DC Comics just launched Milestone Returns Zero, a comic that marks the return of such classic heroes as Icon, Rocket, Hardware, and Static. These characters were huge in the 90s and beloved by many fans, existing in the world of the Dakotaverse. In fact, Static starred in his own animated series, Static Shock, which was a part of the DCAU. He also appeared as a recurring character on the Young Justice series, as did Rocket and Icon.

RELATED: DC: 10 Most Powerful Milestone Characters, Ranked

Unfortunately, despite having a huge following, many of the classic Milestone Comics characters have faded away over the years and a legal battle caused them to go out of print. But after nearly a decade of being absent from the comics, the heroes of the Dakotaverse are back.

10 Milestone Was Not Part Of DC Comics

Milestone Comics in Milestone Returns zero

Originally, Milestone Comics were printed and distributed by DC Comics but were part of their own separate company and their own separate universe which DC Editorial staff had no control over. Milestone’s team had complete creative independence. Later, Static would be brought into the DC Animated Universe while other Milestone characters were eventually folded into the main DC Universe.

This first point is possibly the fact that fans will be the most familiar with, even as it is also one of the most misunderstood points among other fans.

9 The Company Celebrated "Blerd" Culture

Static Virgil Hawkins and his nerdy friends playing roleplaying games

One of the ways that Milestone Comics was special was that its focus on diverse (and predominantly Black) characters made it possible for the company to showcase a broad spectrum of different types of Black heroes with their own unique experiences. This serves in contrast to DC and Marvel, whose mostly-white cast of heroes forced the few Black heroes to have to exist as a monolith for the experiences of Black people.

RELATED: DC: 5 Marvel Villains Static Could Defeat (& 5 He Would Lose To)

One way Milestone stood out was that it celebrated Black nerd culture (long before the term “Blerd” had even entered into the mainstream). In particular, the young teenage hero Static loved comics and tabletop roleplaying games, hobbies that most popular stories attributed to white characters.

8 Icon Helped Teach Black History

Icon holding up a glowing power in his hand

The closest Milestone Comics had to a “Superman” character was Icon, an alien who landed on Earth (and specifically in the US) during the times of slavery. As he was helped by a slave, he took on the physical appearance of a Black man.

Because he lived through the centuries as a Black man in the US, his stories were used as a way to teach young readers about what life had been like for Black people through the ages. Of course, most of his stories took place almost exclusively in the present, so he offered these insights in small glimpses, adding to the sense of mystery about him.

7 Rocket Was Pregnant Teen Superhero

Milestone Returns Rocket

The sidekick of Icon was Rocket, a teenage girl who prompted the older alien to become a hero and who accompanied him on his missions. Early in their series together, she got pregnant.

RELATED: DC: 10 Things Fans Should Know About Rocket

The significance of showing a teenaged girl who was pregnant—and later a young mother—was a level of representation practically unheard of in superhero comics at the time. When this comic was released in the early 90s, young mothers were frequently were being belittled for their supposed "immorality." Neither Milestone nor Rocket were having any of that.

6 Their Biggest Superhero Team Was A Gang

Blood Syndicate

The primary team of Milestone Comics was the Blood Syndicate, a gang who were given powers by the Big Bang—an event where police unleashed mutagenic gas as a weapon to break up warring gangs.

In fact, the group is comprised of members from two separate gangs, the Paris Bloods and the Force Syndicate, who joined together out of necessity. Members included the Holocaust (the arrogant illegitimate son of the mayor who gained fire powers), Tech-9 (the team’s charismatic ex-military leader who could shoot unlimited bullets), and Wise Son (a Muslim man with invincibility who eventually replaced Tech-9 as the leader).

5 The Blood Syndicate Had A Trans Character

Blood Syndicate. Masquerade. Holocaust. Milestone Comics

Milestone Comics is often praised for representing people who never saw themselves in media during the 90s. The company’s writers and artists saw the value in all people who were overlooked by mainstream society, regardless of faith, race, ethnicity, gender, economic status, or nationality.

One of the members of the Blood Syndicate, Masquerade, was a transman. He had shapeshifting, being able to look like any person or animal, and he used these to ensure his body properly reflected his gender rather than the sex he was assigned at birth.

4 Shadow Cabinet Aimed To Save Humanity From Any Threat

Shadow Cabinet

One of the lesser-known Milestone teams that has faded into relative obscurity is also their most important team: the Shadow Cabinet. Based out of a secret Himalayan subterranean base called the Shadowspire, the team’s mission was to save humanity from whatever might be threatening it, including itself.

The team was led by Dharma, who could see the past and future, and included other members such as Iron Butterfly (a Palestinian woman who could control metal), Payback (a Bang Baby from Dakota City who could transform into a monster), Blitzen (a Japanese woman with superspeed), and Donner (a woman given incredible strength by her Nazi grandfather's genetic experiments and who was married to Blitzen). Their series was only 18 issues long but the team was later incorporated into the DC Universe. Still, they remain obscure.

3 The Milestone Bible Was Written By Christopher Priest And Dwayne McDuffie

Dwayne McDuffie

TV shows, video games, and other works of media frequently have a pitch bible. This is a single document containing information on all of the characters, their backstories, relationships, personality traits, and major locations they frequent.

RELATED: DC: 10 Things Fans Should Know About Hardware

The Milestone Bible was written by Christopher Priest and Dwayne McDuffie (though Priest physically typed it out). It went through two versions, a basic bare bones breakdown of the universe and a second version that was incredibly detailed, including numerous details to flesh out every part of the universe.

2 Worlds Collide Brought DC And Milestone Together

Superman Icon Worlds Collide

While the DC Universe and the Dakotaverse of Milestone Comics were originally separate, the story “Worlds Collide” brought characters from both universes together. The DC characters Superman, Steel, and Superboy met Milestone’s Icon, Rocket, Static, Hardware, and the Blood Syndicate.

This was particularly interesting since most people in the Dakotaverse thought of the DC characters as fictional comic characters. The DC story Zero Hour erased the event from the memory of DC’s heroes, but the Dakotaverse characters remembered their brush with the superheroes from, Metropolis. The story also helped distinguish Icon as more than just Milestone’s version of Superman.

1 The Scandal That Angered DC

Static cover of issue #25 where he made out with Daisy with condoms

While Milestone Comics was its own company, the fact that DC distributed and printed their books eventually caused problems when DC’s editors took objection with the cover of issue #25 of the hit series Static. The cover featured the young hero making out with his girlfriend on the couch and with condoms on the floor beside them.

DC genuinely wanted to support diversity, but they were uncomfortable with young Black teenagers being so sexually open on the front of a book. The cover was censored but was printed in full inside. Furthermore, Milestone’s Editor-in-Chief Dwayne McDuffie wrote a letter in the back of the book where he called out the hypocrisy of DC censoring a comic for showing sexuality when the covers of DC books frequently showed scantily clad women in sexualized positions. The folks at DC did not appreciate this letter. They had genuinely wanted to support diversity but were unwilling to when it made them uncomfortable in this specific instance. As is too often the case, white fragility got in the way of Black peoples’ careers and a short while later Dwayne McDuffie left Milestone.

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