When Milestone Comics was born, a new wave of Black superheroes made an indelible mark on comic book history, with help from comic book creators who could claim the same, the likes of Dwayne McDuffie and Reginald Hudlin among them. So with Milestone now returning to the DC spotlight, it's only right that the aptly-named Icon is leading the charge--with his sidekick now claiming top billing right beside him--in Icon and Rocket: Season One.

While the famous Static may have become the most famous young Milestone superhuman, he wasn't alone. With the return of Icon and Rocket as the titular heroes of their own series, the young metahuman once again joins forces with Icon, superpowered refugee of an alien world--raised not in Kansas, but by slaves in mid-19th century America. Screen Rant and a handful of outlets got to speak with the creative team of co-writers Reginald Hudlin (Black Panther) and Leon Chills (Shadow Force), and artist Doug Braithwaite (Punisher), to find out just how much of these heroes' stories are being changed for a modern series. And just as important, how much of their reality still doesn't have to.

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Reggie, how exciting is it for you to be returning to the world of Icon?

Reginald Hudlin: I love Icon and Rocket so much. I love those characters. For over 20 years, I've had all these ideas that I've wanted to write for them, so it is a joy to finally get to play with these toys.

With this series, you're relaunching one of Dwayne McDuffie's signature characters for a new audience. What was it like building upon that legacy and honoring it, as you put a new version of the origin story together?

Reginald Hudlin: For me, I just remember having conversations about Icon and Rocket with Dwayne, and he gave such a beautiful definition of why the concept worked. He described them as a unity of opposites: male, female; young, old; human, alien; conservative, progressive. And that's exactly right.

It's such a perfect pair, because it's got nothing in common except that they care. Icon's getting pushed out of his cynicism by a young, naive, but passionate Rocket. And I just thought, "Well, that's a great dynamic, period." If you had superpowers to it, it's even better.

Leon, how about you? What was your exposure to Icon and Rocket, and what went into collaborating with Reggie when retooling this team for a new generation of fans?

Leon Chills: My exposure growing up with Milestone was definitely primarily through the Static comic. And once I got the call from Reggie to be a part of this, I went back and read all of the Icon and Rocket comic books.

On top of everything you mentioned, there was also the fact that it was my first time being a part of writing a comic book. Initially, I was kind of suffering under the weight of the moment. And the pressure was a bit of writer's block, until I realized the blessing of being able to do this with Reggie, which allows me to just swing for the fences. And he'll tell me either, "That's dope," or "Maybe not that."

Icon and Rocket Main Comic Cover

It's been an amazing experience. As an elder millennial, there's a part of me that definitely still feels very young, and then a part of me that's realizing I'm getting older. So, I love being able to write to both of those points of view with Icon and Rocket.

Doug Braithwaite: I remember when the title came out for the first time. I didn't get the opportunity to work with Dwayne and Denys the first time around, and I was very envious of what they were trying to do. Particularly, living in the UK, I'd never seen anything like this before. Unfortunately, I was tied up with another project, but I always kept an eye on the stories and the books. On the odd occasion, I meet up with Denys, show something and have a chat with him.

But I'm very proud to take the baton and bring these characters up to date, knowing how much it meant for a lot of people when it first came out - and how much it means to a lot of people now. I think the timing of this project couldn't be better, to be honest with you. It's a great opportunity, and it's great collaborating with such great writers.

When writing a comic with Season One in the title, do you have additional pressure to make it feel like a television show?

Reginald Hudlin: I think television is starting o feel more like comic books. Comic books have mastered serialized drama for a long time now. And I think the great thing is now television, with the advent of streaming, has really leaned into serialized storytelling as its primary format. And that's great, because I think that gives the writer a lot more freedom to tell stories a certain way.

I like the season one moniker also, because it just makes it easier for fans to track where they are. These series of stories are part of this arc, so as they're collecting, they can make sure they have all the books in a particular storyline. I'm always focused on the fact that Icon and Rocket could be someone's first comic book, and I want it to be as accessible as possible to them. So, as they learn the the world of comic book collecting, it's very user-friendly.

Leon Chills: And for me, I have more experience in television writers' rooms than I do in writing comics. So, it's been a very natural transition for me.

Icon and Rocket Season One Preview 1

As an artist, is, are there any nuances that you have to bear in mind, knowing that you have this finite beginning and ending as opposed to an ongoing series?

Doug Braithwaite: No, not really. I'm just telling the story as clearly and succinctly as I can, and trying to bring the whole ethos of the project to the fore visually. I'm trying to make the points that Reggie and Leon want to put across really come across the readers - particularly new readers.

I'm sure there's a lot of interest on this project, and a lot of people probably didn't pick up the books first time around. So, I think that the pressure lies there in that respect. But I'm sure once people get hold of a copy and start reading the story, that wouldn't really make too much of a difference, I think it's a very strong piece of writing, and emotionally, I think it's a very important project to work on.

Reginald Hudlin: That's why I'm so glad to be working with Doug. In the world of comic books, the artist is really the director. Leon and I do the work, but Doug is the person who brings it to life. And that's the joy. There's nothing more joyful than when you get an email of new pages from Doug. You read it and go, "Oh, my God!" You just really nailed it. He always either meets or exceeds our expectations of the storytelling, and it's a pleasure to collaborate with him.

Doug Braithwaite: Thank you very much, I appreciate that. I'm sure I've mentioned this to you before, but I think it's all there in the writing. The visuals are so strong that even the quiet moments speak. You've got Raquel talking with her mother, you've got interaction with other members and stuff like that - it's just so easy for me to visualize and interpret what you're trying to put across, or what you want to see on the page.

The characterizations are really strong, and I just love them. I go to bed dreaming about them, that's how good the script is. I think you and Leon are doing wonderfully, so thank you.

Icon and Rocket Season One Preview 2

Reggie, are you planning on spending any time developing the backstory of Icon during slavery? It seems like the series is going that direction with how much more info we're getting in Season One's debut?

Reginald Hudlin: Well, Icon's been on earth for over 150 years, so we won't just be telling stories about his early childhood during slavery in America. Icon did a lot of stuff over the decades, and we'll be showing him in a lot of surprising places all over the map.

Doug, what can you tell us about your approach to costume design on the series, especially to blending the classic looks with new ones?

Doug Braithwaite: Initially, there was talk of a redesign. Denys had come up with the concept for the new costume, and they asked for a little bit of input from me. But I think, to be honest, Denys had a clear idea about what he wanted to see the costume standing out as. He tweaked it slightly - it was just a subtle tweak, but I think what he did was great.

Contrasting it with the way the costume looked back in the early 90s, the whole style of comic superhero costumes has changed so much. The 90s was a pretty drastic period in regards to costume design. Even though Icon's costume was quite streamlined compared to a lot of books that were coming out at the time - he didn't have the shoulder pads, he didn't have knee pads, gun belts or anything like that - this is the 21st century and you have to bring it up the date slightly.

I think the look works; the color scheme for the costume works really well. I've just seen the colors to the second issue, where you actually see him in his full costume for the first time, and it looks really striking on the page. I think visually, it works really well. And Brad Anderson, who's coloring the series, is doing a fantastic job.

Icon and Rocket Season One Preview 3

How important is it for you personally to tell this story of Icon and Rocket?

Reginald Hudlin: When you do stuff like this, you go, "Okay, if this is the last story I get to tell," not just about Icon and Rocket, but just period. "If this is my last will and testament as a storyteller, you want it to have everything." And I feel like it deals with our heritage historically. At the same time, it deals with broad philosophical issues.

But more importantly, it's an empowerment story. It's about this teenage black girl who takes charge of her life and changes her direction, and she makes an ally out of one of the most powerful beings on earth. I just thought, "Who doesn't want to see that? That feels good." She focuses on how to change the world around her, and Icon's mission is, "Let me use this as a teaching lesson for you to really understand how the world works."

I just think that is an exciting story that I certainly want to read, and that's always where I start as a storyteller: what do I want to see?

Leon Chills: It means everything for me. The more I write, the more I'm realizing that I feel like my purpose as a writer is to put black characters at the forefront of genres that they're usually pushed to the side in. Unfortunately, the superhero genre is definitely one of those. And so, to be able to be a part of telling the story of black superheroes is amazing.

The special thing about these heroes in particular is that they were created by a black creator. It's just an honor to continue the story that he was telling and bring it to new audiences.

Icon and Rocket Season One Preview 4

Doug Braithwaite: I agree with both of you. It's a project that is very close to my heart, because of the writer, Dwayne. Fortunately, I met him on a couple of occasions, but what he contributed to this medium is way above anything that a lot of creators manage in the whole of their careers. I'm very proud to be working on this project with such great talent.

It's funny, when I was offered the project, I had two or three other projects ready to go. But when this came up, I just thought, "This is the only opportunity I'm gonna get to do this and tell the story the way I want to tell it visually." It's a once in a lifetime opportunity from my point of view, and I'm really pleased with the way it's going and reaction that it's getting from everybody.

What goes into creating the origin, to make it feel as fresh and new in 2021 as it did in 1993?

Reginald Hudlin: That's the advantage of having talked to the entire Milestone team, talking to Denys constantly. "What did you have in mind here? Why did you do it that way?" I just asked a lot of questions.

Retelling an origin is always a chance to give details and give nuances that may have been hinted at in the first version of it. If you think about the origins of Superman or Batman over the years, the basic story stays the same, but you get to dig a little deeper every time. What I try to do is dig a little bit deeper, give details which were always implied in the original storyline, but not said explicitly.

We set those up so that we can really maximize that stuff through not only this story arc, not only Season One, but over the course of the series. We set up a lot of Easter eggs that we'll be paying off later.

Leon Chills: I think that's definitely it, for sure. Unfortunately, the more things change, the more they stay the same. When I went back and reread the original comics, there were some things that still felt extremely timely. At the end of the first issue, the police are pointing their guns at Icon. It's modernizing it, but like Reggie said, staying true to what was there initially.

Icon and Rocket Season One Preview 5

Doug, what influenced the choices in design for updating Icon and Rocket's costumes. What influenced the things you kept and the things you changed?

Doug Braithwaite: That's an interesting question. Again, referring to the first issue of the 1993 version, the styles were radically different back then. Even though Icon's costume was pretty streamlined, and very reminiscent of Superman's costume, there's certain aspects of the costume that probably wouldn't translate as well nowadays.

So, I think things have been brought up to date. The scenes in our first issue are obviously reflecting what happened that first issue. But as Reggie was saying, he's pulled out information and little nuggets or Easter eggs and stuff that we all read as going on in the background, and brought those more to the forefront. I've just tried to visualize those things as clearly as I could.

But as I mentioned before, regarding costume, I really didn't have too much input in that respect. I was just following from what I've been given. I think the characters made subtle changes visually. Looking back on the first issue, the look of [Icon] is very similar to Wesley Snipes, I thought. I think I was pulling from loads of different references to try and get the right iconic look for the character that I felt comfortable with, and hopefully everybody else would. Hopefully, that's come across well.

This story reflects a lot of the structure of the original first meeting of Augustus and Raquel. How did you decide what to keep and what to change?

Reginald Hudlin: It's funny, when I went back and reread that first issue, there's a whole section where they're walking through the city and debating political philosophies between Martin Luther King and Malcolm X - it very much reflected that moment.

So, we sat down and wrote, and I said, "Okay, here's all the great stuff from the original issue. And here's all this new stuff we want to put in." That's about 40-50 pages. I really focused on how we tell us something different. It's exciting for new readers, but for the original fans, they get to see things that are different and more nuanced. We had to make some hard choices, but that doesn't mean we won't be revisiting stuff later on in future issues.

Icon and Rocket Variant Painted Cover

The original mission of Milestone was to present a picture of diversity in comics. Looking at how things are currently in the world of comics, would you consider that mission a success?

Reginald Hudlin: Well, look, I think the mission continues. Was Milestone media's first edition a success? Absolutely. They created characters that fans have cared about for generations, and the response we're getting from the first issue of Static Shock lets us know how excited people are to be getting these characters back. And there are more black writers and artists than there were in the era that Milestone first started.

That said, are we done? Absolutely not. The fact is that we're still the company that produces this many black superhero characters that are original, and not taking a formerly white character and turning them black. We're the only folks really doing that, day in and day out, on the scale that we're doing it. That shows that there's still a lot more work to do.

We always take pride in finding great new talent, as well as collecting some of the most legendary figures in the business. That's what's so great about, for example, this team: Leon, who's a fan, now gets to be a creative with us. Then you have Doug, who's a legend and who wanted to work with Milestone last time - now he gets to join the gang. It's just creating great opportunities for everybody and putting together creative teams that are really extraordinary.

Leon Chills: Yeah, I definitely agree. It's definitely an ongoing success, for sure. I can say, as someone who has grown up in this comic book movie era, I would have expected that we would have been on Icon or Rocket 4 by now. As Reggie said, there's more work to be done.

Doug Braithwaite: Reggie said it very eloquently, and totally behind everything he says. Onwards and upwards, that's my attitude.

Icon Rocket Season One Comic Covers

Would you say that Icon and Rocket is utilizing a traditional sidekick-hero dynamic, or are you approaching their relationship in a different way?

Doug Braithwaite: From my point of view, it's still early days.

Leon Chills: In what we've done so far, it definitely doesn't feel like a traditional sidekick. Rocket definitely feels like she has more agency than the usual sidekick has. She really questions and challenges him in a way that I don't really see from sidekicks. It's part of why I like writing her so much; it definitely feels like a partnership and equal footing versus her being his sidekick.

Are there any expected guest appearances from characters in the wider Milestone universe in Icon and Rocket?

Leon Chills: I'm too new to even know what I can say, so I'm gonna let Reggie handle that like a pro.

Reginald Hudlin: Well, we're still writing, so anything can happen.

Icon Milestone Comic Variant Cover Art

There's a character in Milestone Returns that has been dubbed by the internet to be racist Batman. Can you elaborate on whether or not we'll see him in Icon and Rocket Season One, and whether internet fans are spot-on or off-base about race?

Reginald Hudlin: Well, again, we haven't finished writing yet, so I don't know what's going to happen. Nor can I confirm nor deny who that character is.

But obviously, we've got a lot of plans for a lot of seasons - for Icon and Rocket, for Static, for Hardware, and for new characters and new storylines. So, you're going to be seeing a lot of cool stuff as we move forward. In short, this is about Icon and Rocket. And whatever racist Batman speculation there is, it's just that: speculation at this point.

Reginald Hudlin: Yeah, because if I don't know, who else is gonna know?

The original was the unity of opposites. But in 2021, opposites seem to have a hard time being in the same room. How did you deal with that dynamic?

Reginald Hudlin: That's gonna be interesting thing to come to, politics and what certain political brands mean. Because what a Republican was in the 90s is very different from what a Republican is today. We'll definitely be exploring that as a theme as we move ahead on the series.

Leon Chills: Yeah. If there's no conflict, then nothing happens in the story. So, I think it's certainly better for us.

Reginald Hudlin: Icon has a very unique perspective, because he was there when Lincoln freed the slaves. He's always had a unique perspective on what being a Republican means.

Icon Rocket Season One Comic Covers

Are there any characters from classic Milestone that you want to bring into the series in Season Two? Hinting that Buck Wild, or Mercenary Man, would be an amazing addition.

Reginald Hudlin: We love Buck Wild. I wouldn't be surprised if he shows up, but I don't know where or what book or which character. But who doesn't love Buck Wild? Who doesn't love going buck wild?

Leon Chills: He definitely pops off the page. But the answer is: yes, for sure. 100%.

What are you most excited to see readers respond to in Season One?

Reginald Hudlin: I just looked at the color version of a certain splash page that will definitely get people talking.

But the great thing is when they see the book, they won't go, "I wonder if this is it?"

Leon Chills: With it being my first time, it's hard for me to wrap my head around it at all. I'm just excited to see everything; every reaction.

You mentioned having a lot of plans for the wider Milestone universe. What are the Milestone conversations like for the larger team behind the other books, and what do they bring to this book as part of those discussions?

Reginald Hudlin: It really started with me, Denys, and Derek, when we decided to relaunch Milestone Media as a company. One of the first things we said was that we're not going to be a nostalgia company stuck in the past, talking about the old days.

Milestone was successful because it was so cutting edge. So, if we're going to replicate the successful formula of why Milestone worked, we had to be cutting edge for this generation. Which meant finding new voices, like Leon; like Vita and Nikolas, who are writing and drawing Static Shock; like Brandon, who's writing Hardware.

Denys and I had a pretty strong vision of what we wanted these characters to do, and how to reintroduce them to the world. But we're so happy to see these writers take those initial ideas, and just really run with them and take them to new exciting places and extraordinary executions. It's just a great squad of people all working.

There's a big picture that we have in mind for how all the storylines and characters will intersect at certain times. At the same time, you can read each individual book series and enjoy it. You won't feel like, "Oh, I don't know what's going on."

You'll know what's going on as you read Icon and Rocket. But we think that, as you read Icon and Rocket, you'll want to see these other books.

Icon and Rocket Comic Wanter Cover Art

I know how busy you guys are, but what comics are you reading right now for fun?

Reginald Hudlin: It's hard. Look, I'm a huge Mark Millar fan. I'm always going to read whatever he's putting out right now. I'm also really enjoying Bendis on Legion of Superheroes. What he's writing and Ryan Sook is drawing is just really incredible. Other than the issues I read when I was a kid, it's probably my favorite version of the Legion. And I'll always go back and reread some classic Jack Kirby anything, and get inspired all over again.

Doug Braithwaite: I’m the same way. There’s so much great stuff out there, you’re almost spoiled for choice. I’ll be having a panic attack every time I walk into a comic book shop, not knowing what to look for. I tend to go for the classics: DC projects from the 60s and 7ps, that’s my period. That brings back the fondest memories for me, so I’ll have to reread some of those stories.

Leon Chills: Outside of all the new Milestone stuff that’s dropping, I’m waiting for new Lazarus as well.

Without spoiling, can we expect to see Icon exhibit more powers we haven’t seen before? And will Rocket do the same?

Reginald Hudlin: Oh, yeah. We’re gonna really explore what they can do and how they can do it. I never felt like we properly explored all the things that Icon can do, so I’m looking forward to that. And with Rocket, she’s figuring things out. She’s got a new perspective on things, so she may come up with things that Icon didn’t think of.

Leon Chills: With someone new, that’s always a funny conversation. They’re like, “Can they do that?” And we’re like, “If we say so.”

The Other History of the DC Universe #5 is available now wherever comic books are physically and digitally sold.

MORE: Milestone Comics Revival Updates Classic Series For A New Generation