Today is not only the final day of my series of tribute posts to writer and my personal hero Dwayne McDuffie, but also the 7th anniversary of his untimely passing. This last piece is something that’s been the hardest to write. A quality of Dwayne’s that I particularly admired and envied was his ability to […]
Dwayne McDuffie Week Day 6: Buck Wild, Hero for Rent!
First, Happy Birthday to what would have been Dwayne McDuffie’s 56th Birthday today. Dwayne McDuffie Week still going strong! After re-reading my Damage Control, it’s clear McDuffie had a incredible penchant for parody that not only managed to entertain but more importantly provide meaningful commentary. While there are many who loved reading the early adventures […]
Dwayne McDuffie Week Day 5: “Catching Lightning in a Bottle (and Other Moral Victories)” with Static Shock
There’s something incredibly gratifying that during Dwayne McDuffie Week, Black Panther became the #1 film in the world, not only beating box office records, but also the misconception that media with black heroes doesn’t have mainstream appeal. And to think there were those back in the day who were hesitant to make Static Shock merchandise despite […]
Dwayne McDuffie Week Day 4: Killing Joke Sequel Pitch
Between the Milestone years and the time he found newfound respect in the animation industry, Dwayne McDuffie worked as an online journalist to pay the bills. Nevertheless, he still persevered pitching comic ideas as hard as he could, despite the ongoing frustrations with the industry and the comic book market crash. One such pitch was […]
Dwayne McDuffie Week Day 3: Five Favorite Moments in DAMAGE CONTROL
Nothing can stop the force that is Dwayne McDuffie Week! While Dwayne McDuffie is primarily remembered today for his deep superhero action stories, it may be hard to believe that early in his career he was pigeonholed as a comedy writer. The majority of photos you’ll find of McDuffie feature him with a serious expression […]
Dwayne McDuffie Week Day 2: The Cover DC Comics Was Afraid to Print
Dwayne McDuffie Week continues! Two of the many qualities I admired about McDuffie were his idealism and honesty. Perhaps he was a little too honest for the tastes of mainstream comics publishers. Anyone who saw the “The Color of Comics” episode of Robert Kirman’s Secret History of Comics documentary series on AMC about Milestone Comics […]
Dwayne McDuffie Week Day 1: Validation through Black Panther
I make no secret of the tremendous respect and admiration I have for the life and work of the late/great writer Dwayne McDuffie (in case the constant references in my past Beat articles weren’t enough of a clue). Despite having an award in his name, it always frustrated me that each year since McDuffie’s tragic […]