Tuesday, February 22, 2011

REMEMBERING DWAYNE

I’m stunned, and deeply saddened, to hear that writer and producer Dwayne McDuffie has passed away.  I didn’t know Dwayne well, but I had tremendous respect for him—both as a writer and a man.  Dwayne was close friends with my old buddy Stan Berkowitz—they worked together on Justice League Unlimited, among other projects—and the three of us would sometimes go out for lunch or dinner when I visited Los Angeles.  The last time I actually saw Dwayne was in April of 2010 (we shared an extraordinary Persian meal and Dwayne graciously, generously, picked up the check), but we worked together last summer, when I wrote a Ben 10 script for him.  Dwayne was, as always, fiercely intelligent, profoundly creative, and a genuine pleasure to collaborate with.

He was also far too young to leave us.

I send heartfelt condolences, and waves of prayer, to Dwayne’s family and friends.

14 comments:

  1. I'm really sorry to hear that.

    I've always been a fan of his colloborations with Bruce Timm and Paul Dini.

    Prayers go out to his family and friends.

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  2. Although I met Dwayne back when he was an assistant editor at Marvel in the 80's, David, the first time we really worked together was when he was on staff at JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED. That show was one of the best iterations of the JL ever; better than many of the comic book versions.

    I'm still dazed by the news of Dwayne's passing. It's just a sad, sad thing.

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  3. Loved his writing! I believe he's also responsible for the essay extrapolating the finale of St Elsewhere to show that every other show on TV was also an autistic boy's fantasy. Tremendous loss to all who love wonderful, imaginative writing. RIP.

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  4. If you can find a link to that essay, Jeff, please post it here. Thanks.

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  5. I think this is it: http://www.slushfactory.com/content/EpupypyZAZTDOLwdfz.php

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  6. Whoa! This is a surprise, and a very sad one. Sorry to hear. Dwayne's name is synonymous with comics and in particular the JLU--a great animated series. I loved it. As you may recall, J.M. My sympathies go out to his family and friends! God Bless.

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  7. God bless indeed, A. Jaye. And, yes, JLU was amazing...and Dwayne was a big part of that.

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  8. Really sorry to hear this. I only had a few quick interactions with McDuffie on-line, but always enjoyed his candor and wit in those. More importantly, I really love some of his comics, top among them ICON #42, a remarkably beautiful superhero comic, which I just re-read for at least the dozenth time. As long as we have his work, to paraphrase the last line of that comic, he ain't all of him gone, neither.

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  9. Unbelievable. I remember when I met him a few years ago at the Motor city comic con, and he was a truly warm, friendly guy. I remember that a small crowd of 5 to 10gathered around him as he included as each and every person in his conversations. I could tell he not only really enjoyed what he did, but also appreciated and reveled in his fans, which sadly not enough do.

    So here's to you Mr. McDuffie, from one Detroit born comic fan to another, where ever you are now.

    Wishing you nothing but goodwill and deepest of condolences,
    Jack

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  10. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts, Bob. Dwayne staked out the internet long before many of us even thought of using it to communicate with our readers.

    Seems like a good time to re-read -- or re-watch -- Dwayne's work and be reminded of just how talented he was.

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  11. Thanks, Jack. Very glad you had a chance to meet, and talk with, Dwayne.

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  12. The news of Dwayne Mcduffie's passing has hit me very hard. I have never met him but I grew up enjoying his work on the Justice League and Static Shock animated series. And when I discovered Icon #1 I was blown away by just how wonderful this first issue was. It had interesting characters and wasn't afraid to question what life means for people living in different classes of society.
    But it's not just his writing that I enjoy. The fact that he choose to work at changing the comic industry instead of merely talking about it, has and always will inspired me.

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  13. One thing that the outpouring of grief and appreciation has made incredibly clear, Eve, is that Dwayne inspired many people with his work. And what an amazing legacy that is. Doesn't make his passing -- at such a young age -- any less of a tragedy, but it's something to hold on to.

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