Rich clearly has no problem with DC publishing comics starring Milestone’s characters. His issue is whether or not McDuffie will retain ownership of the characters so he has final say in how they’re depicted.

The good news is that McDuffie declared that Milestone founders (himself and Derek Dingle) still owns the rights to characters like Static and Icon:

http://www.thevhive.com/forum/dwayne-mcduffie/threads/milestone-characters-to-return/17

The next step is McDuffie and Dingle being vigilant so that DC remembers that they own Milestone’s characters and thus control their direction. This may sound cynical until you recall ho Christopher Priest’s creator-owned series Xero was mishandled by the previous DC regime. Read more at Priest’s blog by clicking on “Comics” and then the commentary “Citizen Trane”:

http://www.digital-priest.com/home-dpdc.htm

So, some caution is warranted about this new DCU/Milestone deal in light of the history of DC snubbing Black characters and creators.

Poet said: “Why not? We can’t sit and hold our breath thinking that the Milestone crew will get some sweetheart deal with another publisher.”

And you said: “Why DC though? It’s not like the old days, where you had to make your mark at one of the Big Two or else you’re nothing.”

If DC is offering the best deal, why should they go elsewhere? Just because some people prefer they did?

DC and Marvel have a much larger bookstore presence and can more easily commit to putting out all of the trade paperbacks. DC and Marvel have the highest Previews visibility. DC and Marvel have likely the best discount rates offered to retailers.

I’m guessing there’s some way out of the deal at some point if either party is ticked off. DC Comics is going to be including these characters in some of their biggest titles. That’s, essentially, free advertising for the trades. And there’s nothing to say that they can’t spin them back out into the Milestone Universe after establishing a greater fanbase for them.

Thank you for putting into words that nagging feeling I’ve had since this new DCU/Milestone deal was announced.

Yes, it’s cool that some of my favorite heroes like Icon, Rocket and Static are back on the printed page. However, this deal surprised me because on his forum McDuffie seemed a bit wary of letting Milestone characters appear in the DCU because of ownership issues.

So, I don’t think you’re alarmist for asking if this new deal could lead to Milestone characters being marginalized or creatively distorted in the long-term. Your concern is even more understandable when you considered how Garth Ennis and Peter David took their creations (The Boys and Fallen Angels, respectively) to rival publishers because of serious issues they had with DC’s practices.

The bottom line is that more and more comic creators are looking at venues besides Marvel and DC to publish their creations. Such creators are encouraged by the success of books like Robert Kirkman’s Invincible, whose longevity in a tough market has inspired Image to support new, cutting edge superhero fare (e.g., Dynamo 5) and revive older ones (e.g., Firebreather).

Thank you for putting into words that nagging feeling I’ve had since this new DCU/Milestone deal was announced.

Yes, it’s cool that some of my favorite heroes like Icon, Rocket and Static are back on the printed page. However, this deal surprised me because on his forum McDuffie seemed a bit wary of letting Milestone characters appear in the DCU because of ownership issues.

So, I don’t think you’re alarmist for asking if this new deal could lead to Milestone characters being marginalized or creatively distorted in the long-term. Your concern is even more understandable when you considered how Garth Ennis and Peter David took their creations (The Boys and Fallen Angels, respectively) to rival publishers because of serious issues they had with DC’s practices.

The bottom line is that more and more comic creators are looking at venues besides Marvel and DC to publish their creations. Such creators are encouraged by the success of books like Robert Kirkman’s Invincible, whose longevity in a tough market has inspired Image to support new, cutting edge superhero fare (e.g., Dynamo 5) and revive older ones (e.g., Firebreather).

Maybe the Milestone heroes will catch on. I certainly hope so. But again, what happens when Dwayne eventually leaves DC?

I think that everyone involved agrees that the characters are viable, but I don’t think that anyone (most importantly DC) thinks that they could sustain their own line.

Wildstorm wasn’t brought in to the DCU proper because of several reasons. The tone of that universe is different, most importantly. And Jim Lee probably has more pull than Dwayne.

But Wildstorm, as a universe, is floundering. And given all of the fuss about DC’s market share recently, it really doesn’t make any sense to (re)launch an entirely new universe at the moment.

Again, the Milestorm characters, for the most part, will fit better in the DCU than Wildstorm would have. And there’s a really chance that the characters will catch on and maybe Dakota will become a setting for a book in the DCU in the near future.

I don’t remember reading anything about Milestone getting their own book. They’re going to be showing up in other titles.

It’s the esssence of a compromise; fans get Milestone characters again, but we see them in “guest-star” roles. Which begs the question; would you rather take what you can get or live with the characters as just a memory?

As far as the Milestone deal, everyone brought up some great points. Overall, it has a lot to do with the deal, so we will see. I agree with Mathan. Milestone and DC are probably in bed together.

Anyway, lots of questions. Looking forward to an interview!

And from what I’ve read about the deal, I understood it to be a temporary thing, more akin to DC leasing the characters than owning them outright. That doesn’t mean that the characters are going to be handled properly, but it might mean that it’s a temporary situation.

And in regards to the “finale”, isn’t it just a concluding chapter to the original saga? Sort of like a “what if.”

The only thing that I really find troubling about the Milestone news is that it’s probably going to have an effect on back issues, and I was really hoping to get a complete Milestone collection at somepoint, without having to spend a ton of cash.

I think we’re gonna have to agree to disagree.

Also, you have to factor in a few things: Is McDuffie under an exclusive contract with DC? Will pitching a proposal to another publisher break that agreement? What was pitched to McDuffie regarding utilizing Milestone characters? Or what did McDuffie pitch to DC? And what are the short-long term goals regarding the Milestone Universe?

I don’t think there is an attraction like the early-mid 90s to reach a multicultural market anymore. Multicultural characters ARE playing more of major roles in comics. You have tons of indies putting out better work and quality characters, that this whole black/multicultural comics movement is dead in the wind. I know…..I attended the funeral.

If McDuffie can make a buck reintroducing the characters and rekindled the romance with the old fanbase, then fine. If there is a positive buzz and he can get a milestone miniseries or ongoing, then fine. It’s a safer bet with DC. Also, self publishing is a nightmare. Does McDuffie and co. want that headache again?

I think the whole thing was strictly a business decision that has been on the table for a while until the right opportunity opened up. One thing is for certain, the timing couldn’t be better.