New History of the DC Universe: The Dakota Incident is an Amazing Tribute to Milestone (Review)

They’ve been out of the spotlight for some time, but the Milestone heroes get a chance to shine once more in DC Comics’ latest special. It’s wild to think that Milestone, the imprint created by iconic Black creators like Dwayne McDuffie, Denys Cowan, Christopher Priest, and more, was created over 30 years ago. Milestone Comics was one of the most innovative and successful lines to come out of the ‘90s, a time when the industry was in serious trouble. But despite Milestone’s significance to DC and the comic book medium, the heroes of this line have been tragically underutilized.

To DC’s credit, it has periodically revisited Milestone. During the New 52, the publisher gave Static a book set firmly in the Prime DCU. And in the late ‘10s and early ‘20s, many of the original founding creators behind Milestone came back for Milestone Returns, which gave fans several new one-shots and miniseries. But the lack of commitment and consistency has left fans a bit dismayed. That said, Static’s recent appearance in the DC K.O. event renewed readers’ hopes, and following that shocking cameo is a new one-shot that explores the current state of the Milestone heroes in the Prime DCU.

Rating: 4 out of 5

The Dakota Incident is an Overdue Story for the Milestone Legends

As its name implies, New History of the DC Universe: The Dakota Incident builds on the lore established in New History of the DC Universe #3. It revealed that heroes like Static, Rocket, Icon, and Hardware were active in the Prime DC Universe for a brief period, but mysteriously disappeared. This story is told in several parts, one of which is set in the past. Edwin Alva, Hardware’s archenemy, is dead, and a confession left behind reveals that he was responsible for the Big Bang that created heroes like Static.

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Though Alva had been collaborating as part of the Supermen Project to create government-controlled heroes, he intended for Dakota to have its own superhuman army so that no one would make a move against him. However, with Alva dead, President Lex Luthor sends in the Suicide Squad to deal with the metahumans and bring Dakota under control. It’s an explosive, intense confrontation, and though the Dakota heroes end up surviving the night, Luthor ends up intimidating all of the heroes into retirement, burying the evidence that they ever even existed.

Static, Hardware, and More Finally Get Their Due in Amazing One-Shot

New History of the DC Universe: The Dakota Incident comes from an amazing collection of creators, including, but not limited to, Stephanie Williams, Morgan Hampton, Valentine De Landro, Stephen Segovia, Fico Ossio, and Edwin Galwin. As someone who has fond memories of watching the Static Shock animated series growing up and remembers when he was added into the DC Universe, it was cool seeing him again. While I haven’t read every Milestone book, this one-shot really does a great job of familiarizing readers who might not know everything, but speeds along to give more seasoned fans an exciting story.

I don’t know if most fans will buy the reason for the Milestone heroes’ retiring. I mean, I thought it was a great use of President Luthor to have him shut down Daktota’s metahumans through extortion and intimidation, no doubt tapping into the history of the government disenfranchisement of BIPOC citizens. That said, it does make me wonder why they would have even bothered keeping the agreement once Luthor was out of office. But all that said, the titular Dakota Incident is an exciting battle to witness, and the heroes’ forced retirement is fittingly tragic.

Due to being told in several parts, there are a few art switches in the one-shot. None of them is particularly bad, but the shift can feel abrupt. But the artists and colorists do a great job with what they’re given. I think the highlight has to be the Milestone heroes’ battle against the Suicide Squad, which has an amazing kinetic energy and striking splash pages. The prelude and epilogue are also quite interesting visually. So while it’s not exactly consistent, it feels like the right creators were chosen for the right pages.

I’m honestly not 100% certain what hardcore Milestone fans will think of this book. But for my money, it was a good story. It’s a tragedy that highlights the determination of the Dakota heroes and captures the unfairness of how they were left behind. This book does have an interesting energy to it, making one feel like DC really does want to bring this world back (especially in the wake of Static returning). Maybe we’ll see more Milestone down the line, but for right now, this one-shot is an effective tribute to an underrated era of superhero comics.

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