During the Jim Lee & Friends panel at New York Comic Con last month, DC Comics announced publishing plans not only for Black History Month Black but also Milestone’s 30th anniversary. Today the publisher unveiled the full DC Black History Month publishing details. Spotlighting the heritage of its Black Super Heroes in addition to celebrating the 30th anniversary of Milestone Media and the creation of the Dakotaverse, plans include a series of one-shots, new series, collections, and variant covers.
Check out the official press release details below:
DC Power: A Celebration and Milestone Compendium Two—January 31, 2023
In the tradition of other cultural anthologies, such as the Ringo Award-winning DC Pride and DC Festival of Heroes, DC Pawer: A Celebration showcases stories featuring DC superheroes Green Lantern (John Stewart), Cyborg, Vixen, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Batwing, and others, in stories told by some of comics’ best Black storytellers — writers Chuck Brown (Black Manta, Bitter Root), Stephanie Williams (Nubia: Queen of the Amazons, Trial of the Amazons), and Evan Narcisse (Batman: Gotham Knights – Gilded City, Marvel’s Rise of the Black Panther, Black Panther Wakanda Atlas), plus artists Valentine De Landro (Black Manta, Future State: Superman: Worlds at War), Clayton Henry (Action Comics, Superman Red & Blue, Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands), and others. The anthology also includes the first DC work from writers Dorado Quick, Morgan Hampton, and Jordan Clark, all of whom participated in the Milestone Initiative Talent Development Program.
Also available in participating comic book shops, bookstores, and mass-market retailers/e-tailers is Milestone Compendium Two. A must for the hardcore Milestone fan, this 1,300-plus-page softcover collection features a dynamic cover by iconic artist and Milestone cofounder Denys Cowan and presents an incredible collection of the original stories from the original Milestone talent. These stories helped shape the foundation of the Dakotaverse, placing Milestone at the forefront of innovation by introducing stories and characters from Black and other diverse backgrounds to comic books. This compendium also reprints the 1994 Worlds Collide event, where the DC and Dakotaverse characters appeared together for the very first time.
Static: Shadows of Dakota and The DC Universe by Dwayne McDuffie—February 7, 2023
The next phase of the return of Milestone publishing begins February 7, 2023 with the release of Static: Shadows of Dakota. This follow-up to the critically acclaimed Static: Season One features art by rising superstar Nikolas Draper-Ivey, who also takes on the role of co-writer with Static: Season One writer Vita Ayala. This six-issue limited series is the perfect jumping-on point for fans who missed the first series—and especially for fans of the award-winning Static Shock animated series, the super-villain Ebon takes center stage.
The DC Universe by Dwayne McDuffie collects DC stories from this beloved writer, who was a both a founding member of Milestone Media and the co-creator of the Static Shock animated series. This 280-page collected hardcover features McDuffie-written stories from Action Comics, The Demon, Impulse, JLA Showcase 80-Page Giant, Batman: Gotham Knights (2002), Sins of Youth: Kid Flash/Impulse, and Firestorm: The Nuclear Man.
Icon vs. Hardware—February 14, 2023
Eagle-eyed readers who saw the hints dropped in Icon & Rocket: Season One and Milestones In History knew that it was just a matter of time before two of Milestone’s most powerful superheroes would be at odds. This five-issue limited series reunites the Icon & Rocket: Season One writing team of Reginald Hudlin and Leon Chills, with art by Milestone Media cofounder Denys Cowan. In a search to find Icon’s crashed spaceship, Hardware finds a tool even more useful, and potentially more dangerous: a time machine. This sets him on a collision course with Dakota’s powerhouse hero, with the future of the Milestone universe hanging in the balance.
Milestone 30th Anniversary Special—February 21, 2023
This 96-page Prestige format anthology celebrates 30 years of Static, Icon, Rocket, Hardware, and the rest of the characters that made Milestone and the Dakotaverse a true game-changer in comic books.
There is something for every Milestone and comic book fan to enjoy. The anthology includes a feature-length story written by Evan Narcisse in which the current Milestone superheroes encounter their original 1990s counterparts via the powers of a mysterious character known only as Rift. It also features stories written by Chuck Brown, Stephanie Williams, and Nikolas Draper-Ivey, who is also providing art for his story in which Batman Beyond teams up with an adult version of Static, plus a variant cover highlighting the two characters. Along with Denys Cowan and other artists, the anthology features art from Yasmín Flores Montañez, who also participated in the Milestone Initiative Talent Development Program. Cowan provides the main cover to the anthology, an homage to DC’s iconic “Flash of Two Worlds” cover from 1961’s The Flash #123.
DC Black History Month Variant Covers
Fans can preorder comics from participating comic book shops that feature special variant covers spotlighting iconic DC superheroes (see your local stores for details and preordering):
The Flash #792 (Wallace West/Kid Flash) by Mateus Manhanini, on sale February 7
I Am Batman #18 (Jace Fox/Tiffany Fox/Batwing) by ChrisCross, on sale February 14
Black Adam #8 (Malik White/Bolt) by Taurin Clarke, on sale February 21
Lazarus Planet Omega #1 (Cyborg) by Edwin Galmon, on sale February 21
Wonder Woman #796 (Nubia), by Taj Tenfold on sale February 21
Action Comics #1052 (John Henry Irons/Natasha Irons), by Khary Randolph, on sale February 28
