Dwayne McDuffie
Dwayne McDuffie (February 20, 1962 – February 21, 2011) was a comic and television writer.
He was known for creating the animated television series Static Shop broadcast on the WB television network from 2000 to 2004, and writing and producing the animated series Justice League Unlimited and Ben 10. Dwayne McDuffie was also the co-founder of the minority-owned-and-operated comic book company Milestone Media, an independent company whose work is distributed by DC Comics. Milestone produces comics with ethnically diverse casts.
Growing up, McDuffie said, he encountered few comic-book characters who looked like him; he encountered fewer still who were simultaneously black, heroic and even remotely authentic.
“You only had two types of characters available for children,” Mr. McDuffie told The New York Times in 1993. “You had the stupid angry brute and the he’s-smart-but-he’s-black characters. And they were all colored either this Hershey-bar shade of brown, a sickly looking gray or purple. I’ve never seen anyone that’s gray or purple before in my life. There was no diversity and almost no accuracy among the characters of color at all.”
Dwayne
was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan and attended The Roeper School. Before
entering comics, he studied in undergraduate and graduate programs at The
University of Michigan, then attended but did not graduate New York University’s
Film School. He also co-hosted a radio comedy program, while moonlighting
pseudonymously as a freelance writer for stand-up comedians and late-night
television comedy programs. He is currently writing the script for an animated
feature (it’s a musical!), episodes of STATIC SHOCK! (the animated series he
co-created ), an educational interactive game, a biweekly Science Fiction
column, a monthly comic book column and is allegedly also hard at work on a
novel.
Dwayne
McDuffie is best known as the co-founder and creator of Milestone Media. He is
Editor-In-Chief of Milestone’s award-winning line of comic books, managing an
editorial operation which boasted the best on-time delivery record in the
industry for nearly four years running. He has also worked as an editor for
Marvel Comics and Harvey Entertainment. As a writer, Dwayne has created or
co-created more than a dozen series, including DAMAGE CONTROL, DEATHLOK II,
ICON, STATIC, XOMBI, THE ROAD TO HELL and HARDWARE. He has also written stories
for dozens of other comics, including, SPIDER-MAN, THE TICK, CAPTAIN MARVEL,
AVENGERS SPOTLIGHT, BACK TO THE FUTURE, HELLRAISER, ULTRAMAN, (The Artist
Formerly Known As) PRINCE and X-O MANOWAR.
Dwayne’s work on ICON has been nominated for three EISNER AWARDS. His comic book work has won eleven PARENTS’ CHOICE AWARDS, six "Best Editor" awards and a GOLDEN APPLE AWARD for his "use of popular art to promote and enhance human dignity."
Dwayne McDuffie died on February 21, 2011, he was 49 years-old.
Are you the author profiled here? Email us your official website or Let us host your primary web presence.
