DC Comics and Milestone Media will be celebrating Black History Month with a Dakotaverse anthology. The diverse publisher known for superheroes including Static, Icon, Rocket, Hardware, and many others is showcasing black history in an upcoming comic.
This past year, Milestone returned to comics with Static: Season One, Hardware: Season One, and Icon and Rocket: Season One. The groundbreaking imprint had endured a long hiatus following the initial publication of its titular heroes throughout the 90s’. Milestone was founded by Dwayne McDuffie, Robert Washington III, Derek T. Dingle, Denys Cowan, and Michael Davis, who set out to collectively tell superhero stories from perspectives not often represented in mainstream comics. While artist Denys Cowan is the only original Milestone member who has returned to tell fresh stories set within Dakota, new creative teams have continued their legacy.
DC Comics has announced that next year, Milestone will be celebrating Black History Month with a single issue anthology comic, Milestones In History. The one-shot will unite Dakota’s most popular protectors, such as Static, Hardware, Icon, and Rocket, along with others. However, the issue will also reflect on real world history, as the superheroes narrates the stories of Hannibal, the Queen of Sheba, Alexander Dumas, Eugene Bullard, and several more. The anthology will be written by Reginald Hudlin (Icon and Rocket: Season One), Alice Randall, Michael Harriot, and Touré, with other writers who have not yet been announced. The book’s cover will be illustrated by ChrisCross, who had previously worked on layouts for Static: Season One. A variant cover will be illustrated by Doug Braithwaite (Hardware: Season One). Milestones In History is set to release on February 15, 2022.
Milestones In History
Celebrate Black History Month the Milestone way, as the superpowered citizens of Dakota (including Static, Icon, Rocket, Hardware, and more) narrate the true stories of Black trailblazers from across human history! Witness the military campaigns of Hannibal and the Queen of Sheba, the literary accomplishments of Alexandre Dumas, the World War One dogfights of Eugene Bullard against the legendary Red Baron, and many, many more, all written and drawn by a who’s who of comics and literary talent! On sale February 15th, this 96 page anthology honors Black History from around the world in a beautiful, prestige format book.
Written by REGINALD HUDLIN, ALICE RANDALL, TOURÉ, MICHAEL HARRIOT, and more
Art by VARIOUS
Cover by CHRISCROSS
Variant cover by DOUG BRAITHWAITE
$9.99 US | 96 pages | Prestige Format | One-shot
ON SALE 2/15/22
At the beginning of the month on February 1, Milestone will also release the first compendium of 90s’ titles, collecting issues from the initial runs of Static, Hardware, Icon, and a few others. Releasing on the same day as Milestones In History, DC Comics has also announced that the first season of Static will be collected as a trade paperback. Static: Season One is currently ongoing, written by Vita Ayala with art by Nikolas Draper-Ivey.
The six-issue first season follows teenager Virgil Hawkins as he becomes the iconic superhero, Static. His extended origin story has been reimagined for a modern audience, incorporating the original 90s’ run and the animated series as key sources of inspiration. The series is expected to tie into the upcoming Milestones In History one-shot, as the unveiled cover depicts Static with the suit he recently wore in Static #4. Considering the success of Milestone’s rebooted titles, it’s likely the celebratory one-shot could become a Black History Month tradition.
