Icon (character)

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

Template:Expand section 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

In 1839, an alien starliner malfunctioned and exploded, jettisoning a life-pod in the middle of a cotton field in the American South. The pod automatically alters the appearance of its passenger, Arnus, to mimic an enslaved black woman named Miriam, who witnesses the pod land on Earth and adopts Arnus as her son.<ref name="Icon1">Icon #1 (May 1993)</ref>

Arnus possesses longevity that makes him appear to be middle-aged despite being centuries old. As a result, he periodically assumes the identity of his own son.<ref name="Icon8">Icon #8 (December 1993)</ref> 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 protége Rocket.<ref name="Icon8" /><ref name="Icon25">Icon #25 (May 1995)</ref><ref name="worldofblackheroes.com">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

DC Universe

During the Final Crisis event, Orion kills his father Darkseid, which destabilizes the space-time continuum and threatens the existence of both the Dakotaverse and the mainstream DC universe. Dharma uses energies harnessed from the entity Rift to merge the two universes, creating an entirely new continuity and altering history so that the residents of the Dakotaverse have always existed in the DC universe. Only Dharma, Icon, and Superman are aware that Dakota and its inhabitants ever existed in a parallel universe.<ref name="jla34">Justice League of America (vol. 2) #34 (June 2009)</ref>

Supporting characters

• Raquel Ervin/Rocket: Raquel saw Augustus Freeman 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 Raquel was on maternity leave (one insisted upon by both Icon and her close friends).
• Amistad Augustus Ervin is Raquel's infant son, named for the Spanish slave ship and for her partner, Icon.

File:Buckwildmsu0.jpg

Buck Wild Mercenary Man, artist M.D. Bright.

• 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

Icon's lifepod altered his DNA so he would resemble a human, thus enabling him to blend among Earth's natives. A side effect of this process was the maximization of his hybrid genetic structure. Thus, Icon possesses a variety of superhuman abilities that are unusual even for a Terminan.<ref name="Icon25" /> Icon possesses immense strength, durability, speed, and senses,<ref name="Icon25" /><ref name="Icon3">Icon #3 (July 1993)</ref><ref name="Icon2">Icon #2 (June 1993)</ref><ref name="Icon10">Icon #10 (February 1994)</ref><ref>Shadow Cabinet #0 (January 1994)</ref><ref name="jla28">Justice League of America (vol. 2) #28 (December 2008)</ref> and is able to project radiant energy.<ref name="Icon6">Icon #6 (October 1993)</ref> Icon can project low-energy bolts that can render human beings unconscious and overload electronic devices.<ref name="Icon21">Icon #21 (January 1995)</ref><ref name="Icon27">Icon #27 (July 1995)</ref>

Icon ages at a much slower rate than human beings, making him appear middle-aged despite him being several centuries old.<ref name="Icon1" /> Icon's lifespan is typical for a Terminan and the only power that is not the result of his genetic maximization.<ref name="Icon26">Icon #26 (June 1995)</ref>

Skills and equipment

Icon is an experienced lawyer with decades of experience in the field.<ref name="Icon8" /><ref name="Icon25" /> Icon is also a formidable combatant, whose fighting skills are close to those of Superman.<ref name="Icon25" /><ref name="Icon16">Icon #16 (August 1994)</ref> Icon is well trained in unarmed and armed combat, having fought in major conflicts ranging from the Civil War to World War II.<ref name="Icon8" /><ref name="Icon25" />

For interstellar journeys, Icon employs his personal starship, which possesses a faster-than-light drive that allows it to shift into the realm called hyperspace. Gravity compensators provide artificial gravity that can be adjusted.<ref name="Icon36">Icon #36 (April 1996)</ref>

Icon's starship is linked to the Info Tool, a computerized database of knowledge that scan an item (organic or inorganic) and store its molecular structure within files called "software". Apart from storing and retrieving data, the Info Tool can link to and control any computer-operated device or system.<ref name="Icon38">Icon #38 (June 1996)</ref>

The Maker is a molecular factory that can construct any physical item, molecule by molecule, from structural data files stored within the Info Tool. These data files are called "software", while objects created by the Maker are known as "hardware".<ref name="Icon31">Icon #31 (November 1995)</ref>

Icon's ship is equipped with cloaking technology that can render the vessel invisible to both the human eye and electronic surveillance.<ref name="Icon38" /> Though not typical for a civilian vessel, the cloak was installed in Icon's ship so he could use it on Earth without attracting attention.

Collected editions

Trade paperbacks

#	Title	ISBN	Release date	Collected material
1	Icon: A Hero's Welcome	Template:ISBN	1996 (Reprint: October 6, 2009)	Icon #1–8
2	Icon: The Mothership Connection	Template:ISBN	June 8, 2010	Icon #13, 19-22, 24-27, and 30

In other media

Icon appears in Young Justice, voiced by Tony Todd.<ref name="btva">Template:Cite web 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.</ref> 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 liberal, suffered writer's block out of fears that dialogue he wrote would be used in the service of conservatism.<ref name="BTYB">Here Comes the Judge!, by Dwayne McDuffie, at Psycomic! (via archive.org); published December 6, 2000; retrieved April 9, 2016</ref>

Awards

Icon was nominated for three Eisner Awards and is a three-time winner of Parents' Choice Award honors.

External links

• Official DC Comics profile
• World of black heroes: Icon Biography
• International Heroes: Icon
• Icon at the DC Database Project