Earth M will debut eventually and some things will likely change. I thought it would be good to make a short list of things that would be important. I feel like without these three things, Milestone just wouldn't be Milestone. Below is a list of three things that the new Milestone must have to be successful:
3. Diverse Writers and Artists
When people think of Milestone they often think, black comics by black writers. Specifically, they think black men wrote and illustrated everything. The thing is, there was way more going on in the Milestone offices than people would think. Take for example Maddie Blaustein who was a transwoman who wrote the mini-series Deathwish that followed a transitioning detective tracking a anti-hero who killed people who abused trans people. That story would have never been told if Maddie hadn't based key parts of it on her own life. Take for instance Micheline Hess, best know for her incredibly fun series Malice in Ovenland, who provided colors for several issues. I'd like to see a diverse writing and illustration staff similar to the original lineup. I think having different voices helps create great stories that wouldn't otherwise be told.
2. Tell Stories of Those Who Aren't Heard
Continuing on, I'd like Earth M to tell stories from people we usually do not hear from. Unless we go out of our way to search, we don't often get stories about trans characters. Icon is a black Republican who really didn't care for black people. Milestone had heroes who were alcoholics or addicted to crack. Modern comics might give you an issue with a message but Milestone spent almost 20 issues building up Virgil's homophobia and then isolating their biggest hero because if Static is homophobic he doesn't deserve friends. As far as I know, there hasn't been a single comic since Deathwish that dealt with the murders of trans people. Milestone was never afraid to tell these stories and I hope they don't become afraid now.
1. Don't Pull Punches
Milestone never pulled punches on any issues. If they tackled an issue they didn't polish it and make it nice for the people. They wanted to talk about homophobia and they had Rick beaten up for being gay. They wanted to talk about racism and they had Wise Son take on a group of white supremacist attacking a black neighborhood. I don't want them pulling any punches and making things nice and sweet before giving us an after school moment. Milestone was great at gripping the reality you thought you knew before tearing it apart. I'd like for that to continue.
You should buy Darrell's Book, watch him on the Blerds Online YouTube Channel or The CP Time and Powerbomb Jutsu podcasts.
