Dwayne McDuffie's Incredible Legacy


Friday, February 20th would have been Dwayne McDuffie's 64th birthday. In comics, he's best known as the co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of Milestone Media -- home to Static, Icon & Rocket and more. He arguably had an even better career in the world of television animation, first with Static Shock, then serving as Story Editor for Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, Ben 10 and the list goes on. His last screened work, a direct-to-DVD adaptation of Mark Waid's Tower of Babel, is probably my favorite standalone DC animated film.

An outspoken champion for diversity in media, I often wonder how we would speak of Dwayne had he lived. Would he finally get the acclaim he was due in comics? Would he have made the leap from animation to live action? Feature films? Who else would he have discovered and promoted along the way? Instead, he passed away following a heart procedure 15 years ago, just one day after his 49th birthday. Instead of wondering what could have been, I spent some time last week celebrating the awesome legacy he left behind.

WATCH: 'Diversity, Representation, and Comics... Explained' -or- 'The Awesome Legacy of Dwayne McDuffie'


Take the 100k Challenge!

Speaking of Dwayne's legacy... This Wednesday will see the release of The New History of the DC Universe: The Dakota Incident. A 40-page labor of love by nearly 30 creatives, this one-shot will officially fold the Dakota Universe into current DC Comics continuity after decades as a standalone pocket-universe. Writer Joe Illidge says this book is the litmus test to see if Static and the other Milestone heroes can sustain an ongoing series. He believes selling 100,000 copies of this one-shot will send a strong message to the DC brass, so I say head to your shop and grab a copy (or five)!

In case you're looking for more recommendations, here's this week's Pull List.

Read Something Dope Today,

BJ KICKS

Comics Are Dope

Celebrating everything Dope about comics. Curated by BJ KICKS.

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