Writer: Reginald Hudlin

Artist: Doug Braithwaite, Scott Hanna, & Andrew Currie

Colorist: Brad Anderson

what’s it about?

The sole survivor of a terrorist attack aboard a spaceship, Augustus Freeman crash lands on a plantation in Georgia in 1843. His escape pod comes into contact with a kindly enslaved couple, identifying themselves as higher-functioning beings who can care for him. The alien survivor morphs into a Black child and is taken in by the kindly couple. Over nearly two centuries, Augustus has amassed great wealth and isolated himself from the rest of the world. That is, until the world comes breaking through his window. A group of misguided teens, under Raquel Ervin, enter Augustus’ house to rob it. Seeing who Augustus really is, his power, and his potential, Raquel heeds his warning and decides to straighten her life out. To do that, she’s going to need his help as they make their way to become Icon and Rocket.

The Good

I thought the Static issues were great, but the team behind Icon and Rocket do a much better job of summarizing Augustus’ history and bringing Icon out of the ‘90s and into the modern era. This issue gives us a great introduction to Icon and Rocket. We see just enough of Icon’s powers to get an idea of what he is capable of with the potential to see so much more in future issues. It’s easy to dismiss Icon as a Superman clone or compare Icon and Rocket’s relationship to Batman and Robin’s, but that isn’t necessarily the case, and those comparisons are superficial at best. The team of Icon and Rocket is best compared to the Golden Age Stripsey and the StarSpangled Kid, where the younger member of the team seems to be leading the way. A solid return for a character with huge potential.

The Bad

The dialogue may lack the corniness of its 1990s counterpart, but there are moments throughout the book where it feels contrived and a little forced. I guess that’s to be expected when you’re modernizing and summarizing the origins of two characters across space and time. I am extremely interested in seeing how Augustus accumulated his fortune and the adventures he’s had since his arrival on Earth. We only get a few panels here and there. I hope future issues delve into his march across time as well as the origin of his species.

SCORE: 9.0

About the Author: Tom Tormey

Tom Tormey

Related Posts

TRENDING

TRENDING now