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Milestone Compendium #1
Milestone Compendium Vol. 1
Milestone Compendium is a can't-miss collection for any Milestone Comics or 90's comics fan!
Some of your favorite Milestone comics from the 90's are collected together in this brilliant compendium edition featuring tales from Dwayne McDuffie and Bob Smith and stunning art from Denys Cowan and M.D. Bright!
Milestone Compendium collects Blood Syndicate #1-12; Hardware #1-12; Icon #1-10; Static #1-8; Xombi #0-11; Shadow Cabinet #0
Some of your favorite Milestone comics from the 90's are collected together in this brilliant compendium edition featuring tales from Dwayne McDuffie and Bob Smith and stunning art from Denys Cowan and M.D. Bright!
Milestone Compendium collects Blood Syndicate #1-12; Hardware #1-12; Icon #1-10; Static #1-8; Xombi #0-11; Shadow Cabinet #0
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First published June 1, 2022
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About the author
Dwayne McDuffie
429 books71 followersDwayne McDuffie was an American writer of comic books and television. His notable works included creating the animated series Static Shock, writing and producing the animated series Justice League Unlimited, and co-founding the comic book company Milestone Media.
He co-hosted a radio comedy program, and also wrote under a pseudonym for stand-up comedians and late-night television comedy programs. While working as a copy-editor for a financial magazine, a friend got him an interview for an assistant editor position at Marvel Comics.
While on staff at Marvel as Bob Budiansky's assistant on special projects, McDuffie also scripted stories for the company. His first major work was Damage Control, a series about the company that shows up between issues and tidies up the mess left by the latest round of superhero/supervillain battles. While an editor at Marvel, he submitted a spoof proposal for a comic entitled Teenage Negro Ninja Thrasher in response to Marvel's treatment of its black characters. Becoming a freelancer in early 1990, McDuffie followed that with dozens of various comics titles for Marvel comics, DC Comics, and Archie Comics.
In 1992, wanting to express a multi-cultural sensibility that he felt was missing in comic books, McDuffie co-founded Milestone Media, a comic book company owned by African-Americans.
After Milestone had ceased publishing new comics, Static was developed into an animated series Static Shock. McDuffie was hired to write and story-edit on the series, writing 11 episodes.
McDuffie was hired as a staff writer for the animated series Justice League and was promoted to story editor and producer as the series became Justice League Unlimited. During the entire run of the animated series, McDuffie wrote, produced, or story-edited 69 out of the 91 episodes. McDuffie also wrote the story for the video game Justice League Heroes.
McDuffie was hired to help revamp and story-edit Cartoon Network's popular animated Ben 10 franchise with Ben 10: Alien Force, continuing the adventures of the ten-year-old title character into his mid and late teenage years. During the run of the series, McDuffie wrote episode 1-3, 14, 25-28, 45 and 46 and/or story-edited all forty-six episodes.
On February 22, 2011, McDuffie died from complications due to a surgical procedure performed the previous evening.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwayne_M...
He co-hosted a radio comedy program, and also wrote under a pseudonym for stand-up comedians and late-night television comedy programs. While working as a copy-editor for a financial magazine, a friend got him an interview for an assistant editor position at Marvel Comics.
While on staff at Marvel as Bob Budiansky's assistant on special projects, McDuffie also scripted stories for the company. His first major work was Damage Control, a series about the company that shows up between issues and tidies up the mess left by the latest round of superhero/supervillain battles. While an editor at Marvel, he submitted a spoof proposal for a comic entitled Teenage Negro Ninja Thrasher in response to Marvel's treatment of its black characters. Becoming a freelancer in early 1990, McDuffie followed that with dozens of various comics titles for Marvel comics, DC Comics, and Archie Comics.
In 1992, wanting to express a multi-cultural sensibility that he felt was missing in comic books, McDuffie co-founded Milestone Media, a comic book company owned by African-Americans.
After Milestone had ceased publishing new comics, Static was developed into an animated series Static Shock. McDuffie was hired to write and story-edit on the series, writing 11 episodes.
McDuffie was hired as a staff writer for the animated series Justice League and was promoted to story editor and producer as the series became Justice League Unlimited. During the entire run of the animated series, McDuffie wrote, produced, or story-edited 69 out of the 91 episodes. McDuffie also wrote the story for the video game Justice League Heroes.
McDuffie was hired to help revamp and story-edit Cartoon Network's popular animated Ben 10 franchise with Ben 10: Alien Force, continuing the adventures of the ten-year-old title character into his mid and late teenage years. During the run of the series, McDuffie wrote episode 1-3, 14, 25-28, 45 and 46 and/or story-edited all forty-six episodes.
On February 22, 2011, McDuffie died from complications due to a surgical procedure performed the previous evening.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwayne_M...
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 8, 2022
As a huge Milestone fan, having a bunch of these issues finally reprinted in a collected edition for the first time is unbelievably cool, and I pray this sells well. If you love these characters and this universe as much as I do, make sure to head to your LCS and grab a copy, it’s $60 and totally worth that price as you get the first 51 (kind of: see Xombi section) Milestone books in a great package. I have most of these in single issues, but most people don’t, and there isn’t any other way to read Milestone comics than pirate them at this point, which is a shame since they are amazing books.
Static is the fun-loving, quip-spewing hero, but he and his fellow high school friends are massive misogynists and homophobes who aren’t at all supportive when their best friend comes out as gay later in the run. Wise Son is a great leader of the Blood Syndicate who treats his fellow members like family, but he’s also a violent alcoholic who’s terrible at controlling his temper. Icon is a conservative black man who believes in “pulling yourself up by the bootstraps” and may have a little too much faith in the system. Hardware is a vengeful asshole who starts killing people because his boss didn’t give him a raise, and only becomes a hero after some serious self-reflection and a confrontation with Deathwish. Deathwish, this world’s Punisher, is a man who targets sex criminals, but the twist they put on his character’s backstory is the exact push Hardware needs to become a true hero fighting for justice, not vengeance.
These aren’t shallow characters made to be caricatures or whatever the story needs them to be, they all feel like real people who go on a very specific journey before eventually developing into fully-fledged superheroes or villains, for better or worse. This world not only has diversity, meaning there is a book for anyone, but it also feels REAL. I like to refer to Milestone Comics as the hub of not only diverse characters written by diverse creators, but the hub of some of the most human and realistic feeling characters in any comic universe. These books don’t feel like samey superhero comics, with the creators using these human characters with wild powers and the Midwestern city of Dakota to tackle tons of challenging social issues while also asking big questions but never giving you a clean answer. Icon, for example, asks tons of questions in its first 10 issues alone: Does Icon’s conduct make him a true hero? Is he really a black man, or just an alien in blackface? Does his longevity of life give him a better view of America’s problems or does it just place him beyond real understanding?
The social issues also never feel forced, and while this undeniably would be called “Woke” if read by a certain portion of comic readers today, I think this book covers said issues better than most books nowadays do. The writers never feel like they are talking down to you, and the characters aren’t overtly perfect or flawless so it doesn’t feel like the writers are constantly jerking themselves off like they are better than everyone else. You can tell McDuffie was a very strong editor from this collection alone. Milestone also tried new things with their comics, with their second big intercompany crossover being called Long Hot Summer, and instead of being some mega crisis or alien invasion the heroes must repel, the big event is driven by a giant corporation that begins moving residents out of the poor parts of Dakota to build a high-end amusement park called “Utopia”. During the park’s opening day, a riot breaks out, with Utopia burning and the rest of Paris Island following suit, Dakota’s heroes must quell the mayhem. Not your usual crisis event to say the least.
These are still ’90s books though, so there are a lot of group shots, a character saying their names in the classic corny comic font, and super over-the-top designs. This all honestly works for me though, as these books feel like a time capsule from a day gone by. Also thankfully, most of the issues actually have energy and relatability to them, so none of these books come off like “How do you do fellow kids?” The writers feel like they are coming from an authentic place which helps the books. I, as mentioned before, have read most of these before in single issues I was handed down when I was younger, but going back through them again recently has been such a great time and reminded me how ahead of their time these stories were. I’ll review each title if you want to read further, but TLDR: this is a 5-star package that I’d recommend to anyone interested in Milestone.
Blood Syndicate #1-12 ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
This is by far my favorite Milestone book, and I’m so glad over 1/3 of the series got printed here. This book is incredible and I have no idea why Ivan Velez Jr. isn’t a more prolific writer as this is his Magnum Opus, and it’s a damn impressive one. Yes some of the character designs are goofy, yes some of the art changes can be rough, but goddamn I adore pretty much everything about this book, flaws and all. The characters are so entertaining and some of my favorites in all of comics, the storylines are bonkers, and even though this technically isn’t a Mature Readers Only book, it sure can feel like one at some points.
The first 4 issues show a reporter, Rob Chapliek, being sent into Paris Island, Dakota’s poorest borough that was mostly cut off from Dakota after the bridge connecting it to the mainland was blown during the Big Bang, to get a scoop on the superpowered team that has decided to rise up and protect Paris Island following the Big Bang: The Blood Syndicate. Consisting of Brickhouse, Fade, Dogg, DMZ, Masquerade, Third Rail, Wise Son, Tech-9, and Holocaust, they have worked together to run the cops off Paris Island, take down crack houses, and have officially taken control of their home, and Rob Chapliek has the exclusive scoop. While there, she may get a little too close to the Syndicate, as she stumbles onto clues that the Big Bang may just have a conspiracy at it’s center, one that strays incredibly far from the supposed “truth” she reported on herself. The Big Bang was the event where all the rivals gangs in Dakota met before the police dropped tear gas, which the police thought contained a radioactive marker so the bangers could then be taken into custody. Unknown to anyone there, the tear gas was instead laced with “Quantum Vapor”, which killed a majority of the gang members, before the ones who survived gained superpowers. Boom, Blood Syndicate.
I love Syndicate because the characters aren’t watered down at all. They are all extremely flawed while also being diverse, and each of them have biases which the reader may find too extreme or even quite agreeable, but at the end of the day all these characters feel like real human beings who just so happen to inhabit a superheroic world. They have arcs throughout the series where you will see them grow, or leave the team, or even die, but all will be forever changed by their experience on the Blood Syndicate.
During the first four issues alone, we get a member leaving the team, an official leader selected, and a shocking death that leads quickly to an even more shocking revelation that has massive repercussions for the entire Milestone universe down the line, which then opens the doors for the following 8 issues to get even wilder. I won’t spoil any more for anyone who wants to go in blind, but just read this title, it’s the best book Milestone ever put out, which is saying a lot.
Hardware #1-12 ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ 3/4
Full thoughts of the first 8 issues in my The Man in the Machine review. The rest of this is fantastic though. My only problems with Hardware’s section of the collection is some of the guest art. Issue #9 has a guest artist and Denys Cowan relegating to inking their work, and it looks HORRIBLE. I don’t know if it’s the pencils or inks, but issue #9’s fantastic guest story by Brian McDonald is frankly ruined by sloppy, terrible looking art. The rest of the stories and art are very strong though, and the arc Hardware goes on later in the series is just as interesting as the one he goes on these first 12 issues. Love this book alot and would recommend to anyone interested in trying something that isn’t Static. I stand by this and Icon being two of the best superhero origins of all time.
Xombi #0-11 ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Xombi was a Phase Two book published after Shadow Cabinet #0 but is in here since Duo is coming out in Milestone 2.0. This was the first Mature Readers Only series from Milestone, and it would be the only ongoing to have such a rating, as Wise Son: The White Wolf & Deathwish were both 4 issues Mature Readers only miniseries’. This compendium was actually delayed so they could rework Xombi into it, which is very nice admittedly. My only problem with this section is the reading order, because while it does chronologically make sense for #0 to be last, it really should be read first for newcomers as it’ll give you a better grasp of the character when you are reading the other 11 issues. It will probably be super confusing, so if you are reading this, just read Xombi #0 before #1 even tho 0 is a Shadow War tie-in, it help the series out alot. This part is still great though, and I know people have shyed away from Xombi because the name is dumb as fuck, so hopefully changing it to Duo will bring some more people in. These 12 issues are solid and John Rozum is an impressive writer for making me care about a character I never would have thought I would love when I first heard his name.
Icon #1-10 ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Full thoughts of the first 8 issues in my A Hero’s Welcome review. Yeah I adore this series, McDuffie wrote the entire run and it’s my second favorite Milestone book right behind Blood Syndicate. McDuffie makes you care about both Augustus & Rocket, and seeing their bond develop over time is really something else. The recent Reginald Hudlin-led reboot proves that there probably will never be anything like this run again, so cherish this 42 issue masterpiece if you ever get the chance, it really is wonderful. The last two issues in here are great followups to the eight before, as we see Icon’s part in the Shadow War, and a battle between him and Holocaust to close things out. I have nothing else to say othe than read this, a good chunk of it is available on the DC Infinite app I believe.
Static #1-8 ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ 1/4
Full thoughts of the first 4 issues in my Trial By Fire review. Static is my feel good comic. Yes Virgil isn’t exactly a perfect person, but that’s kinda the point, this book is about seeing a hero in Dakota come of age. Virgil always makes me laugh, his issues feel more real and less watered down Peter Parker’s, but there’s just something about this title that always has me smiling by the end of an issue. The Hotstreak stuff is still my favorite probably, but the Commando X storyline is fantastic as well, with Robert L Washington covering some heavy topics in that arc. The only complaint is Static has the least amount of issues in here, but I’m also kind of happy since he is the most exposed of the Milestone heroes, so hopefully we’ll get more Milestone compediums sooner rather than later. Still have 41 more issues of this run to collect (If they want ROTC recollected since it’s basically #46-49), and this is definitely one of the more consistent Milestone runs even with all the writer changes.
Shadow Cabinet #0 ☆ ☆ ☆ 3/4
This is what most refer to as Milestone’s version of the Justice League, but this series really delves deep into the notion of “To save humanity from itself, no matter the cost“, especially later on throughout its 18 issue run. This is just a prelude of sorts to that run, as this issue is mainly just to closing out the Shadow War, Milestone’s first big intercompany crossover. It’s honestly pretty cool seeing all the Phase 1 Milestone heroes collide in this issue, and it sets up a really strong series to come. Reading this gave me the itch to read Shadow Cabinet again, which is great if you can track it down. They also appear in a Justice League crossover, and you can even see how they got there in Milestone Forever if that’s easier to find. The art for this 0 issue can be a bit rough in places,as this probably isn’t John Paul Leon’s strongest work by any means, but the story more than makes up for it.
TLDR; Overall this is one of the best compendium collections ever, and anyone interested in Milestone even a little should go out of their way to pick this up. Please print more of these DC, I will literally buy anything with the Milestone logo on it at this point, and these books need to be out there so more people can fall in love with this world.
Static is the fun-loving, quip-spewing hero, but he and his fellow high school friends are massive misogynists and homophobes who aren’t at all supportive when their best friend comes out as gay later in the run. Wise Son is a great leader of the Blood Syndicate who treats his fellow members like family, but he’s also a violent alcoholic who’s terrible at controlling his temper. Icon is a conservative black man who believes in “pulling yourself up by the bootstraps” and may have a little too much faith in the system. Hardware is a vengeful asshole who starts killing people because his boss didn’t give him a raise, and only becomes a hero after some serious self-reflection and a confrontation with Deathwish. Deathwish, this world’s Punisher, is a man who targets sex criminals, but the twist they put on his character’s backstory is the exact push Hardware needs to become a true hero fighting for justice, not vengeance.
These aren’t shallow characters made to be caricatures or whatever the story needs them to be, they all feel like real people who go on a very specific journey before eventually developing into fully-fledged superheroes or villains, for better or worse. This world not only has diversity, meaning there is a book for anyone, but it also feels REAL. I like to refer to Milestone Comics as the hub of not only diverse characters written by diverse creators, but the hub of some of the most human and realistic feeling characters in any comic universe. These books don’t feel like samey superhero comics, with the creators using these human characters with wild powers and the Midwestern city of Dakota to tackle tons of challenging social issues while also asking big questions but never giving you a clean answer. Icon, for example, asks tons of questions in its first 10 issues alone: Does Icon’s conduct make him a true hero? Is he really a black man, or just an alien in blackface? Does his longevity of life give him a better view of America’s problems or does it just place him beyond real understanding?
The social issues also never feel forced, and while this undeniably would be called “Woke” if read by a certain portion of comic readers today, I think this book covers said issues better than most books nowadays do. The writers never feel like they are talking down to you, and the characters aren’t overtly perfect or flawless so it doesn’t feel like the writers are constantly jerking themselves off like they are better than everyone else. You can tell McDuffie was a very strong editor from this collection alone. Milestone also tried new things with their comics, with their second big intercompany crossover being called Long Hot Summer, and instead of being some mega crisis or alien invasion the heroes must repel, the big event is driven by a giant corporation that begins moving residents out of the poor parts of Dakota to build a high-end amusement park called “Utopia”. During the park’s opening day, a riot breaks out, with Utopia burning and the rest of Paris Island following suit, Dakota’s heroes must quell the mayhem. Not your usual crisis event to say the least.
These are still ’90s books though, so there are a lot of group shots, a character saying their names in the classic corny comic font, and super over-the-top designs. This all honestly works for me though, as these books feel like a time capsule from a day gone by. Also thankfully, most of the issues actually have energy and relatability to them, so none of these books come off like “How do you do fellow kids?” The writers feel like they are coming from an authentic place which helps the books. I, as mentioned before, have read most of these before in single issues I was handed down when I was younger, but going back through them again recently has been such a great time and reminded me how ahead of their time these stories were. I’ll review each title if you want to read further, but TLDR: this is a 5-star package that I’d recommend to anyone interested in Milestone.
Blood Syndicate #1-12 ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
This is by far my favorite Milestone book, and I’m so glad over 1/3 of the series got printed here. This book is incredible and I have no idea why Ivan Velez Jr. isn’t a more prolific writer as this is his Magnum Opus, and it’s a damn impressive one. Yes some of the character designs are goofy, yes some of the art changes can be rough, but goddamn I adore pretty much everything about this book, flaws and all. The characters are so entertaining and some of my favorites in all of comics, the storylines are bonkers, and even though this technically isn’t a Mature Readers Only book, it sure can feel like one at some points.
The first 4 issues show a reporter, Rob Chapliek, being sent into Paris Island, Dakota’s poorest borough that was mostly cut off from Dakota after the bridge connecting it to the mainland was blown during the Big Bang, to get a scoop on the superpowered team that has decided to rise up and protect Paris Island following the Big Bang: The Blood Syndicate. Consisting of Brickhouse, Fade, Dogg, DMZ, Masquerade, Third Rail, Wise Son, Tech-9, and Holocaust, they have worked together to run the cops off Paris Island, take down crack houses, and have officially taken control of their home, and Rob Chapliek has the exclusive scoop. While there, she may get a little too close to the Syndicate, as she stumbles onto clues that the Big Bang may just have a conspiracy at it’s center, one that strays incredibly far from the supposed “truth” she reported on herself. The Big Bang was the event where all the rivals gangs in Dakota met before the police dropped tear gas, which the police thought contained a radioactive marker so the bangers could then be taken into custody. Unknown to anyone there, the tear gas was instead laced with “Quantum Vapor”, which killed a majority of the gang members, before the ones who survived gained superpowers. Boom, Blood Syndicate.
I love Syndicate because the characters aren’t watered down at all. They are all extremely flawed while also being diverse, and each of them have biases which the reader may find too extreme or even quite agreeable, but at the end of the day all these characters feel like real human beings who just so happen to inhabit a superheroic world. They have arcs throughout the series where you will see them grow, or leave the team, or even die, but all will be forever changed by their experience on the Blood Syndicate.
During the first four issues alone, we get a member leaving the team, an official leader selected, and a shocking death that leads quickly to an even more shocking revelation that has massive repercussions for the entire Milestone universe down the line, which then opens the doors for the following 8 issues to get even wilder. I won’t spoil any more for anyone who wants to go in blind, but just read this title, it’s the best book Milestone ever put out, which is saying a lot.
Hardware #1-12 ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ 3/4
Full thoughts of the first 8 issues in my The Man in the Machine review. The rest of this is fantastic though. My only problems with Hardware’s section of the collection is some of the guest art. Issue #9 has a guest artist and Denys Cowan relegating to inking their work, and it looks HORRIBLE. I don’t know if it’s the pencils or inks, but issue #9’s fantastic guest story by Brian McDonald is frankly ruined by sloppy, terrible looking art. The rest of the stories and art are very strong though, and the arc Hardware goes on later in the series is just as interesting as the one he goes on these first 12 issues. Love this book alot and would recommend to anyone interested in trying something that isn’t Static. I stand by this and Icon being two of the best superhero origins of all time.
Xombi #0-11 ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Xombi was a Phase Two book published after Shadow Cabinet #0 but is in here since Duo is coming out in Milestone 2.0. This was the first Mature Readers Only series from Milestone, and it would be the only ongoing to have such a rating, as Wise Son: The White Wolf & Deathwish were both 4 issues Mature Readers only miniseries’. This compendium was actually delayed so they could rework Xombi into it, which is very nice admittedly. My only problem with this section is the reading order, because while it does chronologically make sense for #0 to be last, it really should be read first for newcomers as it’ll give you a better grasp of the character when you are reading the other 11 issues. It will probably be super confusing, so if you are reading this, just read Xombi #0 before #1 even tho 0 is a Shadow War tie-in, it help the series out alot. This part is still great though, and I know people have shyed away from Xombi because the name is dumb as fuck, so hopefully changing it to Duo will bring some more people in. These 12 issues are solid and John Rozum is an impressive writer for making me care about a character I never would have thought I would love when I first heard his name.
Icon #1-10 ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Full thoughts of the first 8 issues in my A Hero’s Welcome review. Yeah I adore this series, McDuffie wrote the entire run and it’s my second favorite Milestone book right behind Blood Syndicate. McDuffie makes you care about both Augustus & Rocket, and seeing their bond develop over time is really something else. The recent Reginald Hudlin-led reboot proves that there probably will never be anything like this run again, so cherish this 42 issue masterpiece if you ever get the chance, it really is wonderful. The last two issues in here are great followups to the eight before, as we see Icon’s part in the Shadow War, and a battle between him and Holocaust to close things out. I have nothing else to say othe than read this, a good chunk of it is available on the DC Infinite app I believe.
Static #1-8 ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ 1/4
Full thoughts of the first 4 issues in my Trial By Fire review. Static is my feel good comic. Yes Virgil isn’t exactly a perfect person, but that’s kinda the point, this book is about seeing a hero in Dakota come of age. Virgil always makes me laugh, his issues feel more real and less watered down Peter Parker’s, but there’s just something about this title that always has me smiling by the end of an issue. The Hotstreak stuff is still my favorite probably, but the Commando X storyline is fantastic as well, with Robert L Washington covering some heavy topics in that arc. The only complaint is Static has the least amount of issues in here, but I’m also kind of happy since he is the most exposed of the Milestone heroes, so hopefully we’ll get more Milestone compediums sooner rather than later. Still have 41 more issues of this run to collect (If they want ROTC recollected since it’s basically #46-49), and this is definitely one of the more consistent Milestone runs even with all the writer changes.
Shadow Cabinet #0 ☆ ☆ ☆ 3/4
This is what most refer to as Milestone’s version of the Justice League, but this series really delves deep into the notion of “To save humanity from itself, no matter the cost“, especially later on throughout its 18 issue run. This is just a prelude of sorts to that run, as this issue is mainly just to closing out the Shadow War, Milestone’s first big intercompany crossover. It’s honestly pretty cool seeing all the Phase 1 Milestone heroes collide in this issue, and it sets up a really strong series to come. Reading this gave me the itch to read Shadow Cabinet again, which is great if you can track it down. They also appear in a Justice League crossover, and you can even see how they got there in Milestone Forever if that’s easier to find. The art for this 0 issue can be a bit rough in places,as this probably isn’t John Paul Leon’s strongest work by any means, but the story more than makes up for it.
TLDR; Overall this is one of the best compendium collections ever, and anyone interested in Milestone even a little should go out of their way to pick this up. Please print more of these DC, I will literally buy anything with the Milestone logo on it at this point, and these books need to be out there so more people can fall in love with this world.
April 1, 2023
This is a HUGE book. 1300+ pages. And it's (mostly) great!
There's a few different comics here. So I'll break down each one in terms of how I enjoyed them.
Hardware - Basically a Iron Man style story but our main lead is a bit more vicious and will kill if needed. He goes from murdering people easily to get his revenge on his crazy asshole boss to learning to be a hero. It's nice to see a multilayer hero and this title becomes one of my favorite of the bunch. (4/5)
Static Shock - Probably the biggest character to come out of Milestone. After the Big Bang (The event that gave so many people powers) he decides to dress up as a superhero and save people. He's a teenager, with a spunky attitude, giving him bigger Peter Parker vibes. This works well as all the other heroes here are older. It's fun though sometimes overly wordy at points and the art is the weakest of the bunch. Still good old school vibes. (3.5/5)
Blood Syndicate - Probably the biggest surprise. A gang of formed of super powered heroes, mostly young adults. These aren't nice people, but they aren't "bad" they are a product of what the world gave them. It's rough but they do what they think is best, while robbing drug dealers and stash houses. This feels more like a suicide squad or young adult/adult type book since it contains plenty of adult themes, murder, and so on. This turned out to be one of my favorites of the group. (4.5/5)
Xombi - Horror is one of my favorite genre, but this overly long, wordy as hell, exposition out the ass mobojumbo failed for me completely. While the idea is cool, and the body horror is neat, the actual story is pretty abysmal and almost unreadable. I have no clue what I was reading about half way and even started skimming on the last issue or two. (1.5/5)
Icon - Holy shit is this great. A conservative black alien who's trying to get by in life. He's worked hard to build himself up from nothing, and then one day meets a girl who tried to rob him. Together they become heroes known as Icon and Rocket. It's a awesome twist, touching a great adult themed storylines such as abortion, poverty, and more. This turned out to be really special. (5/5)
Overall all of these stories except Xombi come together in Shadow Cabinet crossover at the end. It's pretty exciting to see all the heroes together but it's not the best crossover, a bit too messy. Saying that the individual series save for Xombi really do stand on their own. ICON being my favorite of the bunch but really any of them are worth reading and range from good to great (except Xombi). Picking up volume 2 without a doubt!
There's a few different comics here. So I'll break down each one in terms of how I enjoyed them.
Hardware - Basically a Iron Man style story but our main lead is a bit more vicious and will kill if needed. He goes from murdering people easily to get his revenge on his crazy asshole boss to learning to be a hero. It's nice to see a multilayer hero and this title becomes one of my favorite of the bunch. (4/5)
Static Shock - Probably the biggest character to come out of Milestone. After the Big Bang (The event that gave so many people powers) he decides to dress up as a superhero and save people. He's a teenager, with a spunky attitude, giving him bigger Peter Parker vibes. This works well as all the other heroes here are older. It's fun though sometimes overly wordy at points and the art is the weakest of the bunch. Still good old school vibes. (3.5/5)
Blood Syndicate - Probably the biggest surprise. A gang of formed of super powered heroes, mostly young adults. These aren't nice people, but they aren't "bad" they are a product of what the world gave them. It's rough but they do what they think is best, while robbing drug dealers and stash houses. This feels more like a suicide squad or young adult/adult type book since it contains plenty of adult themes, murder, and so on. This turned out to be one of my favorites of the group. (4.5/5)
Xombi - Horror is one of my favorite genre, but this overly long, wordy as hell, exposition out the ass mobojumbo failed for me completely. While the idea is cool, and the body horror is neat, the actual story is pretty abysmal and almost unreadable. I have no clue what I was reading about half way and even started skimming on the last issue or two. (1.5/5)
Icon - Holy shit is this great. A conservative black alien who's trying to get by in life. He's worked hard to build himself up from nothing, and then one day meets a girl who tried to rob him. Together they become heroes known as Icon and Rocket. It's a awesome twist, touching a great adult themed storylines such as abortion, poverty, and more. This turned out to be really special. (5/5)
Overall all of these stories except Xombi come together in Shadow Cabinet crossover at the end. It's pretty exciting to see all the heroes together but it's not the best crossover, a bit too messy. Saying that the individual series save for Xombi really do stand on their own. ICON being my favorite of the bunch but really any of them are worth reading and range from good to great (except Xombi). Picking up volume 2 without a doubt!
February 24, 2022
I am so glad these stories are back in print. I was slightly too young and much too oblivious to realize what a big damn deal they were when they originally came out. Milestone was so ahead of its time: a Black-owned comics line featuring Black characters and a murderer’s row of some of the best Black artists and writers in the business (and a bunch of white and Latinx ones as well!) — all published as an imprint of DC Comics, allowing them to piggyback on DC’s distribution and giving them the opportunity to compete in the marketplace.
They are GLORIOUSLY 90’s superhero comics — over-the-top, hyper-everything, lots of group shots where everyone stands around and says their name and powers, etc. But instead of coming off like middle-aged men trying to be “with it,” there is a youthfulness and exuberance and “fuck it, let’s go!” energy that is just so damn fun.
This volume is a terrific snapshot of the first year of a comics company that was out to shake everyone’s shit up. I wish this volume had a little bit more supplementary material to put it all into context (I’m still waiting for the definitive book about Milestone), and my dainty little wrists weren’t wild about propping up this 1,300+ page behemoth, but these are small nits to pick. These are fun and important comics.
They are GLORIOUSLY 90’s superhero comics — over-the-top, hyper-everything, lots of group shots where everyone stands around and says their name and powers, etc. But instead of coming off like middle-aged men trying to be “with it,” there is a youthfulness and exuberance and “fuck it, let’s go!” energy that is just so damn fun.
This volume is a terrific snapshot of the first year of a comics company that was out to shake everyone’s shit up. I wish this volume had a little bit more supplementary material to put it all into context (I’m still waiting for the definitive book about Milestone), and my dainty little wrists weren’t wild about propping up this 1,300+ page behemoth, but these are small nits to pick. These are fun and important comics.
March 2, 2022
DWAYNE McDUFFIE AND COMPANY MAKE SOMETHING SO ENTERTAINING AND IMPORTANT, YOU NEED TO DROP EVERYTHING AND READ THIS NOW!
Finally DC releases their first volume of the Milestone compendium. Yes, this is the first time a lot of these stories are collected. Yes, it took nearly 20 years for it to happen, but as they say, better late than never. Milestone was a company founded by Dwayne Mcduffie with the help of other creators. Milestone focused on writing stories with diversity and adding the relatability that mainstream comics lacked. Along with that it was just all around great stories. As I mentioned before you have the mastermind of this all in the late Dwayne Mcduffie. But there are other great creators tied into this amazing part of comic history. Denys Cowans, John Paul Leon, Robert L. Washington III, Ivan Velez Jr, M.D. Bright, Chriscross, Jimmy Palmiotti, John Rozum, and many many more brilliant minds. In this first volume you get the stories of, Hardware (Issues #1-12), Blood Syndicate (Issues #1-12), Icon (Issues #1-10), Static (Issues #1-8), Shadow Cabinet #0, and Xombi (Issues #0-11). With over 1,300 pages this first volume packs a punch and gives you a huge chunk of the beginnings of the Dakotaverse. The stories and issues are also broken down by arcs and a kind of chronological reading order. And I gotta say I really like it that way. It makes everything feel connected (cause it is) but the stories are all still great and for the most part can be read separately.
Starting With Hardware- Hardware is the first story we encounter and what a start it is! Written by Mcduffie himself he is mainly partnered with Denys Cowan on artwork. The story is of Curtis Metcalf, a brilliant mind taken under the wing of a famous inventor at a very young age. As he grows up he learns that his mentor isn't the great person he believed him to be. So using his teachers' tech and his own brilliant mind, he comes up with Hardware. McDuffie writes Hardware as an angry man seeking nothing but vengeance and revenge. As the story moves issue to issue we see Hardware questioning his morals and if he really is any different from the people he’s trying to stop. We see growth with him. He wants to solve his problems and be helpful in a rational way. Avoid the chaos and rampage. The book feels fast paced constantly having something going on, even when it might seem like nothing is. All of that can be thanks to McDuffies's outstanding writing (and he does this with all the titles he writes too). It’s all about pacing with McDuffie. Making the story entertaining and consistent. Something I feel a lot of mainstream comics missed in the 90s. It’s action packed with substance! Denys Cowan’s artwork is also phenomenal! A perfect match for the type of story McDuffie was displaying.
Blood Syndicate- Blood syndicate is where we explore some lore into the Dakotaverse. (This is a shared universe after all.) After a planned battle over turf with various street gangs, the police get involved and release tear gas; only this type of gas is something else. It ends up killing a lot of the gang members and even officers themselves. But other people get special abilities. They become “Bang Babies.” Reason being the event is called the ‘Big Bang’. A group of these ‘Bang Babies’ team up and become the ‘Blood Syndicate’. These stories are written by McDuffie & Ivan Velvez Jr. Velvez does eventually take over full writing duties though. These issues are raw, gory, and straight up real. It feels high stakes and serious. It feels like if John Singleton did a superhero movie back in the 90s. All around it's exciting and tackles a lot about identity, unity, and different world perceptions. You get a mix of artists in the beginning of the run but it’s when Chriscross takes over that the book gets even more top notch. The character designs are dope and original. It's all great additions to the Dakotaverse.
Icon- Another great title written by the legendary Dwayne McDuffie! Icon is an alien being who crashed into earth in the year 1839. He landed in a cotton field plantation and took the form of a young black child. He then lives his +150 years of life. He has a strange run in with Raquel Ervin who would find that Augustus Freeman IV/Icon has super abilities. She then convinces him to become a superhero and with the help of his tech, she becomes his partner, ‘Rocket’. This title get’s straight to the point but nothing feels rushed. McDuffie writes great chemistry with the two however they also bud heads a lot. Their beliefs and ideals are very different . With all that though they still rely on each other and make a great team. McDuffie is accompanied by M.D. Bright, an OUTSTANDING artist that made this story even more enjoyable. A lot of dynamic panels with awesome pacing and storytelling on their own.
Static- Static shows us more of the ‘Big Bang’ and how he was affected. After getting into such a dark place Virgil Hawkins decides he's going to kill his school bully to end things once and for all. He gets a gun from his friend and goes to the meet up where the ‘Big Bang’ occurs, but in the end decides against killing his school bully. He’s then exposed to the strange tear gas and gains his static powers. This is where the dakotaverse truly expands. Static as a character is greatly written. His personality makes the reading so fun. Very intense moments that question his character. I love how powerful he is, however he still uses his brain and outsmarts his opponents. McDuffie and Washington III still leave room for growth as Static is young and emotional. Jean Paul Leon is the perfect artist for this book. It feels fun, young, and full of energy with very interesting panels.
Xombi- Okay this is probably the only story that wasn’t really my vibe. Honestly the story is very much all over the place, though surprisingly the story was still kinda entertaining. David Kim injects himself with some nanobots that basically makes him immortal. He’s like a less annoying deadpool meets John Constintine.
Overall- The importance of Milestone is something that should be shared more often in the comic community. It gave opportunities to a lot of creators of color letting them take the lead and share their experience. All in all though it was just a group of great creators that wanted to give more perspective and representation. All by doing prolific and ambitious work. All that during a time where the industry seemed to focus on more extreme action stories with splash paged artwork. The creators at Milestone focused on one thing and one thing only- GREAT STORIES! Something very ahead of its time that is only now getting some shine again. So please check this out.
REST IN POWER; Dwayne McDuffie, Robert Washington III, and Jean Paul Leon. LEGENDS.
Finally DC releases their first volume of the Milestone compendium. Yes, this is the first time a lot of these stories are collected. Yes, it took nearly 20 years for it to happen, but as they say, better late than never. Milestone was a company founded by Dwayne Mcduffie with the help of other creators. Milestone focused on writing stories with diversity and adding the relatability that mainstream comics lacked. Along with that it was just all around great stories. As I mentioned before you have the mastermind of this all in the late Dwayne Mcduffie. But there are other great creators tied into this amazing part of comic history. Denys Cowans, John Paul Leon, Robert L. Washington III, Ivan Velez Jr, M.D. Bright, Chriscross, Jimmy Palmiotti, John Rozum, and many many more brilliant minds. In this first volume you get the stories of, Hardware (Issues #1-12), Blood Syndicate (Issues #1-12), Icon (Issues #1-10), Static (Issues #1-8), Shadow Cabinet #0, and Xombi (Issues #0-11). With over 1,300 pages this first volume packs a punch and gives you a huge chunk of the beginnings of the Dakotaverse. The stories and issues are also broken down by arcs and a kind of chronological reading order. And I gotta say I really like it that way. It makes everything feel connected (cause it is) but the stories are all still great and for the most part can be read separately.
Starting With Hardware- Hardware is the first story we encounter and what a start it is! Written by Mcduffie himself he is mainly partnered with Denys Cowan on artwork. The story is of Curtis Metcalf, a brilliant mind taken under the wing of a famous inventor at a very young age. As he grows up he learns that his mentor isn't the great person he believed him to be. So using his teachers' tech and his own brilliant mind, he comes up with Hardware. McDuffie writes Hardware as an angry man seeking nothing but vengeance and revenge. As the story moves issue to issue we see Hardware questioning his morals and if he really is any different from the people he’s trying to stop. We see growth with him. He wants to solve his problems and be helpful in a rational way. Avoid the chaos and rampage. The book feels fast paced constantly having something going on, even when it might seem like nothing is. All of that can be thanks to McDuffies's outstanding writing (and he does this with all the titles he writes too). It’s all about pacing with McDuffie. Making the story entertaining and consistent. Something I feel a lot of mainstream comics missed in the 90s. It’s action packed with substance! Denys Cowan’s artwork is also phenomenal! A perfect match for the type of story McDuffie was displaying.
Blood Syndicate- Blood syndicate is where we explore some lore into the Dakotaverse. (This is a shared universe after all.) After a planned battle over turf with various street gangs, the police get involved and release tear gas; only this type of gas is something else. It ends up killing a lot of the gang members and even officers themselves. But other people get special abilities. They become “Bang Babies.” Reason being the event is called the ‘Big Bang’. A group of these ‘Bang Babies’ team up and become the ‘Blood Syndicate’. These stories are written by McDuffie & Ivan Velvez Jr. Velvez does eventually take over full writing duties though. These issues are raw, gory, and straight up real. It feels high stakes and serious. It feels like if John Singleton did a superhero movie back in the 90s. All around it's exciting and tackles a lot about identity, unity, and different world perceptions. You get a mix of artists in the beginning of the run but it’s when Chriscross takes over that the book gets even more top notch. The character designs are dope and original. It's all great additions to the Dakotaverse.
Icon- Another great title written by the legendary Dwayne McDuffie! Icon is an alien being who crashed into earth in the year 1839. He landed in a cotton field plantation and took the form of a young black child. He then lives his +150 years of life. He has a strange run in with Raquel Ervin who would find that Augustus Freeman IV/Icon has super abilities. She then convinces him to become a superhero and with the help of his tech, she becomes his partner, ‘Rocket’. This title get’s straight to the point but nothing feels rushed. McDuffie writes great chemistry with the two however they also bud heads a lot. Their beliefs and ideals are very different . With all that though they still rely on each other and make a great team. McDuffie is accompanied by M.D. Bright, an OUTSTANDING artist that made this story even more enjoyable. A lot of dynamic panels with awesome pacing and storytelling on their own.
Static- Static shows us more of the ‘Big Bang’ and how he was affected. After getting into such a dark place Virgil Hawkins decides he's going to kill his school bully to end things once and for all. He gets a gun from his friend and goes to the meet up where the ‘Big Bang’ occurs, but in the end decides against killing his school bully. He’s then exposed to the strange tear gas and gains his static powers. This is where the dakotaverse truly expands. Static as a character is greatly written. His personality makes the reading so fun. Very intense moments that question his character. I love how powerful he is, however he still uses his brain and outsmarts his opponents. McDuffie and Washington III still leave room for growth as Static is young and emotional. Jean Paul Leon is the perfect artist for this book. It feels fun, young, and full of energy with very interesting panels.
Xombi- Okay this is probably the only story that wasn’t really my vibe. Honestly the story is very much all over the place, though surprisingly the story was still kinda entertaining. David Kim injects himself with some nanobots that basically makes him immortal. He’s like a less annoying deadpool meets John Constintine.
Overall- The importance of Milestone is something that should be shared more often in the comic community. It gave opportunities to a lot of creators of color letting them take the lead and share their experience. All in all though it was just a group of great creators that wanted to give more perspective and representation. All by doing prolific and ambitious work. All that during a time where the industry seemed to focus on more extreme action stories with splash paged artwork. The creators at Milestone focused on one thing and one thing only- GREAT STORIES! Something very ahead of its time that is only now getting some shine again. So please check this out.
REST IN POWER; Dwayne McDuffie, Robert Washington III, and Jean Paul Leon. LEGENDS.
February 25, 2022
Milestone really was the best of the superhero universes created in the 90s. I hope this sells a lot and we get further volumes.
April 16, 2023
Holy cats, what a journey. The efforts of Denys Cowan, Michael Davis, Derek T. Dingle, and—of course—the late, great Dwayne McDuffie can’t be overstated.
This massive compendium consists of all of the Milestone titles organized in the way that would best tell all of their stories as one complete whole. For that reason, it goes from one smaller story arc title to another, and that organization must have been challenging, but it works. Somehow, reading four issues of Hardware, followed by a few of Blood Syndicate, followed by a few of Static, and so on, feels like one consistent epic. It reveals how well the Milestone team developed this universe together.
On the surface, I could reduce my stars to four. The superhero conceits are informed by the zeitgeist of the 90s, which is not always a good thing. Character origins and Powers can feel a little familiar. That said, the superhero aspect of the “Dakotaverse” is only an enjoyable front for the complicated and rich lives of its inhabitants.
As with most serial storytelling, each title grows into its place as the stories progress, and the characters become known. The true pleasures here come from personal moments like the Blood Syndicate women visiting their stylist, the political clash of Icon and Rocket, or the complicated “wealth” of Hardware, who is still held in contempt by his white employer.
There are stories within the stories here, which is not unique in itself, but these are stories that were revolutionary for their time, and continue (unfortunately) to resonate.
This massive compendium consists of all of the Milestone titles organized in the way that would best tell all of their stories as one complete whole. For that reason, it goes from one smaller story arc title to another, and that organization must have been challenging, but it works. Somehow, reading four issues of Hardware, followed by a few of Blood Syndicate, followed by a few of Static, and so on, feels like one consistent epic. It reveals how well the Milestone team developed this universe together.
On the surface, I could reduce my stars to four. The superhero conceits are informed by the zeitgeist of the 90s, which is not always a good thing. Character origins and Powers can feel a little familiar. That said, the superhero aspect of the “Dakotaverse” is only an enjoyable front for the complicated and rich lives of its inhabitants.
As with most serial storytelling, each title grows into its place as the stories progress, and the characters become known. The true pleasures here come from personal moments like the Blood Syndicate women visiting their stylist, the political clash of Icon and Rocket, or the complicated “wealth” of Hardware, who is still held in contempt by his white employer.
There are stories within the stories here, which is not unique in itself, but these are stories that were revolutionary for their time, and continue (unfortunately) to resonate.
August 14, 2022
While the Xombi comics here tonally feel drastically different in comparison to the other titles collected here, the Milestone Compendium does a phenomenal job showcasing the early years of the Dakotaverse through presenting the titles collected here in a shared story order rather than a series of complete runs. What happens early in Hardware’s run sets up Blood Syndicate and Static, creating a strong sense of coherency from the outset. With the addition of Icon, the titles here are incredibly strong, even if the same cannot be said of every issue. The Milestone Compendium is any easy recommend for any superhero fan.
March 25, 2022
The first half dozen issues of each of the collected titles are wonderful. It is eye-opening that everything that these Black creators told us back in the early-90s is only now starting to be heard two decades later.
The collection loses a little coherence with the big crossover event that makes up the back third of the book. (YMMV)
The collection loses a little coherence with the big crossover event that makes up the back third of the book. (YMMV)
May 24, 2024
Where have these comics BEEN all my life?
I have never read any of these books before-- and admittedly, that's my own fault. When they first came out, I thought they were just another bunch of off-brand imitations of popular superheroes (it being the '90s, those were pretty popular). And as I got older, I started to hear good things about them, but I didn't see the appeal, because... well, honestly, I was a sheltered white guy who didn't really get how privileged his worldview actually was.
But now? As a thirty-something with a greater political understanding of the world, who's drifted pretty far left in the last decade... NOW I get it!
--Hardware isn't just a knock-off Iron Man... it's Iron Man reframed under the realities of capitalism, where the genius inventor is the exploited employee of an evil corporate oligarch, rather than the guy running the company.
--Blood Syndicate isn't just the X-Men... it's the X-Men as a street gang without a millionaire beneficiary or an ideological agenda, because marginalized teens in the '90s were forced to fend for themselves.
--Icon isn't just a black Superman... he's a black, Republican Superman whose individual privileges of superpowers and wealth have alienated him from the struggles and needs of the downtrodden in general, and the African American community in particular.
--And Static, while he IS a reiteration of the standard, likeable-Everyteen superhero (a la Spider-Man or Blue Beetle), engages with the harsher side of urban public-school life in the '90s-- like violent bullying, gang activity, and the ease of access to guns.
ALL of these books openly confront white supremacy and racial politics, as well as the systems of capitalist control that perpetuate them-- hell, the overarching bad guys of the universe are LITERALLY named S.Y.S.T.E.M.! And refreshingly, the police are not presented as de facto good guys; in fact, most of their appearances frame them as explicitly violent and authoritarian antagonists (such as when Icon and his sidekick Rocket make their big public debut by showing up to assist with a hostage situation, and they IMMEDIATELY have every cop in the area pointing guns at them).
The only book that doesn't work for me in this collection is Xombi-- the one comic that wasn't co-written by Dwayne McDuffie from the start. This one is a flimsy, Vertigo-esq supernatural horror book that eschews social commentary for graphic violence and fantasy horror. It's not at all my cup of tea, but thankfully it's barely integrated into the wider world-building of the universe-- so you can just skip it without missing anything.
It blows my mind that there were books this openly political and trenchant on the stands back in the early '90s; Dwayne McDuffie and his collaborators did an AMAZING job crafting a cohesive world that breaks from so many of the toxic or stagnant tropes of comic books while still being RELENTLESSLY entertaining. I only wish I could have been more open to them sooner; I had to do a lot of growing as a person before I could appreciate Milestone for the incredible feat it is.
I have never read any of these books before-- and admittedly, that's my own fault. When they first came out, I thought they were just another bunch of off-brand imitations of popular superheroes (it being the '90s, those were pretty popular). And as I got older, I started to hear good things about them, but I didn't see the appeal, because... well, honestly, I was a sheltered white guy who didn't really get how privileged his worldview actually was.
But now? As a thirty-something with a greater political understanding of the world, who's drifted pretty far left in the last decade... NOW I get it!
--Hardware isn't just a knock-off Iron Man... it's Iron Man reframed under the realities of capitalism, where the genius inventor is the exploited employee of an evil corporate oligarch, rather than the guy running the company.
--Blood Syndicate isn't just the X-Men... it's the X-Men as a street gang without a millionaire beneficiary or an ideological agenda, because marginalized teens in the '90s were forced to fend for themselves.
--Icon isn't just a black Superman... he's a black, Republican Superman whose individual privileges of superpowers and wealth have alienated him from the struggles and needs of the downtrodden in general, and the African American community in particular.
--And Static, while he IS a reiteration of the standard, likeable-Everyteen superhero (a la Spider-Man or Blue Beetle), engages with the harsher side of urban public-school life in the '90s-- like violent bullying, gang activity, and the ease of access to guns.
ALL of these books openly confront white supremacy and racial politics, as well as the systems of capitalist control that perpetuate them-- hell, the overarching bad guys of the universe are LITERALLY named S.Y.S.T.E.M.! And refreshingly, the police are not presented as de facto good guys; in fact, most of their appearances frame them as explicitly violent and authoritarian antagonists (such as when Icon and his sidekick Rocket make their big public debut by showing up to assist with a hostage situation, and they IMMEDIATELY have every cop in the area pointing guns at them).
The only book that doesn't work for me in this collection is Xombi-- the one comic that wasn't co-written by Dwayne McDuffie from the start. This one is a flimsy, Vertigo-esq supernatural horror book that eschews social commentary for graphic violence and fantasy horror. It's not at all my cup of tea, but thankfully it's barely integrated into the wider world-building of the universe-- so you can just skip it without missing anything.
It blows my mind that there were books this openly political and trenchant on the stands back in the early '90s; Dwayne McDuffie and his collaborators did an AMAZING job crafting a cohesive world that breaks from so many of the toxic or stagnant tropes of comic books while still being RELENTLESSLY entertaining. I only wish I could have been more open to them sooner; I had to do a lot of growing as a person before I could appreciate Milestone for the incredible feat it is.
August 23, 2024
This was a great showcase of Milestone comics, a 90's comic line that DC distributed that was a lot more diverse in its creators than most things you will see then or now. This collects about the first year of their output and there is a lot to like in here, some great art and quite fun new creations!
Not going to spoil anything, some of this has aged better than other parts but overall it was great to see this all presented in a reading order intended to keep you seeing it all as a connected universe. Some very good writing that gets you interested in these characters quickly with some very cool art and designs to go with, really looking forward to the second compendium.
Not going to spoil anything, some of this has aged better than other parts but overall it was great to see this all presented in a reading order intended to keep you seeing it all as a connected universe. Some very good writing that gets you interested in these characters quickly with some very cool art and designs to go with, really looking forward to the second compendium.
March 22, 2025
McDuffie's efforts to start a Black comic book universe made by Black creators. I appreciate the efforts to make it, but it has issues. The writing for some of the series and several main characters (especially dialogue) are lacklustre and often poor. It suffers from of the tropes of 1990s comics. However, the Icon and Static series are pretty good.
April 23, 2025
Really cool ideas, timely storytelling, showcasing characters and creators who had been historically left on the margins of mainstream comics. What’s not to love? Some of the execution is of its time, but the extremely cool parts way outweigh that.
September 27, 2022
This book is a great value -- the entire first year of Milestone Comics' output in one 1300+ page volume. The stories are ahead of their time but also distinctly 1990s.
September 4, 2024
The quality of the writing alone is already leagues ahead of most 1990s superhero comics
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