Icon

Milestone Comics was a reaction to the lack of diversity in super-hero comic books and publishers. Thus, the bulk of the characters were non-White folks from the fictional city of Dakota. It trod an interesting ground by mixing classic super-hero themes and archetypes with a minority worldview.

Like the other 1990s new super-hero lines, Milestone had little time to thrive before the market glut and speculative collecting collapse hit devastated the industry. It may also have come a bit before its time given the conservative tastes of readers back then.

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Background

Powers & Abilities

Strength Level

Icon possesses superhuman strength on a vast scale. He can easily lift cars and other large unwieldy objects. The most explicit example of his superhuman strength can be seen in his encounter with Superman. Despite the fact that is strength is still significantly lower than that of a Kryptonian, he was still able to hit Superman hard enough to stagger him for several seconds.

Known Superhuman Powers, part 1

As a result of the process by which Icon’s Terminan DNA was intermingled with “maximized” human DNA, Icon gained superhuman physical strength, durability and endurance. The exact measure of his durability is unknown at this time (and has never been portrayed consistently. If he is taken unaware he seems to be more prone to injury.

In most of his appearances, his body is invulnerable enough to resist small arms fire in addition to most impacts that would be delivered by a human being. However, he once he received a bloody nose as a result of being struck in the face with a rifle butt. He has also been rendered unconscious by a cannon ball fired from point blank range (less than 20 yards).

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In the event that Icon has been injured, his body repairs the cellular damage at an enhanced rate. He can fully heal from most wounds within a day or two.

Icon’s sensory organs may have been affected by the genetic maximization process as well. In any case, his 5 senses are more advanced than those possessed by ordinary humans. He perceives events in a manner that is counter-intuitive to most humans, and in most cases seems to be supernaturally perceptive.

With but a glance, he was able to discern that his partner Rocket was pregnant, or that his co-workers were laying in wait for him behind a thick door.

Known Superhuman Powers, part 2

One of Icon’s more spectacular abilities is his gift of unassisted flight. He can soar through the air at great speeds without any apparent method of locomotion. Presumably he does so through the unconscious manipulation of gravitons or by manipulating the earth’s magnetic fields.

Whatever the case may be, he is capable of flying at supersonic speeds, but has never been witnessed flying faster than that.

Icon’s most effective power is his ability to generate and control radiant energy. This energy is positron based, and can be used to generate a variety of effects. His usual application of this ability is to generate bolts of force that originate from his hands.

The bolts are quite potent; he is able to muster enough force to temporarily stun a being of Kryptonian  levels of power with a single blast

In the past though, he has performed several “power tricks” with his ability including:

• Simple illumination of an extended area.
• Detection of ’Bang Babies’ by flooding the immediate area with positrons (making them glow).
• The creation of a bubble of force around a foe.

It is unknown how many other applications of this ability Icon has. Prolonged use of this power is draining for Icon, so he tends to limit its use.

Finally, Icon ages at a far slower rate than that of the humans who surround him. While he is literally centuries old, he appears to be in his early 40s. Of all of his abilities, this is the only one that is not a result of his genetic maximization. Rather this trait is common amongst the Terminian race.

Abilities

Icon is a gifted orator, and throughout his career has been one of the Cooperative’s most celebrated mediators. He is thoroughly familiar with the Cooperative legal system and due to his decades of experience within the American legal system, is a highly skilled corporate lawyer as well.

As a result of his second “upbringing” on Earth, Icon is also intimately familiar with African American history.

Icon has lived through and participated in several wars during his time on the Earth. As an enlisted man, he was trained in unarmed and armed combat and is very familiar with tactics and several types of military fire arms.

Finally, Icon is obviously fluent to English and Galactic Standard, which is the native language of the Cooperative.

Paraphenalia

Augustus was grievously injured during his outing as Icon, and as such decided to take measures to prevent it from occurring again. He modified his costume to incorporate material from his life pod in order to gain further protection from physical harm, energy beams, and intense heat.

Upon his reincorporation into the Cooperative, Icon received a personal starship in order to grant him the ability to travel the interstellar distances between the Cooperative and the Earth. The starship has a faster-than-light drive, an advanced cloaking device and a vast range of other advanced Cooperative technology incorporated into its structure.

The two most impressive pieces of technology on the ship are the Info Tool and the Maker.

The Info Tool is a computerized database of virtually everything anyone within the Cooperative knows. The Tool can acquire new information from written documents, verbal accounts, and visual data inputs. The database can even scan an item (organic or inorganic) and store its molecular structure within files called “software.” The tool responds to verbal inputs and remains in contact with Icon through the use of his costumes communicator.

The Maker is an amazing piece of technology that convert energy into matter, and thus can literally create anything out of thin air. It can create any item (terrestrial or extraterrestrial) within seconds including: medication, machinery, clothing and even food. It can even repair or modify existing items by altering their molecular structure.

Icon uses the combination of the Info Tool and Maker in order to instantly construct his costume over his civilian clothing.

History

In the year 1839, the alien being named Arnus was enjoying a long deserved vacation after he had finished mediating a particularly “disagreeable” matter. He had decided to take an interstellar cruise and take in some of the more rare sights.

Unfortunately, those plans were disrupted by a seeming malfunction within the cruise ship’s faster-than-light drive. As a result of a magnetic containment rupture, the drive released superheated plasma throughout the ship.

In a panic, Arnus and the other passengers attempted to reach one of the many escape pods. Arnus was one of the fortunate that managed to reach a pod and escape the doomed ship. Unfortunately for Arnus, his pod was damaged during his escape. It was neither capable of reaching a Cooperative planet or transmitting his location.

Left with no other choice, Arnus used the pod’s long range scanners to find the closest DNA-positive planet that the pod could reach. The pod locked onto the planet Sol III (better known to its natives as “Earth”) and automatically set a course for the planet.

Slave

The pod crash landed in the middle of a cotton field in the American South. While Arnus recovered from the abrupt landing, a curious native approached the crash site. In accordance to its design, the pod used it sensors to scan the native life form for sentience, and then altered Arnus’ genetic structure and appearance to mimic that of a native infant.

In seconds, Arnus was reborn as a human infant and lifted from the damaged pod by a a kind woman named Miriam. Miriam took Arnus back to her home and raised him as her own. Arnus, who had been given the human name Augustus, spent the next few years learning the local language and customs without arousing any strong suspicion of his extra-terrestrial nature.

Despite his centuries of life, Augustus found himself constantly shocked and surprised by the humans that surrounded him. He discovered that they had implemented an intricate caste system based on skin colour. To him, who had been born into the Cooperative, this was completely irrational.

The Cooperative was made up of over 10,000 planets with at least that many different sentient species, all of which were seen as equals. And yet, on this backwater planet, they made assumptions of each other’s intellectual and moral superiority based on something as simple as skin pigment.

To make matters worse, the kind woman who had taken Augustus in was a member of the dark-skinned caste and was a slave. In the end, it mattered little. Miriam raised and cared for Augustus with love and showed him there were humans that shared many of the values that most civilized species throughout the galaxy practiced.

Over the next 15 years, Arnus discovered exactly how much raw potential humans had. He grew stronger daily and increasing harder to hurt.

It is unknown when exactly he learned the full extent of his powers, but what is known is that he used his new found strength to secretly lighten the load of his fellow slaves and to aid a resistance movement that came to be known as the “underground railroad.” 

Free Man

When Augustus’s body had reached it’s 15^th year, the institution of slavery had ended. In celebration, he took the surname “Freeman” and moved North towards America’s industrial centers. During this time, Augustus used his powers to secretly help support the “Union.”

He did so for both moral reasons and for selfish ones. The Union (or industrials) had a better chance of developing technology more rapidly. He hoped that they could drive human technology to a sufficient level that would allow him to repair his damaged escape pod.

It was during this war that Augustus realized his human body’s full potential. During a particularly nasty battle, Augustus was struck with a cannonball from point blank range. Taken unaware by the blast, he was rendered unconscious for days but made a full recovery.

When the war came to a close, Augustus took the opportunity to attend University and using his already vast experience as a mediator studied law and passed the “bar.” Now able to support himself, Augustus went back to “South” and retrieved his pod.

He also encountered an issue that was unique to him amongst the planet’s natives. As a native of Terminus he aged at a far slower rate than the humans around him. It was at this point that he came up with the scheme of staging his own death. He began the fiction of portraying his own son. He would repeat this process several times over the next 100 years.

Renaissance Man

During the Harlem Renaissance , Augustus met and fell in love with a human woman named Estelle Jackson. Estelle Jackson reaffirmed Augustus’ initial impression of the human species. She was kind, moral and as advanced as any individual within the Cooperative. The two were married, and spent time living throughout America and France.

Estelle had learned about Augustus true origins and fantastic powers very early in their relationship. Rather than feeling fear or repulsion, she encouraged him to use his abilities to help the downtrodden around him.

At her urging his joined the “Allies” during the second World War in the hopes that his and the actions of other black men would translate into greater acceptance in America at the war’s close.

Unfortunately this was not the case, it would take two decades for this to pass. At any rate, Augustus continued his acts of secret heroism which led to a series of rumours about a “mystery man.”

Corporate Man

Estelle died in 1977 of cancer. Augustus, in pain and frustrated by his inability to help, grew cold and distant from the rest of humanity. He felt unbelievably cheated by humanity’s brief lifespan; first Miriam and now Estelle. Moreover, he knew that the technology that could have cured her disease existed within the Cooperative.

Reluctant to take another risk with his feelings, Augustus resolved to never compromise them again. He redoubled his efforts to find a way to return to his home. With that, he relocated to the city of Dakota in order to be close to Alva Industries. This company’s research seemed to be approaching the level where he may be able to repair his pod’s communications equipment.

To pass the time, Augustus threw himself whole-heartedly into his work. He became a partner in a law firm that would soon be called Freeman, Katz and Freeman. Over the next few decades he became the personal lawyer to corporate leaders, Senators and multi-millionaires.

In this time, he was not personally confronted with racism of any consequence and no longer mingled with black people of any kind.

Perhaps it was a product of his agelessness, or maybe it was simply the product of his environment. But Augustus had forgotten where he had come from and exactly what he had gone through to get there. He would not remember any of it, until he met a young teenaged girl named Raquel.

Armed robbery

Augustus was at home relaxing after a taxing day at work on a quiet night in the year 199x, when a group of teens broke into his home looking for valuables to take. Augustus confronted the youths, and in the heat of the moment, was shot in the chest by Noble.

The children were afraid initially, but lost all semblance of order when Augustus sat up unharmed. Insulted and angry, Augustus flew after the youths as they rushed out of his home and apprehended them before they could exit his property.

After lecturing the youths upon the foolishness of their ways, he forced them to promise not to steal anything again and to keep his powers a secret. When had received their promises he sent them on their way, thinking the matter was settled.

A Passionate Voice

To his surprise, a few days later one of the teens from the attempted burglary came strolling confidently into his office. She introduced herself as Raquel Ervin and made an interesting proposition for Augustus; that he use his gifts to become a costumed superman.

The two began a heated debate. Raquel spoke with a voice of passion and represented all of those disenfranchised youths that she felt needed a hero … an Icon. Augustus dismissed her simple reasoning, and argued that if the black youth of the day really wanted to rise above their situation they simply would.

In the end, they had to agree to disagree, but Raquel had the last word. She reminded Augustus that it was easy to rise above your issues… if you could already fly.

Augustus sat quietly for some time after Raquel left and thought deeply about her words. She reminded him of Estelle so very much, and her words and idealism struck a chord within his ancient heart. Before he realized it, he was looking at the designs that she had created for his costume and puzzling out how he would have it made.

The People’s Champ

A few weeks later, the duo had worked out the details of their arrangement. Augustus had assumed the super-heroic identity of Icon, while Raquel, using the modified inertia winder from his escape pod, became his side-kick Rocket.

The two made their public debut during an armed assault on the Mayor’s office. The police were initially mistrusting of the pair, but after a short conflict, realized that the two were on their side.

With the police’s blessing, Icon and Rocket stormed into City Hall and confronted the Mayor’s captors. Even though he was on the receiving end of some horrific wounds from their leader, Icon eventually defeated the armed terrorists and rescued the Mayor.

In the meantime, Rocket had subdued Payback, the Bang Baby who was leading them, and coaxed his motives out of him. Icon listened in to Payback’s sad story, and realized that he was only searching for the truth of what happened on the night of the Big Bang.

Icon promised Payback that he would find out the truth of the matter, and bring the true culprits to justice. With that, Icon and Rocket became media darlings and the official heroes of Dakota.

Making Waves

Over the next several weeks Icon went on a tear. He fought crime of every size seemingly everywhere at all times. His investigations of the origins of the Big Bang eventually brought him into direct conflict with the Blood Syndicate.

Icon was initially defeated by the super-powered gangbangers, but Rocket’s timely appearance gave him enough time to regather his wits and force the Syndicate to parlay.

The Syndicate told Icon what little they knew of the truth behind the Big Bang and the two groups parted ways. It was at this point where Icon realized the inherent danger of the course he had embarked on. He also advised Raquel to quit due to her pregnancy. But Raquel refused to give up her new life until it was absolutely necessary.

World’s Collide

It was during this period of time that a postal worker named Fred Bentson triggered his superhuman ability to open dimensional rifts. He opened a portal two another universe. Somehow, unexplainably, Fred became a living gateway between the Milestone universe and the DC universe.

As Bentson lost control of his powers the two universes came close to merging. Only the timely intervention of the combined forces of Icon, Superman and their allies managed to stop him and seal the dangerous rift between their worlds.

Mothership Connection

While Icon was investigating the events of the Big Bang, Curtis Metcalf had a breakthrough. Curtis (better known as the armoured hero Hardware) was a genius level inventor that Icon had met nearly a decade previous. Augustus had given Curtis the challenge of his lifetime; to fix his pod’s communicator.

Though it had taken him nearly 10 years to do it, Curtis finally succeeded.

Augustus’ people finally made contact with him, and were prepared to bring him home. Augustus was jubilant and eager to return home, once he had completed his business in Dakota.

While Curtis had been solving a puzzle that had plagued him for a decade, Icon had discovered the truth behind the Big Bang. When his people arrived in Earth space to bring him home, he asked for enough time to bring the culprits to justice.

He did so, but not before running afoul of the criminal organization “The System” and renewing a past conflict with one particularly powerful Bang Baby named Holocaust. Despite their powers, neither could truly provide a true threat for Icon’s strength.

The only thing left for him to do was to bid Raquel farewell. The two shared a quiet goodbye at the foot of the Dakota Bridge and Icon returned to his home on Terminus… until the Yoongar Armada threatened the planet Earth.

The Yoongar were a perplexing species for the Cooperative. They were the only race they had encountered that despite having unlimited energy and food still conquered other planets and races. With the Yoongar threatening to consume the Earth, the Cooperative were faced with a difficult choice: to help the people of the Earth or to simply stand by and watch.

Icon spent many days trying to convince the Cooperative, and particularly his clone Arnus II to save the people of Earth.

Oblivion

During this time, the psychotic killer Kali’kak finally reached Earth, seeking vengeance upon his most hated foe. Nearly 200 years prior, Arnus had mediated a trial which resulting in Kali’kak’s imprisonment.

In retaliation, upon his escape from his jailers, Kali’kak sabotaged the faster-than-light drive on the cruise ship that Arnus was to travel on causing it to disintegrate in space.

When Arnus was discovered to be alive upon the Earth, Kali’kak experienced a frustration that he had never felt before. He immediately set out for the small blue planet with the intention of killing him personally. Unfortunately for the citizens of Dakota, Icon had already returned to the Cooperative when Kali’kak arrived.

Kali’kak assumed the name Oblivion upon his arrival .While wearing a version of Icon’s costume, he set about murdering every human being he encountered. He defeated the new Rocket and murdered Buck Wild, Icon’s replacement.

Raquel came out of retirement (she had given up the super-heroic life in order to raise her son) and attempted to halt Oblivion’s rampage on her own. Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t.

But when all seemed lost Icon returned. Before joining the battle, Raquel had sent a plea to the Cooperative in the hopes that it reached Icon before Oblivion murdered every living soul in Dakota.

With Icon’s arrival, Oblivion’s defeat was inevitable. Though the battle was fierce, it was decidedly one-sided and Kali’kak found himself in the custody of the intergalactic authorities once more.

All Good Things Must End

With Oblivion’s defeat and the Yoongar’s approach, Icon had little reason to stay on Earth. He returned to the Cooperative once again with the intention of persuading them to aid the people of the Earth. But this time, he returned with a secret weapon: Raquel.

Raquel addressed the Cooperative’s council, and eloquently pleaded her case on the Earth’s behalf. While the council deliberated over their next course of action, Raquel acted like any impulsive teenager, and attacked the Yoongar armada herself. Icon was forced to go to her aid, and the two heroes actually repulsed the invading armada on their own.

With the immediate threat of Earth’s destruction alleviated, Arnus had an interesting choice to make. In his time back with the Cooperative, he realized that very little had changed, but he had changed very much. With his clone, Arnus II, living his life he had very little to do and very little chance at making a true difference.

With that in mind, Arnus decided to remain Augustus Freeman and return to Earth as its protector and hero. Both Icon and Rocket arrived home to a heroes welcome, and continued to defend Dakota City until the series’ end.

Description

Arnus, aka Augustus Freeman IV, appears to be a tall African-American male. He has a broad and wide chest, and carries layers of thick muscle across the entirety of his body. His features are relatively typical of those found in African American males and his skin is a dark brown.

When he first appeared on the scene, he wore his hair cut close to his scalp, but without decoration or design. In the closing issues of the series, Icon adopted a fade (a typical yet fashionable hair cut amongst African Americans in the early 90s).

As Icon, Augustus wears a red skin-tight body suit that covers him from head to toe. The suit is accessorized with golden thigh and armbands, a golden ring that sits prominently in the centre of his massive chest and an disproportionately long green cape.

Augustus Freeman IV is a tall, strong-featured African American with a powerful build and well-tailored attire appropriate to a prominent lawyer. As Icon, he wears an armoured red bodysuit with gold thigh- and armbands, a green cape clasped by a gold ring (the ring itself is harnessed to Icon’s chest by dark grey straps), dark grey gloves and boots, and a domino mask that make his eyes appear pupil-less.

If Arnus adopted his natural features, he would presumably resemble Arnus II, his clone. In that case he would be a hairless pale blue humanoid with a near-featureless face (no nose or lips, only a hint of a brow) and glassy smooth lilac-coloured orbs for eyes.

Personality

Arnus’ personality is a unique product of his alien life and his upbringing on Earth. He has complete faith in the system of justice, and will follow the system to its ends. He is a cautious individual, and tends to analyze situations thoroughly.

This trait sits in stark contrast to his youthful sidekick, Rocket, who tended to follow her gut and act on instinct. By the end of the series, Rocket’s impetuousness and enthusiasm had begun to affect Icon. In some cases he even began to follow her lead.

As Augustus, Arnus always carries himself with a formal and somewhat aloof air. While he is a caring and compassionate man, his stoicism tends to hide this. It usually takes some time for the average person to see through his stoicism to see the man that lies beneath.

As Icon, Arnus really plays up his natural charisma in order to play the role of the “people’s hero.” He become far more approachable, smiles a lot more and seems much more comfortable in front of people.

His manner of speech remained the same though, which often drew criticism from the people he apprehended and many of the African American onlookers. They claimed that he was a “sell out” or “white-washed.”

Despite the criticism that he often endured, Icon whole-heartedly accepted his role as an inspiration for the down-trodden. He attempts to be the best role-model he can at all times.

In combat, Arnus is as pragmatic as he is in all other aspects of his life. He is not above fighting dirty to win. When fighting Superman, a being far more powerful than he, Arnus attempted to drown his Kryptonian foe in order to take some of the fight out of him. He’s unafraid to resort to tactics or take actions that another being might perceive as dishonourable in order to win the battle.

Icon was a staunch conservative and follower of the Republican party. He was physically present to witness its original inception as Republican president Abraham Lincoln helped free the slaves (such as himself and his adopted mother). Again (as with most things), his beliefs were diametrically opposed to Rocket’s, who’s views were decidedly liberal.

The two would debate and argue passionately often from their different view points, but in the end they both managed to draw each other towards closer to the mid-point of their respective beliefs.

Quotes

“I sincerely hope that whatever you’re about to pull out of your coat is made of chocolate because I promise you, I’m going to make you eat it.”

“How could they live like this ? How could I let them ? I pretended that those who suffer under such conditions must have brought them upon themselves. And while they have lived without hope… I have lived a lie.”

“We respond to problems with appropriate force, Rocket.”

“I’m Icon. I’m here to help.”

“I’m tired. I’m injured. I’ve had a very tough day… so I think it would be best if you and your men gave yourselves up before I lose my temper.”

“I intend to hold myself to a very high standard. I ask no less of you. I challenge you to challenge yourselves. You are all gifted with special abilities. Strive to live up to your potential as I will strive to live up to mine. I can fly… so can you !”

“I’m in a hurry. If you don’t give yourselves up and go peacefully, I’ll have to do you damage.”

DC Universe History

With the merger that occurred between DC and Milestone Universes during the “World’s Collide” Crossover, it is apparent that the Milestone Universe is one of the alternate universes that remained after the Crisis.

With this in mind, all of the events of Icon actually occurred in the DC Universe, and that Icon or Rocket could be encountered by the player characters through the clever application of the Dimensional Travel power.

After the events of the Infinite Crisis and the New 52, the characters of the Milestone Universe are folded directly into the DC Universe, and Dakota city is presumed to have been always present.

By Bryan Gittens.

Source of Character: DC Comics Milestone Imprint Series – Icon, created by Dwayne McDuffie (author) and MD Bright (illustrator).

Helper(s): Kynn Bartlett (v1.1), Roy Cowan. Helpers for the v1 – Brian & University of Scranton, Roy Cowan, The Milestone Rave  and Dwayne McDuffie’s website .

Writeup completed on the 13^th of January, 2013.