Editing Milestone Media (section)

==History==
===Development===
[[Christopher Priest (comic book writer)|Christopher Priest]] participated in the early planning stages of Milestone Media, and was originally slated to become the [[editor-in-chief]] of the new company, but left the endeavor for personal reasons before any of Milestone's titles were published.<ref>Priest, Christopher (September 2000). [http://christopherpriest.com/legacy/comics/milestone.html "CHAPTER FOUR: Milestone: Finally I Was There"]. "Adventures in the Funnybook Game". Official Website of Christopher Priest. Retrieved April 29, 2019.</ref><ref>[http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/sdcc-interview-hudlin-cowan-say-christopher-priest-is-part-of-milestone-20 "SDCC Interview: Hudlin, Cowan Say Christopher Priest Is Part Of Milestone 2.0"] [[CBR.com]]. July 10, 2015</ref> [[Michael Davis (comics creator)|Michael Davis]] left Milestone in 1995, after the imprint had launched, to become president of the new company Motown Animation & Filmworks.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jackson |first=Matthew |date=2019-04-29 |title=Milestone Media co-founder Michael Davis is not dead, was the victim of hacking |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/milestone-media-co-founder-michael-davis-not-dead-victim-hacking |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120174058/https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/milestone-media-co-founder-michael-davis-not-dead-victim-hacking |archive-date=2022-01-20 |access-date=2024-09-04 |website=SYFY Wire}}</ref>{{Citation needed|date=September 2024|reason=The specific yaer 1995 needs to be confirmed by a source.}} [[Denys Cowan]] soon joined him to serve as editor-in-chief.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.comics.org/issue/108960/ |title=The Crush #1|publisher=[[Grand Comics Database]]|access-date=April 29, 2019}}</ref>

All Milestone Media titles were set in a continuity dubbed the "Dakotaverse", referring to the fictional [[midwest]]ern city of Dakota in which most of the early Milestone stories were set. Before any titles were published, an extensive "bible" was created by [[Dwayne McDuffie]] and other early creators which provided [[back-story]] and information on all of the original Dakotaverse characters, as well as detailed information about the history and geography of Dakota. Cowan produced the original character sketches that served as a guide for the other artists.{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}}

===Publishing deal===
Although Milestone comics were published through [[DC Comics]], they did not fall under DC Comics' editorial control; DC retained only the right not to publish any material they objected to. Milestone Media retained the copyright of their properties and had the final say on all [[merchandising]] and licensing deals pertaining to them. In essence, DC licensed the characters, editorial services, and creative content of the Milestone books for an annual fee and a share of the profits.<ref>{{cite book | last = Brown | first = Jeffrey A. | title = Black Superheroes, Milestone Comics and their Fans | publisher = University Press of Mississippi | year = 2001 | isbn = 1-57806-281-0}}</ref> Dwayne McDuffie said that DC held up this agreement even though some of Milestone's storylines made them "very uncomfortable" as they were from perspectives that DC weren't used to.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuLg13QbSSM Unfinished Milestone documentary; 01:50 to 00:58]</ref> The biggest conflict they had was when an issue of [[Static (DC Comics)|Static]] showed the hero kissing his girlfriend on a bed, with unopened condoms visible. DC didn't want to publish this cover on grounds that it was using sex to sell comics; Milestone covered most of the image as a compromise. McDuffie believed it made DC uncomfortable because it was specifically "black sexuality", noting that the man who communicated DC's concerns at the time was standing in front of a copy of ''Legionnaires'' #16, the cover of which depicts a blonde, white character in a revealing costume posing in a sexually suggestive position.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuLg13QbSSM Unfinished Milestone documentary;10:48 to 12:37]</ref>

===Dakotaverse===
In 1993, Milestone Media launched its first four titles: ''[[Hardware (comics)|Hardware]]'', ''[[Icon (character)|Icon]]'', ''[[Blood Syndicate]]'' and ''[[Static (DC Comics)|Static]]''. At the same time, [[SkyBox International|SkyBox]] and DC issued a trading card series, ''Milestone: The Dakota Universe'' (1993).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dacardworld.com/entertainment/milestone-the-dakota-universe-hobby-box-1993-skybox |title=Card World |publisher=Dacardworld.com|access-date=2011-02-03}}</ref>

A year later, Milestone Media published its first company-wide crossover, ''Shadow War'', which spawned two more titles: ''[[Shadow Cabinet (comics)|Shadow Cabinet]]'' and ''[[Xombi]]''. Another ongoing series, ''[[Kobalt (DC Comics)|Kobalt]]'', was introduced later. Milestone also participated in an [[intercompany crossover]] with DC, called "[[Worlds Collide (comics)|Worlds Collide]]" in which [[Metropolis (Superman)|Metropolis]]-based superheroes from the [[DC Universe]] and Dakota-based superheroes from the Dakotaverse interacted temporarily.
{{Original research section|date=February 2016}}
Milestone had several advantages in its publishing efforts: their books were distributed and marketed by one of the "Big Two" comic book publishers; the comics industry had experienced remarkable increases in sales in preceding years; they featured the work of several well-known and critically acclaimed creators; they used a coloring process that gave their books a distinctive look, and they had the potential to appeal to an audience that was not being targeted by other publishers.

They also suffered from several disadvantages: the comics market was experiencing a glut of "new universes" as several other publishers launched superhero lines around the same time (a slump would start in 1993 and a market crash in 1994), and a significant number of retailers and readers perceived the Milestone books to be "comics for blacks" and assumed they would not interest non-African-American readers.<ref>Documentary 07:58 to 09:15</ref> The books received limited exposure beyond existing comics-shop customers, the coloring process added slightly to the cover price of their books, and overall comics sales had peaked around the time of Milestone's launch and declined dramatically in the years that followed. Initial sales, however, were found to be decent, albeit not as high as other companies. The perception of "comics for blacks" would be used by industry insiders to justify these early sales issues, ignoring the existence of the glut; few people at the time wanted to believe that the market conditions might be unsound and excuses were needed for why newer companies were struggling.<ref>{{cite book | last = Jacobs & Jones | first = Will and Gerard | title = The Comic Book Heroes (page 354) | publisher = Prima Communications | year = 1997 | isbn = 0-7615-0393-5}}</ref>

Milestone cancelled several of its lower-selling series in 1995 and 1996, and aborted plans for several mini-series. ''Heroes'', a new team book featuring Static and several of its more popular second-tier characters, was launched, but failed to sell well enough to justify an ongoing series. Milestone shut down its comic book division in 1997, with some of the remaining ongoing series discontinued in mid-story. It became primarily a licensing company, focusing on the [[Emmy Award]] and [[Humanitas Prize]]-winning animated series ''[[Static Shock]]''.{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}}

In 2010, DC released a limited series titled ''Milestone Forever''. Taking place in the original Milestone Universe, it detailed the final fate of several of Dakota's heroes and revealed the events that led to its earlier merger into the DC Universe.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brothers |first=David |date=2010-02-04 |title=Milestone Forever: Being Post-Racial Before It Was Cool |url=https://comicsalliance.com/milestone-forever-being-post-racial-before-it-was-cool/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140830205606/http://comicsalliance.com/milestone-forever-being-post-racial-before-it-was-cool/ |archive-date=2014-08-30 |access-date=2024-09-04 |website=Comics Alliance}}</ref>

===DC Universe===
[[File:10.5.17DakotaUniversePanelByLuigiNovi3.jpg|thumb|left|The "Return to the Dakota Universe" panel at the 2017 [[New York Comic Con]]. From left to right: DC Vice President of Creative Affairs Dan Evans (at the podium), [[Kyle Baker]], [[Denys Cowan]], [[Derek T. Dingle]], [[Reginald Hudlin]], [[Alice Randall]], [[Greg Pak]], Ken Lashley, and [[Jim Lee]]. Close-ups of the panelists can be found [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:The_Return_of_the_Dakota_Universe_panel_at_the_2017_New_York_Comic_Con here].]]
Since 2008, the Milestone Universe and characters were revived and merged into the DC Universe proper. Examples of the integration included Static joining the [[Teen Titans]]; Static, Icon, Rocket and Hardware appearing in the ''[[Young Justice (TV series)|Young Justice]]'' TV series; various character appearances in ''[[The Brave and the Bold]]''; and the Shadow Cabinet appearing in ''[[Justice League of America]]''.<ref>{{cite web |first=Jeffrey |last=Renaud |url=http://www.comicbookresources.com/?id=17453&page=article |title=CCI: McDuffie Reaches Milestone with DC |publisher=[[Comic Book Resources]] |date=2008-07-27 |access-date=2009-05-31}}</ref> An ongoing series starring Static was included in the initial 2011 launch of [[The New 52]], but was cancelled after eight issues.

=== ''Milestone Returns'' ===
{{main|Milestone Returns}}
In a January 2015 interview, writer [[Reginald Hudlin]] discussed a relaunch of Milestone Media Group, along with surviving co-founders Denys Cowan and Derek Dingle.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2015/01/21/exclusive-milestone-media-rises-again-hudlin-cowan-and-dingle-will-revive-company-with-eye-toward-characters-of-color/|title=EXCLUSIVE: Milestone Media rises again. Hudlin, Cowan and Dingle will revive company with eye toward characters of color |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=January 21, 2015 |access-date=May 6, 2019}}</ref> The following July, DC Comics announced the creation of "Earth-M" within their [[Multiverse (DC Comics)|multiverse]], which would be home to the earlier Milestone characters as well as new ones, and that one or two [[List of DC Comics imprints#Earth M|Earth M]] imprint titles would be published annually, as well as miniseries and one-shots. No further developments took place until October 2017, when it was revealed that Milestone would be returning in 2018 with five titles, including ''Milestone'' (featuring Icon and Rocket), a new Static series, ''Duo'' (based on the character Xombi), and two other new titles: ''Earth-M'' and ''Love Army''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/dc-entertainment-reginald-hudlin-relaunch-milestone-universe-2018s-earth-m-1046249 |title=DC Entertainment, Reginald Hudlin to Relaunch Milestone Universe With 2018's 'Earth M' |publisher=Hollywood Reporter |date=October 5, 2017 |access-date=May 6, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbr.com/milestone-dc-comics-earth-m/ |title=Milestone & DC Announce Earth M, Static Shock Comics |publisher=CBR |date=October 5, 2017 |access-date=May 6, 2019}}</ref> [[Charlotte Fullerton]], Dwayne McDuffie's widow who inherited his 50% share in the original Milestone Media company, sued in August 2017 over being excluded from the revived company despite the new Milestone taking over the original's Milestone IPs.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Maddaus |first1=Gene |title=Estate of Comic Pioneer Sues Over Milestone Media Revival |url=https://variety.com/2017/biz/news/dwayne-mcduffie-reginald-hudlin-milestone-media-1202512743/ |access-date=May 6, 2019 |work=Variety |date=August 1, 2017 |language=en}}</ref>

The line was finally revived in ''Milestone Returns'' #0 in September 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://bleedingcool.com/comics/milestone-returns-0-previews-in-three-weeks-from-dc-fandome-for-free/ |title=''Milestone Returns'' #0 Previews in Three Weeks from DC Fandome for Free |first=Rich |last=Johnston |author-link=Rich Johnston |work=[[Bleeding Cool]] |date=August 23, 2020 |access-date=September 12, 2020 |lang=en-GB}}</ref>