Black Superheroes, Milestone Comics, and Their Fans (Studies in Popular Culture) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "I like the phrase "new heroes..." (more)
Key Phrases: comic book fandom, blaxploitation comics, black superheroes, African American, Milestone Media, Blood Syndicate (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Brown's effort is well intentioned, but it will leave readers confused. Its main thrust is to offer "an examination of contemporary comic book fandom as it relates specifically to the texts published by Milestone Media." One problem: Milestone has, for all intents and purposes, not published for the last several years; in fact, it has been out of business longer than it was ever in business. So how seriously can you take this book, whose narrow focus is hugely disappointing? We need a legitimate study of black superheroes, and this is simply not it. Not recommended with great bitterness. Chris Ryan, New Milford
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description

A history of the trailblazing comics that broke color barriers and portrayed African Americans in heroic storylines

What do the comic book figures Static, Hardware, and Icon all have in common?

Black Superheroes, Milestone Comics, and Their Fans gives an answer that goes far beyond "tights and capes," an answer that lies within the mission Milestone Media, Inc., assumed in comic book culture. Milestone was the brainchild of four young black creators who wanted to part from the mainstream and do their stories their own way. This history of Milestone, a "creator-owned" publishing company, tells how success came to these mavericks in the 1990s and how comics culture was expanded and enriched as fans were captivated by this new genre.

Milestone focused on the African American heroes in a town called Dakota. Quite soon these black action comics took a firm position in the controversies of race, gender, and corporate identity in contemporary America. Characters battled supervillains and sometimes even clashed with more widely known superheroes. Front covers of Milestone comics often bore confrontational slogans like "Hardware: A Cog in the Corporate Machine is About to Strip Some Gears."

Milestone's creators aimed for exceptional stories that addressed racial issues without alienating readers. Some competitors, however, accused their comics of not being black enough or of merely marketing Superman in black face. Some felt that the stories were too black, but a large cluster of readers applauded these new superheroes for fostering African American pride and identity. Milestone came to represent an alternative model of black heroism and, for a host of admirers, the ideal of masculinity.

Black Superheroes gives details about the founding of Milestone and reports on the secure niche its work and its image achieved in the marketplace. Tracing the company's history and discussing its creators, their works, and the fans, this book gauges Milestone alongside other black comic book publishers, mainstream publishers, and the history of costumed characters.

Jeffrey A. Brown is an assistant professor of popular culture at Bowling Green State University. He has been published in Screen, Cinema Journal, African American Review, Journal of Popular Culture, Discourse, and Journal of Popular Film and Television.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: University Press of Mississippi (December 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578062829
• ISBN-13: 978-1578062829
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #824,396 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I'm One of The Founders of Milestone Comics, November 16, 2001

By	Dwayne McDuffie (Sherman Oaks, CA United States) - See all my reviews

I'm not really here for a review, I just wanted to correct a misperception in the previous review. All of the Milestone founders were interviewed at length for this book. We're quoted from those interviews in the text.

That said, I do think it's a very good book, right on the money as far as his core "images of masculinity" thesis. I disagree with how he presents the history of Milestone's "feud" with another publisher. But even there his position is defensible from the facts as he knows them.

I think if you're interested in comics fandom, issues of racial representation or even just like the Milestone characters, this book is well worth reading.

Of course, I'm biased...

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Decent, but sometimes disjointed, August 5, 2004

By	ASK "ASK" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Jeffrey A. Brown's work is important, however his conclusions are perhaps a little overblown. His impression on how important Milestone was to both comic fans and in its influence is a little overstated. Milestone, upon the date of this work's publication, had been defunct for several years. While it's been about six months since I last looked at Brown's work, I don't believe he mentions this fact once. His last chapter on gender is important but doesn't necessarily fit as neatly into the work as I would like. However, the work in this chapter is very good. Perhaps it would have been better served as an article or the basis for another book.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AN AMAZING BOOK, December 31, 2007

By	Jose J. Rodriguez Moreno - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The history of the black superheroes in the 90s. An amazing book to understand africanamerican heroes' role in the modern comics.