacity. Original creators Reginald Hudlin, Derek Dingle, and Denys Cowan will be returning (Co-founder Michael Davis was not included for some reason), and bringing Jim Lee along for the ride on new series’ for Static, Icon, Hardware, The Shadow Cabinet (the Authority before the Authority was a thing), and more. There will also be Year One style original hardcover graphic novels planned, two a year, and a series of one-shots and mini-series’ as well.
Jim Lee, as DC’s Co-Publisher stated that this move is “a huge step forward for [DC] in bringing readers a more diversified lineup as part of the New DC Universe, and we’re anxiously looking forward to telling new stories that are socially and culturally impactful and representative of the world in which we live.”
Hudlin added “Milestone Media was the first company to create a superhero universe full of Black, Latino, Asian and white superheroes — both gay and straight. Its fanbase was equally diverse. This new relationship will enable us to not only revive classic Milestone characters, but introduce new ones as well.”
Sadly Milestone co-founder Dwayne McDuffie passed away in 2011, but he didn’t have the best relationship with DC toward the end (and rightfully so), so I don’t know how he’d take this news were he still with us.
