Comments on: Welcoming Milestone to DC with Apprehension

By: superfriend

superfriend — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:10:27 +0000

Mr. McDuffie,
Thank you for stopping by and clarifying that. Loving what you are doing in JLA and looking forward to learning about a whole new “medium sized universe” of characters.

And if you have any pull in the action figure world, I’d really like to see Static in Mattel’s JLU line and a bunch of Milestone characters from DCDirect. If Meltzer (previous JLA writer) can get a figure of Dr. Impossible, a figure of Icon should be just as easy. I see it now.

DC Direct
Justice League of America: Series 4.
1) Red Tornado
2) John Stewart Green Lantern
3) Firestorm Jason Rouch
4) Icon

By: The Tekwych

The Tekwych — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 04:13:38 +0000

Thanks for the info Dwayne, great to know Milestone still has some control over their children. I look forward to more about Third Rail and Brickhouse, Dogg and Please give us more of Icon and DMZ.

If you do reply back, Will we be seeing the comic book Static, the Cartoon Static, or an amalgam of the two.

I’ll be on the 4HM for figures right away.

By: Brian

Brian — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 01:44:49 +0000

I remember reading Milestone books when they first came out. They turned out to be some of the most well written books at the time. Not to mention we got a special Colorforms cover on one of the DC crossovers!

By: Dwayne McDuffie

Dwayne McDuffie — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 01:09:20 +0000

DC didn’t buy Milestone, they’re only renting. We worked hard to come up with a business structure that gives Milestone final say over our characters’ use, while still giving DC the editorial freedom they need to smoothly integrate our medium-sized universe into their gargantuan one.

And to whoever asked, I’ve got plans for the Syndicate….

By: JKL-MD ReFugee

JKL-MD ReFugee — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:42:31 +0000

I really dug the Milestone universe. Blood Syndicate, Static, Hardware and Icon were always solid reads – actually still have them in my comic boxes.

While the Syndicate probably won’t make the cut, I think Static, Hardware and Icon will make for very solid additions to the DCU proper. And figures of these guys would be excellent!

By: The Tekwych

The Tekwych — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 04:54:47 +0000

The last time DC published comics about the Archie heros (The Impact line) every character got a major update, several switched genders and one went from an individual to an entire government organization yet most people didn’t complain (unfortunately most people didn’t even notice at the time). In some cases the changes were, IMO, and step forward. One of the reasons I always liked the infinite Universes and Elseworlds was the fact that any story idea, or change to a character could be written off as a look at another universe, and many of those ‘looks’ are among the best story lines DC has published. I would prefer the Dakota universe remain separate but if this will get some of the best characters created in the last 30 years then I’m in.

The biggest problem at DC right is their inability to create a new character that anyone outside the editorial staff can care about (and most writers and artists are outside the editorial staff). Their one chance to add some ethnicity to the DCU with characters that people will care about will be to use the Milestone and Archie characters and keep the core attitudes and beliefs intact. If we readers don’t connect then the entire purchase was for naught.

I think Dwayne, Denys, Michael, and Derek did it right. I hope DC’s editorial staff can learn from the characters they will be shepherding and learn to be an Icon, representative of best in each of us.

By: Robiwan

Robiwan — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 04:34:33 +0000

I’m excited about Static. I always thought it was a fun cartoon. The others could be cool but I do hope they do some redesigning of the costumes. The designs appear very early-90s Liefeldish. Youngblood / X-Force anyone?

-R

By: superfriend

superfriend — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 01:58:44 +0000

I did not mean to infer that they would die right away, but that in today’s DC climate, anyone can die. It makes me uneasy every time I open a comic.

When Flash Wally West’s daughter apparently died at the end of the previous issue of the Flash, my reaction was, “those heartless creators”. It never occured to me that she would not have died. Before the past few years, I never would have thought the death was real and would would have waited for the next issue where we find out that she is fine and someone has been messing with everyone’s heads.

So I am less inclined to try to get to know newer characters. Why bother learning about the new members of the JSA. They might be dead next month.

20+ years ago, Shazam Family and Charlton joined the DC pantheon. Now they are unrecognizable. My concern is that down the road the Milestone characters might share the same fate.

By: The Tekwych

The Tekwych — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 15:21:17 +0000

The only reason Vixen ever made it onto JLU was as a foil to stretch out and strengthen the John / Shayera love story. In JLA, DC was so sure of her powers that they took them away in an attempt to get people to feel for her. She is, at best, a ‘C’ list character that DC’s editors are trying to make into something she’s not.

Kind of like the Archie comics character The Web. Now that could be a cool character but I fear for what version DC will use and to what extent they will change it.

By: Jim Abell

Jim Abell — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 15:16:38 +0000

The only Milestone comics I remember reading were the ones during a big cross-over event where the Milestone Universe and the DCU were merging and the heroes had to seperate them again. I remember those books being a fun read and I hope that Mr. McDuffie can get comic fans interested in them again.

By: jzachery

jzachery — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 11:27:34 +0000

I don’t think Vixen being in the league has anything to do with her being black. While I agree, comics often use the ‘minority’ card, so teams seem more balanced or whatever, Vixen has evolved to this point. She’s had her fans for years, and she has those fans because her powers are cool, because she’s a fun character, and I think her appearances on the JLU show propelled her forward a great leap in comics.

By: The Tekwych

The Tekwych — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 03:46:13 +0000

I don’t see death in the future of the Milestone characters. DC is brining them into the main DCU to shore up their lack of non caucasian characters. Let’s face it, if Vixen weren’t black she would NOT be JLA material. Hardware, Brick House, Third Rail and the rest are far better characters, far more rounded, then most of DC’s ‘A’ list. Icon, another super powered alien orphaned to the earth, is a rich black Republican who started as the child of a plantation slave. Hardware is a scientist and engineer, embezzling money and equipment from the company he works for to prevent the corruption and evil that it’s owners are secretly producing.

DC needs solid, believable non-caucasian characters and the writers to keep them that way. They also need The Shield, from the Archie line, as a true patriotic, government super operative to finally separate the Boy Scout from ‘The American Way’.

Maybe, with the addition of Icon and The Shield, Superman will finally become a fully rounded character. Right now even the Big Red Cheese has more depth of character.

In case it hasn’t become clear, I think DC’s ‘Trinity’ are among their LAMEST characters.

By: jzachery

jzachery — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 02:06:59 +0000

Isis was my biggest disappointment in the last few years. Followed closely by the Question. So over comic book death.

Bring on the Icon characters, just don’t kill them gratuitously, or steam roll me with them.