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Milestone Comics Reading Order (Hardware, Icon, Blood Syndicate, and Static)

In 1993, DC Comics launched two major lines: Vertigo and Milestone. The first was developed to cater to an older, more mature audience, than the regular DC Comics line. The second was historically more significant as Milestone Comics was the first minority-owned comic book company, cofounded by four African-Americans who wanted to introduce a more realistic cultural diversity in American Superhero comics.

Dwayne McDuffie, Derek T. Dingle, Denys Cowan, and Michael Davis made a deal with DC Comics. Milestone would control the copyrights, the characters, the merchandising, and the creative direction, while DC Comics would print, license, and distribute the comics for a share of the profits. And so, Milestone Comics was launched in February 1993 with the publication of Hardware #1 by Dwayne McDuffie and Jimmy Palmiotti. Then came Blood Syndicate by Ivan Velez Jr. and Chris Cross, Icon by McDuffie and M.D. Bright, and Static by McDuffie, Robert Washington III, John Paul Leon, and Steve Mitchell.

The launch was a total success, but it didn’t last long. Milestone Comics ceased regular publication in 1997 due to financial difficulties. Its cultural impact was nevertheless important (and still is) and its return was discussed for a long time. It finally happened in 2021 and came with a modernized take on the now-classic comics.

Into the Dakotaverse: Milestone Comics Series

Set in the Dakotaverse, named after the fictional city of Dakota where most of the stories took place, the series in the Milestone Universe is interconnected, and the origin of many characters’ powers is tied to a single pivotal event known as the Big Bang. A gang confrontation is interrupted by the police, who use an experimental gas that kills most people exposed to it but gives superhuman abilities to a select few, known as “Bang Babies.”

Occasionally, major storylines brought all the characters together, but the shared universe didn’t only rely on those as the protagonists from different series frequently interacted. It helped develop the cohesive larger world of the Dakotaverse.

Hardware (1993-1997): The story focuses on Curtis Metcalf, a genius inventor who created advanced technology to fight corruption after discovering his mentor was exploiting him. 50 issues.

Blood Syndicate (1993-1996): The street-level adventures of a diverse group of superpowered individuals who band together after the Big Bang, forming a gang rather than a traditional superhero team. 35 issues.

Icon (1993-1997): The story of Augustus Freeman IV, an alien who crash-landed on Earth in the 1800s and became a superhero, and Raquel Ervin, a young woman who convinces him to use his powers to fight injustice. 42 issues.

Static (1993-1997): Virgil Hawkins is a teenager who gains electromagnetic powers after being exposed to an experimental gas during the Big Bang. 45 issues.

Shadow Cabinet (1994-1995) by Dwayne McDuffie, Robert L. Washington III, and John Paul Leon: A secretive group of metahumans working behind the scenes to influence events and protect the world. 18 issues.

Xombi (1994-1996) by John Rozum and Arvell Jones: The story of David Kim, a scientist turned immortal after a nanotechnology accident. 22 issues.

Kobalt (1994-1996) by John Rozum and Arvell Jones: A grizzled, no-nonsense vigilante operating in Dakota City, Kobalt was not a Bang Baby and had no superhuman abilities. Instead, he relied on his physical prowess, combat skills, and a ruthless approach to fighting crime. 16 issues.

Milestone Comics Reading Order

The Original Milestone Universe

For a long time, it was nearly impossible to find collected editions of the Milestone Comics series. They finally were made available on Digital platforms before DC Comics launched a complete reprint of the line.

The Milestone Compendium collection

This collection is reprinting all of the Milestone Comics series, miniseries, and crossovers from the original timeline in 1300-page volumes.

  • Milestone Compendium One
    Collects Blood Syndicate #1-12; Hardware #1-12; Icon #1-10; Static #1-8; Xombi #0-11; Shadow Cabinet #0
  • Milestone Compendium Two
    Collects Blood Syndicate #13-23; Hardware #13-21; Icon #11-21; Static #9-20; Shadow Cabinet #1-4; Steel #6-7, Superboy #6-7, Superman: The Man of Steel # 35-36 and Worlds Collide # 1.
  • Milestone Compendium Three
    Collects Deathwish #1-4, Blood Syndicate #24-27, Hardware #22-28, Icon #22-27, Static #21-25, Shadow Cabinet #5-13, and Kobalt #1-14.
  • Milestone Compendium Four new
    Collects Blood Syndicate #28-32; Hardware #29-38; Icon #28-37; Static #26-31; Xombi #12-21; Shadow Cabinet #14-17; My Name is Holocaust #1-5; The Long, Hot Summer #1-3.
  • More to Come!

The Original Milestone Universe: Issue-by-Issue Reading Order

  • Hardware #1-4
  • Blood Syndicate #1-4
  • Icon #1-3
  • Static #1-4
  • Xombi #1-6
  • Hardware #5-9
  • Xombi #7-11
  • Static #5-7
  • Blood Syndicate #5-10
  • Icon #4-9
  • Static #8
  • Hardware #10-11
  • Xombi #0
  • Shadow Cabinet #0
  • Hardware #12
  • Icon #10
  • Blood Syndicate #11-12
  • Static #9-13
  • Icon #11-14
  • Hardware #13-16
  • Blood Syndicate #13-15

The Worlds Collide crossover

A meeting between Metropolis-based superheroes from the DC Universe and the superheroes from the Dakotaverse.

  • Superman: The Man of Steel #35
  • Hardware #17
  • Superboy #6
  • Icon #15
  • Steel #6
  • Blood Syndicate #16
  • Worlds Collide #1
  • Superboy #7
  • Hardware #18
  • Superman: The Man of Steel #36
  • Icon #16
  • Steel #7
  • Blood Syndicate #17

After Worlds Collide:

  • Static #14
  • Shadow Cabinet #1-4
  • Static #15-20
  • Hardware #19
  • Icon #17-21
  • Hardware #20-21
  • Blood Syndicate #18-23
  • Shadow Cabinet #5-10
  • Hardware #22-24
  • Kobalt #1-6
  • Hardware #25
  • Deathwish #1-4 (a Hardware spin-off)
  • Hardware #26-28
  • Static #21-24
  • Shadow Cabinet #11-13
  • Blood Syndicate #24-27
  • Static #25
  • Kobalt #7-14
  • Icon #22-27
  • My Name is Holocaust #1-5 (a Blood Syndicate spin-off)
  • Shadow Cabinet #14
  • Blood Syndicate #28

The Long, Hot Summer Crossover:

  • Hardware #29
  • The Long, Hot Summer #1
  • Icon #28
  • The Long, Hot Summer #2
  • Static #26
  • Hardware #30-31
  • Blood Syndicate #29-30
  • Static #27
  • Shadow Cabinet #15-16
  • Icon #29
  • Kobalt #15-16
  • The Long, Hot Summer #3

After The Long, Hot Summer:

  • Hardware #32
  • Icon #30
  • Shadow Cabinet #17
  • Xombi #12-21
  • Icon #31-37
  • Blood Syndicate #31-32
  • Static #28-31
  • Hardware #33-38
  • Blood Syndicate #33-35
  • Static #32-35
  • Hardware #39-41
  • The World Needs Heroes #1-6
  • Static #36-42
  • Hardware #42-44
  • Wise Son – The White Wolf #1-4 (a Blood Syndicate spin-off)
  • Icon #38-45
  • Hardware #45-50
  • Static Shock – Rebirth of the Cool #1-4

In 2010, DC Comics published the 2-part story Milestone Forever by Dwayne McDuffie and numerous iconic artists who worked on Milestone comics before. It was created to formally integrate the Dakotaverse into the broader DC Comics multiverse. It explains how the events of Milestone Comics fit within DC’s continuity and sets the stage for future appearances of Milestone characters in DC Comics.

Milestone Returns

Launched in 2020 with the one-shot Milestone Returns #0, this rebooted version of the Dakotaverse is set in Earth-M also designated as Earth-93 in the DC Multiverse. Static, Icon, Rocket, Hardware, and others got new origin stories. It is a new entry point into the Milestone Universe.

The Milestone Returns is not ongoing. Every year, DC Comics publishes multiple miniseries and one-shots.

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