Icon (character)

For the Marvel Comics imprint, see Icon Comics.

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.

Icon
Icon and Rocket from Icon #41, art by Wilfred Santiago.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
Publication date	1993–1997
No. of issues	42
Creative team
Written by	Dwayne McDuffie
Penciller(s)	M. D. Bright
Inker(s)	Mike Gustovich
Letterer(s)	Steve Dutro

Icon
Publication information
Publisher	Milestone Media
First appearance	Icon #1 (May 1993)
Created by	Dwayne McDuffie (writer) M. D. Bright (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	Arnus
Species	Terminan
Place of origin	Terminus, The Cooperative
Team affiliations	Underground Railroad Union Army United States Armed Forces Shadow Cabinet Justice League
Partnerships	Rocket (student & protege)
Notable aliases	Augustus Freeman IV
Abilities	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

Publication history

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.^[1][2] He is discovered and adopted by a slave named Miriam, whose DNA the pod absorbs to give Arnus a human disguise.^[1]

Due to his longevity, Arnus periodically assumes the identity of his own son.^[2] 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.^[2][3][4][5]

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.^[6][7][8]

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.

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

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.^[9][10] Furthermore, Icon is a skilled combatant and lawyer.^[2]

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.^[9][11][12]

Collected editions

Trade paperbacks

#	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.^[13] 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.^[14]

Awards

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