DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for February 1 2012

DC COMICS

DEC110209 ACTION COMICS #6 $3.99

DEC110212 ACTION COMICS #6 COMBO PACK $4.99

NOV110252 AME COMI WHITE CANARY PVC FIGURE (RES) $70.00

NOV110248 AME COMI WONDER WOMAN AS STAR SAPPHIRE FIGURE (RES) $70.00

OCT110282 AMERICAN VAMPIRE HC VOL 03 (MR) $24.99

DEC110250 ANIMAL MAN #6 $2.99

NOV110194 BATMAN GATES OF GOTHAM TP $14.99

DEC110226 BATWING #6 $2.99

DEC110222 DETECTIVE COMICS #6 $2.99

DEC110203 GREEN ARROW #6 $2.99

SEP110182 GREEN ARROW SALVATION HC $22.99

DEC110272 HAWK AND DOVE #6 $2.99

DEC110320 IZOMBIE #22 (MR) $2.99

DEC110192 JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #6 $2.99

DEC110264 MEN OF WAR #6 $3.99

DEC110266 OMAC #6 $2.99

NOV110234 RAT CATCHER TP (MR) $12.99

DEC110245 RED LANTERNS #6 $2.99

DEC110305 SCOOBY DOO WHERE ARE YOU #18 $2.99

DEC110270 STATIC SHOCK #6 $2.99

DEC110256 STORMWATCH #6 $2.99

OCT110252 SUPERMAN REIGN OF DOOMSDAY HC $22.99

DEC110310 SUPERNATURAL #5 (OF 6) $2.99

DEC110248 SWAMP THING #6 $2.99

DEC110326 SWEET TOOTH #30 (MR) $2.99

NOV110209 XOMBI TP $14.99

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for January 4 2012

DC COMICS

NOV110125 ACTION COMICS #5 $3.99

NOV110128 ACTION COMICS #5 COMBO PACK $4.99

NOV110166 ANIMAL MAN #5 $2.99

AUG110277 ANNOTATED SANDMAN HC VOL 01 (MR) $49.99

SEP110181 BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT HC VOL 01 GOLDEN DAWN DLX ED $24.99

OCT110245 BATMAN THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE TP $19.99

NOV110144 BATWING #5 $2.99

NOV110196 DC COMICS THE NEW 52 PRESENTS THE DARK #1 $7.99

NOV110138 DETECTIVE COMICS #5 $2.99

NOV110118 GREEN ARROW #5 $2.99

NOV110187 HAWK AND DOVE #5 $2.99

NOV110151 HUNTRESS #4 (OF 6) $2.99

NOV110231 IZOMBIE #21 (MR) $2.99

OCT118138 JUSTICE LEAGUE #1 5TH PTG $3.99

NOV110108 JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #5 $2.99

NOV110179 MEN OF WAR #5 $3.99

NOV110177 OMAC #5 $2.99

NOV110137 PENGUIN PAIN AND PREJUDICE #4 (OF 5) $2.99

NOV110160 RED LANTERNS #5 $2.99

NOV110223 SCOOBY DOO WHERE ARE YOU #17 $2.99

OCT110253 SEVEN SOLDIERS OF VICTORY TP VOL 01 $29.99

NOV110185 STATIC SHOCK #5 $2.99

NOV110171 STORMWATCH #5 $2.99

NOV110218 SUPERNATURAL #4 (OF 6) $2.99

NOV110164 SWAMP THING #5 $2.99

NOV110236 SWEET TOOTH #29 (MR) $2.99

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for December 7 2011

DC COMICS

OCT110178 ACTION COMICS #4 $3.99

OCT110212 ANIMAL MAN #4 $2.99

JUL110285 BAD DOINGS BIG IDEAS A BILL WILLINGHAM DLX HC (MR) $49.99

AUG110242 BATMAN NO MANS LAND TP VOL 01 NEW EDITION $29.99

OCT110191 BATWING #4 $2.99

MAY110309 BLACKEST NIGHT POWER RING SPECTRUM SET $65.00

SEP110177 BRIGHTEST DAY TP VOL 01 $19.99

OCT110238 DC COMICS PRESENTS CAPTAIN ATOM #1 $7.99

APR110283 DC UNIVERSE ONLINE STATUE THE JOKER $90.00

OCT110188 DETECTIVE COMICS #4 $2.99

OCT110171 GREEN ARROW #4 $2.99

OCT110231 HAWK AND DOVE #4 $2.99

OCT110286 HELLBLAZER ANNUAL #1 (MR) $4.99

OCT110201 HUNTRESS #3 (OF 6) $2.99

OCT110288 IZOMBIE #20 (MR) $2.99

AUG110250 JACK KIRBYS FOURTH WORLD OMNIBUS TP VOL 01 $39.99

OCT110164 JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #4 $2.99

OCT110274 LOONEY TUNES #204 $2.99

OCT110225 MEN OF WAR #4 $3.99

OCT110223 OMAC #4 $2.99

OCT110187 PENGUIN PAIN AND PREJUDICE #3 (OF 5) $2.99

OCT110207 RED LANTERNS #4 $2.99

SEP110227 SANDMAN TP VOL 07 BRIEF LIVES NEW ED (MR) $19.99

OCT110273 SCOOBY DOO WHERE ARE YOU #16 $2.99

OCT110229 STATIC SHOCK #4 $2.99

OCT110217 STORMWATCH #4 $2.99

SEP110189 SUPERBOY SMALLVILLE ATTACKS TP $24.99

AUG110261 SUPERMAN GROUNDED HC VOL 02 $22.99

SEP110188 SUPERMAN SECRET ORIGIN TP $19.99

OCT110278 SUPERNATURAL #3 (OF 6) $2.99

SEP118159 SWAMP THING #2 2ND PTG $2.99

OCT110211 SWAMP THING #4 $2.99

OCT110297 SWEET TOOTH #28 (MR) $2.99

MAY110258 WATCHMEN THE ABSOLUTE EDITION HC NEW PTG $99.99

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for November 2 2011

DC COMICS

APR110255 ABSOLUTE SANDMAN HC VOL 05 (MR) $99.99

SEP110114 ACTION COMICS #3 $3.99

AUG110279 AMERICAN VAMPIRE #20 (MR) $2.99

SEP110147 ANIMAL MAN #3 $2.99

JUL110245 BATMAN NOEL DELUXE EDITION HC $22.99

SEP110126 BATWING #3 $2.99

AUG118164 DETECTIVE COMICS #1 3RD PTG $2.99

SEP110124 DETECTIVE COMICS #3 $2.99

JUL110277 FLIGHT OF ANGELS HC (MR) $24.99

SEP110106 GREEN ARROW #3 $2.99

SEP110165 HAWK AND DOVE #3 $2.99

MAY110294 JOE THE BARBARIAN DELUXE ED HC (MR) $29.99

SEP110099 JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #3 $2.99

JUN110338 LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN OMNIBUS HC $49.99

SEP110160 MEN OF WAR #3 $3.99

SEP110158 OMAC #3 $2.99

SEP110142 RED LANTERNS #3 $2.99

SEP110206 SCOOBY DOO WHERE ARE YOU #15 $2.99

SEP110163 STATIC SHOCK #3 $2.99

SEP110152 STORMWATCH #3 $2.99

AUG110260 SUPERMAN RETURN OF DOOMSDAY TP $14.99

SEP110212 SUPERNATURAL #2 (OF 6) $2.99

AUG118165 SWAMP THING #1 3RD PTG $2.99

SEP110146 SWAMP THING #3 $2.99

SEP110228 SWEET TOOTH #27 (MR) $2.99

I Reads You Review: ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #1

"Everybody's talking 'bout the new kid in town"

ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #1
MARVEL COMICS

WRITER: Brian Michael Bendis
ARTIST: Sara Pichelli
COLORS: Justin Ponsor
LETTERS: VC’s Cory Petit
COVER: Kaare Andrews (Variant covers by Sara Pichelli and Justin Ponsor)
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

I don’t read many titles from Marvel Comics, and it has been that way for the past seven years, at least. During the last decade, I’ve occasionally read titles from Marvel’s Ultimate line and, for the most part, enjoyed them. However, I had ignored the “Death of Spider-Man” Ultimate storyline which ran through most of this year. Peter Parker was killed, and Miles Morales, a teenager of African-American and Latino descent, is the new Spider-Man (or Ultimate Spider-Man II).

Ultimate Spider-Man #1 (AKA Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man #1) begins 11 months prior to the main story and is set at an Osborn Industries laboratory on Long Island. Norman Osborn is demanding that his latest hire, Doctor Markus, reverse calculate the specifications of a genetically altered spider. What spider? That would be the spider that bit Peter Parker and gave him his special powers; the spider’s genetic alterations were the result of Osborn Industries.

Eleven months later, Miles Morales and his parents are attending a lottery that will decide which Brooklyn, New York students get to attend the charter school, Brooklyn Visions Academy. Miles’ life, however, is about to take an even bigger turn because young Mr. Morales has a date with a special spider.

A few years ago, I started reading back issues of Static, one of the titles published by the comics publishing wing of Milestone Media, a company dedicated to bringing diversity in terms of race and ethnicity to comic book superheroes. Reading those early issues of Static, I was struck by how much they reminded me of the early issues of The Amazing Spider-Man by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

Now, I’m struck by how much this Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man reads like an early issue of Static. Spider-Man writer Brian Michael Bendis has adapted, updated, and reworked the stories of many of the Spider-Man comic book writers that came before him, notably Lee and Ditko. Now, it seems as if he has taken the fresh style and urban tone of Static writers, the late Dwayne McDuffie and Robert L. Washington, III, and fashioned that for Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man. I kid you not; this Spider-Man comic book is an early issue of Static.

I don’t have a problem with that because (1) this is a good opening issue and (2) the story looks, reads, and feels right for a contemporary story of superhero fantasy in which the star is a person of color. This is an auspicious beginning, and I hope Miles Morales welcomes in new readers the way Peter Parker did 50 years ago.

A

Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man #1 includes a backup feature that reprints pages from “A Moment of Silence” and “Heroes,” two of Marvel Comics’ 9/11 publications: Bill Jemas (story), Mark Bagley (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Hi-Fi (colors), Sharpefont’s PT (letters); and Joe Quesada and Alex Ross (cover illustration)

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

The New 52 Review: STATIC SHOCK #2

STATIC SHOCK #2
DC COMICS

WRITERS: Scott McDaniel and John Rozum
PENCILS: Scott McDaniel
INKS: Andy Owens
COLORS: Guy Major
LETTERS: Dezi Sienty
COVER: Chris Brunner with Rico Renzi
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S.

Static/Virgil Ovid Hawkins is an African-American teen superhero who first appeared in comic books produced by Milestone Media. With the re-launch of DC Comics’ superhero line, “The New 52,” Static stars in a new comic book series entitled Static Shock.

As Static Shock #2 (“Disarmed”) opens, Static takes on a big-talking bad guy named Virule. The battle leaves Static grievously injured… or so he thinks, and suddenly, Virgil has to pay attention to the development his powers. As he navigates the halls of his new high school, P.S. M101 Dwayne G. McDuffie Center for Science and Mathematics (good name), Static discovers that he can get some clues about his other current adversaries, the Slate Gang. Meanwhile, the conspiracy in which he is a part grows with new players.

For readers to fully enjoy the new DC Comics Static Shock, they will need to be somewhat familiar with the Milestone Comics Static stories, but that is less so with this second issue than it was with the first. I must have missed something, because something screwed up is going on with Virgil’s sister, Sharon.

Anyway, everything about Static Shock has improved from issue 1 to issue 2. The action and fight scenes are brief, but are explosive and also effective for the story. Co-writer/penciller Scott McDaniel and co-writer John Rozum jump around a lot from scenes with just Static or just the villains to scenes at home and at school, but each one is necessary to the story and moves it forward by offering more tantalizing details. These scenes form one big structural backbone. This time, Static Shock is not just another superhero comic book; it is also an engaging mystery and drama.

The art by McDaniel and inker Andy Owens is also better. The composition is solid, even if this isn’t the prettiest art around. The graphic and page design are dynamic and certainly more lively than last time, which makes the storytelling less stiff and formal. Static Shock #2 gives me hope that I can, at least, expect good things from this series. After the first issue, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to keep reading.

B+

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for October 5 2011

DC COMICS

AUG110179 ACTION COMICS #2 $3.99

JUL110247 ALL STAR SUPERMAN TP $29.99

JUL110284 AMERICAN VAMPIRE TP VOL 01 (MR) $19.99

JUL118203 ANIMAL MAN #1 2ND PTG $2.99

AUG110212 ANIMAL MAN #2 $2.99

JUN110269 BATMAN EYE OF THE BEHOLDER HC $22.99

JUL110251 BATMAN THE LONG HALLOWEEN TP NEW ED $24.99

JUL118204 BATWING #1 2ND PTG $2.99

AUG110189 BATWING #2 $2.99

AUG110238 DC COMICS PRESENTS BATMAN THE DEMON LAUGHS #1 $7.99

AUG110177 DC UNIVERSE ONLINE LEGENDS #15 $2.99

JAN110452 DC UNIVERSE ONLINE STATUE ZATANNA STATUE $85.00

JUL118205 DETECTIVE COMICS #1 2ND PTG $2.99

AUG110190 DETECTIVE COMICS #2 $2.99

JUL118206 GREEN ARROW #1 2ND PTG $2.99

AUG110172 GREEN ARROW #2 $2.99

JUL118207 HAWK AND DOVE #1 2ND PTG $2.99

AUG110229 HAWK AND DOVE #2 $2.99

AUG110283 HOUSE OF MYSTERY #42 (MR) $2.99

AUG110197 HUNTRESS #1 (OF 6) $2.99

AUG110284 IZOMBIE #18 (MR) $2.99

JUL118208 JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #1 2ND PTG $2.99

AUG110164 JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #2 $2.99

AUG110271 LOONEY TUNES #203 $2.99

JUL118209 MEN OF WAR #1 2ND PTG $3.99

AUG110224 MEN OF WAR #2 $3.99

JUL118210 OMAC #1 2ND PTG $2.99

AUG110222 OMAC #2 $2.99

AUG110185 PENGUIN PAIN AND PREJUDICE #1 (OF 5) $2.99

JUL118216 RED LANTERNS #1 2ND PTG $2.99

AUG110207 RED LANTERNS #2 $2.99

AUG110270 SCOOBY DOO WHERE ARE YOU #14 $2.99

JUL118211 STATIC SHOCK #1 2ND PTG $2.99

AUG110227 STATIC SHOCK #2 $2.99

JUL118212 STORMWATCH #1 2ND PTG $2.99

AUG110217 STORMWATCH #2 $2.99

AUG110275 SUPERNATURAL #1 (OF 6) $2.99

JUL118213 SWAMP THING #1 2ND PTG $2.99

AUG110211 SWAMP THING #2 $2.99

AUG110289 SWEET TOOTH #26 (MR) $2.99

The New 52 Review: STATIC SHOCK #1

STATIC SHOCK #1
DC COMICS

WRITERS: Scott McDaniel and John Rozum
PENCILS: Scott McDaniel
INKS: Jonathan Glapion and LeBeau Underwood
COLORS: Guy Major
LETTERS: Dezi Sienty
COVER: Scott McDaniel with Guy Major
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S.

Static is an African-American teen superhero from Milestone, the comic book imprint of Milestone Media. Static is perhaps most widely known as the protagonist of the animated television series Static Shock (2000-04).

Milestone emphasized minority characters, both as superheroes and super villains, as well as supporting characters in comic books. Milestone characters have been folded in the DC Universe proper. With “The New 52,” the re-launch of DC Comics’ superhero line, Static is back in a new comic book, Static Shock.

Static/Virgil Ovid Hawkins and his family moved from Dakota City to New York City, as the Milestone Media characters move into the DC Universe. Virgil’s new after school job is at S.T.A.R. Labs, and Hardware is his mentor/benefactor. As Static Shock #1 opens, trouble is brewing at S.T.A.R. in the shape of an inept bad guy named Sunspot. Taking on Sunspot, however, puts Static right in the crosshairs of the Slate Gang.

For readers to fully enjoy the new Static Shock, they will need to be somewhat familiar with the Milestone Comics universe. Otherwise, this is a comic book for ‘tweens, as it remains evident that the template for Static is Spider-Man. The drama and conflict are not particularly intense, and I doubt readers used to the dark, modern superhero melodramas, with their often mature subject matter and sometimes gritty violence, will find enough vinegar in this story to hold their interest.

Static Shock #1 is moderately well-written and the art is good (except for the characters’ faces). There are enough seeds of future intrigue planted here to bring interested readers back – like me

B

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

August 31st
FLASHPOINT #5
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/flashpoint-5.html
JUSTICE LEAGUE #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/justice-league-1.html

September 7th
ACTION COMICS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/action-comics-1.html
BATGIRL #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/batgirl-1.html
BATWING #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/batwing-1.html
DETECTIVE COMICS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/detective-comics-1-2011.html
HAWK AND DOVE #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/hawk-dove-1.html
JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/justice-league-international-1.html
MEN OF WAR #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/men-of-war-1.html
STORMWATCH #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/09/stormwatch-1.html

I Reads You Review: STATIC SHOCK SPECIAL 1

STATIC SHOCK SPECIAL 1
DC COMICS

WRITERS: Felicia D. Henderson; Matt Wayne
PENCILS: Denys Cowan; John Paul Leon
INKS: Rodney Ramos, Prentis Rollins, and John Stanisci; John Paul Leon
COLORIST: Lee Loughridge; Noelle Giddings
LETTERS: Dave Sharpe
PIN-UPS: Keron Grant, Jamal Igle with Guy Major, Eric Battle with John Kalisz, John Rozum, and Derec Donovan
TEXT: Michael Davis, Derek T. Dingle
COVER: J.H. Williams, III
44pp, Color, $2.99 U.S.

Released to comic book shops about two weeks ago, Static Shock Special 1 (cover dated August 2011) is more than just another comic book featuring the most popular Milestone Comics character, Static. Static Shock Special (hopefully the first of many Milestone specials) is also a memorial to Dwayne McDuffie.

McDuffie, a longtime comic book writer for DC Comics and Marvel Comics (where he was also an editor), died earlier this year in February. McDuffie’s death seems like a blow to diversity in comic books – meaning more African-American characters and creators, particularly writers. It was a heartrending loss to me, as I’d always hoped to one day work with McDuffie.

McDuffie, along with artist Denys Cowan, writers Michael Davis, and Derek T. Dingle, created Milestone Media and the Dakota Universe, a comics universe that included characters like Static, Hardware, Icon, and Blood Syndicate, among others. Milestone Media also created the Milestone comics imprint, which was published through DC Comics. Despite producing some good and, in some cases, brilliant comics, Milestone found the direct sales comics market hostile to it (for various reasons). Within four years, Milestone was no longer producing comic books. You can’t keep a great thing down, and Milestone Comics lives on with the Dakota Universe characters folded into the DC Universe proper.

Death and remembrance and legacy and legend are the prominent themes and ideas in Static Shock Special 1. The opening story is by Felicia D. Henderson (story) and Denys Cowan (pencil art). The issue begins with Virgil Ovid Hawkins AKA Static, waiting by the gates of River Green State Penitentiary. Virgil’s uncle, Teshomé Gabriel Hawkins (his father’s older brother), is being freed after spending a decade in prison for several murders that he did not commit.

As Teshomé tells his nephew, “A Black man’s never free,” so Static takes on an old prison rival who wants to kill Teshomé. His name is Blinder, a “bang baby” (someone who gained superpowers during the Big Bang event that gave Virgil his powers). It’s Static to the rescue, but even his powers can’t stop a tragic turn of events.

Also, Static and the young heroine, Rocket, join Dwayne McDuffie in a defiant memorial from writer Matt Wayne and artist John Paul Leon. It’s the best two-page comic I’ve read in a long time.

Felicia D. Henderson’s Static tale captures everything that made Static unique, fun to read, and socially relevant – from the social commentary (Teshomé’s plight and fate) to Static’s matchless superhero style. Denys Cowan remains a brilliant visual stylist and skillful comics storyteller. Here, Cowan captures the Kirbyesque energy of super-powered fights, the cool but simmering defiance of the hero, and the cold-bloodied injustice of the just-ice… I mean justice system. Henderson and Cowan left me wanting more.

You may find Michael Davis and Derek T. Dingle’s text pieces informative, and they are. They suggest, however, that the best parts of the stories of Milestone Media and Dwayne McDuffie are yet to be told.

A

[This comic book contains a bonus comic insert, a tie-in with the movie Super 8. It is written by Peter Tomasi, drawn and colored by Tommy Lee Edwards, and lettered by John Workman, with a cover by Alex Ross.]

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for June 1 2011

DC COMICS

APR110172 ADVENTURE COMICS #527 $2.99

APR110160 BATMAN BEYOND #6 $2.99

APR110189 DC COMICS PRESENTS SUPERMAN INFESTATION #1 $7.99

APR110144 DC UNIVERSE ONLINE LEGENDS #9 $2.99

APR110101 FLASHPOINT #2 $3.99

APR110110 FLASHPOINT ABIN SUR THE GREEN LANTERN #1 (OF 3) $2.99

APR110106 FLASHPOINT BATMAN KNIGHT OF VENGEANCE #1 (OF 3) $2.99

APR110108 FLASHPOINT SECRET SEVEN #1 (OF 3) $2.99

APR110112 FLASHPOINT THE WORLD OF FLASHPOINT #1 (OF 3) $2.99

MAR118259 GREEN LANTERN #64 2ND PTG (WAR OF GL) $2.99

MAR118263 GREEN LANTERN CORPS #58 2ND PTG (WAR OF GL) $2.99

MAR118261 GREEN LANTERN EMERALD WARRIORS #8 2ND PTG (WAR OF GL) $2.99

MAR110403 GREEN LANTERN MOVIE HAL JORDAN BUST $85.00

MAR110402 GREEN LANTERN MOVIE SINESTRO BUST $85.00

NOV100299 GREEN LANTERN REBIRTH COLLECTORS SET $45.00

OCT100342 HEROES OF THE DCU BLACK LANTERN BATMAN BUST $70.00

APR110241 HOUSE OF MYSTERY #38 (MR) $2.99

APR110250 IZOMBIE #14 (MR) $2.99

APR110176 JONAH HEX #68 $2.99

APR110225 LOONEY TUNES #199 $2.99

FEB110210 PLANETARY BATMAN DELUXE HC $22.99

APR110226 SCOOBY DOO WHERE ARE YOU #10 $2.99

APR110181 SECRET SIX #34 $2.99

APR110184 STATIC SHOCK SPECIAL #1 $2.99

MAR110390 STUCK RUBBER BABY SC NEW EDITION (MR) $17.99

APR110167 SUPERBOY #8 $2.99

MAR110347 SUPERMAN NEW KRYPTON TP VOL 04 $17.99

APR110252 SWEET TOOTH #22 (MR) $2.99

APR110183 WEIRD WORLDS #6 (OF 6) $3.99

MAR110315 WONDER WOMAN #611 $2.99

FEB110205 WONDER WOMAN HC VOL 01 ODYSSEY $22.99

I Reads You Review: MILESTONE FOREVER #2

MILESTONE FOREVER #2

DC COMICS

WRITER: Dwayne McDuffie

PENCILS/INKS: John Paul Leon (framing sequence)
PENCILS: Denys Cowan, ChrisCross
INKS: Prentis Rollins, Rob Still
LETTERS: Sal Cipriano
COLORS: Snakebite
COVER: Admira
48pp, Color, $5.99

Milestone was an imprint of DC Comics, active in producing comic books from 1993 through 1997. It was the creation of Milestone Media, a collective of African-American comic book creators. Milestone focused on comic books featuring minority characters, specifically African-American superheroes. Several titles appeared under the imprint, including Hardware, Icon, and Blood Syndicate. One of them, Static, was developed into an Emmy Award winning animated series, Static Shock.

After Milestone Media shuttered the imprint, Milestone’s characters mostly disappeared, although some made appearances in various DC Comics series. In the summer of the 2008, Dwayne McDuffie, a Milestone Media co-founder, announced that the Milestone characters would be merged into the DC Universe. That was a business decision, involving legal matters. Published early last year, Milestone Forever dealt with the fictional matters. It was a two-issue miniseries that provided the fictional depiction of Milestone’s universe, the “Dakotaverse,” merging with the DCU.

Milestone Forever focuses on a character named Dharma, the god-like being who initiated the “Big Bang,” the event that gave characters like Static their superpowers. Dharma believes that one of the Dakotaverse stars is the superhero who can save existence, thus, keeping Dharma from doing something dreadful. But which hero is the savior? In Milestone Forever #2, Dharma looks towards Hardware and Static. One is at a crossroads, however, and the other is having an adventure through his future.

As much as I liked the first issue of Milestone Forever, this second issue is a big improvement over the first. The first issue came across as a nostalgic piece of 1980s superhero fight comics, but #2 just seems nostalgic, a sentiment I share. The Hardware story, drawn by the incomparable Denys Cowan, and the Static story, drawn by the underrated ChrisCross, simultaneously celebrates the two characters in a low key way and pines for what was and will likely never again be.

Cowan’s art, great on its own, takes flight thanks to Snakebite’s fiery colors, and the art once again testifies to the potential that the Hardware comic book not only had but reached. Snakebite’s dazzling array of hues make the ChrisCross drawn story a tale that recalls both Static’s four-color foundation and its gritty take on it.

But Dwayne McDuffie must always get his due. He is a thoroughly underrated writer, and here, his magic is not in merging two universes, but rather in affirming that Milestone superhero comic books weren’t a stunt. They were the real fucking deal.

A-