Maybe I should drop the “Returns” from the title. They have technically returned for three years at this point. Or I guess I can keep using it because I have no motivation to do so. Hooray laziness! Thankfully, laziness doesn’t apply to the actual books that came out in 2023 from the Milestone Universe. Now let’s take a look at what we got.
MILESTONE 30th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL
This is an interesting one to look back on. When I first read this one-shot, it was pretty good. However, as I went back and started reading some of the Original Milestone comics for the first time and revisiting this issue, I’ve grown to appreciate it more and find a bit more enjoyment the second time around. And I think that speaks to the strength of the writing. It can be enjoyed by those who are longtime fans and those who are just getting on board.
Now let’s quickly go over the various stories inside. “Universal Beings” is the one where both versions of these characters collide together. It was very interesting to see the similarities and differences between them. And I really liked how the conflict is resolved by extending a hand out to someone in need and connecting with them. “Static Beyond” takes place in the Batman Beyond universe and an older Static talks to Terry about some of the things he is going through and talks about how he faced similar issues but managed to come out through. A very touching tribute to the history of Static. “Icon Forever” sees an older version of Raquel who has a son just entering college and who has taken over the mantle of Icon. It was really interesting to see the end result of years of character development for this character. “Blood Syndicate: Epilogue” officially introduces Dharma to this version of the Milestone Universe as he looks over how the current Blood Syndicate has started out following their Season One book. He sees how they have grown into their roles as leaders and rulers of Paris Island and Dharma plans on having them join him and his Shadow Cabinet when it comes time to protect the world.
NEW TALENT SHOWCASE: THE MILESTONE INITIATIVE
I’m not even going to try to list all the short stories in this one-shot, but they are worth checking out. A bunch of new writers get a crack at writing some standalone stories with the Milestone characters. Chances are you are going to like a few more than others but that’s all right. It’s just great seeing a bunch of new people show off what they can do. I do remember one short story featuring Ebon that I enjoyed. But there are plenty of others that are just as good.
STATIC TEAM-UP: ANANSI
This takes place a short time after Static Season One and features the comic debut of the character Anansi. He was created for the Static animated show in the 2000s and has made his leap over to the comics. As a fan of that show and someone who remembers this guy, I was very happy to read this story of the two teaming up to deal with a more supernatural problem plaguing Dakota. Even got a little trip to Africa during their adventure. Strong recommendation.
ICON VS HARDWARE
This 5-issue limited series can be described as…pretty good. Hardware feels more like his original depiction from the 90s in terms of attitude and mindset. And I thought it was an interesting twist that instead of Icon following Hardware through his time travel adventures, it was mainly different versions of Icon from the timeline having run-ins with Curtis. It was all going well! Then they leaned a bit too much into setting up their eventual “Worlds Collide” event with the main DCU. Having their version of Vandal Savage was fine. If it was just that detail, then that would have been enough to sprinkle the excitement for the big crossover. But we also have Brainiac getting involved and curious about this universe and the two title characters have to, of course, team up to stop the bigger threat. It’s not like this is bad writing, but honestly, this story didn’t need to rely on building anticipation for “Worlds Collide”. We also have Rocket leaving Icon to join the Love Corps which feels pretty sudden and felt like that development could have had its own book to explore the consequences. However, I did enjoy the reveal of the Shadow Cabinet. Overall, this was a pretty good read, just some personal preferences that prevented me from saying it was great.
STATIC: SHADOWS OF DAKOTA
The 7-issue follow-up to Season One is here! Taking place both after Season One and the Anansi one-shot, Virgil has grown more into his hero role and has branched out to help his community under his civilian identity as well. But the superhero identity is needed more when a new group of shady characters starts kidnapping and killing Dakota residents. What I liked this time around is that the personal stakes are upped for Virgil as there is an important and admittedly harsh development that happens to someone he is close to. It touches a lot on real-world occurrences that sadly happen far too often. However, we also have another character from the Static show making his way over to comics - Ebon! This book does an excellent job at visually showing off what he can do and the effect he has on others. But the dynamic they establish between him and Static is very interesting and is arguably the highlight of this limited series. Out of all the books from Year Three, this is my top must-read!
And…that’s all for now. Let’s hope they announce what’s coming out for Year Four soon!