Dwayne McDuffie and Creators Passing

In case you hadn’t heard, Dwayne McDuffie died yesterday.  Now, he rose to fame at the exact time I was out of comics, the late 80s through mid-90s.  So I was not there for the Milestone launch.  I have very little familiarity with the characters.  But the fact that they are there speaks volumes for his talent and passion.  To create an entire universe around African-American heroes at a major publisher was no small feat.  And to have them as beloved as they are is a tribute to the man.

I don’t have any special stories about him to tell.  But, it reminded me of something that I need to do and that I encourage you all to do.  Let those whose work you enjoy know about it.  I have been meaning to send Gene Colan a note thanking him for his lifetime of work and what it has meant to me.  It is something I think about every once in a while.  But someday it will be too late and I will always regret not sending that note.

Now, part of me says, does it really matter?  He probably gets letters all of the time.  Will he even read it?  Is it really worth my time?  Well, I can’t answer those questions, but I know that it will make me feel good to tell him.

One of the really cool things that happened to me at the ComicsPRO meeting was being able to spend a couple hours talking with Jud Meyers of Earth-2 Comics in LA.  Jud used to write a column called Re-Tales on comicbookresources.com.  Now, Jud is an amazing storyteller.  It is a gift.  I have never been moved to respond to a column, but I wrote him about how great I thought one of his columns was.  How personal it was to me.   And then I did again with the next one.  When I was looking for a new POS system, Ben from Moby had Jud contact me about its benefits.  He could not have chosen a better salesman.

So, going to the meeting, I made a point of wanting to introduce myself to him and say thanks in person.  This lead to a very long conversation about all sorts of things (and watching soundless highlights of the Pens-Islanders goonery on a bar TV).  We talked about his column and why he stopped doing it and I encouraged him to start it back up.  He then told me a story and when he was done, I told him to write what he had just told me.  Word for word.  No editing needed.  It has spurred me to do something.  And more people need to hear it.

My point is, maybe he needed to hear, one more time, how much someone enjoyed their work.  Maybe he’ll share that story with the world.  Maybe he  won’t.  But, it makes me feel good that I told him how much I appreciated his stories.  Let your favorite creators know how much you appreciate them.  It can’t hurt.  And maybe they need a lift that day.  Maybe they need that smile your note may bring.

And none of us are getting any younger.  Do it today.