Starring Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, and Lupita Nyong’o, the superhero flick Black Panther was the first Marvel Studios film to feature a predominantly Black cast. It was also the franchise’s first film with a Black director. The film grossed over $1.3 billion worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing film directed by a Black filmmaker. But Black Panther was more than history, it was a revolution. Beyond box office records and awards, the film had a significant cultural impact. For the first time, Black people, their stories, perspectives and experiences were positively reflected in mainstream media.
Black Panther and other Black-led comic strips such Blade starring Wesley Snipes have been a part of a long and exciting tradition of Black comic strips. But not many can identify Milestone Media or their pacesetting work that paved the path for Miles Morales, the one and only Black Spider-Man. Milestone Media’s work bridged a blatant gap in the industry creating Black heroes such as Icon, Rocket, Static, and Hardware that would later inspire more popular creations.
“Every Black kid on the planet who has ever read comic books, from the day they realized that every superhero was white, has wanted to do a Black comic book company. We all had that dream,” Davis said about the importance of Black Superheroes.
Although Black voices had become more prominent in film, music, and other media, artists during the late 20th century, the comic book industry remained predominantly white. Black artists and writers had to strive twice as hard for limited opportunities and were often paid less. They had to contend with the underrepresentation and stereotypical portrayal of Black characters in comics. The only way forward was to create a comic company focused on accurately telling Black stories.
In 1993, a coalition of Black comic professionals including Dwayne McDuffie, Denys Cowan, Derek Dingle, and Michael Davis Milestone Media. They had built successful careers in the industry and were looking revolutionize story telling and representation in their medium. McDuffie had worked as an editor at Marvel and had freelanced at DC and Archie Comics. Cowan was already a highly respected artist and had drawn books like Batman and The Question. While continuing in their day job, they began to build the creative blueprint of their story.
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“Being a Black artist and surviving in this industry, you weren’t going to get the same breaks, the same kind of money, and you had to work twice as hard. We were doing major things in the industry, but also running up against major frustrations,” Cowan said about the state of the comic industry at the time.
They built the Dakotaverse, the fictional city of Dakota and home of the Milestone Super Heroes. Characters like Static, Hardware, Rocket, and Icon were designed, given origin stories, and core personality traits. The founders also created the Milestone bible which provided a history of the characters and geography of Dakota. In 1993, Milestone published its first comic, Hardware #1 written by McDuffe and drawn by Cowan. The company would go on to publish more books to critical, earning critical acclaim and a devoted fan base.
What truly set Milestone apart was its publishing deal. The company entered into a strategic partnership with DC Comics, granting DC publishing and distribution rights while maintaining its independence. Milestone was consequently able to simultaneously own its creations and the company and bring its books to a broad and established readership. Its stories addressed prevailing issues like colorism, teen pregnancy, police brutality, and racism. Writers, artists, and editors from diverse backgrounds who found it difficult to break into traditional comic publishing had a place to nurture their talents.
Despite closing in 1997, Milestone’s impact continued long after. The company nurtured the talents of writers, artists, and editors from diverse backgrounds who found it difficult to break into traditional comic publishing. Influenced by Milestone, they would go on to have successful careers and produce groundbreaking media. Milestone relaunched in 2021, inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement.
