#augustus freeman iv

[redbread-design]

Black History Month (2023)

February 1st marks the start of Black History Month. It's my hope to show reverence, love, and appreciation for the Black Community in my own way, which, as usual, is by drawing DC characters. There are many more I would've liked to have added (and maybe that will be a project for next year), but these felt like the essential characters to feature (through that DC lense); historical firsts, groundbreaking, both lore and culturally significant characters. Anyway, if I can recommend some Black History-centric DC material, John Ridley's (12 Years a Slave, Let it Fall) Other Side of the DC Universe miniseries really is fantastic. For interested parties who would like to further research these characters and learn more about them, I'll list them below, top to bottom, left to right:

Rocket, Icon, Mr. Terrific, Amanda Waller, Cyborg, Steel, Vixen, Mal Duncan (sometimes Herald, sometimes Manhattan Guardian), Bumblebee, Black Lightning, Green Lantern (John Stewart)

[haveyoureadthiscomic-poll]

[desperatecheesecubes]

Every once in a while you remember how terrifying it would be to actually fight Superman

[superjudge]

Characters I’d love to see in the DCEU now that James Gunn has taken the helm.

#10

Icon/Arnus (Alien Name) or Augustus Freeman IV (Human Name) is an alien from Terminus, the Cooperative who in the 1800s landed in a cotton field in the American South and became enslaved, years later he appeared under his human alias and the appearance of a black man who secretly had superpowers, when his house was broken into he used his powers and a person named Raquel Ervin who was a witness of the home invasion convinced Augustus to become Icon, with her becoming his sidekick Rocket, a native to the Dakotaverse before being in the main DC Universe, he has teamed up with the Justice League and is noted as being like Superman in terms of power

[jasposeyblog]

My commission of Icon sketch cover by Keith Williams

[cryptocollectibles]

Icon #1 (May 1993) by Milestone / DC Comics

Written by Dwayne McDuffie, drawn Mark Bright and Mike Gustovich.

[capesandjapes]

Today we talk about an alien man named Arnus who was turned into a baby and raised on Earth as Augustus Freeman, and a human woman named Raquel Ervin who saw his powers and convinced him to become the superhero called Icon, with her as his sidekick Rocket.

[the-antiapocalyptic-man]

Rocket and Icon

Raquel Ervin heard stories about Augustus Freeman growing up. How he was the fourth man in a row with that, sharing it with his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. How, despite that, Gus seemed to have no other relatives save his great-great grandmother, Miriam, and grandmother, Estelle. There were other details: Gus was unusual, a recluse; voted Republican, fairly wealthy, a sort of odd local icon.

Of course, while most of this was true, Raquel would find out--during an ill-advised break-in during the night of the “Big Bang”--that something was more true than the rest of it. Augustus was an alien, Arnus from Terminus, altered by his own technology to take human form. Almost two hundred years old, he briefly participated in Diana’s Society during the Golden Age, but would settle for what he felt were less ostentatious, invasive methods of helping others.

As the Big Bang spread throughout the city and left Dakota City with a metahuman population boom unseen since the Dominator Gene Bomb was dropped, Raquel took Arnus’s story and spun it into something new: a new hero, a new chance, and a new world of possibility.

[heroicadventurists]

Milestone

Static Shock, Rocket, Hardware and Icon

Milestone Returns: Infinite Edition out today 2/26 Digital First

[gltzgghln]

happy (beleted) birthday, dwayne mcduffie

(februray 20, 1962 - februrary 21, 2011)

🎉💚🌹

earth-27 static & icon designs belong to @philchoart

[thedcdunce]

Icon

“I am old by your standards. Old enough to know that justice is either for everyone, or no one.” - Icon

Real Name: Arnus

Aliases:

Augustus Freeman I-IV

Gender: Male

Eyes: Brown

Hair: Black

Race: Terminan

Powers:

Unique Physiology

Terminan Physiology

Abilities:

Law

Hand-to-Hand Combat (Advanced)

Multilingualism

Equipment:

Icon Costume

Icon's Starship

Universe: 

Dakotaverse

New Earth

Base of Operations:

Freeman Estate, Prospect Hills, Dakota City

New York City

Paris

Citizenship: 

American

Cooperative

Marital Status: Widowed (Estelle Freeman; wife)

Occupation:

Lawyer

Soldier

First Appearance: Icon #1 (May, 1993)

Powers

Unique Physiology: Icon's lifepod altered his DNA so he would resemble a normal human being, thus enabling him to blend among Earth's natives. A side effect of this process was the maximization of his now human/alien genetic structure. Thus, Icon possesses a variety of superhuman abilities that are unusual even for a Terminan.

Superhuman Strength: Icon possesses vast strength due to the maximization of his DNA and alien heritage. He can lift over 100 tons effortlessly. Due to his alien heritage and the maximization of his potential as a human being, he has near limitless strength.

Superhuman Speed: Icon possesses the ability to move at superhuman speeds, and is immune to the effects of traveling at high speed. The exact limits of Icon's speed isn't known.

Superhuman Agility: Icon can move from place to place in the blink of an eye. His agility, balance, and bodily coordination are far beyond the natural physical limits and capabilities of the finest human specimen.

Superhuman Reflexes: Icon possesses the ability to think, move, and react at superhuman speeds. Icon's reflexes are superior to those possessed by the finest human specimens.

Superhuman Stamina: Icon's body also generates fatigue poisons at an incredibly slow rate, granting him superhuman stamina in all physical activities.

Flight: Icon flies by manipulation of gravitons, manipulation of magnetic fields, control of his absolute molecular movement, and utilizing his superhuman speed. His top speed has not yet been determined.

Enhanced Senses: Icon possesses superhuman senses.

Enhanced Vision

Enhanced Hearing

Enhanced Sense of Smell

Enhanced Sense of Taste

Enhanced Sense of Touch

Invulnerability: Icon seems to possess nigh-invulnerability, being capable of withstanding tremendous impact forces, high caliber bullets, exposure to extreme temperatures and pressure, and powerful energy blasts without sustaining injury.

Accelerated Healing: Despite his near invulnerability, it is possible to injure Icon. However, he can recover from most wounds with astonishing speed.

Self-Sustenance: Icon can survive in harsh environments without air, food or water, and his bodily evacuations aren't needed. He's also able to survive unaided in space.

Energy Projection: Icon has the ability to generate and control a radiant energy based on positrons. He can manipulate this energy for various effects.

Concussive Force Bolts: Icon can release positron energy from his hands as bolts of concussive force. A low power force bolt can flick on a light switch but at maximum power the amount of damage is unknown.

Force Field: Icon can use positrons to create quasi-solid energy fields to entrap opponents. By expanding his field in every direction, Icon can generate a devastating pulse of positron energy.

Stun Bolts: Icon can project low-energy bolts that render human beings unconscious by disrupting the electrical impulses in their nervous systems. Icon can also use these bolts like an electromagnetic pulse to overload electronic devices.

Energy Enhanced Punches: Icon can focus positron energy into his fists, which he can then use to shatter any substance.

Positron Field: Icon can detect the presence of Bang Babies within his vicinity by flooding an area with a field of positrons. The field interacts with the invisible quantum well surrounding a Bang Baby, who then glows as he or she gives off mild gamma particles. Hence, Icon can use these fields to distinguish Bang Babies from other metahumans as well as normal humans.

Terminan Physiology

Decelerated Aging: Icon possesses extraordinary longevity, enabling him to age at a vastly slower rate than that of human beings. Hence, though centuries old, he appears to be no older than forty. Icon's lifespan is usual for a Terminan and is the only power that is not the result of his genetic maximization.

Abilities

Law: Icon is among the Cooperative's most celebrated mediators. He has extensive knowledge of the Cooperative legal system as well as decades of experience in his chosen field. Icon is an equally adept corporate lawyer due to his mediator background and a century's worth of experience in American law.

Hand-to-Hand Combat (Advanced): Icon is also a formidable combatant. Icon is well trained in unarmed and armed combat, having fought in major conflicts ranging from the Civil War to World War II. Some opponents underestimate Icon's abilities since he tries to peacefully settle disputes before pummeling his foes.

Multilingualism: Icon is fluent in English and Galactic Standard, the native language of the Cooperative.

Equipment

Icon Costume: Icon wears a costume composed of alien materials that grant him further protection from projectile weaponry, energy beams, and intense heat or cold. On his command, the Info Tool aboard his starship uses its Maker to construct Icon's costume over his civilian clothing. When no longer needed, the costume is disassembled, converted back to energy, and stored in the Info Tool's structural files.

Icon's Starship

History

In 1839, an alien starliner malfunctioned and exploded, and a jettisoned lifepod crashed in the middle of a cotton field in the American South. The pod automatically altered the appearance of its passenger named Arnus to mimic the first sentient life-form who discovered him. That life-form was a slave woman named Miriam, who saw the pod crash land. And so it happened that Miriam found inside a baby boy with her mother's eyes.

In the present, Arnus is still with us. He did not age visibly beyond adulthood; to disguise this fact, he periodically assumed the identity of his own son. By the late 20th century, he was posing as Augustus Freeman IV, the great-grandson of his original human identity. Still marooned, Augustus waits for Earth's technology to catch up to his lifepod's. Secretly possessing superpowers that belie his human appearance, he has always performed quiet acts of charity. But one night, Augustus' house is broken into, and he uses his powers for the first time in decades, an action witnessed by Raquel Ervin.

Raquel is an idealistic teenage girl who was born in Paris Island, the poorest, most gang-ridden neighborhood in Dakota. Her prospects seemed fairly bleak until a chance encounter with Augustus Freeman IV. After seeing him use his powers, Raquel persuaded Augustus to become a superhero named Icon, with herself as his sidekick, Rocket.

Augustus is portrayed as a very intelligent, somewhat stiff kind of person. Due to his upper-class job as a big time lawyer and "proper" way of speaking; is often criticized as being a "sell out" or "white washed". He usually prefers to do everything by the book instead of acting on instinct. During the majority of his series, Icon mostly fought plain street criminals and those who gained powers from Dakota's Big Bang.

Fun Facts

Icon held conservative views on economic and social issues, which often put him in conflict with more liberal Milestone Comics superheroes, including Rocket. Under Rocket's influence, he eventually began re-evaluating his views.

Icon is a conservative Republican and presumably has been a member of the GOP since the United States' Reconstruction period.

Icon is a strong believer in the self-reliance philosophy of Booker T. Washington. Considering Icon's age, it would not be surprising if he personally knew Washington.

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

Icon is also known as Hero of Dakota and Arnus Prime.

[redsnerdden]

Icon No.1-Review

Milestone Media's Icon No.1-Review, a great story that still holds up today. #DwayneMcDuffie #MilestoneMedia #DCComics #Comics #BlackHistoryMonth

In September, I reviewed one of the first four issues that Milestone Mediahad published about a Superhero Teen called Static, now I am going to review another title from Milestone called Icon, about a being from another world who takes the form of an African American man named Arnus, but he poses as the grandson of the man who first found him; while his abilities are invulnerability, super…

[travisellisor]

pages 4 and 5 from Justice League of America (2006) #28 by Jose Luis, J.P. Mayer, Pete Pantazis, Dwayne McDuffie and Travis Lanham

[docgold13]

365 DC Comics Paper Cut-Out SuperHeroes - One Hero, Every Day, All Year…

July 21st - Rocket

Raquel Ervin was born in Paris Island, the poorest, most crime-ridden neighborhood in the city of Dakota. She aspired to be a writer and to achieve great thing yet lacked inspiration and support.  This changed when she met Augustus Freeman IV, a corporate lawyer who was secretly a stranded alien with superhuman powers. Raquel met Freeman while she and her friends were robbing his home. Amazed by the sight of Freeman’s incredible abilities, Raquel convinced him to become the superhero known as Icon; and to take her on as his sidekick, naming herself ‘‘Rocket.’ While in costume, Rocket wore a belt that utilized alien technology that allows her to manipulate kinetic energy (bestowing her flight and the ability to generate force shields).  While ostensibly Icon’s sidekick, Rocket was very much the driving force of their heroism, wearing down Icon’s aloof outlook and helping him realize his great potential to bring about positive change.

 Rocket temporarily retired from super heroics when she discovered she was pregnant with her and her former boyfriend’s child. She has since returned to active duty and assisted Icon and The Shadow Cabinet in an adventure that involved teaming up with The Justice League. Rocket has since become an adjunct member of both The Justice League and Young Justice. 

The heroine first appeared in the pages of Icon #1 (1993).

[hellyeahheroes]

Saturday Series Spotlight: Icon

Raquel Ervin was an outspoken, liberal-minded, idealistic teenager that wanted to change the world as a writer but was a little bit too easy to get talked into dumb decisions by her friends. Including when they convinced her to try to rob a house of a rich lawyer, Augustus Freeman IV. Raquel discovered that the guy had superpowers. You see, Augustus’ real name is Arnus, he is an alien whose ship crashed on Earth in 1839 and his ship saved his life by basically making his body be reborn as a child based on the first intelligent being to touch the ship - a black slave woman. Augustus has lived through slavery, civil war, Jim Crow and civil rights movement, hiding his immortality by posing as his sons and eventually amassing himself a good life. Until the day Raquel showed up. Or rather the day she showed up again, a few days later. She tried to convince Augustus that with his powers he could become a hero and set up a positive example to the black community of Dakota. 

Augustus became a superhero Icon and Raquel used his technology to become his sidekick, Rocket. Together they faced equally fantastic problems like aliens or superpowered criminals (sharing an arch-nemesis with Static in fire-powered crimelord, Holocaust). But they also tackled all kinds of political issues, like police brutality, teen pregnancy or reproductive rights. And even some meta-commentaries like when they got to meet Buck Wild, the Mercenary Hero - a character through which Dwayne McDuffie voiced his many, many issues with Luke Cage. It should be noted that while Icon is a titular character, McDuffie admitted it is Raquel who is the real protagonist.

Icon remains a classic to this day and is considered McDuffie’s Opus Magnum, even if Static outshines the series in popularity. Hell, even Alan Moore, who hates that superhero comics keep existing at all after Watchmen, has praised Icon as an incredibly creative title. Sadly you cannot get this book legally right now - there are no ComiXology issues or trade collections. This will hopefully change with the planned return of Milestone Media - the last picture above is one of the teasers for it - which promises both returns of the characters and reprints of classic comics. The relaunch has been caught in a lawsuit that pushed it back four years, but it appears to have been settled. Here is hoping it means more people will be able to soon read both classic and new adventures of Icon and Rocket.

- Admin

[camleecomics]

Black History Month Challenge 2020 (2016 Throwback) Day 22

Icon/Arnus/Augustus Freeman IV (Milestone Comics, DC Comics)

Debut: Icon #1 (May 1993)

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