DC Announces First Wave of New Milestone Comics Titles

For an entire generation of fans, the Milestone Media universe of characters has become a pivotal and beloved part of the DC Comics universe. After months of teasing that the comic imprint will be returning back to publishing, including a panel during last year’s DC FanDome virtual event, DC has now announced new details of exactly what’s in store. On Friday, the publisher announced the first wave of new Milestone-related content, including new digital-first miniseries revolving around characters such as Static, Icon & Rocket, and Hardware. This will all kick off with Milestone Returns: Infinite Edition #0, an oversized “extended cut’ of the digital one-shot that was available during DC FanDome. Infinite Edition #0 will arrive digitally on February 26th, and in comic book stores on May 25th.

“Since the FanDome panel, Reggie [Hudlin], Denys [Cowan], and our editorial team have been working incredibly hard to bring this new Milestone to life,” DC publisher and chief creative officer Jim Lee said in a statement. “It’s been exciting to see fresh and contemporary takes on the Dakota universe coming together; I think that both new fans and old will be pleased with the results.”

Keep scrolling to check out the details surrounding DC’s Milestone relaunch, and share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Milestone Returns: Infinite Edition #0

In addition to the original 17-page comic released at DC Fandome, Milestone Returns: Infinite Edition #0 will feature an additional 24 pages of completely new material. This new content will be written by Milestone Media partner and award-nominated film and TV producer and director Reginald Hudlin, with art from Denys Cowan, Nikolas Draper-Ivy, Bill Sienkiewicz, and more.

The additional content will include a retelling of the events of the Big Bang, the police-brutality protest that unleashed a sudden wave of superpowers in the city of Dakota. It will also feature content surrounding the full creative teams for Static, Icon & Rocket, and Hardware.

“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.”

Those upcoming plans will also include the long-awaited launch of the Earth M line, which was created by Cowan and Hudlin. Among the Earth M titles will be the return of Duo, who was first introduced to readers in Milestone Returns #0.

Static

Next will be a Static digital-first miniseries, which is expected to launch in April.

In this monthly miniseries, bullied nerd Virgil is gifted with incredible electromagnetic powers in the wake of the Big Bang. Now he finds himself caught between an over-militarized police response to Black kids getting special abilities and some of those kids who are using those powers in dangerous and destructive ways. But when the bullies who terrorized him before the Big Bang show up with powers of their own, can Static be the hero that Dakota needs?

Each issue of Static will span twenty pages, and will retail on participating digital platforms for $3.99. The first issue is expected to launch on Monday, April 12th.

Icon & Rocket

Following the release of Static will be Icon & Rocket, which will tell a new story of Augustus Freeman and Raquel Ervin.

What happens when superheroes actually make a difference? When Raquel Ervin broke into the home of a wealthy Black lawyer, she didn’t expect to learn that he was a nearly omnipotent alien, lost in despair of ever returning home—and he didn’t expect that she would inspire him to emerge from the shadows and become a force for change on the planet he’s trapped on. What starts out as a simple request to stop the drug trafficking in her neighborhood turns into a mission to eliminate the drug trade worldwide. However, this act of heroism has unexpected consequences, making the pair the two most wanted criminals in the world when actually stopping crime leads to the collapse of the global economy! 

Each issue of Icon & Rocket will span twenty pages, and will retail on participating digital platforms for $3.99. The first issue is expected to launch on Monday, June 21st.

Hardware

Rounding out the first phase of Milestone digital-first miniseries is Hardware, which will be created by Cowan and Sienkiewicz.

All his life, young prodigy Curtis Metcalf was told he was special, and that he would save the world. But it turns out that Alva Industries wanted his beautiful mind for something a lot less noble than that—and his technology has made him the fall guy for the tragedy of the Big Bang. But Curtis is smart enough to not go out like that—and smart enough to steal his inventions back from Alva and start the process of remaking the world his way. 

“Bringing back Milestone and the Dakota universe with DC has been an amazing journey,” Cowan said in a statement. “Getting the chance to do Hardware again with Bill Sienkiewicz is a dream come true. It’s the book that Dwayne McDuffie and I did together at Milestone originally, and I’ve always felt a strong connection to Curtis Metcalf. We can’t wait to bring fans the new adventures of Hardware!”

Hardware will begin publishing on Monday, August 23rd, and will retail on participating digital platforms for $3.99