Icon (character)
{{For|the Marvel Comics imprint|Icon Comics}}
{{Primary sources|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox comic book title
| italic title = no
| title = Icon
| image = IconM0.jpg
| imagesize =
| caption = Icon and Rocket from Icon #41, art by Wilfred Santiago.
| schedule =
| format =
| limited =
| ongoing = N
| 1shot =
| genre =
| publisher = DC Comics
| date = 1993–1997
| startmo =
| startyr =
| endmo =
| endyr =
| issues = 42
| main_char_team =
| writers = Dwayne McDuffie
| artists =
| pencillers = M. D. Bright
| inkers = Mike Gustovich
| letterers = Steve Dutro
| colorists =
| editors =
| creative_team_month =
| creative_team_year =
}}
{{Infobox comics character
| character_name = Icon
| image =
| imagesize =
| converted =
| caption =
| real_name = Arnus
| publisher = Milestone Media
| debut = Icon #1 (May 1993)
| creators = Dwayne McDuffie (writer)
M. D. Bright (artist)
| species = Terminan
| homeworld = Terminus, The Cooperative
| alliances = Underground Railroad
Union Army
United States Armed Forces
Shadow Cabinet
Justice League
| partners = Rocket (student & protege)
| supports =
| aliases = Augustus Freeman IV
| powers = Formidable hand to hand combatant
Well trained armed/unarmed combatant
Vast superhuman strength
Superhuman speed, reflexes, stamina and senses
Flight
Nigh-invulnerability and durability
Enhanced mental perception
Regenerative healing factor
Extraordinary longevity
Ability to generate and project positron energy blasts
| cat = super
| subcat = Milestone Media
| addcharcat2 = DC Comics superheroes
| hero = y
| villain =
| sortkey = Icon
}}
Icon (Arnus; alias Augustus Freeman) is a fictional superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, one of the headline characters introduced by Milestone Media in the 1990s. A being from another planet, he has taken on the form of an African-American man, and has abilities such as flight, super-strength, and invulnerability. He uses these in partnership with Rocket, a human teenager using his alien technology, to protect the people of the fictional city of Dakota.
Publication history
{{Expand section|1=more info on the Milestone (pre-DC) years|date=January 2010}}
An original character from Milestone Comics, he was created by Dwayne McDuffie and M. D. Bright and first appeared in Icon #1 (May 1993). Although published and distributed by DC Comics, the Milestone titles took place in a different continuity. In addition to guest appearances in other titles, the character appeared monthly in his own series, until the Milestone imprint was discontinued in 1997. In 1994, the character was involved in Worlds Collide, a month-long crossover between Milestone and DC Comics' Superman titles.
In the late 2000s, the Milestone Universe and characters were revived and merged into the DC Universe, as part of an agreement between DC Comics and Milestone Media. The merger treated the characters as new to the universe, ignoring the previous crossover. Icon, along with Shadow Cabinet, appeared in Justice League of America (vol. 2) #27, written by McDuffie.
Fictional character biography
Icon is a Terminan alien who is stranded on Earth in the 1800s after the starliner he is on malfunctions and jettisons him in a life-pod.Icon #1 (May 1993)Icon #8 (December 1993) He is discovered and adopted by a slave named Miriam, whose DNA the pod absorbs to give Arnus a human disguise.
Due to his longevity, Arnus periodically assumes the identity of his own son. By the late 20th century, he is posing as Augustus Freeman IV, the great-grandson of his original human identity, and becomes a superhero alongside his protégé Rocket.Icon #25 (May 1995){{Cite web |date=November 11, 2010 |title=Icon #1 Review |url=http://worldofblackheroes.com/2010/11/11/icon-1-review-2/ |website=World of Black Heroes |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Icon #2 Review |url=http://worldofblackheroes.com/2011/02/28/icon-2-review/ |website=World of Black Heroes |language=en-US}}
In Final Crisis, Orion kills his father Darkseid, destabilizing the multiverse. Dharma transfers the Milestone characters to the DC universe, altering history so that they always existed there.Justice League of America (vol. 2) #34 (June 2009)Justice League of America (vol. 2) #28 (December 2008)Superman #688 (July 2009)
Supporting characters
- Raquel Ervin/Rocket: Raquel saw Augustus Freeman IV use his powers when his home was being robbed, and convinced him to become a super hero, as well as take her on as sidekick. All of Rocket's superhuman powers derive from her inertia belt, based on tech from Icon's ship.
- Darnice/Rocket II: Raquel's best friend, Darnice took on the role of Rocket while Racquel was on maternity leave (one insisted upon by both Icon and her close friends).
- Amistad Ervin is Raquel's infant son, named for the Spanish slave ship and for her partner, Icon.
- Rufus T. Wild/"Buck Wild, Mercenary Man" is a superhero who possesses superhuman strength and durability, and is a parody of Marvel Comics character Luke Cage. He is recruited to replace Icon when he returns to his home planet before being killed in battle with Oblivion.
Powers and abilities
Due to his hybrid physiology, Icon possesses a variety of superhuman abilities that are unusual even for a Terminan. He possesses superhuman physical abilities and senses and can fly and generate energy.Icon #5 (September 1993)Icon #6 (October 1993) Furthermore, Icon is a skilled combatant and lawyer.
Icon's costume further increases his durability and can be summoned and dispersed at will. His starship can travel at light speeds, become invisible, and possesses a computerized database and a factory that can replicate matter.Icon #31 (November 1995)Icon #36 - 41 (April 1996 - January 1997)
Collected editions
=Trade paperbacks=
| class="wikitable" | ||||
| # | Title | ISBN | Release date | Collected material |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1
|Icon: A Hero's Welcome |{{ISBN|1-56389-339-8}} {{ISBN|1-4012-2549-7}} |1996 (Reprint: October 6, 2009) |Icon #1–8 | ||||
| 2
|Icon: The Mothership Connection |{{ISBN|1-4012-2711-2}} |June 8, 2010 |Icon #13, 19-22, 24-27, and 30 |
In other media
Icon appears in Young Justice, voiced by Tony Todd.{{cite web |title=Icon Voice - Young Justice (TV Show) |url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Young-Justice/Icon/ |access-date=November 9, 2024 |publisher=Behind The Voice Actors}} A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. This version is an associate, later member, of the Justice League.
Politics
Icon is a conservative Republican who holds conservative views on economic and social issues, which often put him in conflict with more liberal Milestone Comics superheroes, including his sidekick. Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas was an avowed fan of Icon, to the extent that he quoted the character on multiple occasions; upon learning of this, author Dwayne McDuffie, who in the blog post he wrote on the matter described himself as very liberal, suffered writer's block out of fears that dialogue he wrote would be used in the service of conservatism.[https://web.archive.org/web/20010527032512/http://www.psycomic.com/columns/2000/dmcduffie/20001206dmcduffie.shtml Here Comes the Judge!], by Dwayne McDuffie, at Psycomic! (via archive.org); published December 6, 2000; retrieved April 9, 2016
Awards
Icon was nominated for three Eisner Awards and is a three-time winner of Parents' Choice Award honors.
References
{{Reflist|2}}
External links
- [https://www.dccomics.com/characters/icon Official DC Comics profile]
- [https://archive.today/20121225192902/http://worldofblackheroes.wordpress.com/2010/07/03/icon/ World of black heroes: Icon Biography]
- [http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/i/icon.htm International Heroes: Icon]
- Icon at the DC Database Project
{{Milestone Media}}
{{Justice League characters}}
{{Steel}}
Category:African-American superheroes
Category:Black people in comics
Category:Characters created by Dwayne McDuffie
Category:Comics characters introduced in 1993
Category:DC Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds
Category:DC Comics characters with accelerated healing
Category:DC Comics characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability
Category:DC Comics characters with superhuman senses
Category:DC Comics characters with superhuman strength
Category:DC Comics male superheroes
Category:Fictional characters from the 19th century
Category:Fictional extraterrestrial–human hybrids in comics
Category:Fictional Republicans (United States)
Category:Male characters in comics