New History of the DC Universe: The Dakota Incident is an Amazing Tribute to Milestone (Review)

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DC Comics is bringing back its Milestone heroes after a long absence with a new special. It’s amazing to consider that Milestone, founded over 30 years ago by influential Black creators like Dwayne McDuffie, Denys Cowan, and Christopher Priest, was a groundbreaking and successful comic line during a difficult period for the industry. Despite its importance to DC and comics as a whole, these heroes haven’t been featured nearly enough.

DC has made efforts over the years to bring back Milestone characters. They published a Static comic as part of the main DC Universe during the New 52 era, and later, many of the original Milestone creators returned for ‘Milestone Returns,’ releasing several new short stories and limited series. However, these revivals haven’t been consistent, which has frustrated fans. Still, Static’s recent surprise appearance in the DC K.O. event gave people hope, and now a new one-shot comic will explore where the Milestone heroes stand in the current DC Universe.

Rating: 4 out of 5

PROS CONS
Great interactions between Milestone heroes Art varies from story to story
Feels like a true passion project Place in continuity feels tricky

The Dakota Incident is an Overdue Story for the Milestone Legends

As you might expect, New History of the DC Universe: The Dakota Incident continues the story begun in New History of the DC Universe #3. That previous story showed heroes such as Static, Rocket, Icon, and Hardware briefly appearing in the main DC Universe before vanishing. This new story unfolds in multiple parts, including flashbacks to the past. It also reveals that Edwin Alva, Hardware’s greatest enemy, is dead, and a message he left behind confirms he was the one who created heroes like Static.

Alva was working on the Supermen Project to build heroes for the government, but secretly he wanted Dakota to have its own powerful army to protect himself. After Alva’s death, President Lex Luthor sent the Suicide Squad to take control of Dakota and its metahumans. The resulting battle was fierce, and while Dakota’s heroes managed to survive, Luthor successfully scared them all into retiring and then covered up any proof they had ever existed.

Static, Hardware, and More Finally Get Their Due in Amazing One-Shot

The new comic New History of the DC Universe: The Dakota Incident features work from a fantastic team of creators like Stephanie Williams, Morgan Hampton, Valentine De Landro, and several others. As a longtime fan of the Static Shock cartoon and the character’s introduction to DC Comics, it was great to revisit him. This one-shot story does a wonderful job of bringing new readers up to speed while still offering an engaging experience for those already familiar with the Milestone universe.

It’s unclear if readers will fully accept the reason behind the Milestone heroes’ retirement. While I appreciated the clever use of President Luthor – shutting down Dakota’s metahumans through threats and leveraging the historical mistreatment of people of color – it seems odd that the agreement continued even after he left office. Despite this, the central ‘Dakota Incident’ is a thrilling fight, and the heroes’ forced retirement feels appropriately sad.

The artwork changes a few times throughout this single issue, likely because different artists worked on different sections. While none of these transitions are jarring, they can be a little noticeable. Overall, the artists and colorists did excellent work with the material they were given. A standout moment is the fight between the Milestone heroes and the Suicide Squad – it’s incredibly dynamic and features some impressive full-page illustrations. The beginning and ending sections are also visually engaging. Though the art isn’t perfectly consistent, it feels like the right creative team members were assigned to the right parts of the story.

I’m not sure dedicated Milestone fans will love this, but I thought it was a strong story. It’s a sad tale that really shows how determined the heroes of Dakota were, and how unfairly they were forgotten. The book has a hopeful feeling, suggesting DC is considering revisiting this world – especially now that Static is back. While it’s unclear if we’ll see more Milestone comics, this one-shot is a fitting tribute to a truly great, but often overlooked, period in superhero history.

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2026-02-25 17:43