Created in the mid-’90s, Milestone Comics sought to add diversity to the comic book world. The DC Comics imprint returned to the spotlight in 2021 with all-new “Season One” reboots of their most popular characters in titles such as Hardware, Icon,Static. With the recent announcement of a Blood Syndicateseries, fans both old and new are excited to experience the innovation and originality that sets Milestone apart from other comic publishers.
Denys Cowan, one of the founders of Milestone, returned to draw one of the characters he co-created in Hardware: Season One. Alongside writer Brandon Thomas, Cowan participated in a roundtable discussion attended by CBR to discuss future plans for Curtis Metcalf and his armored alter ego, and expounded on some of the actions seen in Hardware #3.
Although the characters of the Milestone Universe have thus far remained in their own worlds, for the most part, there have been signs of potential interaction between the different heroes, most noticeably in relation to Hardware and Static. Cowan all but confirmed that there would be more of this in the future, sharing, “There are plans for the different characters to meet eventually. But we don’t want to do everything right away. We want to establish these characters in their own worlds first.”
“People love crossovers because they’re so much fun,” Thomas added cryptically. “I’m looking forward to doing some of that in the future. I don’t know if I can say just how near that future is, but it’s what I want to see, so I’ll just leave it at that.”
“People are still talking about ‘Worlds Collide,’ where we crossed over into the DC Universe,” Cowan added. “I’ve heard them mention that the Dakotaverse doesn’t usually merge. But fans also look at how we did ‘Worlds Collide’ and are hoping to see more stuff like that. So mergers and crossovers are always on our minds, but we have to be conscious of how we do it. We don’t want our characters coming off looking like they’re less than any other characters in the universe, so we have to make sure they’re positioned the right way. ‘Worlds Collide’ was [Milestone co-founder] Dwayne Mcduffie’s story. He just pointed me in the direction he wanted me to go.”
When asked about the positive critical response the relaunches garnered, Thomas displayed sobering humility. “I always want to do better,” the writer admitted. “I appreciate that people are enjoying the book as it is right now, but my goal is for the third issue to be better than the first issue, and that can be really hard to do. I usually take a little time on release day to check out some reviews here and there. The good thing is that right now I don’t really have the time to do that anymore, which is probably better for me because I’m hard enough on myself.”
Thomas gave an example of the drive he feels to continue growing in his craft. “There’s a specific page in Hardware that I was really upset with myself over,” he said. “Dennis knows all about it. And that’s just my personality. I can’t let that stuff go. I’m going to be talking about that page until the end of time.”
When asked about why he chose to take his character to Singapore in Hardware: Season One#3, Thomas revealed, “I’m obsessed with the architecture of Singapore. Take for example their airport. They have an indoor waterfall inside the airport! The audacity of that kind of architecture feels very superhero-like because this stuff feels like it shouldn’t even exist. The same goes for Tokyo, which looks and feels like a cartoon city. I’ve always liked the look and feel of those places, and when we decided that Curtis was going overseas for this part of his adventure, I instantly thought he should go to Singapore… I wanted to see Dennis draw it, and it came out great! There’s more cool stuff coming out of that part of the story!”
Thomas described how he wanted this version of Curtis Metcalf’s Hardware to be portrayed. “I want him to come across as someone who is very comfortable in his own skin,” he shared. “He is very self-assured, but not in an obnoxious way like Tony Stark. There is something about him that is very no-nonsense. In this version of Hardware, where his identity is not concealed, he feels more selfless. He also has a take it or leave it type of attitude, like he knows beyond a shadow of a doubt who he is and what’s important to him. He’s drawn boundaries around himself, and is very clear about what happens when those boundaries are crossed.”
Hardware’s self-imposed boundaries are definitely crossed in the new series, particularly in the actions of primary antagonist Edwin Alva, and Asher Sim, a former partner of Alva’s whose loyalties are brought into question in the third issue. All of this will expose these characters to a side of Metcalf that they certainly don’t want to see and presents the question of whether Hardware can really be considered a hero in light of his extremely aggressive methods.
“Hardware is a good guy… But he’s a little dangerous,” Thomas clarified. “There’s an edge to him, and you don’t want to get on his bad side. That’s the Curtis I’m trying to portray: a person who is as comfortable in his lab in Dakota as he is in Singapore interacting with Asher and going head to head with Alva. This is leading up to some really cool stuff, like the reintroduction of a big-time Hardware villain who will be returning shortly and causing big problems going into the end of this arc.”
Hardware: Season One #3 by Brandon Thomas, Denys Cowan, Bill Sienkiewicz, and Rob Leigh is on sale on Nov. 30 from DC Comics.
Wil Haygood and Reginald Hudlin had a Q&A after Hudlin received the Freedom Summer of ’64 Award. Photo by Lexi Whitehead | The Miami Student
Film producer and director Reginald Hudlin became the sixth recipient of Miami University’s Freedom Summer of ’64 Award during a presentation in Hall Auditorium on Nov. 7.
Each year, Miami presents the award to a leader in civil rights and social justice. The name references the Mississippi Summer Project of 1964, when the Western College for Women, now a part of Miami, trained 800 college students to register Black voters in the South.
Hudlin’s career in film began in 1990 with “House Party,” a film he wrote and directed about Black teens throwing a party.
Since then, he has worked as a producer on Quentin Tarantino’s 2012 movie “Django Unchained” and directed and produced “Marshall,” a 2017 film featuring Chadwick Boseman as Thurgood Marshall, the first Black Supreme Court Justice.
President Greg Crawford presented the award to Hudlin alongside Vice President for Institutional Diversity and Inclusion Cristina Alcalde.
“This is only the sixth time that Miami has had the honor of presenting this award to an extraordinary individual who has dedicated their life to advance diversity and inclusion, changing the fabric of our society,” Crawford said. “Each time I’ve presented this award, I have been humbled by the courage, the innovation and tenacity of the recipient.”
Hudlin thanked the university for the award and spoke about the history of Freedom Summer.
“That Freedom Summer is an incredible legacy … and I am humbled to be given this award,” Hudlin said. “The work I do is my lifetime’s commitment. It’s a joy to do every day, and it’s great to be acknowledged for doing that work.”
Author and Miami alumnus Wil Haygood led a discussion with Hudlin after he was presented with the award. Attendees also received copies of Haygood’s newest book, “Colorization: One Hundred Years of Black Films in a White World.”
“The man who I am about to share the stage with this evening has been a profound influence on changing how we view cinema in this nation,” Haygood said. “Reginald Hudlin’s entire career has been about correcting what was done 100 years ago.”
Hudlin and Haygood discussed a range of topics from Hudlin’s specific projects to the state of Black cinema and education today.
“We’re currently in an incredible upswing where there are more Black movies being made with bigger budgets, wider distribution, bigger audiences,” Hudlin said. “But it takes 20 year cycles. Things get better over time.”
Bottom of Form
This year, the Freedom Summer award kicks off Miami’s inaugural Freedom Film Festival, a weeklong event screening a different movie in Black film history each night in Leonard Theatre, Peabody Hall.
by Carole Johnson, university news and communications
Miami University presented major motion film producer/director Reginald Hudlin with the Freedom Summer of ’64 Award on Sunday, Nov. 7, for his contributions in bringing the Black image to screen. The award is bestowed by Miami each year upon a distinguished leader who has inspired the nation to advance civil rights and social justice. In Oxford in 1964 — at what was then the Western College for Women but is now part of Miami University’s Western campus — Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee leader Bob Moses led the training of 800 college students to travel to the South to register Black voters. Miami strives to honor the legacy of those who worked for civil rights and social justice and, in the case of Michael Schwerner, 24, James Chaney, 21, and Andrew Goodman, 20, Freedom Summer activists who gave their lives in service to humanity.
Oscar-nominated film producer and director Reginald Hudlin just received the Freedom Summer of ’64 Award from Miami University for his contributions in bringing the Black image to the screen.
Hudlin was honored on Nov. 7 by the Oxford, Ohio-based university. The university bestows the annual award to a distinguished leader who has inspired the nation to advance civil rights and social justice. Miami aims to honor the legacy of those who worked for civil rights and social justice who trained in Oxford in 1964.
Previous recipients have included esteemed individuals like US Rep. John Lewis, radio talk-show host Joe Madison, former president of the League of Women Voters Carolyn Jefferson-Jenkins, and NBA executive and basketball icon Wayne Embry and his late wife, Terri Embry.
“These are superheroes who risked their lives,” stated Hudlin of those who trained in Oxford in 1964. “I feel very humbled in that in any way what I do can be compared to what those heroes did. I am inspired and feel a sense of mission.”
Hudlin’s recognition comes as the university starts its inaugural Freedom Film Festival today through Nov. 11 to celebrate the evolutions of Black representation in film.
During the event, Miami University alumnus and Broadway Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence Wil Haygood will be featured, along with the release of his new book, Colorization: One Hundred Years of Black Films in a White World (Random House, October 2021).
Reflecting on Hudlin’s work, Haygood said, “Hollywood is a better place because of his monumental contributions when it comes to equality and representation.”
Miami University President Gregory Crawford added, “We are so honored to present Reginald Hudlin with the Freedom Summer of ’64 Award. His work and passion to promote diversity in the film industry and bring Black American stories to the forefront have advanced justice and equality on a national and global scale.”
Founder and president of Hudlin Entertainment, Hudlin is known as a “renaissance man” for his work in film, television, and comic books. He is cited for his unique approaches as a writer, producer, director, and executive. He wrote and directed his first film, House Party, in 1990. He produced Quentin Tarantino’s2012 film, Django Unchained, which earned an Academy Award nomination for best picture.
He directed and produced the 2017 film, Marshall, starring Chadwick Boseman as Thurgood Marshall, the nation’s first Black Supreme Court justice.
Most recently, Hudlin has written Martian Manhunter comics for DC Entertainment and is slated to produce ValZod—a story of a Black Kryptonian who finds refuge on Earth 2—alongside Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society. He also is known for his work on other films like Boomerang and Bebe’s Kids.
Last year, he became the first-ever Black producer for the Emmy Awards. He also served as president of Black Entertainment Television (BET). He currently is a partner of Milestone Media, which develops a line of Black-oriented comics in partnership with DC Comics.
