The Duality of Masculinity Between Augustus Freeman IV and Icon
The Duality of Masculinity Between Augustus Freeman IV and Icon
In the article “Comic Book Masculinity,” Jeffrey Brown highlights the prominent differences regarding the masculinity of black vs. white superheroes, and he reflects on why Milestone comics are different from other black superhero comics. Comic book superheroes and the black male body are each viewed as models of hypermasculinity, so when combining the two, to make black male superheroes, there is a significant risk of being far too hypermasculine. Outside of Milestone’s comics, black male superheroes were often viewed in more of a comical sense because of the Blaxploitation era. Milestone is different because it counteracts the possibility of overly hypermasculnity by emphasizing its characters’ intellect. However, Milestone does not abandon all ideas of masculinity.
The balance between masculinity and intelligence is what sets Milestone comics apart. Rather than having “brainless brawl after brainless brawl,” Milestone superheroes use their minds to solve problems. “Milestone does this so often with black superheroes that this allows them to develop the image of powerful black men as much more than hypermasculine brutes—tough, but not too tough.” In comparison, Image comics are almost always brainless brawls where the superheroes have completely unrealistic muscles.
To further support this idea of realism through the balance of masculinity and emphasis of intelligence, Jeffrey Brown references Milestone’s three main superheroes, Icon, Static, and Hardwire. All three superheroes use unconventional ways to win their fights, which all center on the ideology of brains over brawn. Because Milestone uses brains over brawn as the fundamental problem-solving technique, Milestone comic books offer variations of the masculine ideal that readers can easily accept. A fourteen-year-old Icon reader told Jeffrey Brown, “I like the stories where they show how Icon has affected normal people in Dakota, you
In the article “Comic Book Masculinity,” Jeffrey Brown highlights the prominent differences regarding the masculinity of black vs. white superheroes, and he reflects on why Milestone comics are different from other black superhero comics. Comic book superheroes and the black male body are each viewed as models of hypermasculinity, so when combining the two, to make black male superheroes, there is a significant risk of being far too hypermasculine. Outside of Milestone’s comics, black male superheroes were often viewed in more of a comical sense because of the Blaxploitation era. Milestone is different because it counteracts the possibility of overly hypermasculnity by emphasizing its characters’ intellect. However, Milestone does not abandon all ideas of masculinity.
The balance between masculinity and intelligence is what sets Milestone comics apart. Rather than having “brainless brawl after brainless brawl,” Milestone superheroes use their minds to solve problems. “Milestone does this so often with black superheroes that this allows them to develop the image of powerful black men as much more than hypermasculine brutes—tough, but not too tough.” In comparison, Image comics are almost always brainless brawls where the superheroes have completely unrealistic muscles.
To further support this idea of realism through the balance of masculinity and emphasis of intelligence, Jeffrey Brown references Milestone’s three main superheroes, Icon, Static, and Hardwire. All three superheroes use unconventional ways to win their fights, which all center on the ideology of brains over brawn. Because Milestone uses brains over brawn as the fundamental problem-solving technique, Milestone comic books offer variations of the masculine ideal that readers can easily accept. A fourteen-year-old Icon reader told Jeffrey Brown, “I like the stories where they show how Icon has affected normal people in Dakota, you