It was November 17, 2001. I was watching the two-hour pilot episode of Justice League on Cartoon Network. I had been a fan of Bruce Timm's work on Superman and Batman so I was excited to see what they would come up with for "Justice League." Of course Batman and Superman were on the team but I was surprised at other members that showed up.
I remember in one scene Batman and Superman are fighting the alien menace and they needed reinforcements. Superman calls for them and it ends up being Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash, and Hawkgirl. I remember my mother walked into my room and saw what I was watching and said, "I don't believe it, a black Superhero!" She was referring to Green Lantern who in this series was going to be John Stewart. I was surprised also because I thought that Hal Jordan was going to be Green Lantern. I remember thinking that it was great that Bruce Timm was including a Superhero that was black in the lineup. At the time I didn't realize that was all due to Dwayne McDuffie.
Dwayne McDuffie passed away last Tuesday but the legacy he left behind will always be remembered.
He worked at Marvel Comics as an editor and created Damage Control. He started his own comic book company in 1992 called Milestone Media featuring black superheroes like "ICON", and "HARDWARE."
In 2001 he joined up with Warner Brothers and began writing on "Justice League" and "Justice League Unlimited." His work on "JLU" was incredible. There was something for everyone from 8 to 80.
Just recently he had written the script for the direct-to-DVD release of "All-Star Superman." For a full look at Dwayne McDuffie's life and career read this link from Comic Book Resources: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?id=30969&page=article.
Later on I read Dwayne's run on Justice League at DC Comics and got to see the Milestone characters "ICON" and "HARDWARE" in action. I loved it and wished he got to have a longer run with it but that wasn't to be.
Dwayne McDuffie was an activist who used comic books to not only tell great stories but also make a way for diversity in comics featuring a comic book line with different heroes and villains of different ethncities. He included a black superhero in Justice League Unlimited which featured the first interracial kiss between John Stewart and Hawkgirl. He was a pioneer whose work will live on.
Rest In Peace Mr. McDuffie and Thank you for inspiring me to write my own stories.
"The Professor"
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