Posted in: Comics, DC Comics | Tagged: dc comcis, dc fandome, michael davis, milestone

Michael Davis Has A Message For The New Milestone Comics Relaunch

Published Fri, 28 Aug 2020 11:30:53 -0500

Michael Davis is the co-founder of Milestone Comics. In the recently announced and unannounced relaunch of Milestone Comics, he was conspicuously absent, despite being the individual who had done most in the decades since the original publication to keep the idea DNA the name of Milestone alive, with the Milestones gallery exhibitions, the Black Panel at San Diego Comic-Con, and plenty of articles on ComicMix and Bleeding Cool.

The re-reannouncement of Milestone Comics at DC Fandome however, did things a little differently. First, they gave scheduled dates in 2021 for new books and also, when telling the Milestone story, mentioned Michael Davis as one of the co-founders, for the first time.

In response, Michael Davis has issued the following response to Denys Cowan and Reginald Hudlin.

Milestone Comics was a comics publisher founded by Dwayne McDuffie, Denys Cowan, Michael Davis, and Derek T. Dingle in 1993 that published through DC Comics and specialised in telling a shared superhero universe with far greater diversity of cast and creator than was usual at the time – or even now. It remains a creative high point for DC Comics at that time. A return was announced a few years ago by Jim Lee but a combination of a series of creative delays and court case from Dwayne McDuffie's widow has delayed the return for a number of years,

Its first four titles Hardware, Icon, Blood Syndicate and Static, with others spinning off a crossover event Shadow War to give us Shadow Cabinet and Xombi followed by Kobalt and more. As the comic book industry contracted, Milestone shut down its comics, even as Static became the animated series Static Shock. In 2010, DC released a much-delayed limited series titled Milestone Forever and Static Shock returned for the DC Comics in the New 52 in 2011. The return of Milestone with Reginald Hudlin was made a few years ago at San Diego Comic-Con in 2015, then again at New York Comic-Con in 2017. but nothing was published.

Production delays, creators schedules and lawsuits got in the way for a long time. Not any more – not unless Michael Davis wants to start something. When last we heard, we were going to get a Milestone: Rebirth launch issue by Geoff Johns and Jim Lee followed by Static Shock by Denys Cowan, Reginald Hudlin and Kyle Baker, Love Army by Hudlin, Duo by Greg Pak and the anthology Earth M.

Things changed in the interim. At DC Fandome, Marc Bernardin talked with Reggie Hudlin (who originally turned them down in 1992), Denys Cowan, Jim Lee, Phil Marr about the history of the imprint of Milestone Comics. Hudlin talked about the possibility of TV shows, movies and the like but, for the panel, suggested Milestone podcast dramas may be coming, while Jim Lee looked to YA Milestone content, an area that DC Comics has been targeting with a number of their own characters. But as for comics?

Jim Lee announced a February 2021 relaunch for the Milestone line, with every month until then will see DC distribute more of the classic Milestone line digitally on ComiXology and the like. And then there are the new books….

A new Static Shock comic book will launch digitally first from February 2021, with an artist they cannot name yet.
A new Static Shock original graphic novel is coming by Reginald Hudlin and Kyle Baker.
A new Icon & Rocket series by Reginald Hudlin and Denys Cowan.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!