DC launches the Milestone Initiative to identify and empower Black and diverse creators

DC is looking to "identify, educate, spotlight, and empower" the next generation of Black and diverse creators in the comic book industry with the Milestone Initiative, a new program as part of the publisher's new talent development program, Next Generation DC (NGDC), designed so that "the stories of the next century are truly reflective of the world around us."

The program is a collaboration between DC, parent company WarnerMedia, Milestone Media, and Ally, a digital financial services company.

The Milestone Initiative was announced Friday evening in advance of Saturday's DC Fandome by Milestone Media producer Reginald Hudlin who was a guest on TBS's Friday Night Vibes, a movie show that combines comedies, action blockbusters, and "culturally significant storytelling inclusive of diverse voices."

Hosted by comedians/actors Tiffany Haddish and Deon Cole, Friday Night Vibes' Haddish and Cole interviewed Hudlin in between breaks during a double-feature of the superhero-themed Suicide Squad and Hancock, both starring Will Smith.

For accepted participants, the Milestone Initiative development program includes a one-week in-person training summit in DC's Burbank, CA offices from February 14 to February 18, 2022, where they will "make connections, create community, and begin an immersive course to help hone creative skills and better understand the comic book industry."

The summit will be followed by an eight-week virtual at-home course where participants will receive technical training via the Dover, NJ graphic art-focused The Kubert School to "hone their storytelling skills and become part of the next wave of great comic book writers and artists."

I'm not just the Newsarama founder and editor-in-chief, I'm also a reader. And that reference is just a little bit older than the beginning of my Newsarama journey. I founded what would become the comic book news site in 1996, and except for a brief sojourn at Marvel Comics as its marketing and communications manager in 2003, I've been writing about new comic book titles, creative changes, and occasionally offering my perspective on important industry events and developments for the 25 years since. Despite many changes to Newsarama, my passion for the medium of comic books and the characters makes the last quarter-century (it's crazy to see that in writing) time spent doing what I love most.