It was a little more complicated because McDuffie wasn't the only creator/owner
involved. Some of the others may have decided to take the money and run. The
sad thing is this probably the best outcome for the creators because of the
animosity and apathy that comic fandom as a whole has towards characters that
aren't white would have limited a full fledged relaunch of that universe. I
just hope we get the collected editions of the comics that DC promised.
I hope Dwayne continues to thrive in the world of animation because DC (and
Marvel to some degree) did him dirty in the last few years.
--- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Milton Davis <mv_media_...@...> wrote:
>
> They might not have had a choice. Aquisition negotiations always favor the
> company with the money. It basically comes down to 'if you want my money,
> this is what I want.' The owners of Milestone may have sold the company
> thinking DC would put their weight behind the Milestone projects. They were
> probably told as as much. Once they relequished the rights that dream was
> dead. I'm sure the owners made a killing, but within that they lost control
> of their creations and they may have been okay with that. They got paid and
> they got to fulfill their dream, working for a major comic book company.
>
> --- On Fri, 9/4/09, Keith Johnson <keithbjohn...@...> wrote:
>
>
> From: Keith Johnson <keithbjohn...@...>
> Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] DC Screws McDuffie and Buries Milestone
> To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Friday, September 4, 2009, 4:36 AM
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> I'm too depressed to comment. I was with Milestone from the first issues of
> Hardware, Static ("Don't Start None, and there won't be None!"), Blood
> Syndicate, then later, "My Name is Holocaust", "Shadow Cabinet", Xombi. Great
> stuff, great to see black people in major roles in comics. Hell, great to see
> a black female character finally drawn with a *butt*!
> I was heartbroken when Milestone died, and cautiously optimistic when DC
> pulled this deal. I just never felt that a company that caters to the
> mainstream was going to be able, capable, or willing to treat characters of
> color with respect, and guess I was right.
>
> Damn shame. I do wonder though, why did the guys license away all their
> rights wholesale? Why the hell not work out a deal where they could lease
> them out temporarily, or only for specific projects? But to give away all
> rights in perpetuity to your creations--not a good move!
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "ravenadal" <ravena...@yahoo. com>
> To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com
> Sent: Thursday, September 3, 2009 9:58:06 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
> Subject: [scifinoir2] DC Screws McDuffie and Buries Milestone
>
>
>
>
>
> http://selux. notlong.com
>
> DC Screws McDuffie and Buries Milestone
>
> Source: Pop Culture Shock
>
> Pop Culture Shock posted a great article here about the plight of Dwayne
> McDuffie and the Milestone characters. I am not going to go over the ins and
> outs of the events leading up to the subject of the article, but to summarize
> my understanding is that DC signed McDuffie to write for the JLA, and then
> handcuffed him by taking away the Big 3 (Supes, Bats, and WW) and then
> basically limiting him to the C,D and E team characters. As part of DCs
> overall deal with McDuffie, they also acquired the Milestone line of
> characters, including Static. Obviously, due to the popularity of Static, its
> apparent that the whole thing was to get control of Static for use in the DC
> universe. EDIT: BTW-check out the Pop Culture Shock link because it has an
> interview with McDuffie about the whole ordeal.
>
> http://www.popcultu reshock.com/ didio-plans- milestoners- static/50200/
>
> I am pretty sure that DC's committment to integrating the Milestone
> characters into the DC universe was a temporary ruse. It seems that DC is
> notorius for picking up popular characters and comic lines just so they can't
> be used anywhere else. So, here we have DC picking up Milestone and deciding
> not to use the characters at all, except for the one they wanted: Static (now
> appearing as a member of Teen Titans). The end result being that McDuffie
> can't even use or license those characters to anyone else (Marvel), or use
> them in a relaunch of Milestone (not saying that was likely, but the time IMO
> is right). DC takes the characters and places them on the shelf.
>
> Can't say I'm not surprised to see McDuffie get screwed over by DC. It isn't
> like they were very welcoming from the get go. I remember how hyped I was
> when Milestone first started. Comic books for black people by black people.
> Recently, I evengot copies of every single Milestone comic. It was
> revolutionary and those guys were ahead of their time. It was also giving
> black artists and writers who weren't getting gigs at Marvel and DC a place
> to showcase their talent and many careers were launched as a result. At that
> time there wasn't a lot of support for Milestone, and it didn't stay around
> long enough. But I think that now would be the ideal time for something like
> Milestone.
>
> With the success of Blade and Will Smith at the box office, the rise of the
> webcomics and iPhone comic viewers, and the future of comic distribution, I
> have no doubt that Milestone would have been successful on a relaunch. I know
> that McDuffie & Friends hold these characters dear to their hearts (and
> wallets) and I know that they ultimately bear the responsibilty( DC probably
> gave them a boatload of money) for the fuckery that DC is perpetuating
> against them (just because I pay for the sex, doesn't mean I want to get
> raped). So, here's to you DC, for showing your ass once again.
>
