Three years ago today, we lost the beloved Dwayne McDuffie. In person, Dwayne towered well over six feet tall, which lent itself to a larger-than-life image that was really the opposite of how he carried himself. You could always spot Dwayne in a crowd, but you couldn’t necessarily hear him over the crowd. With his intimidating size, Dwayne knew how to not be intimidating in his demeanor. His work spoke much louder than he did. That’s part of the reason so many people miss him, and part of the reason people like me, who were only casually acquainted with him feel the loss so greatly.

I feel bad for anyone who never got to meet him, because you missed out on meeting a truly beautiful human being. But Dwayne lives on in his work — an incredible list of accomplishments that is as impressive as it is entertaining. If you’re not familiar with Dwayne’s work, take the time do the research, look at his list of credits, and then read some of what he wrote, watch some of what he produced, and then you’ll understand part of why we all miss him so much.