Black Superheroes, Milestone Comics, and Their Fans (Studies in Popular Culture Series)

What do the comic book figures Static, Hardware, and Icon all have in common? Black Superheroes, Milestone Comics, and Their Fans gives an answer that goes far beyond "tights and capes," an answer that lies within the mission Milestone Media, Inc., assumed in comic book culture. Milestone was the brainchild of four young black creators who wanted to part from the mainstream and do their stories their own way. This history of Milestone, a "creator-owned" publishing company, tells how success came to these mavericks in the 1990s and how comics culture was expanded and enriched as fans were captivated by this new genre. Milestone focused on the African American heroes in a town called Dakota. Quite soon these black action comics took a firm position in the controversies of race, gender, and corporate identity in contemporary America. Characters battled supervillains and sometimes even clashed with more widely known superheroes. Front covers of Milestone comics often bore confrontational slogans like "Hardware: A Cog in the Corporate Machine is About to Strip Some Gears." Milestone's creators aimed for exceptional stories that addressed racial issues without alienating readers. Some competitors, however, accused their comics of not being black enough or of merely marketing Superman in black face. Some felt that the stories were too black, but a large cluster of readers applauded these new superheroes for fostering African American pride and identity. Milestone came to represent an alternative model of black heroism and, for a host of admirers, the ideal of masculinity. Black Superheroes gives details about the founding of Milestone and reports on the secure niche its work and its image achieved in the marketplace. Tracing the company's history and discussing its creators, their works, and the fans, this book gauges Milestone alongside other black comic book publishers, mainstream publishers, and the history of costumed characters. Jeffrey A. Brown is an assistant professor of popular culture at Bowling Green State University. He has been published in Screen , Cinema Journal , African American Review , Journal of Popular Culture , Discourse , and Journal of Popular Film and Television . What do the comic book figures Static, Hardware, and Icon all have in common? Black Superheroes, Milestone Comics, and Their Fans gives an answer that goes far beyond "tights and capes," an answer that lies within the mission Milestone Media, Inc., assumed in comic book culture. Milestone was the brainchild of four young black creators who wanted to part from the mainstream and do their stories their own way. This history of Milestone, a "creator-owned" publishing company, tells how success came to these mavericks in the 1990s and how comics culture was expanded and enriched as fans were captivated by this new genre. Milestone focused on the African American heroes in a town called Dakota. Quite soon these black action comics took a firm position in the controversies of race, gender, and corporate identity in contemporary America. Characters battled supervillains and sometimes even clashed with more widely known superheroes. Front covers of Milestone comics often bore confrontational slogans like "Hardware: A Cog in the Corporate Machine is About to Strip Some Gears." Milestone's creators aimed for exceptional stories that addressed racial issues without alienating readers. Some competitors, however, accused their comics of not being black enough or of merely marketing Superman in black face. Some felt that the stories were too black, but a large cluster of readers applauded these new superheroes for fostering African American pride and identity. Milestone came to represent an alternative model of black heroism and, for a host of admirers, the ideal of masculinity. Black Superheroes, Milestone Comics, and Their Fans gives details about the founding of Milestone and reports on the secure niche its work and its image achieved in the marketplace. Tracing the company's history and discussing its creators, their works, and the fans, this book gauges Milestone alongside other black comic book publishers, mainstream publishers, and the history of costumed characters. 'A history of the trailblazing comics that broke color barriers and portrayed African Americans in heroic storylines What do the comic book figures Static, Hardware, and Icon all have in common? Black Superheroes, Milestone Comics, and Their Fans gives an answer that goes far beyond''tights and capes,''an answer that lies within the mission Milestone Media, Inc., assumed in comic book culture. Milestone was the brainchild of four young black creators who wanted to part from the mainstream and do their stories their own way. This history of Milestone, a''creator-owned''publishing company, tells how success came to these mavericks in the 1990s and how comics culture was expanded and enriched as fans were captivated by this new genre. Milestone focused on the African American heroes in a town called Dakota. Quite soon these black action comics took a firm position in the controversies of race, gender, and corporate identity in contemporary America. Characters battled supervillains and sometimes even clashed with more widely known superheroes. Front covers of Milestone comics often bore confrontational slogans like''Hardware: A Cog in the Corporate Machine is About to Strip Some Gears.''Milestone's creators aimed for exceptional stories that addressed racial issues without alienating readers. Some competitors, however, accused their comics of not being black enough or of merely marketing Superman in black face.' Contents......Page 8 List of Illustrations......Page 10 Acknowledgments......Page 12 Prologue......Page 14 1. Introduction: ‘‘New Heroes’’......Page 20 2. A Milestone Development......Page 34 3. Comic Book Fandom......Page 77 4. The Readers......Page 112 5. Reading Race and Genre......Page 152 6. Reading Comic Book Masculinity......Page 186 7. Drawing Conclusions......Page 208 Appendix......Page 222 Notes......Page 224 Works Cited......Page 228 B......Page 244 C......Page 245 G......Page 246 J......Page 247 M......Page 248 R......Page 249 S......Page 250 Z......Page 251 University Press of Mississippi Contents 8 List of Illustrations 10 Acknowledgments 12 Prologue 14 1. Introduction: ‘‘New Heroes’’ 20 2. A Milestone Development 34 3. Comic Book Fandom 77 4. The Readers 112 5. Reading Race and Genre 152 6. Reading Comic Book Masculinity 186 7. Drawing Conclusions 208 Appendix 222 Notes 224 Works Cited 228 Index 244 A 244 B 244 C 245 D 246 E 246 F 246 G 246 H 247 I 247 J 247 K 248 L 248 M 248 N 249 O 249 P 249 R 249 S 250 T 251 U 251 V 251 W 251 X 251 Y 251 Z 251 1578062829,9781578062829,1578062810,9781578062812 Tells How Success Came To Milestone Comics In The 1990s. Focuses On The African American Heroes In A Town Called Dakota. Represents An Alternative Model Of Black Heroism. Introduction: New Heroes -- A Milestone Development -- Comic Book Fandom -- The Readers -- Reading Race And Genre -- Reading Comic Book Masculinity -- Drawing Conclusions. Jeffrey A. Brown. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.