Skip to content

Black Comic Company Set To Resume Publishing After Close To 20 years

Black Comic Company Set To Resume Publishing After Close To 20 years

You can't stop excellence!

During the DC FanDome Hall of Heroes conference, an announcement was made about the iconic Black comic company's return, Milestone Comics, The Grio reports. 

Milestone Comics was created in 1993 by a group of African American artists and writers who came together solely to address the lack of representation of minorities in the comic world. The imprint was distributed through DC Comics and produced some of the most legendary Black superheroes ever, including Static Shock, Icon, Rocket and Hardware, before shutting down production in 1997.

Nearly two decades later, in 2015, amidst calls for diversity in the comic universe, founding members Denys Cowan, Michael Davis and Derek Dingle announced plans to bring Milestone back. Still, years went past, and no new comics were released, The Washington Post reports. 

During the virtual entertainment and comic book convention, Cowan surprised viewers on a panel announcing the all-Black universe's return to the comic world alongside partner/producer Reggie Hudlin (Black Panther) and Phil LaMarr, the man behind the voice of the Static Shock animated series. The group discussed the genesis of Milestone Comics and the engrained impact of late comic and co-founder Dwayne McDuffie. The group also announced plans for various feature films, animated movies and podcasts centered around Milestone characters. 

"I was a big fan of Milestone before I became a partner. Like everyone else, I've been dying for the return of these characters. Milestone was cutting edge back when it first debuted, but the characters and stories are more relevant today than ever before," Hudlin said. 

 

Cowan also expressed his excitement, saying, "DC, Reggie Hudlin, and I are really looking forward to showing all the Milestone fans what we've been cooking up for you! We are all very excited about the new books, some new characters and old favorites from the Dakota Universe! Milestone Forever."

Milestone is the only prominent comic house to feature an all-Black superhero universe. They published for less than 5 years, its mark has withstood the test of time, and this return is precisely what fans have been waiting for. A digital comic series centered around Static Shock is slated first along with a future graphic novel. Starting this September, fans will have an opportunity to revisit the universe's greatness by thumbing through digitized versions of classic stories from the Milestone library. 

"We're thrilled to announce the comics will be returning in February, and we've made sure that the stories are just as timely and provocative as fans have come to expect from Milestone," Hudlin said. 

New Milestone comics are expected to release in 2021 but an exclusive DC FanDome: Explore the Multiverse experience is slated for Sept. 12th.

Get excited, folks!

Photo Courtesy of Milestone Media