‘Naomi’ Establishes an Intriguing Story for a New Hero

January 10, 2022January 10, 2022 Swara Salih

Naomi McDuffie (Kaci Walfall) is a normal Oregonian 16-year-old who has a fascination with superheroes, particularly her favorite, Superman. So much so that she has a whole Superman fan website (we can relate to something like that here at The Nerds of Color). A key reason she relates to him is the fact that they’re both adoptees. However, in her new story starting in her titular series Naomi, she finds she may have more in common with the legendary figure than she ever expected.

DC Comics, Gone Too Soon, Podcasts1 Comment

DCTV Classics Remembers Dwayne McDuffie

February 27, 2017January 30, 2020 Hard NOC Media

On February 21, 2011, the world lost a legend. Dwayne McDuffie passed away at the age of 49, leaving behind a towering legacy in comics and television. McDuffie was one of the founding fathers of Milestone Media, a prominent writer for DC Comics, and the brains behind DC TV Classics like Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, and Static Shock. His influence on comics and superhero storytelling reverberate to this day. One writer who was inspired by McDuffie is David F. Walker, currently writing Occupy Avengers for Marvel and has previously written Cyborg for DC. David joins Keith and Desiree (Britney is out this week) to remember the life and times of Dwayne McDuffie.

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Animation, Comics, Gone Too Soon2 Comments

Why Dwayne McDuffie Was Better Than You

February 18, 2016February 10, 2017 Dennis R. Upkins

One cannot discuss black excellence (specifically in speculative fiction) without discussing one of the most gifted and progressive storytellers, ever to walk this earth, the late Dwayne McDuffie.

As expected, many discussed the amazing work he and his team did with making Milestone Comics a success, others mentioned his phenomenal work with fellow phenom Bruce Timm creating over a decade of superb animated series and films.

Of course people pointed out that McDuffie paved the way for black storytellers in a way too vanilla-centric medium that is the comic book industry.

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Comics1 Comment

Milestone Media Returns

January 21, 2015January 23, 2015 Keith Chow

The Washington Post broke the news this morning, but it looks like Milestone Media will be making its long awaited return in 2015. This time, filmmaker Reginald Hudlin will be joining original co-founders Denys Cowan and Derek Dingle in rebooting Milestone 2.0.

Coincidentally, Geppi’s Entertainment Museum recently announced it would be extending its “Milestones: African Americans in Comics, Pop Culture, and Beyond” exhibit — curated by original co-founder Michael Davis and Tatiana EL-Khouri — through February. (Here’s my recap of the exhibit’s opening in December 2013).

Needless to say, NOC HQ is very excited about these events.

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Comics, Guest Post6 Comments

From Invisible to Inevitable: Why We Need Diverse Books

September 3, 2014September 19, 2014 Guest N.O.C.

by Gene Yang

[Ed. note: Over the weekend, Gene delivered the following speech at the National Book Festival gala in Washington, DC.]

I’m a comic-book guy, so tonight I’d like to talk about another comic-book guy. Dwayne McDuffie was one of my favorite writers. When I was growing up, he was one of the few African Americans working in American comics. Dwayne worked primarily within the superhero genre. He got his start at Marvel Comics but eventually worked for almost every comic book publisher out there. He even branched out into television and wrote for popular cartoon series like Justice League and Ben 10.

Dwayne McDuffie is no longer with us, unfortunately. He passed away in 2011, at the age of 49. But within comics, his influence is still deeply felt.

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Comics, Gone Too Soon2 Comments

Remembering Dwayne McDuffie, Part 2

February 21, 2014February 22, 2014 David F. Walker

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.

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Comics, Gone Too Soon1 Comment

Today is Dwayne McDuffie’s Birthday

February 20, 2014February 27, 2015 David F. Walker

[Ed. note: David originally wrote this for BadAzz Mofo on Monday, and we’re running it today in honor of what would have been Dwayne’s 52nd birthday. Tomorrow is also the third anniversary of his passing. My own memory of meeting Dwayne is here. The image above is by graphic designer Ed Williams. —KC]

Things were different when I was a kid growing up. For the most part, you didn’t know what comic book creators looked like. Sure, everyone knew what Stan Lee looked like, but that was about it. The few comic creators I had contact with back in my youth were all white, and for some reason, it just sort of stuck in my head that all comic creators had to be white. This was, of course, reinforced by the vast majority of comics that were being published, which only had a relatively small number of black characters.

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Comics, Hard N.O.C. Life8 Comments

20 Years: A Milestone (Comics) Anniversary

November 22, 2013April 29, 2019 The Nerds of Color

In this landmark live-streamed episode, the founders and creators of Milestone Comics join Keith (@the_real_chow) for a special retrospective of one of the most important companies in comic book history. The show’s panel consists of Milestone founders Denys Cowan and Michael Davis, editor/writer Joseph Phillip Illidge, artist Shawn Martinbrough, and production manager/writer Erica Well.

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Comics, DC Comics, Gone Too Soon5 Comments

Remembering Dwayne McDuffie

November 21, 2013February 21, 2017 Keith Chow

Dwayne McDuffie is one of the most important figures in the history of the comic book industry. Perhaps that’s hyperbole, but I don’t think so. I know that his work has left an indelible mark on me, and the world is a lesser place without him in it.

I didn’t know Dwayne McDuffie personally. I only met him once. Briefly. It was in San Diego in 2009. The fellas (Jerry Ma, Jeff Yang, Parry Shen) and I were at Comic-Con to promote Secret Identities. Dwayne was on a panel moderated by Jeff, and the five of us were able to chat for a bit afterwards.

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Comics, DC Comics7 Comments

Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of Milestone

November 19, 2013March 21, 2014 Keith Chow

This Thursday evening, the co-founders and creators of the groundbreaking comics company Milestone Media will be the guests on a special episode of Hard N.O.C. Life, bringing together a panel of some of the most talented voices in comics to discuss the legacy of the company that revolutionized the industry two decades ago.

UPDATE: The special episode is now available for viewing here.

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