Who IS the Munson?

As a long time comic book reader, I like when a continuing series offers it’s readers what has been come to known as a “Jumping-On issue”. This type of issue brings new people to the dance, but also throws in some new nuggets that the old readers will appreciate as well. With this I bring you Icon # 8!

This issue tells the tale of Icon’s final attempt to convince Rocket of his true origins, that he is an alien from another planet that is a couple hundred years old. Rocket visits Icon at his home, where her mind wanders to the events of the past few issues…. how she met the man who she would call Icon and how they became partners. Dwayne McDuffie and M.D. Bright (the best & most consistent of all Milestone creative teams I.M.O.) bring the new and old reader a 17 page “greatest hits” from the first 7 issues of Icon. But they don’t just rehash everything, they add a few new elements to the story, particularly when Icon tells of the crash that destroyed his space liner. DMZ(from Blood Syndicate) was one of the occupants of the ship, and is described by Icon as being what earthlings would call a Police Officer. This is just another of the little things that Milestone brings to the table, they love to show the parts of their universe that are interwoven together.

Now we come to the proof that Rocket wants, Icon shows her his life pod from the ship that he landed in. Here is where we get the best quote of the issue straight from the mouth of Rocket: ” I think I just figured out how a black man could be a conservative republican…. You ARE from Outer Space!” Icon goes over the features of the Lifepod, and confides in Rocket about his life before he became a proverbial “fish out of water”. He was part of a utopian society called the Collective, where most of his people were scientists or philosophers. His profession was somewhat different, he was a mediator- a settler of disputes among his people. His current life as a lawyer on earth makes sense to Rocket knowing this. He tells Rocket of how he has had to fake his own death, returning as his “son” several times.

She is writing all of this information in her journal on the Paris Island bridge, and she realizes that his life has spanned the breadth of the African-American experience. He has seen so much, and must know so much, and she can learn so much from him being his partner. This realization really has been a long time coming, and it is yet another turning point in our new heroes’ partnership/ mentorship. While she is writing on the bridge she is visited by one of the residents of Paris Island…. the issue comes to a close as the fiery menace known as Holocaust “introduces” himself to Rocket. Why he is there will be answered in the next issue which is a part of the company wide crossover that has been hinted at for many months in the pages of Milestone comics (and even in this very column)…. THE SHADOW WAR!!!

The Icon crew did a really good job of setting the table for this crossover, as they produced an issue that would be accessible to people who hadn’t read it before in anticipation of picking up some of them who want to get into the books before the big event starts. We will be covering the start of that crossover in two big weeks with a special series of columns! Next week we cover Hardware # 10, and I will have some great news and more details regarding THE SHADOW WAR!!!

Posted on August 11th, 2007 by Munson
Filed under: Milestone Mondays