Dwayne McDuffie has passed away

Tragic news: Superhero Hype has reported that the tremendous comic book creator Dwayne McDuffie passed away Monday night, “unexpectedly due to complications during surgery.” The sad news comes today as the feature All Star Superman is released in North America, based on the book by Grant Morrison and Frank Quietly, for which McDuffie wrote the script. He was 49.

From Comic Book Resources:

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.”

I am shocked and deeply saddened by the news of McDuffie’s sudden passing. Though I never had the privilege to meet him in person, I’m a big fan of his work, especially Static Shock, Justice League Unlimited, and Crisis on Two Earths. I always admired the quiet boldness of his stories, and his ability to handle a large cast of characters, with each one remaining uniquely human and genuinely real. It is impossible to summarize everything McDuffie has given the comic book community; he has left an incredible legacy and touched so many lives, including my own. My deepest condolences go out to his wife, family, friends and colleagues.

See CBR’s link for letters about him from his friends and colleagues.