Now airing on HBO MaxMilestone Generations is an hour long chronicle of Milestone Media's far too short history. 's documentary. The first ever comic book company owned by a black artist to tell the stories of black characters, the company enjoyed four years of his run in the 1990s thanks to a publishing deal with DC. DC is a potentially revelatory reminder of how a handful of writers, artists and businessmen were ahead of their time in promoting cultural expression.
Milestone generation: Stream or skip.
Bottom line: Cliff Smith (better known as Method His Man) is sitting behind the teacher's desk in a staged classroom, talking about cartoons. (Side note: I would love to take that class. It was decades until the needles started moving in DC's Black Lightning hero in the 1970s. LaMarr said Black Lightning was afro on and afro off. I'm amusing myself by imagining how I'm talking.
Denys Cowan was a teenager when the character's funny book debuted, and he started reading comics and reading comics. By the early 1980s, he was a stable member of DC (Marvel included, but omitted here) and producedThe Question. He made a name for himself drawing, and the Flash, and Deathlok and... the occasional black hero like Prince, yes, the musician and one-off subject of DC Comics.
1990 When talking about the explosive crossover of black culture in the early 80s, the method shifts to black history: hip-hop, sports superstars,In Living ColorIn 1992, Cowan wandered through comics. Reflecting on the notable lack of people like him who draw and star in comics, he came up with the idea of starting his own company made up of black creators telling stories about black characters. He partnered with Michael Davis, Dwayne McDuffie, and Derek T. Dingle to found Milestone Media, and get this - they commissioned DC to publish and distribute the book. When they retained ownership of the characters.
So captive.And WHAPPO.They came up with Blood Syndicate and the characters Static, Icon, Hardware, and so on. They all represent black culture, no attention to detail, the books are a little more expensive than others due to the intricate coloring system that can represent different black skin tones. The docs are a bit smudged on the numbers, but Cowan and others all attest to solid sales stats for their books. Superhero comics never appeal to non-black readers. Clashes and divisions ensued. By 1997, Milestone's comics had stopped making books, but Static gave them new life with his animated TV series Static Shock. Until 2020, when Milestone is reborn as a comic (available now), from some of the founding artists to a series of new artists sometimes responding to our turbulent times.There are also big plans for movies and anime. Long live the franchise.
Which movie reminds me of: NoCrumbNot at all. I recall a document about anime called Enter the Anime, but this isn't really about the anime itself, it's a document about anime provided by a particular streaming company, not really a document, A promotional reel in all its glory.
Notable Performances: LaMarr is an interesting person who can also put the subject in the right context. But Cowan is a consistent and steady presence in the document, and with serious conviction he is the man to tell the story of Milestone.
Memorable Line: Opening Narration: "When I was a kid, my only focus was on drawing cartoons. You say, 'I'm a black cartoonist.' I don't think so. I'm going to change the industry... All that matters is what you're going to do.No matter what, make it happen.
Gender and Skin: None.
Our opinion: Being a documentary about his DC properties produced by DC,Milestone Generations gives off a lot of propaganda scrutiny. , bridges the gap with historical retrospectives. and soft serve marketing. It maintains a playful and serious tone to gently address systemic racism in the comics industry without going too deep into heavy content. I won't name 2022's DC because I don't want his DC in the mid-1990s (or 80s, 60s, or...) to look too bad.
But I think Milestone's story will be a revelation even for those who weren't deeply rooted in 1990s comics culture. A joint work with Cowan. It has arguably flown under the radar, partly because of discriminatory attitudes, partly because of a decade of oversupply in the major comics business (many creators retain commercial rights to their property). It was a time to fight well and launch enough independent publishers to give Marvel (and DC a run for their money). Hardware and Spark did not get his marketing push like the work of the famous artist did. At least some of us will be inspired to dig out some back issues and enjoy some positive stories.
But this was way ahead of the cultural progress curve. It's also the people's story, and their innovation wasn't appreciated until the Milestone office closed. Milestone's resurgence is clearly the result of the recent push for broader representation in many entertainment media. Milestone Generations quietly claims that this handful of black men were doing it before anyone else.
OUR CALL: Milestone Generations is a worthwhile, potentially educational (and concise) watch, and one of the world's best-known comic books. Shining a light on the unsung heroes. streaming.
John Selva is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. johnserbaatlarge.com
Stream Milestone Generations on HBO Max
