Hardware: Season One #1 Reintroduces the Classic Character with a Bang

Thomas, Cowan, and Sienkiewicz present an action-packed and thought-provoking story that’s sure to put Milestone Comics’ Hardware on everyone’s radar.

BY DUSTIN HOLLANDPUBLISHED AUG 17, 2021

Following the reboots of his Milestone Comics compatriots Static and Icon and Rocket, Hardware returns in Brandon Thomas, Denys Cowan, Bill Sienkiewicz, Chris Sotomayor, and Rob Leigh’s Hardware: Season One #1. The creative team conjures up the sensational nature of the original series while adding a contemporary sense of urgency to its proceedings. Overall, Hardware: Season One #1 is an excellent first issue.

Hardware: Season One #1 begins after the events of Milestone Returns: Infinite Edition Zero by Reginald Hudlin, Denys Cowan, Nikolas Draper-Ivey, Bill Sienkiewicz, Chris Sotomayor, ChrisCross, Juan Castro, Wil Quintana, and Andworld Design. Alva Industries lands in hot water when an experimental crowd control gas they developed horribly injuries and mutates the people of Dakota at a Black Lives Matter protest. Edwin Alva, the nefarious head of the company, blames the incident on a brilliant young scientist named Curtis Metcalf; however, Curtis has no tolerance for being punished for a crime he didn’t commit. So, he puts on a suit of high-tech armor and becomes Hardware: a man on the run fighting for justice.

Hardware: Season One #1 is narrated by both Metcalf as well as his enemy/former benefactor, Edwin Alva. Brandon Thomas brilliantly contrasts their opposing points of view and attitudes in a way that makes their conflict feel simultaneously deeply personal and representative of a larger social conflict. By using two narrators, Thomas is able to provide a substantial amount of background information while throwing readers into the thick of things and establishing two central characters. By the time Hardware and Alva actually speak to each other, readers are already intimately familiar with their building tension, which makes their conversation feel even more climactic than the explosive action that defines much of the issue.

Denys Cowan, who penciled the original ’90s Hardware, is joined by his longtime collaborator Bill Sienkiewicz who inks the issue. The two seasoned artists bring the same dynamic style they developed together in the pages of The Question to Hardware: Season One. Their lines are at once precise and frantic. This aesthetic suits the fast pace and emotional intensity of the narrative. Metcalf is on the run for the duration of this issue, and the dense, ink-splattered pages convey a sense of anxiety and motion that will put the reader on the edge of their seat. At times, the action sequences can be chaotic and difficult to follow, but a second glance is always enough to make sense of things, and the confusion is in keeping with the comic’s tone. And, even when the action isn’t as clear as it could be, the pages are beautifully composed.

At first glance, Hardware: Season One #1 is a page-turning action-adventure. It is a thrilling read. But, both the writing and the art merit a closer look. Each page is filled to the brim with complex and intriguing ideas that will be bouncing around in the reader’s mind long after they’ve finished reading. Hardware: Season One #1 is so much more than a reboot of the original series. It is the beginning of something entirely new and remarkably exciting.

FRIDAY NIGHT VIBES:

COMMON AND TIFFANY HADDISH ON THE LOVE COUCH

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.

FRIDAY NIGHT VIBES:

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