Mark (M.D.) Bright, 1955-2024

Bright’s self-portrait, from the Milestone Trading Card series.

Mark D. ‘M.D.’ Bright, a long-time Marvel and DC comic book artist who co-created Quantum and Woody for Valiant Comics, died on 27 March this year at the age of 68. While no cause of death has been reported, an obituary posted by the funeral home stated that he passed away ‘peacefully’ .

Bright was born in New Jersey, where he spent most of his life. Majoring in Fine Art at the Pratt Institute in the 1970s. His first comics work came in 1978, illustrating ‘The Fastest Draw In The East!’ for House of Mystery #257. This was followed by fill-in stints at Avengers, Thor, Dazzler, The Falcon and others. This ultimately led to Bright becoming the regular artist on Power Man and Iron Fist, drawing the final ten issues of that series. He assumed the artistic reins of Iron Man for a long stint, beginning with #200, and in 1988, moved to DC to work on Green Lantern, first in the short-lived weekly version of Action Comics, then in the hero’s own title. This led to the controversial but attention-getting Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn mini-series.

The Milestone hero Icon and his ‘sidekick’ Rocket, who was the real brains and heart of the partnership.

In 1993, Bright was one of the early artists working at Milestone Media, launching the series Icon with writer Dwayne McDuffie, and illustrating most of the 42-issue run. After Icon concluded, Bright moved to the fledgling company Valiant Comics, where he co-created the cult series Quantum and Woody, with writer Christopher J. Priest. This featured an ‘odd couple’, who were adoptive brothers Eric Henderson and Woodrow ‘Woody’ Van Chelton, who gained super powers while investigating the death of their father. The irreverent humour of the series gained it a cult following in the 1990s, and it is still fondly remembered.

Bright continued working in comics into the early 2000s, including series such as A. Bizarro and Marville, but eventually moved into storyboarding for commercials, live-action television, and feature films. Films and TV shows to which he contributed included 27 Dresses, Step Up, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Ghost Town, Third Watch, and 666 Park Avenue.