I'll Join you in that Toast if you don't mind. :) Millions of people watched the JLU and probably agree with you concerning what were the best episodes, and don't know the writer, to say nothing that he was black. But the hassle he got writing the actual comic, were they knew he was black, was just outrageous and sad.
citronm1 I own all of the Justice League DVD's and was floored when I found it two of the main writers were black. I found it amazing. Even better they wrote some of my favorite episodes.
The best quote he's given: "I'm conscious of race whenever I'm writing, just as I'm conscious of class, religion, human psychology, politics-everything that makes up the human experience. I don't think I can do a good job if I'm not paying attention to what's meaningful to people and in American culture, there isn't anything that informs human interaction more than the idea of race."
Agreed. Dwayne McDuffie was a genius and just like he's an inspiration to so many other people( of ALL backgrounds and races), he's also a big inspiration for me in wanting to go and do my own comic books with my own black Super Heroes!
I remember there being an interview where someone asked McDuffie how he would feel if he went to a convention and saw white people dressing up as Static Shock, clearly trying to rile him. Chad McDuffie said he would love to see White Static Shock cosplays, because that would mean Static wouldn't just be a "black superhero" anymore, Static would be "a super hero" where anyone could relate, identify, and admire him no matter their color, creed, or gender. Dwayne McDuffie was a real class act.
3:08 He is so right about that. One example is how people keep bitching about how PIS it is that Black panther owned silver surfer. So many people keep complaining about that and saying how unrealistic it is. Yet when Capt or other heroes with little to no powers defeat someone extremely powerful they just get impressed and brag about it in battle forums. It's like when people say that the idea of a group of isolated people building Wakanda is unrealistic, yet when Tony Stark builds an iron suit in a cave the fans get impressed.
dont get me started on superman losing his powers for a day after a super flare(a knock off dbz move 😂 XD ) can STILL be alive without darkseid (and every multiversal villian that superman has EVER faced before finding him vulnerable for a day)
Unfortunately its the inherently popular psychosis of the white american. They, we. have been so insanely brainwashed since the inception of the movie, cinema, comic book eras back in the 20' and 30's, that they actually think deep down that one, they are the better race, and two, every single major important event in the existence of man has been primarily generated by them. Adam and Eve. Cleopatra. Samson and Delilah. ANY thing that implies heroic and goodness and accomplishment for the better of mankind, they take credit for it.They wont let a black actor or actress close to the stage back in the black and white era of cinema unless it was cutting the fool, acting like a clueless ignoranmus, or make the white actors and actresses shine. And it by and large has not changed. Its why cops can shot , maim, or kill black people, have it ON TAPE for a jury or officials to see, and they STILL get acquitted. And its why a lot of black movies get low rating rating wide. Example, and i just noticed this. I was looking at the cable guide. Colombiana, a thriller drama, starring Zoe Saldana received a ONE star rating. The movie coming on after it Lucy, starring the immensely popular Scarlett Johansson, received a THREE star rating. Sorry, though i thought it was ok, it was AT MOST, no better than the aforementioned Colombiana. Whats the difference? Its rated by its popularity among white mainstream americans. In other words, if white folks do not like it nationwide, its deemed sub par, or bad. And actually nothing could be further from the truth. Every race sometime in the existence of man has had its hayday, but you ARE NOT about to see any hollywood writers putting that kind of shine on african americans, their history or their culture. So, kids do your research and know what history REALLY says about you.; and not this nonsense like that movie gods of egypt where they basically portray egyptians as white. Ignore the bogus soliloquy THAT YOU WILL GET from them and just know you( minorities in the U.S.) come from as majestic and noble and proud a race as white people do. They just have the hollywood venue clogged so you are hard pressed to ever get a poignant cinematic release with the same gravy as most white productions do.
"the rule of 3" WOW! This phenomenon exists everywhere. Its a bad spiritual issue driven by the mindset of ancient colonialism. America has missed its full productive glory because of this poison. The fear and/or profit derived from this invisible 'beast' prevents right decisions from those with the power to redirect for the good and stops the powerful creative warriors from making any significant challenge to create positive greater good for all. Ijs
Truly a great writer. A guy who when I learned of his work after he died, realizing he was responsible for so much of what I liked about justice league, and static shock. More I learn about him the more I wish there was more of his work out there.
i will always miss this man...he is a true history. A true genius, a truly legendarily skilled writer. He and Christopher Priest have had the most profound impact upon my writing and conceptualizing...
This guy is awesome. Everything said here is soo true, sadly. Just found out about this guy, and was extremely dissapointed to hear that he passed away...his work will live on!
This is one of the reasons I support Black Sands Entertainment. Not for the division but for the opportunity to tell the stories the mainstream will not; and when they do the writers should be able to do it in peace and not in constant distress mode because of an old (and I dare say, existing) lineage in the comics world.
The 10 years of Milestone Comics panel I went to at San Diego Comic Con over a decade ago is still fondly remembered as my favorite panel of the weekend. McDuffie was an amazing talent, and he'll be missed. Never knew this interview existed. Thanks so much for sharing.
What is wrong with some white people... I mean this seems insane that this intelligent and talented writer would get so much back lash for doing his job or creating characters who are interesting. And no I'm not saying this because I'm black... Ugh...
This is still relevant and something that’s still sadly happening to this day. Some people STILL say this sort of thing whenever a black character shows up or temporarily takes someone else’s place. With the Big 2 (Marvel and DC), stories are cyclical and they’re bound to return to the status quo eventually, even after DECADES (look at Barry Allen or any other character that has “died” returning to become a hero again). Dwayne McDuffy would’ve been hated by a lot of so called fans if he was still alive, writing for comics and cartoons today. Miss his talent and work so much.
As he said, comics are just white male power fantasy... white male.. WHITE male.. so it's normal for them to not wanting to have black in their fantasies.
McDuffie's so right here. Black Panther is basically preptime Batman before DC made Batman have magic preptime as a superpower. When Black Panther schooled the Avengers and did crazy Naruto shit on Avengers: EMH, people called bullshim. If Batman beat the entire Justice League in an episode, you'd hear people Marvel over it.
Agreed. I really miss him, too! The man was a genius and was just so far ahead of his time. He was and is such a big inspiration to so many people out there( and I'm one of them).
A class act! It was an honor to read all his comic books and his founder of Milestone Comics. His legacy will live on through all eternal. R. I. P. - Dwayne McDuffie
McDuffie isn't lying about the "rule of 3", I remember reading during the production of Spawn the movie, they changed one of the main characters from the comic black to white, because the studio was afraid of the fim being viewed as a "black movie", despite the fact that most of the film was dominated by white actors.
Wow reality can be pretty blunt. RIP Dwayne. He did a lot of great things for comics and cartoons beyond just promoting equality for black characters. He is still missed
May his stories portray who he really is and will always be,..... a Human with the super power of creative writing. Not many have that ability. He will always be in his stories, never to be forgotten. Rest in happiness and songs.
Agreed but it wasn't just him, remember. It was also Michael Davis, Denys Cowan, Derek T. Dingle and Christopher Priest who all helped found Milestone Comics because they felt like minorities were being underrepresented in comic books. But yeah, Milestone was and is pure genius and it also was and is a big inspiration to others( myself included) to want to go and do their own comic books with black Super Heroes!
In South Carolina where I grew up, there was a saying: "Three black people together in a room means there's a riot." It means the same thing Dwyane McDuffie said: White American society is so fixated on being the norm that any small minority representation threatens them. It pertains not just to media representation, but employment practices, living arrangements, classroom sizes, etc.
"They're not talking about wants going on in comic books...they're talking about what THEY THINK is going on in their lives, and that's not really going on either"
Possibly the greatest writer for superhero shows I’ve ever seen Static Shock and Justice League season 2 where flat out amazing with how heavy the themes were In Static Shock virgils best friends dad turns out to be a racist and it unnerves Virgil This is also shown alongside other episodes that show off gang wars and even school shootings McDuffie also wrote legends which had some really impactful themes around faith and religion with Hawkgirl as the center point and her unbeknownst dynamic with Solomon Grundy I can understand why some people don’t like to mix comics with politics since this can lead to “politically correct” forced messages with no other message other than appealing to groups But I also think it’s a bit dumb since stories like these are based off reflections of our reality in some way or another So it makes sense to also use these stories to tackle unique and challenging topics since it’s not reality it’s fiction And I’d say the incorporation of these topics adds depth to the world making it more real to viewers and the challenges the heroes go through given more of a empathetic and relatable side to it
As a white comics nerd, I'm sorry to hear that racism is still so much of a problem in the comic book industry. Since I'm white and not employed in that industry, I've never experienced this personally, but it sounds, tragically, all too believable.
+David Mitchell Don't believe it. It's about no talent hacks, with no market, and fuck loads of racial resentment, looking to make themselves feel better by running Whites down. They feed on your guilt, and you are neurotic for feeling sorry for something you haven't done or have any control over.
***** Oh joy, an sjw chimes in, the internet is saved. So do you give diagnosis over the internet often there, special snowflake? Funny thing is I doubt you have a clue what a fool looks like, sure as shit you wouldn't know a sociopath if he was slicing your throat, Hint, for a fool look in a mirror. No one claimed that racism doesn't exist. Over 95% of blacks voting for oboma in his second term, even after his first term saw things get more dire for the black community, straight up racism, voting for a man on the basis of his skin color, and racial identity. Don't lecture me, dumbfuck, I live in the real world, not some fantasy you dwell in deluding yourself day after day. Never an original thought in your vacuous skull. Piss off.
***** tl:dr, because you are shallow, with next to no attention span. Not only are you clueless about subject at hand, you can't even pin the correct news media I follow, or come close to what I like as porn. You can pretty much only be a shallow neurotic to believe the "sjw" isn't an insult. Unbelievable lack of self-awareness too, you fail to see that your delusions have nothing to do with justice, guess that goes hand in glove with the profound superficiality inherent to your sort of personality. It isn't really about the causes you claim to support, it is about trying to fill that hole where everyone else has a soul. Centuries ago, scumfucks like you were puritans obcessed with policing everyone else's sexuality and religious life, 50 years ago in Soviet Russia assholes like you were petite commissars, policing the population for political heresy. Not miserable, dumbfuck, most often I well-disposed.. I have very little to bitch about, and I'm not going to let fucking morons like you police what I or pretty much anyone have to say. You are little more than an irritant, like a zit, unpleasant.
Dwayne is totally correct here. The Reginald Hudlin "Black Panther" comics I read (and I read them all) were AWESOME! I could never understand white comic nerds hated Hudlin's "Who is the Black Panther" but it was irrelevant as the miniseries sold so well that Marvel made it an ongoing series. Due to fans like me, Hudlin's run went on to run for years and become the BEST selling Black Panther series in the character's over 40 year history! But you wouldn't know it from the irrational or as Dwayne says here Hyper-rational dissing from some non-Black Panther comic fans. No Black Panther series has been able to sell since Hudlin left and Marvel doesn't know why, they just know they don't want to scare off their white fans by making Black Panther an unabashedly heroic man like he was when Dwayne and Reggie wrote him. And like Stan Lee and Jack Kirby wrote him when they introduced T'Challa. Until Marvel hires more Black writers, I don't see their comic division diversifying its readership and forget DC their shit is even more wack.
Michael John Carter III Did you read the comic? As I notice this example of Wakanda's supposed "stinginess" is continuously brought up by people who haven't even seen what they are talking about. The "cancer" scene I read was just a small example of Wakanda's medical power. The back and forth conversation was great and its main concern had nothing to do with helping the west. T'Challa himself made no comment about any cure whatsoever. Most importantly, in the context of stupid fan discontent, the reason voiced by one council member against giving away the cancer cure was proven correct a few years latter in another Marvel comic! (American Government weaponizing cancer cure.) LOL! Talking about a cancer cure, what happened to the various cancer cures found by Marvel's top "Supehero" scientist in the "Death of Captain Marvel" in the early eighties? Why hasn't Reed cured cancer? Or Pym or Banner? If you say that is comicbook bullshit. How about in real life? Why isn't the United States giving away free drugs to its own citizens? Not even Medicare part "B" but free! How about to other countries? Yeah I thought so. Wakanda doesn't owe anybody anything. Hudlin's Black Panther was heroic for His people. To expect otherwise is to expect the Pope to be a champion of Protestants or Captain America to be a symbol for Russia. There may be overlap of goals or ideals but Religion and country come first for these characters and anyone who writes them different does a disservice to the characters.
+ekjudo They're many independent and self published black comic writers but Marvel has rarely (Truth:Red, White and Black) been interested. Where did the black and other ethnicity comic writers come from that Milestone hired? In fact the big two generally hire new writers from outside the industry. People are attracted to the art form that they grow up with. Watch some of this authors interviews on youtube or read about his career path. Mr. McDuffie actually started his career trying to get steady work in comics because that was his love. Only after getting few job assignments by the Big Two did Mr. McDuffie follow a different career path. Mr. McDuffie ended up being a successful animation writer and editor only after trying to enter the established comic industry. He was hired by people at the part of Warner Bros that appreciated his superior talent and whose much larger fanbase were less likely to care that he was black. However, things are slowly changing for the better! The recent announcement that none other than Ta-Nehisi Coates is writing the new Black Panther series next year has me ecstatic!
5 years later, I have to say that Ta-Nehisi Coates is the WORST Black Panther writer ever! Rape Tree Houses?! T'Challa asking for advice on how to govern Wakanda from brutal dictators!? WTF!? Coates justifying his denigration of the ideal of a righteous heroic BLACK male by saying it is unrealistic?! It is a SUPER HERO comic you self hating fool!! I hope that whoever takes over BP writing chores loves the character, as Marvel Editorial obviously doesn't, and ignores Coates' past five years of self deprecating drivel.
Finally going back and finding the people who wrote some of my favorite stuff from my childhood and found out he wrote and produced a bunch of my favorite stuff, a legend
Amazing how he was talking about comic-gaters before that term even existed. They all now claim they liked him but he would have had issues with him now and he'd have issues with them now.
Thanks for putting this out there -- it's important. Thank you also for the justice league episodes "Flashpoint", "Panic in the Sky", and "Divided We Fall". Some of the best writing I seen for a series, let alone an animated one.
It's a shame that people could dislike something just because it has too much characters from a minority race, people don't even realize how racist they are at times.
It's strange that people who read Superman, praise him, actually have a mindset that is at the opposite of what Superman would do or say. If the JLA was made 99% of black dudes, I'm sure Superman (or WW or Batman,etc.) would not even care.
I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER AND EFFFING LOVE❤️💕💗THE GREAT DWAYNE MCDUFFIE AND I WILL ALWAYS EFFFING LOVE❤️💕💗DWAYNE MCDUFFIE FOREVER ♾️ AND I WILL ALWAYS EFFFING LOVE❤️💕💗STATIC SHOCK FOREVER ♾️
Extremely excellent writer who had a great understanding of group dynamics/creative writing! Example:his Fantastic 4 run! Plenty more besides that too! I really his very intelligent approach to anything he took on! Trailblazer who deeply missed in my opinion! Godspeed,Dwayne McDuffie!
This is so awesome. The (often) unintentional and subconscious racism and sexism of comics and nerd culture in general is something that I care about deeply. As an aspiring comic book writer, I think Dwayne McDuffie is a badass and a fantastic example of a socially conscious writer.
God, it's unfortunate that we lost him so freaking soon. Dwayne wrote some of the best episodes of Justice League, and was responsible for creating a ton of kids' childhoods (mine too). I'm going to make sure his legacy is cherished (I'm watching all of the DCAU with my future children, ending with Justice League).
What makes this sad about his point with Black Panther is that it actually happened. As you know he was the one that did the Silver Surfer armbar thing. Peoples blew a gasket. It was so bad that it came to a point that he posted in CBR why he did it.
this is so true, and it's sad. i loved all of mister mcduffie's work, it gave me a chance to see a form of entertainment i love from a different perspective than my own. static is one of my favorite dc characters, both comic and tv show, followed by icon and rocket. RIP dwayne you left us too soon :(
They was created to try to make money off the black community by giving them "less than" heroes to swoon over. The problem was the characters was one dimensional and often insulting to their target audience. Black Manta and Luke Cage being some of the biggest offenders. Its hard not to cringe at these characters of yesteryear and it makes you thankful to Milestone contribution to the genre.
I would be very interested in Steve Wacker's comments. Nothing can stay buried and I would like to find them. I like to put that stuff into the light. I may be caucasian, but I strongly believe both Marvel and DC are all about their little elite club. It's keeping more readers out. Better, smarter readers.
Why not more black heroes. GI Joe growing up had a lot of black characters but every episode only two per episode. You'll, see Doc and Roadblock but not Iceberg, Fridge and Sniper in one episode. You never see 5 brothas on GI Joe.
Cont- Superman IS a GOD to humans with 1 (physical) weakness. And we are not referring to times when that weakness was utilized in order to win. We are referring to all the times it wasnt, where he had many opportunities to do many different things, that he has done before, to stop Bats but just doesn't, so that BM can be more badass. Static is the 1 instance where the Cartoon is canon. The success of the cartoon,the Lore of it, and the popularity of his character is what brought him into DC
DMac is definitely right about the rule of 3 when it comes to black characters. A perfect example was the Spawn movie were Todd McFarlane said he had to change Spawn's best friend Terry Fitzgerald from black to white because there were 3 main characters between him, Spawn, and his wife Wanda, were black and he didn't want the viewers to think it was a black movie. I wasn't offended by his decision to do so since he did it for the sake of movie audience and not because of racism.
Its the "rational" arguments that piss me off the most. In a world full of aliens and vampires and superheros, black skin is the weird crazy unrealistic thing? Its just rediculous
Is McDuffie's argument the reason the Mister Terrific was canceled after only 8 issues? It was a good title and the character was written well. The mention of his race was never brought up, but there you go, the first 8 issues when the New 52 started and Mr. Terrific was one of the first titles to get canned.
The same is true of women in comics. When Batman punches Superman in the face, people are all "Batman is just smarter and more calculating on Superman, so of course he could win if he had a decent plan." If Wonder Woman does it, 8 times out of 10 the reaction is: "there's no way she'd be able to land a hit on him!! It's impossible!" lol
A toast to the man who wrote most, and possibly all, of my favorite Justice League episodes.
I'll Join you in that Toast if you don't mind. :)
Millions of people watched the JLU and probably agree with you concerning what were the best episodes, and don't know the writer, to say nothing that he was black.
But the hassle he got writing the actual comic, were they knew he was black, was just outrageous and sad.
citronm1 I own all of the Justice League DVD's and was floored when I found it two of the main writers were black. I found it amazing. Even better they wrote some of my favorite episodes.
JL and JLU were my childhood. :3
And my Ben 10 episodes
Not to mention Static Shock and Teen Titans
The best quote he's given:
"I'm conscious of race whenever I'm writing, just as I'm conscious of class, religion, human psychology, politics-everything that makes up the human experience. I don't think I can do a good job if I'm not paying attention to what's meaningful to people and in American culture, there isn't anything that informs human interaction more than the idea of race."
+Andrew McQueen so true.
8 years on still hits hard
Agreed. Dwayne McDuffie was a genius and just like he's an inspiration to so many other people( of ALL backgrounds and races), he's also a big inspiration for me in wanting to go and do my own comic books with my own black Super Heroes!
I remember there being an interview where someone asked McDuffie how he would feel if he went to a convention and saw white people dressing up as Static Shock, clearly trying to rile him.
Chad McDuffie said he would love to see White Static Shock cosplays, because that would mean Static wouldn't just be a "black superhero" anymore, Static would be "a super hero" where anyone could relate, identify, and admire him no matter their color, creed, or gender.
Dwayne McDuffie was a real class act.
3:08 He is so right about that. One example is how people keep bitching about how PIS it is that Black panther owned silver surfer. So many people keep complaining about that and saying how unrealistic it is. Yet when Capt or other heroes with little to no powers defeat someone extremely powerful they just get impressed and brag about it in battle forums. It's like when people say that the idea of a group of isolated people building Wakanda is unrealistic, yet when Tony Stark builds an iron suit in a cave the fans get impressed.
+popularcockynerd Preach!
dont get me started on superman losing his powers for a day after a super flare(a knock off dbz move 😂 XD ) can STILL be alive without darkseid (and every multiversal villian that superman has EVER faced before finding him vulnerable for a day)
Unfortunately its the inherently popular psychosis of the white american. They, we. have been so insanely brainwashed since the inception of the movie, cinema, comic book eras back in the 20' and 30's, that they actually think deep down that one, they are the better race, and two, every single major important event in the existence of man has been primarily generated by them. Adam and Eve. Cleopatra. Samson and Delilah. ANY thing that implies heroic and goodness and accomplishment for the better of mankind, they take credit for it.They wont let a black actor or actress close to the stage back in the black and white era of cinema unless it was cutting the fool, acting like a clueless ignoranmus, or make the white actors and actresses shine. And it by and large has not changed. Its why cops can shot , maim, or kill black people, have it ON TAPE for a jury or officials to see, and they STILL get acquitted. And its why a lot of black movies get low rating rating wide. Example, and i just noticed this. I was looking at the cable guide. Colombiana, a thriller drama, starring Zoe Saldana received a ONE star rating. The movie coming on after it Lucy, starring the immensely popular Scarlett Johansson, received a THREE star rating. Sorry, though i thought it was ok, it was AT MOST, no better than the aforementioned Colombiana. Whats the difference? Its rated by its popularity among white mainstream americans. In other words, if white folks do not like it nationwide, its deemed sub par, or bad. And actually nothing could be further from the truth. Every race sometime in the existence of man has had its hayday, but you ARE NOT about to see any hollywood writers putting that kind of shine on african americans, their history or their culture. So, kids do your research and know what history REALLY says about you.; and not this nonsense like that movie gods of egypt where they basically portray egyptians as white. Ignore the bogus soliloquy THAT YOU WILL GET from them and just know you( minorities in the U.S.) come from as majestic and noble and proud a race as white people do. They just have the hollywood venue clogged so you are hard pressed to ever get a poignant cinematic release with the same gravy as most white productions do.
I gots 5 words for you friend: Star Trek Deep Space Nine.
this man literally made my childhood
😢😢😢😢😢😢mine too
Mine too😢😢😢😢❤❤
Ugh i love how much truth is in this video.
"the rule of 3" WOW! This phenomenon exists everywhere. Its a bad spiritual issue driven by the mindset of ancient colonialism. America has missed its full productive glory because of this poison. The fear and/or profit derived from this invisible 'beast' prevents right decisions from those with the power to redirect for the good and stops the powerful creative warriors from making any significant challenge to create positive greater good for all. Ijs
Very interesting. As a writer and creator of comics and movies based around black characters, it is true our skin color alone is political.
Truly a great writer. A guy who when I learned of his work after he died, realizing he was responsible for so much of what I liked about justice league, and static shock. More I learn about him the more I wish there was more of his work out there.
mr mcduffie is proven right every single day.
It's very clear that the mainstream DC writers have forgotten McDuffie's wisdom.
That's because McDuffie was a better writer and smarter than most of those current mainstream DC writers out there today.
Not just DC, even Ben 10 went downhill with omniverse after his untimely demise.
@@chiranjeevsaikia560Omniverse wasn't even bad, though I would have loved to see his plans for it if he lived
RIP Dwayne McDuffie.
i will always miss this man...he is a true history. A true genius, a truly legendarily skilled writer. He and Christopher Priest have had the most profound impact upon my writing and conceptualizing...
This guy is awesome. Everything said here is soo true, sadly.
Just found out about this guy, and was extremely dissapointed to hear that he passed away...his work will live on!
This is one of the reasons I support Black Sands Entertainment. Not for the division but for the opportunity to tell the stories the mainstream will not; and when they do the writers should be able to do it in peace and not in constant distress mode because of an old (and I dare say, existing) lineage in the comics world.
He did a great job on All Star Superman.
R.I.P., Dwayne McDuffie.
I don’t feel like he did. A lot of All Star’s best moments were cut
The 10 years of Milestone Comics panel I went to at San Diego Comic Con over a decade ago is still fondly remembered as my favorite panel of the weekend. McDuffie was an amazing talent, and he'll be missed. Never knew this interview existed. Thanks so much for sharing.
fun fact: He's the brother of Keegan Michael Key from the show Key and Peele
Uncle Ryl - Iiiiiii did not know this until now.
What?!
@@moeezS He didn't know while he was alive, though
Aristene Silva But he did know his cousin Prince before he passed!
What is wrong with some white people... I mean this seems insane that this intelligent and talented writer would get so much back lash for doing his job or creating characters who are interesting. And no I'm not saying this because I'm black... Ugh...
This is still relevant and something that’s still sadly happening to this day. Some people STILL say this sort of thing whenever a black character shows up or temporarily takes someone else’s place. With the Big 2 (Marvel and DC), stories are cyclical and they’re bound to return to the status quo eventually, even after DECADES (look at Barry Allen or any other character that has “died” returning to become a hero again). Dwayne McDuffy would’ve been hated by a lot of so called fans if he was still alive, writing for comics and cartoons today. Miss his talent and work so much.
As he said, comics are just white male power fantasy... white male.. WHITE male.. so it's normal for them to not wanting to have black in their fantasies.
Are you talking John Stewart that like completely different thing when it’s a whole corp not one person
We need more black writers like him to speak up and say this stuff its so true, RIP Mr McDuffie.
RIP THIS GUY! Hes the biggest lost to comics since Jack Kirby. I mean people Dont know how you many how important he is to comics.
The funny thing is about his point of Black Panther happened exactly in what he was talking about. So many people were whining about the "armbar".
"Dr. Doom has attacked Wakanda twice and lost."
This.
McDuffie's so right here. Black Panther is basically preptime Batman before DC made Batman have magic preptime as a superpower. When Black Panther schooled the Avengers and did crazy Naruto shit on Avengers: EMH, people called bullshim. If Batman beat the entire Justice League in an episode, you'd hear people Marvel over it.
When he talks about parts of fandom being hyper-rational I find it funny because I've seen people say the same things even now. It's crazy.
This man is responsible for my childhood and I will always be grateful for him
I miss this guy sooo much. RIP to the greatest.
Agreed. I really miss him, too! The man was a genius and was just so far ahead of his time. He was and is such a big inspiration to so many people out there( and I'm one of them).
A class act! It was an honor to read all his comic books and his founder of Milestone Comics. His legacy will live on through all eternal. R. I. P. - Dwayne McDuffie
So true, I watched the Black Panther vs Thor battle and it just confirms his argument.
McDuffie isn't lying about the "rule of 3", I remember reading during the production of Spawn the movie, they changed one of the main characters from the comic black to white, because the studio was afraid of the fim being viewed as a "black movie", despite the fact that most of the film was dominated by white actors.
Rest In Peace, Dwayne McDuffie. Thank you for all you did to help shape the comic book and superhero genre into what it is today!
great talent. His perception of the industry and some of the fan boys with respect to race is spot on.
You are a Pioneer !!Black Panther came out in 2018 and did Numbers RIP to You Dwayne McDuffie Real Black Hero
Wow reality can be pretty blunt. RIP Dwayne. He did a lot of great things for comics and cartoons beyond just promoting equality for black characters. He is still missed
2010. This could of been published today. The B.S. in comics never ends.
May his stories portray who he really is and will always be,..... a Human with the super power of creative writing. Not many have that ability. He will always be in his stories, never to be forgotten. Rest in happiness and songs.
I'll always be grateful for Dwayne's talent and the whole Milestone Comic thing.That was pure genius what he did.
Agreed but it wasn't just him, remember. It was also Michael Davis, Denys Cowan, Derek T. Dingle and Christopher Priest who all helped found Milestone Comics because they felt like minorities were being underrepresented in comic books. But yeah, Milestone was and is pure genius and it also was and is a big inspiration to others( myself included) to want to go and do their own comic books with black Super Heroes!
In South Carolina where I grew up, there was a saying: "Three black people together in a room means there's a riot." It means the same thing Dwyane McDuffie said: White American society is so fixated on being the norm that any small minority representation threatens them. It pertains not just to media representation, but employment practices, living arrangements, classroom sizes, etc.
Dwayne McDuffie was a goddamn hero. RIP.
One of the all time great comic writers... RIP Dwayne McDuffie.
this guy left a void that will never be filled. Tremendous loss
Dwayne Mcduffie was one of the greats. If you haven't read Static & Blood Syndicate you are comic booking wrong.
"They're not talking about wants going on in comic books...they're talking about what THEY THINK is going on in their lives, and that's not really going on either"
Possibly the greatest writer for superhero shows I’ve ever seen
Static Shock and Justice League season 2 where flat out amazing with how heavy the themes were
In Static Shock virgils best friends dad turns out to be a racist and it unnerves Virgil
This is also shown alongside other episodes that show off gang wars and even school shootings
McDuffie also wrote legends which had some really impactful themes around faith and religion with Hawkgirl as the center point and her unbeknownst dynamic with Solomon Grundy
I can understand why some people don’t like to mix comics with politics since this can lead to “politically correct” forced messages with no other message other than appealing to groups
But I also think it’s a bit dumb since stories like these are based off reflections of our reality in some way or another
So it makes sense to also use these stories to tackle unique and challenging topics since it’s not reality it’s fiction
And I’d say the incorporation of these topics adds depth to the world making it more real to viewers and the challenges the heroes go through given more of a empathetic and relatable side to it
As a white comics nerd, I'm sorry to hear that racism is still so much of a problem in the comic book industry. Since I'm white and not employed in that industry, I've never experienced this personally, but it sounds, tragically, all too believable.
+David Mitchell If you're really sorry, do something about it
+David Mitchell Don't believe it. It's about no talent hacks, with no market, and fuck loads of racial resentment, looking to make themselves feel better by running Whites down. They feed on your guilt, and you are neurotic for feeling sorry for something you haven't done or have any control over.
*****
Oh joy, an sjw chimes in, the internet is saved.
So do you give diagnosis over the internet often there, special snowflake? Funny thing is I doubt you have a clue what a fool looks like, sure as shit you wouldn't know a sociopath if he was slicing your throat, Hint, for a fool look in a mirror.
No one claimed that racism doesn't exist. Over 95% of blacks voting for oboma in his second term, even after his first term saw things get more dire for the black community, straight up racism, voting for a man on the basis of his skin color, and racial identity.
Don't lecture me, dumbfuck, I live in the real world, not some fantasy you dwell in deluding yourself day after day. Never an original thought in your vacuous skull.
Piss off.
*****
tl:dr, because you are shallow, with next to no attention span. Not only are you clueless about subject at hand, you can't even pin the correct news media I follow, or come close to what I like as porn.
You can pretty much only be a shallow neurotic to believe the "sjw" isn't an insult.
Unbelievable lack of self-awareness too, you fail to see that your delusions have nothing to do with justice, guess that goes hand in glove with the profound superficiality inherent to your sort of personality. It isn't really about the causes you claim to support, it is about trying to fill that hole where everyone else has a soul.
Centuries ago, scumfucks like you were puritans obcessed with policing everyone else's sexuality and religious life, 50 years ago in Soviet Russia assholes like you were petite commissars, policing the population for political heresy.
Not miserable, dumbfuck, most often I well-disposed.. I have very little to bitch about, and I'm not going to let fucking morons like you police what I or pretty much anyone have to say. You are little more than an irritant, like a zit, unpleasant.
*****
Whatever you say, neurotic.
I love him. I was so disappointed after knowing that he is no more.
Would have really loved to talk to this man.
Dwayne is totally correct here.
The Reginald Hudlin "Black Panther" comics I read (and I read them all) were AWESOME! I could never understand white comic nerds hated Hudlin's "Who is the Black Panther" but it was irrelevant as the miniseries sold so well that Marvel made it an ongoing series.
Due to fans like me, Hudlin's run went on to run for years and become the BEST selling Black Panther series in the character's over 40 year history!
But you wouldn't know it from the irrational or as Dwayne says here Hyper-rational dissing from some non-Black Panther comic fans.
No Black Panther series has been able to sell since Hudlin left and Marvel doesn't know why, they just know they don't want to scare off their white fans by making Black Panther an unabashedly heroic man like he was when Dwayne and Reggie wrote him.
And like Stan Lee and Jack Kirby wrote him when they introduced T'Challa.
Until Marvel hires more Black writers, I don't see their comic division diversifying its readership and forget DC their shit is even more wack.
Michael John Carter III Did you read the comic? As I notice this example of Wakanda's supposed "stinginess" is continuously brought up by people who haven't even seen what they are talking about.
The "cancer" scene I read was just a small example of Wakanda's medical power. The back and forth conversation was great and its main concern had nothing to do with helping the west. T'Challa himself made no comment about any cure whatsoever. Most importantly, in the context of stupid fan discontent, the reason voiced by one council member against giving away the cancer cure was proven correct a few years latter in another Marvel comic! (American Government weaponizing cancer cure.) LOL!
Talking about a cancer cure, what happened to the various cancer cures found by Marvel's top "Supehero" scientist in the "Death of Captain Marvel" in the early eighties? Why hasn't Reed cured cancer? Or Pym or Banner?
If you say that is comicbook bullshit. How about in real life?
Why isn't the United States giving away free drugs to its own citizens? Not even Medicare part "B" but free! How about to other countries?
Yeah I thought so.
Wakanda doesn't owe anybody anything.
Hudlin's Black Panther was heroic for His people. To expect otherwise is to expect the Pope to be a champion of Protestants or Captain America to be a symbol for Russia. There may be overlap of goals or ideals but Religion and country come first for these characters and anyone who writes them different does a disservice to the characters.
+Michael John Carter III You like priest bp run because he had alot of white people in black panther book
+ekjudo
They're many independent and self published black comic writers but Marvel has rarely (Truth:Red, White and Black) been interested.
Where did the black and other ethnicity comic writers come from that Milestone hired? In fact the big two generally hire new writers from outside the industry.
People are attracted to the art form that they grow up with. Watch some of this authors interviews on youtube or read about his career path. Mr. McDuffie actually started his career trying to get steady work in comics because that was his love. Only after getting few job assignments by the Big Two did Mr. McDuffie follow a different career path.
Mr. McDuffie ended up being a successful animation writer and editor only after trying to enter the established comic industry. He was hired by people at the part of Warner Bros that appreciated his superior talent and whose much larger fanbase were less likely to care that he was black.
However, things are slowly changing for the better! The recent announcement that none other than Ta-Nehisi Coates is writing the new Black Panther series next year has me ecstatic!
+citronm1 I didn't dislike Hudlin's work on the character, but I did resent that it supplanted Christopher Priest's work.
5 years later, I have to say that Ta-Nehisi Coates is the WORST Black Panther writer ever! Rape Tree Houses?!
T'Challa asking for advice on how to govern Wakanda from brutal dictators!? WTF!?
Coates justifying his denigration of the ideal of a righteous heroic BLACK male by saying it is unrealistic?!
It is a SUPER HERO comic you self hating fool!!
I hope that whoever takes over BP writing chores loves the character, as Marvel Editorial obviously doesn't, and ignores Coates' past five years of self deprecating drivel.
Finally going back and finding the people who wrote some of my favorite stuff from my childhood and found out he wrote and produced a bunch of my favorite stuff, a legend
He is an amazing writer...I absolutely adore JL/JLU!..
He left a legacy
Thank You Dwayne McDuffie
Excellent analysis
A legend right here. Still quoted by current writers, non white and female, when discussing diversity in comics
He is co-producer of Ben 10 Alien Force and Ben 10 Ultimate Alien
Amazing how he was talking about comic-gaters before that term even existed. They all now claim they liked him but he would have had issues with him now and he'd have issues with them now.
You made the childhood of thousands rest in peace king
Thanks for putting this out there -- it's important. Thank you also for the justice league episodes "Flashpoint", "Panic in the Sky", and "Divided We Fall". Some of the best writing I seen for a series, let alone an animated one.
It's a shame that people could dislike something just because it has too much characters from a minority race, people don't even realize how racist they are at times.
no you are the one you dont understand they love being racist
it's in the culture. They cant do otherwise.
A very powerful critique. Of literature and Pop Culture, not just comic book universes and their fans.
It's strange that people who read Superman, praise him, actually have a mindset that is at the opposite of what Superman would do or say. If the JLA was made 99% of black dudes, I'm sure Superman (or WW or Batman,etc.) would not even care.
As said in the video, all these superhero are just male power fantasy...
I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER AND EFFFING LOVE❤️💕💗THE GREAT DWAYNE MCDUFFIE AND I WILL ALWAYS EFFFING LOVE❤️💕💗DWAYNE MCDUFFIE FOREVER ♾️ AND I WILL ALWAYS EFFFING LOVE❤️💕💗STATIC SHOCK FOREVER ♾️
Rest peacefully king
Extremely excellent writer who had a great understanding of group dynamics/creative writing! Example:his Fantastic 4 run! Plenty more besides that too! I really his very intelligent approach to anything he took on! Trailblazer who deeply missed in my opinion! Godspeed,Dwayne McDuffie!
Such a legend!
DWAYNE MCDUFFIE IS THE GREATEST WRITER OF ALL TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This man was the truth.
Such a remarkable visionary, and an inspiration to many. Dwayne McDuffie will be missed.
This is actually happening today, look at all the hate MCU gets now
Well, it was happening then. On a smaller scale. Now they legit have diversity quotas, where they didn't before.
Thanx Dwayne he is absolutely right
This is so awesome. The (often) unintentional and subconscious racism and sexism of comics and nerd culture in general is something that I care about deeply. As an aspiring comic book writer, I think Dwayne McDuffie is a badass and a fantastic example of a socially conscious writer.
Rest In Peace thanks for making my favorite show Ben 10 I would love it just as much if it was about a black kid
He makes an excellent point about Batman. I've never thought that Batman should be able to hang with the rest of the Justice league but he does.
McDuffie was spot on with those comments.
The comic book nerds need a huge dose of reality.
00:34 Lol I think they cut some of the things he said to censor it.
We will miss you Dwane, thanks for most of my childhood.
R.I.P big homie.
I really want to portray him in a short film. I feel like I can embody him. He was one of the beat comic book writers ever period.
Rest In Paradise
Died so young
So talented
well done Dwayne
God, it's unfortunate that we lost him so freaking soon. Dwayne wrote some of the best episodes of Justice League, and was responsible for creating a ton of kids' childhoods (mine too). I'm going to make sure his legacy is cherished (I'm watching all of the DCAU with my future children, ending with Justice League).
We just lost an incredible mind. Rest in Peace Dwayne McDuffie
What makes this sad about his point with Black Panther is that it actually happened. As you know he was the one that did the Silver Surfer armbar thing. Peoples blew a gasket. It was so bad that it came to a point that he posted in CBR why he did it.
this is so true, and it's sad.
i loved all of mister mcduffie's work, it gave me a chance to see a form of entertainment i love from a different perspective than my own.
static is one of my favorite dc characters, both comic and tv show, followed by icon and rocket.
RIP dwayne you left us too soon :(
They was created to try to make money off the black community by giving them "less than" heroes to swoon over. The problem was the characters was one dimensional and often insulting to their target audience. Black Manta and Luke Cage being some of the biggest offenders. Its hard not to cringe at these characters of yesteryear and it makes you thankful to Milestone contribution to the genre.
I would be very interested in Steve Wacker's comments. Nothing can stay buried and I would like to find them. I like to put that stuff into the light. I may be caucasian, but I strongly believe both Marvel and DC are all about their little elite club. It's keeping more readers out. Better, smarter readers.
Why not more black heroes. GI Joe growing up had a lot of black characters but every episode only two per episode. You'll, see Doc and Roadblock but not Iceberg, Fridge and Sniper in one episode. You never see 5 brothas on GI Joe.
Cont- Superman IS a GOD to humans with 1 (physical) weakness. And we are not referring to times when that weakness was utilized in order to win. We are referring to all the times it wasnt, where he had many opportunities to do many different things, that he has done before, to stop Bats but just doesn't, so that BM can be more badass. Static is the 1 instance where the Cartoon is canon. The success of the cartoon,the Lore of it, and the popularity of his character is what brought him into DC
God bless you uncle! you was a good man to my family!!
DMac is definitely right about the rule of 3 when it comes to black characters. A perfect example was the Spawn movie were Todd McFarlane said he had to change Spawn's best friend Terry Fitzgerald from black to white because there were 3 main characters between him, Spawn, and his wife Wanda, were black and he didn't want the viewers to think it was a black movie. I wasn't offended by his decision to do so since he did it for the sake of movie audience and not because of racism.
If Mr. McDuffie had, before passing, created an all black Justice League, I would have bought every single issue! R.I.P. Dwayne.
Great video
***** HA lol i live on the internet
+Sensei Aishitemasu Black first.
Sensei Aishitemasu Agree Nubian Queen
RipSage wisdom speaks his mind will you will be missed buddy he will be sorely missed an already are
Not a reader of Justice League, but this rings true.
to be honest, anecdotally speaking i did hear criticism over the fact BP took down silver surfer because they thought he shouldn't..
Its the "rational" arguments that piss me off the most. In a world full of aliens and vampires and superheros, black skin is the weird crazy unrealistic thing? Its just rediculous
Dwayne McDuffie IS THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME FOREVER ♾️
Is McDuffie's argument the reason the Mister Terrific was canceled after only 8 issues? It was a good title and the character was written well. The mention of his race was never brought up, but there you go, the first 8 issues when the New 52 started and Mr. Terrific was one of the first titles to get canned.
Fantastic writer, best dcau jla writer of all time, much missed. Modern animated feature scripts dont come close. Nothing since all star superman.
Legend
R.I.P Dwayne McDuffie. We will really miss you...
May your soul rest in peace
The same is true of women in comics. When Batman punches Superman in the face, people are all "Batman is just smarter and more calculating on Superman, so of course he could win if he had a decent plan." If Wonder Woman does it, 8 times out of 10 the reaction is: "there's no way she'd be able to land a hit on him!! It's impossible!" lol