Who IS the Munson?

It’s Day 3 of Milestone week here at Munsonisms!, and that brings part two of the Shadow War crossover in the form of Icon #9,.  In this issue partners become divided as the Shadow Cabinet and the Star Chamber make more recruitment pitches.  Our story, expertly crafted by Dwayne McDuffie and M.D. Bright, begins with another segment in the “get to know your milestone heroes” series hosted by Dharma. 

Dharma explains that he is a man who is “doomed to see and know all… past, present, and future”, and he reveals in his visions of Icon and Rocket’s actions since the beginning of the series, that they are both vital to the coming conflict.   This three page spread does a lot to inform the new reader just what each character’s motivations are, Icon wants the truth about the Big Bang and Rocket is the heart and soul of the duo’s partnership and heroic actions, and it does a good job in getting people up to speed.

When we last left our two heroes, Rocket had just learned the truth about Icon’s extraterrestrial origins and was dealing with this knowledge by returning to the spot where they first forged their partnership, the Paris Island Bridge.  While she was sitting on the ruined bridge, processing not only all the information she had just been given but also deciding what she was going to do about her recently revealed status of being pregnant, Holocaust approached her.

Holocaust comes to Rocket on behalf of the Star Chamber, and he feeds her the exact same rhetoric that Headmaster gave to Harm in Hardware #11.  They need to Rocket to help defeat the Shadow Cabinet, and Holocaust volunteered to bring her in.  He sells her on joining up with the Chamber by telling her that she is right about him not being a hero, but that he was at the Big Bang, and he will be damned if he will sit back and let something like that happen again!  Little do they know that while Holocaust is making his pitch, they are being watched by two members of the Cabinet.  They obviously have a pitch of their own to make to the young hero, and in true superhero crossover fashion, jump right in to let themselves be heard:

Let’s just take a moment here and note that the new arrivals are codenamed Donner and Blitzen…… I just gotta pray that there is a good story as to why two people would give themselves superhero names based on Santa’s reindeer.  Back to our story for now though!  Donner is indeed strong and invulnerable because Holocaust’s firey barrage does no damage to her whatsoever.  While she is taking the “heat” of Holocausts attack, Donner tells Blitzen that she can handle the situation and that she should go get Icon.  Blitzen, who is apparently a speedster, takes off as Donner shatters the Paris Island bridge with a blow to the ground sending all three remaining combatants into the water below.

While all this is going on, Icon has been continuing his quest for answers in regards to the Big Bang.  He goes back to City Hall to speak with Mayor Jefferson about the knowledge he has gathered thus far.  It truly isn’t much, as he hasn’t been able to locate a single police officer that was actually present on that fateful night.  Jefferson, as before, is trying her best to hem and haw her way out of actually discussing her knowledge of the Big Bang.  Their conversation is interrupted, however, by the arrival of an armored lunatic who seems bent on destruction and chaos:

So, Onslaught is looking to keep the Big Bang hushed up huh?  His armor suggests he is part of SYSTEM (a technology company that has shown itself to have ties to the Bang) so at least we know his motivation for keeping details of the Bang quiet.  Well he has a battle ahead of him if he thinks he can beat Icon.   The two go at it in true superhero fight fashion, with Icon getting the best of his armored foe by squishing him with an armored car.  It is here that Blitzen shows up, hoping she would have found Icon in time to help him in his battle, but alas all she can do is introduce herself:

Judging by this conversation, Icon not only knows full well who the Shadow Cabinet is, but has also told them to go jump on a previous occasion.  Shocking development there folks!  But Blitzen’s words lead us to the end of the issue, as Holocaust and Rocket are still facing off against Donner.  Holocaust and Rocket have their hands full against a “foe” who can take whatever they dish out and just keep on coming.  Holocaust comes up with an ingenious plan, as he notes that even though he can’t burn Donner, he can burn the air around her!

It appears that Dharma’s prediction from the beginning of the issue has come true as the Milestone universe’s dynamic duo has become divided.  There are many things that happened in this issue that makes the reader stop and think, particularly when Icon said that he knew who the Shadow Cabinet was.  Icon has only been doing the “hero thing” for a short period of time, but has been on Earth for well over 200 years.  Was he contacted by the Cabinet in the past, and if so how, why, and when?  Back in part one I thought that since the Star Chamber had recruited such morally ambiguous people such as Harm and Holocaust that they must be the bad guys,  However with Rocket joining them, and Icon’s obvious dislike for the Cabinet I am beginning to wonder just where the line of good and evil should be drawn.  On a more humorous note, I just hope that the next members of the Shadow Cabinet we meet aren’t named Comet and Cupid, because if they are…. I might just have to quit doing this column!

We have 4 more parts to this epic crossover to cover before it’s all said and done, and part 3 will come at you on Thursday as we take a look at Xombi #0.  Come back and join me then!

Posted on October 3rd, 2007 by Munson
Filed under: Milestone Mondays