New Talent Showcase: The Milestone Initiative #1 – Ashley Allen, Cheryl Lynn Eaton, Jarred A. Lujan, Greg Burnham, Jarod Rhys Pratt, Zipporah Smith, Julio Anta, Morgan Hampton, Jerome Rhett, Nathan Cayanan, Jordan Clark, Dorado Quick, Writers; Yasmin Flores Montanez/Walden Wong, Atagun Ilhan/Wade Von Grawbadger, Kameron White/Le Beau Underwood, Marcus Smith/Roberto Poggi, Daimon Hampton/Anthony Fowler Jr., Lucas Silveira/John Livesay, Andrea Rosales/Scott Hanna, Jose Marzan Jr., Petterson Oliveira/Wade Von Grawbadger, Gregory Maldonado/Anthony Fowler Jr, Miguel C. Hernandez/Jose Marzan Jr., Charles Stewart III/Dexter Vines, Artists; Bryan Valenza, Luis Guerrero, Hi-Fi, Alex Guimaraes, Andrew Dalhouse, Chris Sotomayor, Michael Atiyeh, Nick Filardi, Colorists
Ray – 9/10
Ray: This massive anthology tells twelve stories of the Milestone Universe, via new creative teams recruited through The Milestone Initiative. Some of them already have a DC portfolio, others are completely new to me, but how does this new crew shake out?
“Third Wheel” by Allen and Flores Montanez finds Static and Rocket on a date—sort of—as they investigate a series of disappearances and fend off an attack by a ruthless assassin named Silhouette. This is a light story, with some strong character development for arguably two of the Milestone Universe’s most popular characters. Spider-Verse fans will have fun with this one.
“Blood in the Water” by Eaton and Ilhan focuses on Aquamaria—she’s really the only named character in this, and we spend the entire story in her head as she disrupts a human trafficking operation and fends off ICE. The Blood Syndicate probably had the least character development of any Milestone characters so far, and this is a strong spotlight.
“Often Imitated” by Lujan and White is another solo piece—this time for Hardware, as Curtis Metcalf discovers Alva’s next attempt to target him is a remote piloted Hardware suit. This leads to a brutal battle in a skyscraper as Curtis struggles to save others while keeping himself alive. Tense, fast-paced story.
“Ablution” by Burnham and Smith is the first truly excellent story in this volume, telling the story of Icon’s lost years on earth, the first woman he ever loved on this planet, and how he lost her but gained his faith in humanity thanks to her. Taking place over decades, it delivers a great emotional punch before shifting back to the present.
“Makings of You” by Pratt and Hampton has Hardware in the lead again, this time as a young man facing his first supervillain—a sinister figure named Soul Breaker. A twisted tech genius who specializes in psychic attacks, this character puts Curtis through a surreal series of disturbing images and hints at a larger story and new threat.
“Every World Fades” by Smith and Silveira focuses on Fade, one of the lesser-known members of the universe. This psychic gay man is deeply in love, but keeps having disturbing visuals of his boyfriend dying in different realities. It’s a surreal tale that maybe tries to do too much, but does a great job of demonstrating the psychological toll of powers like these.
“Patria Y Vida” by Anta and Rosales is a very fast-paced story focusing on the Blood Syndicate member Tech, as he infiltrates Cuba to help a freedom-fighting hacker survive a government attack. She’s naturally suspicious of an American to the rescue, but the two are forced into an alliance that delivers some great action scenes.
“What’s Left Behind” by Cyborg writer Hampton and Tiah Ankum is another excellent story, as Rocket comes into a battle between two low-level Milestone villains and an elderly hoarder who has picked up some items that are in hot demand. What starts as a standard tale develops some interesting layers, and Hampton seems to have sympathy for all parties.
“The Hate You Live” by Rhett and Olivera is a particularly tragic tale, as Static and Rocket go up against a ruthless supervillain attacking a mall. But while Rocket initially only sees a monster, Static sees the grieving man he knows—one who lost all faith in humanity after losing his son to violence. There are no easy answers here, and this one may hit close to home for some.
“Something Sweet” by Cayanan and Maldonado turns back the clock to Icon’s time as an American military attache in Cambodia, trying to keep a powerful weapon out of the Khmer Rouge’s hands. Unfortunately, this led to some serious collateral damage that opened his eyes. This is a painful story, but one with a great last-act twist of hope.
“Family Values” by Clark and Hernandez is another one of my favorites in this story, focusing on the other three members of the Hawkins family as they raise Virgil, starting with his birth and taking place over several key events in their lives—encountering racism and other challenges, including the growing pains of raising a superhero. Excellent, emotional stuff.
“My Brother’s Keeper” by Dorado Quick and Charles Stewart III focuses on the supervillain duo of Ebon and Rubber-Band Man, as Ebon searches through Dakota’s secret prisons for his brother. This story manages to nicely demonstrate just how powerful and scary Ebon is, while also giving the character some more layers that hint at a sympathetic character under the shadows.
Overall, this was a lot more engaging than I expected at first, with all 12 of the stories here ranging from good to excellent.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
