This week saw the long-awaited launch of Icon & Rocket Season One, a new miniseries that is part of DC’s Milestone Returns initiative. The debut issue reintroduced the mythos of Augustus Freeman/Icon and Raquel Ervin/Rocket into the modern age, setting up an explosive story that is sure to ruminate into the upcoming issues. If you’re eager to see exactly where the story is going to go next, we’re here to help, as DC has provided ComicBook.com with an exclusive first look at Icon & Rocket Season One #2.
In Icon & Rocket Season One #2, who is the mysterious Xiomara? She’s an attorney with a unique set of skills…and if you’re Raquel “Rocket” Ervin, she’s who you want in your corner when the United States government comes knocking on your door, asking questions about your friendship with the all-powerful alien known as Icon! A secret identity doesn’t get you far when every intelligence operation in the world is hunting you…
“I love Icon & Rocket so much,” co-writer Reginald Hudlin explained during a recent virtual press event. ‘I love those characters. For over 20 years, I’ve had all these ideas that I want to do right for them, so it is a joy to finally get to play with these toys.”
“I mean, for me, I just remember having conversations about Icon & Rocket with Dwayne [McDuffie], and he gave such a beautiful definition of why the concept worked,” Hudlin added. “He described them as a unity of opposites: male, female; young, old; human, alien; conservative, progressive. And that’s exactly right. It’s such a perfect pair because they’ve got nothing in common except they care. Icon getting pushed out of his cynicism by a young, naive, but passionate Rocket. And I just thought, well, that’s just a great dynamic, period. And if you add super powers to it, it’s even better.”
“I mean, my exposure growing up to Milestone was definitely primarily through the Static comic. And once I got the call from Reggie to be a part of this, went back and read all of the Icon & Rocket comic books,” co-writer Leon Chills revealed. “And on top of everything you mentioned, there was also the fact that it was my first time being a part of writing a comic book. So initially I was kind of suffering under the weight of the moment and the pressure, and was suffering a bit of writer’s block until I realized the blessing of being able to do this with Reggie, which allows me to kind of just swing for the fences, and he’ll tell me either that’s dope, or maybe not that. So it’s been an amazing experience. And I love Icon & Rocket as an, I guess, elder millennial now, there’s a part of me that definitely still feels very young, and then a part of me that’s realizing I’m getting older. So I love being able to write to both of those point of views with both Icon & Rocket.”
You can check out the official soliciation for Icon & Rocket Season One #2, and keep scrolling to check out our exclusive look at the issue!
Icon & Rocket Season One #2 (of 6) Written by REGINALD HUDLIN Art by DOUG BRAITHWAITE AND ANDREW CURRIE Cover by TAURIN CLARKE ON SALE 8/24/21 $3.99 US | 32 PAGES | FC | DC Card stock variant cover by DOUG BRAITHWAITE $4.99 US
Icon & Rocket Season One #2 will be released on August 24th wherever comics are sold.
Last week saw the debut of Icon & Rocket: Season One #1, which reintroduced the beloved DC duo to a whole new generation of readers. The relaunch is part of a larger Milestone Returns initiative, which has already been confirmed to include characters such as Static Shock, Hardware, and more. Even with the epic note that Milestone Returns has started out on, there are no shortage of additional characters from the imprint that fans want to see reintroduced — and according to the team behind Icon & Rocket, anything is possible. During a recent virtual press conference with Icon & Rocket co-writers Reginald Hudlin and Leon Chills, as well as series artist Doug Braithwaithe, the team was asked if fans can expect any additional Milestone character appearances across Season One.
“Well, we’re still writing, so anything can happen,” Hudlin teased.
When asked specificially about memorable Milestone character Buckwild, Mercenary Man, Hudlin hinted that it certainly isn’t out of the realm of possibility for him to appear.
“We love Buckwild. I wouldn’t be surprised if he shows up, but I don’t know where, what book, which character,” Hudlin added. “But who doesn’t love Buckwild? Who doesn’t love going Buckwild?”
“Yeah. Buckwild definitely pops off the page,” Chills added, before addressing the possibility of additional cameos. “But the answer is yes, for sure. Yeah, 100%.”
Later on in the conference, Hudlin spoke about the experience of relaunching Milestone, and teased that there is a “big picture” already in mind for the larger initiative, while also letting each series stand on its own.0COMMENTS
“Well, it really started with me, Denys and Derek, when we decided to relaunch Milestone Media as a company,” Hudlin explained. “One of the first things we said was, we’re not going to be a nostalgia company, stuck in the past, talks about the old days. Milestone was successful because it was so cutting edge. So if we’re going to replicate the successful formula of why Milestone works, we had to be cutting edge for this generation, which meant finding new voices, like Leon; like Vita and Nikolas who’s writing and drawing Static Shock; like Brandon, who’s writing Hardware. Having these new voices in there, it’s like, Denys and I had a pretty strong vision of what we wanted these characters to do and how to reintroduce them to the world. But [we’re] so happy to see these writers take those initial ideas and just really run with them and just take them to new, exciting places and extraordinary executions. So it’s just a great squad of people, all working. And there’s a big picture that we have in mind for all the storylines and characters will intersect at certain times, at the same time, you can read it each individual book series and enjoy it, and not feel like, ‘Oh, I don’t know what’s going on.’ You’ll know what’s going on as you read Icon & Rocket, but we think as you read Icon & Rocket, you’ll want to see these other books.”
Icon & Rocket: Season One #1 is now available wherever comics are sold. Issue #2 will be released on August 24th.
I haven’t written an ongoing comic book series since BLACK PANTHER. While most of my timein the comic book world has been focused on managing the rebirth of the entire Milestone Universe, there was one book I wanted to personally write. Check out this preview of ICON &ROCKET! Book in stores Tuesday, July 27 th .
SNEAK PEEK: Preview DC Comics ICON & ROCKET SEASON ONE #1
By Carlos Morales
Long ago, the stranded alien known as Arnus gave up hope of returning to his home planet. Tragically, he’d also realized that his adopted home of Earth was beyond saving. Content to waste away his long life in a human guise, Arnus was past caring…until the day a young woman named Raquel Ervin crashed into his life. Soon she’d convinced him to put his incredible power to work again as the heroic Icon…and to transform her into his sidekick, Rocket! But an innocent question on Rocket’s part-Why can’t we do something about the drugs on my corner?-quickly set a chain of events in motion leading to the pair becoming the most hunted beings on Earth…and they’re not just being pursued by Earthlings, either! Writer, director, and producer Reginald Hudlin (Black Panther: Who Is the Black Panther?) and superstar artist Doug Braithwaite unleash a tale of power and responsibility that will stretch from the boardrooms of corporate America to the jungles of South America and the depths of deep space! If you’ve ever thought there were certain things that a superhero story just couldn’t do, it might be time to start thinking different…
