David F. Walker is an American comic book writer and novelist. He is known for creating the fictional DC Universe character Naomi McDuffie, who is the main character of The CW series Naomi. He also created the independent comic book series Bitter Root.
| David F. Walker | |
|---|---|
 Walker at the 2022 WonderCon | |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Writer |
Notable works | Bitter Root Naomi McDuffie |
| Awards | Three Eisner Awards including:
|
Career
editWalker began his career writing about film and comic books in the 1990s, publishing work on his website and the zine BadAzz MoFo, which he founded in 1996.[1] He later began writing for comic book publishers and magazines such as Dark Horse Comics and Giant Robot.[2]
Walker co-wrote the graphic novel Shaft: A Complicated Man for Dynamite Entertainment in 2015. It won the Glyph Award for Story of the Year,[3] and was nominated for the Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics.[4] That year, he also wrote the novel Shaft's Revenge,[5] which was originally published in serialized form as a digital download to accompany the Shaft comics.[6]
Walker and Sanford Greene co-wrote the 2016 revival of Marvel Comics' Power Man and Iron Fist, which featured the characters of Luke Cage and Danny Rand.[7] Walker also wrote for DC Comics' Cyborg during this time.[8]
Walker and Brian Michael Bendis co-created the character of Naomi McDuffie, who debuted in the DC Comics' series Naomi in 2018.[9] A television series of the same name, created by Ava DuVernay and Jill Blankenship, aired on The CW.[10]
In 2019, Walker founded Solid Comix, a crowdfunded comics publisher.[11] Through Solid Comix, he published original graphic novels such as Bitter Root, co-written with Greene and Chuck Brown, and The Hated.[2] The Hated, which follows the bounty hunter Araminta Free through an alternate history of the post-Civil War United States, was acquired by Netflix in 2021. It was announced that Michael Starrbury was attached to write the series.[12]
In 2019, Walker wrote The Life of Frederick Douglass, a historical graphic novel biography of Frederick Douglass, which was published through Ten Speed Press.[13] It was included in the American Library Association's list of "Great Graphic Novels for Teens".[14] His graphic novel with Marcus Kwame Anderson, The Black Panther Party, which contains biographies of fifteen Black Panther leaders, was published by Ten Speed Press in 2021.[15]
He contributed to the anthology series The Old Guard: Tales Through Time.[16] He also currently co-writes Superb for Lion Forge Comics[1] and Victory, a spin-off of Vampirella, for Dynamite Entertainment.[17]
It was announced in 2023 that Walker was writing a new Planet of the Apes comics series for Marvel.[18]
In 2024, Walker and Anderson will retell and illustrate Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as a graphic novel titled Big Jim and the White Boy: An American Classic Reimagined. Omitting Twain's negative portrayal of African Americans, Big Jim and the White Boy will expand the original novel by depicting Big Jim as the primary protagonist and Huckleberry Finn as his sidekick. The plot will be about Big Jim and Huck journeying through Civil War-era United States to rescue the former's enslaved wife and children and even becoming Underground Railroad agents, before going throughout the decades as generations of Big Jim's descendants fight for their rights.[19]
Awards and nominations
editWalker was nominated for the Dragon Award for Best Comic Book and won the Eisner Award for Best Continuing Comic Book for Bitter Root in 2020.[20][21] In 2022, he received another Eisner for best continuined series for Bitter Root, and an Eisner Award for Best Reality-Based Work for The Black Panther Party: A Graphic History.[22] He received an Inkpot Award in 2023.[23]
References
edit- ^ a b "Wonder Comics Writer David F. Walker Launches New Comic Company". CBR.com. 7 February 2019. Archived from the original on 2021-01-26. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
- ^ a b Dueben, Alex (2022-08-08). ""We All Are Frustrated Artists": An Interview With David F. Walker". The Comics Journal. Archived from the original on 2023-12-15. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
- ^ Wickline, Dan (2015-05-19). "Shaft Wins Glyph Award For Story Of The Year". bleedingcool.com. Archived from the original on 2022-11-27. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
- ^ "'M.F.K.' cartoonist Nilah Magruder 'in shock' after winning first Dwayne McDuffie Diversity Award". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2022-10-02. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
- ^ McMillan, Graeme (2015-07-29). "'Shaft' Comic Writer Rails Against New Line's Movie Reboot Plans". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2023-12-16. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
- ^ "David Walker Talks SHAFT'S REVENGE". Comic Vine. 2015-10-15. Archived from the original on 2023-12-16. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
- ^ Alt, Eric. "David Walker And Sanford Greene Bringing Back "Power Man And Iron Fist" At Marvel". Fast Company. Archived from the original on 2023-12-16. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
- ^ "Are You Ready for Cyborg's David Walker". Archived from the original on 2023-12-16. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
- ^ "Brian Michael Bendis And David F. Walker Team Up for Wonder Comics' 'Naomi'". opb. Archived from the original on 2023-12-16. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
- ^ "DC Comics' 'Naomi' TV Series From Ava DuVernay & Jill Blankenship In Works At The CW". Deadline Hollywood. 4 December 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-12-04. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
- ^ "David Walker is crowdfunding Solid Comix to streamline the creator-to-consumer model". SYFY Official Site. 2019-02-26. Archived from the original on 2023-12-16. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (2021-12-15). "Netflix & Michael Starrbury Adapt David F. Walker Comic 'The Hated' For Potential Western Series". Deadline. Archived from the original on 2023-01-30. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
- ^ Bancud, Michaela (2019-01-28). "Book Report: Kapow! It's the life of Frederick Douglass!". PortlandTribune.com. Archived from the original on 2023-12-16. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
- ^ "2020 Great Graphic Novels for Teens Top Ten". Young Adult Library Services Association. 2020-01-02. Archived from the original on 2022-10-03. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
- ^ Park, Ed (February 2, 2021). "Can a Comic Book Contain the Drama and Heat of Activism?". New York Times. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
- ^ Sava, Oliver (2021-01-18). "The Old Guard gets a star-studded anthology sequel in Tales Through Time". Polygon. Archived from the original on 2023-12-16. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
- ^ "Vampirella's lover-turned-foe VICTORY gets a solo series". comicsbeat. 22 March 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-12-16. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
- ^ "David F. Walker & Dave Wachter Bring 'Planet of the Apes' Back to Marvel Comics in Spectacular Style". www.marvel.com. Archived from the original on 2023-09-24. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
- ^ Walker, David F.; Anderson, Marcus Kwame (October 15, 2024). "Big Jim and the White Boy: An American Classic Reimagined". Ten Speed Graphic.
- ^ "2020 Dragon Award Ballot – The Dragon Award". Archived from the original on 2021-01-20. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
- ^ Schedeen, Jesse (2020-07-25). "2020 Eisner Award Winners Revealed". IGN. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
- ^ "2022 Eisner Award Winners". scoop.previewsworld.com. Archived from the original on 2022-08-19. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
- ^ "Inkpot Awards". Comic-Con International. Archived from the original on 2023-12-07. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
