Milestone co-founder Derek Dingle and Earth M’s roster of talent, including Alice Randall, Kyle Baker, Ken Lashley and Greg Pak, were also present to discuss their plans, which include:STATIC SHOCK, an ongoing series from Hudlin and Kyle Baker, focusing on 14-year-old Virgil Hawkins, a kid with a love of comics and science who develops dazzling, electric superpowers.
DUO, a new Earth M miniseries written by Greg Pak, introducing the twisted story of Jake and Julie Chan, a couple now sharing one body for eternity.
LOVE ARMY, a miniseries with story by Hudlin, about a secret army of women with amazing abilities and super-strength, sworn to protect the planet.
EARTH M, a new series from Hudlin and Alice Randall featuring a mysterious new vigilante character.“We know fans have been waiting for the return of Milestone Media and we’re excited to collaborate with Reggie and Denys to build this new Earth M universe,” Lee said in a statement. “This world will reintroduce iconic characters fans know and love—along with new, bold, original concepts—creating a new platform dedicated to inclusion and great storytelling.”
Milestone Media was founded in 1993 by Cowan, Dingle, Michael Davis and the late Dwayne McDuffie, with the goal of promoting diversity in the comics industry through both its characters and behind-the-scenes talent, along with an emphasis on social issues. Christopher Priest worked closely in the development of Milestone but left the company before its launch. In 2015, Hudlin, Cowan and Dingle announced the return of Milestone, under the unofficial moniker Milestone 2.0, months before the original plans for Earth-M were revealed.
Milestone’s comics debuted in the 1990s as part of a unique publishing partnership with DC — Milestone was a separate company, but its comics were published and distributed by DC, who shared the profits while Milestone retained creative control. Though the Milestone characters were originally depicted as existing in their own separate fictional universe, a 2008 revival saw them integrated into mainstream DC continuity. Now, the characters will once again be separate — but maybe not entirely.