What is MILESTONE FOREVER, you ask? Well, we can take a guess, but why slow down the process? Since it’s part and parcel of what we do, being The Source and all, we talked to Milestone founder and MILESTONE FOREVER writer Dwayne McDuffie for the scoop on the new project, along with some essential back story to bring you newbies up to speed. Take it away, Dwayne:

16 years ago this month, industry giant DC Comics and upstart Milestone Media entered into an unprecedented creative partnership, producing 14 interlocking, creator-owned titles including Hardware, Icon, and the multimedia hit that would best be known as Static Shock. The story Milestone chose to tell was an audacious one, larger than life on its surface, character and story-driven at its base, Humanist and multicultural at its heart. For over 250 issues, fans explored a superhero universe like no other.

Today, nine Parents Choice awards, four Eisner Award nominations and one Emmy and Humanitas award-winning hit TV series later, Milestone is back, its continuity mysteriously merged with the DCU. While we saw the DC side of the story in “Justice League: When Worlds Collide,” Milestone Forever gathers the original artists from Milestone’s launch titles: John Paul Leon, Mark Bright, Chris Cross and Milestone Founder Denys Cowan, to complete the tales told in the original runs of STATIC SHOCK, ICON, HARDWARE, SHADOW CABINET and BLOOD SYNDICATE. Milestone Editor in Chief Dwayne McDuffie reveals the final fate of each of Milestone’s launch characters in a bittersweet tale that chronicles the literal end of a universe, and the birth of something new, with major consequences for the future of the DC Universe.

NRAMA: When you say that Dwayne is changing things up and bringing the cast down to a manageable size for him, you’ve probably got a few people thinking Justice League Unlimited style stories of discreet teams of heroes…are you talking about something towards that?

DD: No – we’re not going to be going that way at all – we really want to be going in a set way with a set team and tell the story from that way. Justice League Unlimited was an extension of a television show that came up after they had done everything they thought they could do with a set group of characters, and then they brought in other characters to refresh it. What we’re trying to do is play with the strengths of what the Justice League is.

NRAMA: How long are you looking at Dwayne sticking around? Is he on for a year like with Brad, or longer?

DD: Dwayne is the writer of Justice League now until he doesn’t want to write it anymore. [Emphasis mine.]

Then DC acquires the Milestone characters and DiDio says they’ve got big plans for them:

NRAMA: So let’s talk about the plan – it’s not just the return of the imprint as its own self-contained unit, correct? This is characters come back into the DC Universe, as you said…

DD: Right. They’re coming back, and are coming right into the forefront, and right into the big storylines in the DC Universe. The great thing is, we have Dwayne McDuffie who is one of the owners and creators of the Milestone characters working for us and also of course, writing Justice League of America, so he’s going to finding ways to incorporate the characters into the storylines that are going to be unfolding within Justice League.

We were also able to find a way with Dwayne to work other Milestone characters into other areas and series of the DCU.

NRAMA: Bigger picture – you speak of the hows, but why? Why bring the Milestone characters back, and specifically fold them into the DC Universe?

DD: There are so many wonderful characters in that world that really can help round out and help strengthen the entire DC Universe. [Emphasis mine.]

And he even promised a wrap-up of the old continuity:

NRAMA: You said that Dwayne is going to be starting this reintroduction in Justice League – what about the rest?

DD: You’ll be seeing other characters show up in other series. It’s going to be very organic and very natural in the way that we bring them in.

Also – we will be working on a couple of other levels with Dwayne on this. We will be collecting the old Milestone material, and reissuing that in trade paperback form over the course of next year, and also, we’ll be working with Dwayne to do a wrap-up for the original Milestone series for the way it was all presented. He had a concluding story that we want to work with him on, and that will be an out of DC continuity story, but completely within the original Milestone continuity. That way, the fans of Milestone from years back will be able to get that ending story that brings that original history and world to a close.

So a bunch of major Milestoners  – Icon, Donner & Blitzen, Hardware, etc. – are re-introduced in a story arc in McDuffie’s Justice League. Static, the crown jewel, appears in the Terror Titans mini and then the regular Teen Titans book. Plus, some individual Milestoners interact with the DCU in recent issues of The Brave and the Bold. Okay, fine. Nothing huge, but at least they’re out there.

Then McDuffie discusses on his message board the editorial problems he’s encountered while writing Justice League, including his inability to use the characters he wants because they’re being used in other stories – this after DiDio said he wanted a “set way with a set team”:

I’ve had virtually no input into the composition of JLA. It’s DC Comics’ flagship book. They tell me who to put on the team, based on their needs elsewhere in the universe, and I do it. I believe I had influence in getting rid of Red Tornado, but even there I was forced to put him back in his body about two years before I had planned to…

There are a large number of changes coming up, mostly due to members leaving in the aftermath of Final Crisis. Again, I had little to no influence on how the team is shaking out. Dan and Eddie are allowing me to frequently guest star several characters who by rights should be written out of the book because of what’s going on in their titles. They also acquiesced to my request for a member rejoining the team (as soon as another project is done with him in about eight months). That character will be my first addition to the team, roughly two years after taking over the book.

If it were up to me, JLA would be made up of roughly the six most popular DC characters plus a rotating seventh spot that would be used to balance the personalities, create new story opportunities and/or pump up an interesting, but so far less commercially successful character. [Emphasis mine.]

And the next thing you know McDuffie is fired from Justice League, although he does confirm that he’s still doing the Milestone wrap-up mini-series called Milestone Forever.

But now DiDio says it’s just gonna be Static for the time being:

5. kryptofan1 asked:
Do  you have plans for the Milestone characters (other than Static in the Teen Titans) after the Brave and Bold stories?

DiDio: At this particular time, we have Static in the Teen Titans, and we’re looking at a storyline that might be built around Static later in the run. But right now, no other plans. [Emphasis mine.]

Dan DiDio, the same guy who said, “To be able to explore these characters and tell new stories with these characters is something that I’ve wanted to do since I walked in the doors of DC Comics,” has suddenly made an about-face. The same guy who said Milestone had all these wonderful characters that can “strengthen the entire DC universe,” is content to only play with Static. I’ll concede the possibility that he may not have had Milestone Forever in mind when he said “no other plans,” but still..

And McDuffie reveals even more bad news on his boards:

Plans for a Static monthly were scrapped by DC last spring. Based on their actions, they never really wanted to publish the Milestone stuff, they wasted my time. We could have done a little deal for them to use Static without me having to spend so much money on lawyers. [Emphasis mine.]

I hate to say I told you so but I did tell you so. DC is content to have its black superheroes appear in team books and the occasional mini-series, but an ongoing series is – what? Beneath them? And Static, a character that has proved itself not just in comics, but on television as well, can’t get a series either? What does this say about DC’s level of commitment to its black audience? Maybe McDuffie shouldn’t have been as open as he was about his editorial hassles on Justice League, but to back down from using these characters that DiDio was salivating over for years makes one wonder why he coveted them to begin with.

The very first Milestone comic will finally be collected, 17 years after its original publication. HARDWARE: THE MAN IN THE MACHINE will reprint Hardware #1-8, featuring the character’s origin, and first adventure. The Direct Market (comic book store) release date hasn’t been announced yet, but it tends to be about a month earlier than in the general market.

That is awesome news! In the meantime, how about some mean-ass Walt Simonson wallpaper?!

In 1972, DC bought the Fawcett characters Captain Marvel and the Marvel family. During its heyday, Fawcett’s Captain Marvel outsold Superman. It was immensely popular – until DC took Fawcett to court for copyright infringement, claiming CM was too much like Superman. Fawcett settled out of court, which led to them shutting down altogether. DC’s Shazam comic had mediocre sales, and in 1985’s Crisis on Infinite Earths, CM and the family were integrated into the DCU proper, and never again reached the same level of popularity. Currently the characters have changed to the point of near unrecognizability: the wizard Shazam is dead, a white-haired CM has taken over for him, and Mary Marvel has been corrupted by archenemy Black Adam. Recent Shazam revivals by Jeff Smith and Mike Kunkel that have brought the character back to its roots have not sold as well as during the character’s heyday.

In 1983, DC acquired a number of superhero characters from Charlton Comics. At one point Charlton was home to legendary creators like Steve Ditko, Dick Giordano, Roger Stern, Bob Layton, John Byrne, Dennis O’Neil, and more, but the company hit hard times in the early 80s and would go out of business by the 90s. While some Charlton characters thrived for awhile, like Blue Beetle and the Question, today new characters inhabit these identities, and the rest have fallen into obscurity despite occasional revivals. And of course, the Charlton characters were originally going to be used in Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen until DC changed their minds and the creators ended up using new characters inspired by the Charlton heroes.

In 1994 Marvel purchased Malibu Comics after that company suffered financial decline. Malibu hit its stride in the 90s with its Ultraverse line of superheroes. Marvel did a brief relaunch with them, which included a bunch of crossover specials, but they too, never reached the same level of popularity.

In 2004, Disney acquired the assets to CrossGen after that publisher also had money problems. For a brief time, CrossGen came close to revolutionizing the entire industry, attracting A-list creators like Mark Waid and George Perez, developing a production system that emphasized eye-popping artwork, utilizing multiple distribution systems and reprint formats, and launching initiatives designed to attract a wider reading audience. But Disney’s plans to further develop breakout hits Meridian and Ruse have yet to see the light of day, and though certain CG titles have been reprinted by Checker Books, no new material has been forthcoming.

It’s a pattern that has repeated itself throughout comics history: whenever the bigger company acquires the smaller company, the latter’s properties eventually become either irrelevant or altered, if not in the short term then over the long term. If they get absorbed into a pre-established continuity, they lose their uniqueness, that certain something that made them special to begin with. Yes, McDuffie is at DC now and will likely be consulted whenever someone wants to use the Milestone characters, but what happens when he’s gone? Can future creators be trusted to care about them as much as McDuffie, who was an integral part of their creation?

Something else about this deal bothers me. DC executive vice-president Dan DiDio insists that it’s not about wanting to diversify the DCU, but it’s about “bringing great material into the DC universe, and being able to add value to everything we do.” Well, that sounds all nice and noble, but riddle me this: why is it that whenever DC decides to throw a bone to readers of color, they put their best efforts into making “legacy” characters connected to pre-established ones? Green Lantern II (John Stewart). Mr. Miracle II. Steel (originally one of the “replacement” Supermen and who is still considered part of the Superman family). Mr. Terrific II. Jakeem Thunder (successor to Johnny Thunder). Firestorm II. And to go beyond black characters, there’s Atom III (an Asian-American), Question II (a Latina), and Batwoman II (a lesbian).

Remember Muhamamad X? Skyrocket? Orpheus? Chances are you don’t. These were original heroes of color created within the DCU but were given little chance to shine for very long and now linger in superhero limbo. Sure, someone could use them again, but it’s so much easier to buy someone else’s characters, especially when they come with their own built-in fanbases. Typical corporate mentality.

I wonder if reviving Milestone at Image was ever considered? Whether as a single book or a series of books, I could’ve easily envisioned seeing Milestone finding a home there, where the characters would’ve remained as they were without any corporate intervention. And certainly the fanbase would’ve followed, just as the fans of Bone and Strangers in Paradise did when those books found a temporary home at Image – and Milestone would’ve probably been an easier fit, given Image’s superhero roots.

Like I said, the fanboy in me can’t help but think it’s cool to see Static join the Teen Titans and Icon to join the Justice League, or whatever plans they may have for the Milestone heroes. And as for continuity issues, well, there’s always some BS way to shoehorn them into continuity, although the impression I get is that Final Crisis will have nothing to do with it and the “Worlds Collide” crossover will be conveniently forgotten. Regardless, I believe this is a huge mistake that will, over time, work to the detriment of these characters instead of their benefit. By losing the uniqueness that made them stand apart from the crowd, the Milestone heroes will, sooner or later, become as far removed from their roots as the Marvel family is now.

I hope I’m wrong. I hope to be proved wrong.

But I don’t think I will be.

Milestone