RIP Dwayne McDuffie

I am sure that many of you are just as stunned as I am to learn that Dwayne McDuffie has passed away due to complications from a surgical procedure Monday night.

Obviously, McDuffie has left behind a great legacy of characters from his Milestone work as well as his tremendously acclaimed Justice League Unlimited work (not to mention all of his other comic book work).

This is such a sad day.

On Twitter, Davis Sims mentioned an old piece of social satire by McDuffie that I once featured in a Comic Book Legends Revealed, and I recommend you check it out to reflect on what kind of keen comic book observer we have lost.

Dwayne McDuffie, Comics and Cartoon Writer, Dies

From ComicsAlliance: Dwayne McDuffie, a respected comics writer and animation producer, died Monday evening after complications from a surgical procedure.

McDuffie was best known by TV fans for creating the animated series 'Static Shock' and writing/producing 'Justice League Unlimited.' He oftened championed minority characters in comic book via his company Milestone Media.

DC Comics co-publisher Dan DiDio said, "Dwayne McDuffie left a lasting legacy on the world of comics that many writers can only aspire to. He will not only be remembered as the extremely gifted writer whose scripts have been realized as comic books, in television shows and on the silver screen, but as the creator or co-creator of so many of the much-loved Milestone characters, including Static Shock. The industry has lost a true talent."

The sad news comes on the same day that the 'All-Star Superman' animated feature went on sale in North America. Based on the comic book series by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, the screenplay was written by McDuffie, who considered the finished film to be his favorite piece of animation work and spoke with ComicsAlliance at the New York premiere.

As Comic Book Resources notes, the sad news comes on the same day that the 'All-Star Superman' animated feature went on sale in North America. Based on the comic book series by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, the screenplay was written by McDuffie, who considered the finished film to be his favorite piece of animation work and spoke with ComicsAlliance at the New York premiere.

Remembering Dwayne McDuffie

As reported earlier today by CBR News, comic writer, animation producer and respected industry veteran Dwayne McDuffie passed away due to complications following a surgical procedure he underwent Monday evening.

The Detroit native began his career as an editor for Marvel comics in the late '80s, but left the editorial ranks to pursue writing full-time. McDuffie was a longtime advocate for diversity in comics and this led to his co-founding Milestone Media, a character and diversity-driven superhero line of comics, along with Denys Cowan, Michael Davis and Derek T. Dingle. McDuffie's more recent work saw him splitting time between comics and animation, where he wrote or produced such series as "Justice League Unlimited" and "Ben 10," as well as a number of DC's recent direct-to-DVD animated films including the just-released "All-Star Superman."

CBR reached out to a number of McDuffie's friends and colleagues who have kindly allowed us to share their thoughts about McDuffie and his passing.