"Recommended reading! One of comics' best-kept secrets."
-WIZARD

"A young woman determined to make life better, and a powerful man who's held himself aloof for too long, learning to take part in the world and to make a difference —that's what ICON is about. And it's an absolute thrill to read. Dwayne McDuffie and Mark Bright make terrific comics, and ICON is their best to date."
-Kurt Busiek

"ICON is that rarest of creatures —a well-told adventure story that acheives genuine political depth. Highly recommended."
-Alan Moore

"I sure wish more comics were like this... Rocket is, bar none, the coolest Faithful Sidekick to come down the pike in fifty years."

-Mark Waid
"Milestone's making some great fucking comic books and ICON's the best of the bunch."
-Harlan Ellison

Following is the introduction to ICON: A HERO'S WELCOME:

A Paragon of Achievement, An Icon For Our Times
by Reginald Hudlin

In 1938, earthlings found an infant in a crashed spaceship and unleashed a cultural phenomenon that changed the world. In 1992, another infant was found in a life pod, revealing a character so powerful even a Supreme Court judge would turn fanboy. Sure, SUPERMAN launched his own incredible career as well as the superhero industry, but ICON heralded the beginning of Milestone Media, an apt title if there ever was one.

The founders of Milestone Media actually did what so many African Americans who work in large white-owned corporations talk about doing. After gaining years of experience working in "the system", three enormously talented young men pooled their talents to build a black-owned comic book company.

Some of you might sneer at attaching such importance to creating comic books (it shows a certain success for Milestone that you are reading this introduction, anyway), but for people who have suffered with "a dream deferred" for too long, having our collective fantasies delineated and distributed across the country is empowerment indeed.

But none of that would matter if the books were wack. Fortunately, ICON is dope.

Sure, ICON is a brilliant self-reflexive critique of the grand-daddy of comic book icons. What if instead of Ma and Pa Kent finding a little white baby by the side of the road,a black slave woman found a black child in the middle of a cotton field? What if instead of Robin as a boy looking for vengeance, the "kid sidekick" were a girl looking for a hero? What if instead of the hero being a beloved figure accepted by the establishment, police pull guns on Icon when he shows up to help them? What if the sidekick gets knocked up? What if - well, you get the idea.

But ICON is more than that. If you've never read a comic, ICON is still a compelling story. And all you non-Nubians: ICON is as accessible a "black thing" as jazz, hip hop and blood transfusions. The ethnicity of the characters enrich the story, but some issues are so good they'd work even if the characters didn't have super powers.

In fact, ICON is such a revolutionary creation that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas called the Milestone offices to tell them how much he enjoyed their work. This is probably the only thing on which he and I agree, which speaks well of the universality of the character.

Of course, we need black heroes. And by we, I mean the whole world. Now, for the first time since Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's BLACK PANTHER, we have in ICON not only an unembarrassing black superhero, but one that is genuinely cool.

Thanks to Milestone, we have a whole universe of black superheroes, reflecting the diversity of black people. I'm sure after you read these classic stories of ICON, you'll want to check out the rest of the Milestone line.

The whole thing is so exciting, I even considered quitting my day job to join Milestone. But then I thought, if I stop directing, how will I make the movie version?

Peace
-Reginald Hudlin

Reginald Hudlin is the director of HOUSE PARTY, BOOMERANG and THE GREAT WHITE HYPE. He is currently directing the feature film version of THE LADIES' MAN, based on the popular SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE character.