Don't Start None, Won't Be None: Dwayne McDuffie Interview

Many would consider him one of the industry's hardest noses, a creator with a strong sense of voice and identity. Too hardball for some - former associates like Christopher Priest (the artist formerly known as Jim Owsley) still feel too burned by how the demise of Milestone Comics (Icon, Hardware, Blood Syndicate and Static were among the flagship titles) played out to bury the hatchet. Others, like John Paul Leon, immediately leapt back into the thick of things. After spending some time on X-O Manowar and the fringes of the industry, Dwayne McDuffie is back with a new series, a new show on the KidsWB! and a new campaign to bring high quality imagery into the minds of comic readers everywhere.

The fact that these images are predominately of color should be irrelevant. A conundrum, he's the man who once prided himself on terrifying people walking the hallways of Marvel's Bullpen, but who also has a passion for short lived television shows (claiming Sports Night, Freaks and Geeks and Homicide as loving recipients of his kiss of death). After much cajoling and a far-from-small number of tranquilizer darts, McDuffie sat down with NextPlanetOver's hard man of letters, senior producer Hannibal Tabu for an almost amiable mano-a-mano about his new projects and his way of looking at things.

HT: Tell us about the Static Shock animated series. How does it relate to the comic book?

McDUFFIE: The show is surprisingly similar to the comic. The origin is the same, most of the characters from the comic are in the show, etc. Some details, like the costume, are different, but the tone and spirit are dead-on. Things are simplified, both because of the half-hour format and because the show is aimed at a younger audience than the comic. But if you liked Static the comic, you'll like Static Shock, the animated series.

HT: Static was really a groundbreaking book, dealing with teen violence, drugs and a number of other social issues before anyone else. Since the animated series is aimed at a younger audience, how will you be dealing with issues change?