This February DC Comics is prepared to honor Black History Month with a new push emphasizing the contributions of creators of color. All month long, DC will release comic books, graphic novels, variant covers and more to celebrate the legacy surrounding some of its most dynamic Black creators. On top of that, DC has revealed details on the plans it has for creators of colors with its Milestone Initiative.
DC Comics marked the first day of Black History Month with a post on its blog that informs fans of its plans for the next few weeks. It revealed special variant covers by illustrator Alexis Franklin that feature some of DC’s most prominent Black characters. The post also highlighted several releases for the month, from weekly comics to collected editions and graphic novels, all created by or featuring people of color. DC also highlighted its DC Universe Infinite service, which would offer a free selection of titles featuring Black super heroes.
The highlight of DC’s posting was no doubt the new information its revealed about its upcoming Milestone Initiative. Taking its name from the popular line of comics, the Milestone Initiative was first announced during the virtual DC FanDome 2021 and is designed to recruit aspiring comic creators from diverse backgrounds. DC said selected applicants for the program will work closely with real comics creators as well as attend the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Arts. Upon completing the program, attendees will work with comics professionals to create new stories for the Milestone Comics imprint.
While those selected for the inaugural class of the Milestone Initiative have yet to be revealed, the efforts DC is putting into uplifting comic creators of color is an exciting prospect. Recent years have shown fans appreciate seeing a more diverse comic book field. In addition to creative teams, seeing underserved communities represented in comics is an important thing for the newer generation of readers. DC has responded to these calls and taken them to heart when crafting its new era in Infinite Frontier. It also lines up perfectly with the resurrection of Milestone, which had been developmentally stalled for years as fans hoped for a return. While the line did return in 2021, a new class of creatives can help bring Milestone to even greater heights.
DC clearly has confidence in the Milestone Initiative and its potential will allow fresh voices to learn what they need from some of the best in the field and apply it to the Milestone line. As Black History Month goes on, and the Milestone Initiative begins to take off, DC Comics is encouraging fans to look to the past and present of some of its best Black-themed works in order to prepare for the future of comics.
