Static Shock fans, rejoice! During a surprise panel at DC’s Fandome, the company announced the return of DC imprint Milestone. The news came in the middle of a slew of announcements about dozens of DC properties, but Milestone stood out from the pack.
Milestone, a media company that published work through DC Comics, is best known for their popular comic book series Static Shock. The company started as a coalition of African-American artists who had the goal of addressing the under-representation of people of color in comic books. After the success of the Static Shock animated series, some of the Milestone characters were merged into other DC properties, such as Young Justice. In 2011, a New 52 series of comics for the iconic Static character was cut short after just six issues.
During their recent panel, DC Comics Chief Creative Officer Jim Lee joined Milestone co-founder Denys Cowan and current producer/partner Reggie Hudlin, along with former Static Shock voice actor, Phil LaMarr, to discuss the future of Milestone and its characters.
Starting in September, classic Milestone comics will be available digitally on Comixology, Kindle, Apple, and other retailers. A brand new digital Static Shock comic, written by Hudlin, with art by Kyle Baker, will follow in February 2021. New and first-time readers of Milestone’s game-changing comics can get a taste of just what they’ve been missing on September 12, during DC’s Fandome: Explore the Multiverse, when a sampler titled Milestone Returns #0 will be available for free for 24 hours.
It’s not just the iconic Static that will be returning. Iron and Rocket are also returning in a comic written by Hudlin, with art by Denys Cowan, with more comic announcements expected soon. It’s not just comics that fans have to look forward to, however - during the panel, Hudlin spoke about future plans for feature films, animated movies, and podcasts.
The return of Milestone and their cast of diverse superheroes is a guaranteed to please DC readers. Their creative presence left a lasting impression on many readers and helped with the baby steps that comic book companies have made in recent years in becoming more inclusive. The company did great work in providing thoughtful representation and amazing storytelling to readers and their return can only be a boon for DC Comics.
Milestone Returns #0, written by Reggie Hudlin and Greg Pak - with cover art by Denys Cowan and Chris Sotomayor - will feature art by Denys Cowan, Jim Lee, Ryan Benjamin, Khoi Pham, Scott Hanna, Bill Sienkiewicz, Don Ho, Alex Sinclair, and Deron Bennett.