Dwayne McDuffie... unleashed!

I loved our video conference this morning with Mr. McDuffie. How rare it is to have a conversation with someone really in the business of comic books. I liked his answer to my question about what he liked most and least about his job. I could somewhat predict what he would like the least; creating art and stories are a lot of people's dream profession. However I found it insightful for him to say that he did not like the discipline needed to be in this business. He said there is no one breathing down your neck forcing you to make it on top. He told us it took him 17 years before he got a shot at the big time. He said most of the people who made it into the big time within two years were no longer in the business, and he still is a prominent figure.

I liked that he personally knew who Christopher Priest was as well. Reading about someone as interesting as Priest, to then have a dialouge about him with a professional made this class special. Now we have had a comic book industry man and a comic book store owner come and speak to us. Unlike other class (such as American history) we are unable to have a video conference with George Washington or bring in Herbert Hoover to speak to us. I plan on picked up the Justice League on DVD to catch those special features that have McDuffie in them. The man was very well spoken and insightful, and gracious enough to wake up early as 6 a.m. to be with us.