If superheroes existed in the real world, and they were Black, what would happen?
That’s the core concept of Icon, which challenges the whole of the superhero genre. Created in 1993 by Dwayne McDuffie, Derek T. Dingle, Michael Davis and Denys Cowan as one of the launch titles of their Milestone Media comic book lineup, Icon tells the story of Augustus Freeman IV, a black lawyer living well in the city of Dakota but who’s secretly an extraterrestrial being who’s lived among humanity since the Civil War. However, the real star of the book is Augustus’ teenage partner Raquel Ervin, a.k.a. Rocket. It was Raquel who convinced Augustus to take on the identity of Icon and together they clean up the streets as a superheroic duo.
Over the course of their initial series, Icon and Rocket tackle issues that weren’t often found in mainstream superhero comics at that time. In issue #1, they’re confronted by a racist police force. By the end of issue #2, Rocket discovers she’s pregnant. The book contrasted their views on superheroes with other Milestone characters like Hardware and the Blood Syndicate. It even included satire with an affectionate parody of DC’s esteemed competition by way of a tiara-wearing, slogan-shouting crimefighter named “Buck Wild.” But at the heart of the series was the goal of meaningful representation, which it accomplished by believably featuring characters that speak towards the real-world concerns of those who don’t often see themselves represented in comic books.
That mission statement has been updated for today’s volatile world in Icon & Rocket: Season One,which is now available as a graphic novel. Written by Reginald Hudlin and Leon Chills and featuring art by Doug Braithwaite, this new series retells the origin story of our heroic pair, but quickly moves to address modern-day concerns.
In the 2020s, Black heroes are less of an unknown quantity, but would their methods still differ? Right away, Icon and Rocket attack every drug dealer, pusher, smuggler and hustler in Dakota, before taking their fight over to the poppy fields of Afghanistan. This catches the attention of the local news, which is more concerned with finding out the duo’s secret identities rather than relishing in their success winning the drug war. Police quickly investigate Raquel’s home and harass her mother. In Washington, the President is advised that Icon’s assault on drugs had resulted in devasting ramifications for the global economy, which for decades had relied upon the needs of the downtrodden to fuel certain facets of governmental control. Contingencies are put into place to find out what Icon’s true motives may be and how to stop him—permanently if need be.
It’s an intense vision of government’s paranoia at a large-scale rejection of capitalism, and—to borrow from the great Public Enemy—their fear of a Black planet. Through flashbacks we’re shown that Augustus’ war against slavery created the myths of the inhuman negro, bolstering the continuation of racism through his overpowered actions. This revelation confronts a criticism of the Icon of old, for if the character lived through the Civil War, why didn’t he definitively end slavery when he could? It’s a question directly thrown at the title character, and like many scenes throughout the miniseries’ six issues, it’s one without a given answer. The team of Hudlin and Braithwaite want the reader to engage with the hypotheticals and ponder what a world with Icon and Rocket might mean for their current present and possible future.
The story is told at a fast pace over its six chapters, but the essentials are delivered with enough time for the reader to consider the next problem. Icon and Rocket are heroes within their community, and that grants the lower-class citizens of Dakota the courage to stand up for themselves against those who would do them harm, whether its local gangsters or the United States government. Despite the violent reactions from the police and even some super-powered reinforcements sent to eliminate Icon, the positive outcome that Raquel promised Augustus—that people find their inner strength when given an example to look up to—proves true. Her calling to help the people benefits her community in ways never before seen in the world. Of course, the answers she finds only lead to more questions, as issues of society continually challenge her and Icon on a mental and spiritual level. It’s more than enough for the revitalization of a series that aims to tell stories well beyond those of the average costumed hero.
With Icon & Rocket: Season One, the creative team has brought Milestone’s most powerful hero into the modern day, challenging the readers’ very idea of right and wrong, good and evil on a level that resonates today. With more than enough action and commentary on the complexity of today’s problems, this is a series that can’t be missed for fans of smart superhero storytelling, whether they’re longtime Icon fans or new to his world, which feels more essential than ever.
HBO Max Acquires Streaming Rights for MILESTONE GENERATIONS, A Documentary Film About DC and The First Black-Owned Comic Book Company, Milestone Media
The Film, Directed by Justice A. Whitaker, Produced by Courageous Studios and Presented by Ally, Is Available to Stream July 29 on HBO Max
BURBANK, Calif. (July 22, 2022) – Today at San Diego Comic-Con as a part of DC’sJim Lee and Friends panel, Milestone co-founder Denys Cowan and DC Chief Creative Officer and Publisher Jim Lee announced the forthcoming documentary MILESTONE GENERATIONS, a film directed by Justice A. Whitaker. The film will be available to stream on HBO Max beginning July 29. An extended trailer for the film was debuted exclusively to Comic-Con audiences:
Narrated by award winning actor and musician Cliff ‘Method Man’ Smith, MILESTONE GENERATIONS chronicles the relaunch of Milestone Comics and Milestone Media’s mission to address not only the lack of superheroes of color in comics, but also the lack of storytellers of color creating the content.
Milestone Media – co-founded in 1993 by artist Denys Cowan, writers Dwayne McDuffie and Michael T. Davis and Black Enterprise EVP/Chief Content Officer Derek T. Dingle – collaborated with DC to create the fictional city of Dakota, and some of the most unique and innovative characters in comics, such as Static, Icon, Hardware, Blood Syndicate and more. Last year Cowan, alongside Milestone Media partner and award-winning producer Reginald Hudlin, relaunched Milestone Comics with DC to continue the Milestone mission in the future.
The film examines the founders’ trajectory throughout the last 30 years, detailing their unwavering commitment, passion and perseverance to rise to the top of the comic book industry as black creators. With tenacity and dynamic artistic expression, the creators of Milestone Media continue to influence culture and ignite revolutionary change through characters that reflect the lived, black experience.
MILESTONE GENERATIONS connects to the present industry need to identify, support and elevate emerging diverse writers and artists within the comic book world, highlighting The Milestone Initiative, a program from DC, Milestone Media, Warner Bros. Discovery and Ally that aims to empower the next generation of Black and diverse comic book creators.
Cartoonist and writer Ivan Velez Jr. (“Tales of the Closet,” Blood Syndicate,” “Ballad of Wham Kabam”); DC Publisher and Chief Creative Officer Jim Lee; writer and widow of Dwayne McDuffie, Charlotte (Fullerton) McDuffie; DC Senior Art Director Curtis King Jr.; voice actor Phil LaMarr (“Static Shock!,” “Justice League,” “Justice League Unlimited,” “Samurai Jack”); former DC President and Publisher Paul Levitz; journalist and author Angélique Roché (“My Super Hero is Black”); Milestone Media artist and color editor Jason Scott Jones; and filmmaker and author Dr. Sheena Howard (“Black Comics: Politics of Race and Representation”) are among those interviewed for the project.
The film was produced by Courageous Studios – working with DC and Ally, the presenting sponsor – and was directed by Justice A. Whitaker (“Restrictions Apply”/Vice News, Untitled Full Circle Documentary/WestBrook Studios).
The history of music in Black film is so rich, it demands a fourth tribute at the Hollywood Bowl. Following the first three wildly popular installations in 2014, 2016, and 2019, Reginald Hudlin’s Black Movie Soundtrack returns for another evening of music, movies, and more! Grammy-winning musical director Marcus Miller returns to run the show, and comedian Craig Robinson will reprise his role as host.
Featured performances will include tributes to SIDNEY POITIER and celebrating the 30th anniversary of BOOMERANG!
PERFORMERS INCLUDE:
BABYFACE!
BEBE WINANS!
ERIC BENET!
KID AND PLAY!
And more to come!
Programs, artists, dates, prices, and availability subject to change.
I’ve done a lot of animated projects over the years – BEBE’S KIDS, the first African American animated feature film, BOONDOCKS, the BLACK PANTHER animated series, PAWS OF FURY (coming out this summer)….so it was nice to be included in this historic photo.
Nickelodeon Recreates Iconic ‘Great Day in Harlem’ Photograph With 54 Black Animation Professionals (EXCLUSIVE)
Randy Shropshire/Nickelodeon Animation/Paramount Animation
In 1958, Esquire published “A Great Day in Harlem,” a photo taken by Art Kane of 57 jazz musicians ranging from Thelonious Monk to Coleman Hawkins gathered together on a New York City stoop. In an homage to that historic picture, on June 5, 2022, Nickelodeon Animation and Paramount Pictures organized “A Great Day in Animation,” which features 54 Black professionals working in animation today. Taken by Randy Shropshire with Jeff Vespa as production lead and obtained exclusively by Variety, the photo is above.
Though Nickelodeon and Paramount put the event together and hosted it on the Paramount backlot, “A Great Day in Animation” includes artists from all across the industry. The idea for the photo came from Marlon West, a visual effects supervisor for Disney whose credits include “The Lion King,” “Encanto” and the upcoming Disney+ series “Iwájú.” For decades, West has been moved by “A Great Day in Harlem,” as well as Jean Bach’s Oscar-nominated film of the same name, which documents how the photo came to be.
“I’ve had a framed copy of that photo in my office or somewhere for 30 years,” West tells Variety. “And I thought it would be cool to do the same thing with Black animators.”
Aided by his friends and colleagues Bruce Smith, Peter Ramsey and Everett Downing Jr., West began putting together a list of animation professionals to include, aiming for legends like Floyd Norman, whose work on 1959’s “Sleeping Beauty” made him Disney’s first-ever Black animator, and his close collaborator Leo D. Sullivan.
“In the original photo, Coleman Hawkins is standing front and center. He was one of the elders of those folks,” West explains. “I just envisioned Floyd Norman standing in Coleman Hawkins’ spot, and all of us radiating out from him, and Leo Sullivan and other grandmasters who have upped the game.”
Left to right: Floyd Norman, Leo D. Sullivan
It was also important to West to invite up-and-comers such as Latoya Raveneau, who recently directed “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder” and Chrystin Garland, a background painter and designer on series like “Solar Opposites.”
“If people look at this photo 10 or 20 years from now, [I hope] they’re like, ‘There’s so-and-so when they were just starting out!” West says.
After scouting around Los Angeles for different locations to take the photo, West was drawn to the New York-style buildings of the Paramount lot. (“And on a personal level, I was sleeping on floors of my friends’ apartments five blocks away from Paramount when I first moved to L.A.,” he adds.) He then reached out to the studio’s animation head Ramsey Naito, who sought the help of Camille Eden, Nickelodeon’s vice president of recruitment, talent development and outreach.
Eden had long been a fan of “A Great Day in Harlem.” “It has been long enough that I can admit this, but when the documentary came out about the photo, I actually skipped work to watch it in the theater,” she tells Variety over email. “When Ramsey Naito called to tell me about the project, I didn’t have to think twice. I immediately called my event manager, Robbie Siron, and let him know about the project. Robbie was on board, and we went for it. From the time Ramsey called, it took about five weeks to pull it all together.”
The day of the photo was emotional for many. For two and a half hours, 54 Black animation professionals (and one director’s child) met for the first time, had long-awaited reunions and shared their stories.
“The first person to show up was Leo Sullivan. He came with his family. He is such a legend, so to see him walking in was big,” Eden recalls. “Little by little, more people showed up, and I remember thinking, ‘This is really happening.’ I wish I could put into words what that felt like to see all this amazing Black talent gathering. Many hadn’t seen each other for years. Many met their idols and heroes in person for the first time.”
“Carole Holliday was there, and for the longest time she was the only Black woman I knew doing animation. I wanted to introduce her to some of these younger sisters, and it was beautiful to be able to do that,” West says. “To see her surrounded by folks who knew of her, or maybe even didn’t know they were standing on her shoulders. I was fighting back my knees knocking, my voice cracking and my eyes welling up.”
Like “A Great Day in Harlem,” “A Great Day in Animation” will stand to remind the industry that there is a wide wealth of Black artists excelling at their craft.
“I think people are going to look at this photo of 60 Black people and go, ‘Wow, I didn’t know that was that many,’ — and that’s a fraction of us,” West says. “In most of my career, I’m either the only brother in the room, or one of the few, and that was the experience of everybody there that day. So I think people are going to be surprised. It was almost [enough artists to staff] a studio standing there.”
“I hope that people interested in animation will see this photo and see several generations of people who look like them being successful and paving the way in animation,” Eden adds. “I hope that studios and executives will see this photo and think of all of the films and projects that each person in the photo had a part of and realize the impact and reach of Black talent in our industry.”
And for the people pictured, West hopes that “A Great Day in Animation” will be a worthy commemoration of a once-in-a-lifetime moment and the special nature of what they do.
“We’re in the business of making things out of thin air,” he says. “What we do does not exist [in advance]. We draw it. We build it. We sculpt it. We paint it.”
Floyd Norman during the “A Great Day in Animation” photo shoot.
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Reggie flanked by Bruce Smith, who directed Reggie’s film BEBE’S KIDS and co-created THE PROUD FAMILY; and Floyd Norman, the first Black animator at Disney – watch the documentary on his life!
Reggie and Ralph Farquhar, co-creator of THE PROUD FAMILY
