Milestone’s Icon Fulfills Superman Creators’ Original Intentions

Icon is taking the fight to the streets, curbing crime in his neighborhood and inspiring the citizens, much like Superman did when he debuted.

BY SHAUN CORLEYPUBLISHED AUG 26, 2021

Spoilers ahead for Icon and Rocket: Season One #2!

Milestone’s Icon’s approach to fighting crime echoes the intentions of Superman’s creators. Rather than fight cosmic-level threats, Icon takes a more community-based approach, fighting street-level crime—much like the Man of Steel did in the first few years of his existence. Readers can see it all go down in Icon and Rocket Season One #2, on sale now in print and digital.

Much like Superman, Icon is an alien. During Earth’s 19^th century, he crash-landed on a plantation in Georgia prior to the Civil War. His escape pod was found by a slave couple; when they touched the pod, it converted Icon’s DNA to a human’s—he was essentially reborn as a human. For the next two centuries, Icon has passed as a human, and in the 21^stcentury, he lives as Augustus Freeman IV, a conservative, high-profile lawyer. His life was upended when three young people broke into his house and tried to rob him. He used his powers in front of them, scaring all but one: Raquel Ervin. Seeing the potential for Augustus to be a great hero and an inspiration, she returns to his house and challenges him to use his powers for good. Taking Raquel as his sidekick, and dubbing her “Rocket”, he takes on the name Icon and embarks on a heroic career.

Now, in the rebooted Milestone Universe, readers are treated to Icon and Rocket: Season One #2 by Reginald Hudlin, Douglas Braithwaite, Andrew Currie, Brad Anderson, and Andworld Design. The new comic opens with a television news crew filming a story about Icon. Readers learn that the crime rate has dropped drastically since Icon’s arrival. Naturally, the police are not too thrilled, saying that vigilante justice is no substitute for police work. The citizens, however, are rallying behind Icon.

When Superman first appeared in 1938, his scope was much different. Instead of fighting Doomsday and General Zod, he took on more street-level threats: muggers, corrupt landlords, and domestic abusers; Superman was very much a blue-collar, hero of the people. Of course, this would change over time, and Superman was soon moving planets with his bare hands. However, Icon, who shares much in common with the Man of Steel, is fulfilling this role nicely. Icon is not focusing on extra-terrestrial threats (yet) and is instead turning his attention to cleaning up the streets of Dakota City. In just a short time, Icon has helped reduce the crime rate in his neighborhood, and it is clear the citizens are grateful.

Superman’s never-ending battle has changed over the years, moving away from the character’s creator’s original intentions, yet Milestone’s Icon has stepped into this role, and living up to his name in the process.

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Underrated Chadwick Boseman Movie Coming to Netflix Next Week

By DANIEL S. LEVINE – August 28, 2021 05:51 pm EDT

Before Chadwick Boseman starred as Black Panther in Captain America: Civil War, the actor was best known for his turns in the biopics 42 and Get On Up. Boseman got to make one more biopic between his Marvel movies, the 2017 courtroom drama Marshall, in which he played a young Thurgood Marshall. The Oscar-nominated film will be available on Netflix on Wednesday, Sept. 1.

Marshall was directed by Reginald Hudlin (The Great White Hype, Ladies Man) and focuses on one of the first major cases in Marshall’s career. In State of Connecticut v. Joseph Spell (1940), Marshall represented Joseph Spell, a Black chauffeur accused of raping a white woman, Eleanor Strubing. Spell confessed to being intimate with Strubing but did not confess to rape. The jury found him not guilty. In Marshall, Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us) stars as Spell while Kate Hudson plays Strubing. Josh Gad played Sam Friedman, the white insurance lawyer who joins Marshall’s team, and James Cromwell plays the judge.

The film was written by Michael Koskoff and Jacob Koskoff. It earned mostly good reviews for Boseman’s performance but was ignored in theaters. It grossed just $10 million during its run. “Stand Up For Something,” performed by Andra Day and written by Common and Diane Warren, was nominated for Best Original Song at the 2018 Oscars.

After the events depicted in Marshall, the real Marshall went on to become the first Black Supreme Court Justice. He served from October 1967 until October 1991, when he retired. Before he served on the Supreme Court, Marshall founded the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and argued several cases before the court, including Brown v. Board of Education. He died in January 1993 at age 84.

Marshall will hit Netflix a few days after the one-year anniversary of Boseman’s death. Boseman died on Aug. 28, 2020, at age 43 following a battle with colon cancer. The actor was diagnosed in 2016, but he did not publicly announce this and never stopped acting. Earlier this year, he earned a posthumous Oscar nomination for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which is also available on Netflix.0COMMENTS

Boseman’s Marshall co-star Gad was among the many who posted tributes to Boseman this weekend. “Not a day goes by one year later, where it doesn’t still hurt,” Gad tweeted. “But in the darkness, he always reminds us of the light. He was an angel on this planet and is now a Saint on high. Love you and miss you more than ever… forever.”

THE MIDNIGHT MIRACLE

Dave Chappelle did a favor for me for a project that hasn’t been announced yer. In return, he asked me to do a favor…shoot a promo for his new podcast. Yes! I’d love to. He loves a commercial my brother and I did a million years ago for a collection of r&B slow jams called “Hey Love.” He wanted it to be a take-off of that commercial. So that’s what we did.