An afternoon of panels, performances, and guest speakers shined through the gloomy weather at the Earn Your Masters pop-up event during South By Southwest 2022. Put on by UnitedMasters and the Earn Your Leisure podcast and presented by Ally, the all-day event offered a unique experience combining education, music, and entertainment.
Featured on “The Equity In Black Super Heroes” panel, Reginald “Reggie” Hudlin and Denys Cowan shared their respective experiences for an audience eager to learn more about ownership, representation, innovation, and creativity. The conversation was moderated by Erica Hughes, Director of Multicultural Marketing at Ally.
“Superheroes are mythology now, right? It used to be about Zeus and Hercules and whatever. Now it’s about Superman and Spiderman and all that,” explained Hudlin. “We learn a lot from superhero movies and the entire family goes. They’re really important to the culture right now, and [Black people] historically have led American culture.”
He continued, “Whether it’s music, all these art forms, we are always leaders. So, if comic books and comic book readers [and] consumers are some of the most influential parts of popular culture, then we have to be in that.”
“I think for the importance of Black superheroes… for me growing up, there were no Black superheroes. It was Luke Cage, Power Man. He wasn’t even Power Man. He was Luke Cage, hero for hire. You had to pay him to help you,” Cowan added. “And you had Black Panther and you had Mal from the Teen Titans who didn’t even get a superhero name. And that was it. It was always in my mind that I wanted to see more, but it wasn’t until I got older and cultural events started happening, [Hudlin] and Spike Lee, and all these things started happening. I looked around [like], ‘Okay, there’s Black product here.’”
He continued, “Where is it in comic books? There is nothing in comic books. That was the need that we saw that we wanted to fulfill. The importance of it was that it didn’t exist. If something doesn’t exist and you want something to happen, what’s your choice of weapon? Mine was comic books and being an artist. What am I gonna do about this situation? I’m gonna create some Black comical characters.”
Together, the two acclaimed creators now lead Milestone Media. Throughout his career, Cowan has sold over 10 million copies of groundbreaking comic books, with credits including but not limited to: Batman: Lovers & Madmen, Blind Justice, Dominique Laveau:Voodoo Child, The Black Panther: Flags of Our Fathers, The Question, Hardware, and Static Shock.
Hudlin, an accomplished filmmaker in the modern Black film movement, has created, written, and directed beloved films such as House Party,Boomerang, and BeBe’s Kids. He was also the executive producer and writer of the Black Pantheranimated series and the executive producer of The Boondocks animated series, in addition to directing the pilot of Everybody Hates Chris and producing and directing several award-winning episodes of The Bernie Mac Show.
There was a line down the block to see the Milestone Panel at SXSW!
Denys Cowan breaks it down at the SXSW Milestone panel discussion!The view from the stage at the SXSW Milestone panel!They even had Reggie and Denys’ faces on custom k-cups!Comment+ Permalink
DC Comics and its parent company WarnerMedia partnered with Ally Financial to launch an augmented reality (AR) experience, known as Milestone ARchives, where users attending South By Southwest (SXSW) can virtually meet and interact with superheros Static, Hardware and those from Icon & Rocket, per information shared with Marketing Dive.
Bridging in-person experiences with AR via Snapchat, visitors at the pop-up can use the social media app to explore the characters’ backstories through filters and interactive games.
The activation is part of a broader creator-focused initiative among DC Comics, WarnerMedia and Ally, to train and create opportunities for Black and diverse storytellers in the comic industry, according to a press release. The initiative marks a greater focus on creators for Ally. The financial company has produced several mobile marketing efforts in the past that employ AR and creators.
Dive Insights:
The experiential activation at SXSW is an attempt by Ally to reach younger audiences through AR technology that employs a popular social media app, which consumers may already be familiar with. The activation reaches out to younger audiences through the combination of superheros and AR technology while positioning the financial services company as socially conscious.
Comic books, once considered a dying industry, have made a remarkable comeback. In 2020, sales of comic books reached an all-time high of $1.28 billion, up 6% from the previous year. DC Comics remains the second largest player in the game, capturing 29.29% of the market. It is trumped only by Marvel Comics, which holds 40.20% of the market.
Alongside the tech-driven activation at SXSW, the campaign is supported with a video, titled “Superfan,” that features a conversation between Denys Cowan, co-founder of Milestone Media, Feon Cooper and Kareem Burton, co-owners of Black Star Collectibles — which is the first Black-owned pop culture collectibles store in Carson, California. The conversation centers on the lack of Black representation in the comic book space in the 1990s and how Milestone Media ignited the idea for the collectibles store.
The next installment in the series, “The Power of Representation,” highlights how Ally is focusing on equity and inclusion both within and outside of the organization. The vignette was made in partnership with Courageous Studios.
“Ally is focused on improving financial literacy, economic mobility and access to opportunities and products that help all communities gain financial stability and independence,” Andrea Brimmer, Ally’s chief marketing and public relations officer, said in emailed comments. “It is critical that our marketing efforts further this cause, and we believe our collaboration with DC, Milestone Media and WarnerMedia allows us to build upon our efforts for lasting social impact that directly reaches Black and Hispanic communities with generation-changing opportunities.”
The partnership between DC and Ally is the latest attempt by the financial services company to integrate itself into popular culture through mobile tech and social media creators. Previous initiatives have included Twitch partnerships, an interactive AR Super Bowl game and an effort to turn American cities into virtual “Monopoly” boards. AR experiences are a mainstay of the company’s advertising profile, with DC being the last in this strategy.
DC Comics and Milestone Media have announced Milestones In History today a new 96-page anthology chronicling real-world heroes across Black History. Out on June 14th, the collection features a treasure trove of creators. That’s not all, the anthology also serves as a springboard into the next phase of this new iteration of the Dakotaverse. The anthology will feature an ending that will serve as the catalyst for the first big “event” in Milestone, something most fans will never see coming.
The stories in the anthology will pair well-known comic book artists with writers from the fields of entertainment, literature, and social activism. The anthology embraces the Milestone universe with these stories being told through the eyes of the heroes of Dakota
“Denys and I have been wanting to do a book like Milestones in History for a long time,” said producer/writer and Milestone co-owner Reggie Hudlin. “Some of our favorite comic books have been about the real-life superheroes of the Black community throughout history, and with all of the amazing writers, artists, and scholars we know, we knew we could create a book that would be history making in itself.”
Here’s a rundown of stories and the creators behind them:
Russian Poet and novelist Alexander Pushkin, written by New York Times bestselling author Alice Randall, with art by Don Hudson, José Marzan Jr., and Andrew Dalhouse
Carthaginian general and statesman Hannibal Barca, by award-winning writer Steven Barnes, with art by Ron Wilson and Mike Gustovich
Musical icon Prince, written by journalist and culture critic Touré and art by Ray Anthony-Height
The Three Musketeers author Alexandre Dumas, by bestselling author and pioneer of Black Horror fiction Tananarive Due, with art by Jamal Igle and Chris Sotomayor
Eugene Bullard, the first Black American military pilot, by Pat Charles and Arvell Jones
Black American female pilot Bessie Coleman and astronaut Mae Jemison, written by Melody Cooper, with art by Domo Stanton and Emilio Lopez
Dancer, educator, and social activist Katherine Dunham, by actor and author Karyn Parsons (Fresh Prince of Bel-Air)
“Lucy,” the early hominid fossil (Australopithecus) discovered in Africa by Donald Johanson, Mary Leakey, and Yves Coppens, written by Alice Randall
Milestone has been on a roll of late recently announcing the class of the Milestone Initiative program that identities, develops, and mentors aspiring comic book professionals of color.
For more on this news, read the official press release below.
Following the DC FanDome announcement by Milestone co-founder Denys Cowan and producer/writer/co-owner Reggie Hudlin, DC and Milestone Media today announced new details on their groundbreaking anthology, Milestones In History.
Debuting in comic book shops and participating digital platforms on Tuesday, June 14 (just in time for Juneteenth), this 96-page non-fiction one-shot spotlights real world icons from Black history across the ages. These stories will combine well-known comic book artists with writers from the fields of entertainment, literature, and social activism. The anthology embraces the Milestone universe with these stories being told through the eyes of the heroes of Dakota.
“Denys and I have been wanting to do a book like Milestones in History for a long time,” said Hudlin. “Some of our favorite comic books have been about the real-life superheroes of the Black community throughout history, and with all of the amazing writers, artists, and scholars we know, we knew we could create a book that would be history making in itself.”
Featured history-making subjects and storytellers for Milestones In History include:
Russian Poet and novelist Alexander Pushkin, written by New York Times bestselling author Alice Randall, with art by Don Hudson, José Marzan Jr., and Andrew Dalhouse
Carthaginian general and statesman Hannibal Barca, by award-winning writer Steven Barnes, with art by Ron Wilson and Mike Gustovich
Musical icon Prince, written by journalist and culture critic Touré and art by Ray Anthony-Height
The Three Musketeers author Alexandre Dumas, by bestselling author and pioneer of Black Horror fiction Tananarive Due, with art by Jamal Igle and Chris Sotomayor
Eugene Bullard, the first Black American military pilot, by Pat Charles and Arvell Jones
Black American female pilot Bessie Coleman and astronaut Mae Jemison, written by Melody Cooper, with art by Domo Stanton and Emilio Lopez
Dancer, educator, and social activist Katherine Dunham, by actor and author Karyn Parsons (Fresh Prince of Bel-Air)
“Lucy,” the early hominid fossil (Australopithecus) discovered in Africa by Donald Johanson, Mary Leakey, and Yves Coppens, written by Alice Randall
More than just an anthology, Milestone In History also serves as a springboard into the next phase of this new iteration of the Dakotaverse; the book features an ending that will serve as the catalyst for the first big “event” in Milestone, something most fans will never see coming.For the latest information on the heroes of Milestone, visit the DC website at www.dccomics.com and follow @DCComics and @thedcnation on social media. The DC UNIVERSE INFINITE Digital Subscription service features issues of classic Milestone comics, as well as some of the Season One issues of Static, Hardware, and Icon and Rocket. To sign up for a free trial, visit the website at www.dcuniverseinfinite.com.
DC’s Milestone authors Reginald Hudlin and Leon Chills dive into the conclusion of Icon & Rocket Season One and the heroes’ futures.
The DC Comics imprint Milestone Media has recently returned to the forefront of the genre, with the debut of several “season one” titles featuring characters introduced when the company was first founded in the ’90s. Of the new titles introduced so far, Icon & Rocket has remained a favorite of many, with its exploration of worldwide politics coupled with pulse-pounding action drawing in new and established audiences.
CBR recently had the opportunity to participate in a roundtable discussion with the writers of the series, Reginald Hudlin and Leon Chills. While Chills is something of a newcomer to the Dakota-verse depicted in the comics, Hudlin is a veteran of the company and is one of the original founders. Both co-writers had much to share about the future of the titular characters after the end of the Icon & Rocket Season One miniseries, as well as their overall place in the shared universe. They also spoke about the role that their guest stars will play in the future of the Milestone Universe.
Milestone was originally founded by a number of African-American creators during a time when there was very little representation in comic book characters. Icon was one of the first heroes created by the publisher as a powerful answer to DC’s Superman and has, in many ways, served as Milestone’s flagship hero. Although DC’s Man of Steel is often associated with his love interest, Lois Lane, Icon is not commonly known for having a significant relationship in his life outside of his platonic partnership with his sidekick, Rocket. Icon & Rocket Season One has made an effort to change that, with the introduction of Xiomara, a superpowered character reminiscent of Wonder Woman who clearly has eyes for Icon — and vice versa.
“It was important for me to give Icon a romantic side,” Hudlin revealed during the discussion. “When I was writing Black Panther [for Marvel Comics], I was the one who introduced his marriage to [the X-Men’s] Storm. In my future story, I even introduced their children. I’m a big believer in Black love and Black family. In a universe of Black superpowered characters and other characters of color, there will definitely be more of that in the books to come.”
Although the statement from Hudlin indicates that romance is in the air for Icon and Xiomara, this new character is much more than a simple love interest. She and her mysterious organization of superpowered operatives stand out as one of the most intriguing elements of Icon & Rocket Season One. “Xiomara is a mystery,” Hudlin expanded. “We’re still discovering the extent of her powers because she isn’t ready to share everything just yet. She is clearly a person who holds her cards very tightly. I personally love Xiomara and her whole squad. We’re definitely going to be seeing more of them in the future.”
Chills chimed in to tease about another character who debuted during the course of Icon & Rocket Season One, a size-changing hero who plays a major role as the story reaches its epic conclusion. “It was very exciting to introduce Little Bit,” the writer added. “She’s another hero in Xiomara’s crew… There are definitely more. I don’t know if anyone noticed, but the colors of Xiomara’s costume are based on the Brazilian flag, and Little Bit’s are based on the Nigerian flag.”
In addition to confirming that the costume variations were “a good thing to point out,” Hudlin spoke more about the new characters created for the series. “We just wanted to create some fun new characters,” the writer noted. “We thought it was a logical thing to introduce a group of amazing, empowered women who are out to make a difference in the world. Women are of great importance in all fields, from politics to science, and so much change is led by Black women. So in a world of superpowered individuals, it only makes sense that there would be an amazing team of empowered Black women leading the way.”
Milestone’s most popular hero, Static, makes an appearance as the story comes to a close, with the final issue of Icon & Rocket Season One taking place after the conclusion of his own self-titled season one series. “I wanted to establish that Static and Rocket go to the same high school,” Hudlin said when asked about the guest appearance. “They have a very fun dynamic, and I thought they should at least be friends in a fun and relatable way.” “In Issue #5,” Chills added, “we took a pause from the action to dive into the personal lives of the characters, and we definitely wanted Static and Rocket to interact with one another.”
When asked about whether the heroes would be returning the favor and appearing in other Milestone comics, Hudlin confirmed that the duo would definitely be doing so. “We wanted to really establish who Icon and Rocket were before we introduced Static in Issues #5-6,” he added. “We didn’t want to rush anything, but yes. You will definitely be seeing more interplay between the Milestone characters in the next season of books.”
Hudlin also revealed that writing the next story arc for Icon and Rocket is on his “action list.” “We’ve done a pretty extensive outline that we’re all excited about in terms of what the next arc is going to cover,” the writer revealed. “We’re going to try to make it an event. It feels really big, and we’re going to take these characters to unexpected places pretty quickly. We don’t want to simply recreate the stories that were told in the past. In the second season of all the Milestone books, these characters will be starting new and interesting journeys.”
Icon & Rocket Season One #6 is written by Reginald Hudlin and Leon Chills, with art by Doug Braithwaite and Andrew Currie. The issue is on sale March 22 from DC Comics.
