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Comic-book and storyboard artist Mark D. Bright, known professionally as M.D. Bright, died on March 27, 2024, at age 68. His career included Marvel’s Armor Wars, DC’s Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn, and later storyboarding for film and television.
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Rom #56 (Newsstand) Marvel | $5.99 | Buy on Amazon |
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Comic Book Passport Sized Notebook - Filled With Blank Panels for Creating Your Own Comics | $6.95 | Buy on Amazon |
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Valor (DC) #2 DC | $6.99 | Buy on Amazon |
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Hardware #12 DC | $5.99 | Buy on Amazon |
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Batman #425 (2nd) DC | $7.99 | Buy on Amazon |
Who was M.D. Bright?
Bright was an American artist whose work moved between superhero comics and screen storyboarding. He grew up in Montclair, New Jersey, and graduated from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn in 1978 with a Bachelor of Fine Art, according to his family’s obituary. After building a portfolio and submitting work to DC and Marvel, he began receiving Marvel assignments in 1982.
His best-known comics work
Marvel: Iron Man and Power Man and Iron Fist
Bright’s Marvel work included pencilling Iron Man, beginning with issue #200, and the story arc known as Armor Wars. Earlier, he became the regular artist for the final ten issues of Power Man and Iron Fist, after early assignments that included House of Mystery #257. These career details are traced in Will Morgan’s FA Online remembrance.
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#1 Best Overall
- Written by Bill Mantlo
- Illustrated by Mark D. Bright
DC and Milestone
Bright moved to DC in 1988. His DC credits include the Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn miniseries. Later, at Milestone Media, he worked on Icon with writer Dwayne McDuffie.
Quantum and Woody
Bright co-created Quantum and Woody with writer Christopher J. Priest. The credit reflects a collaboration, rather than sole authorship by either creator.
Rank #2
- The perfect portable, tradable pocket notebook for drawing superheroes or drafting scenes for your ground-breaking autobiographical graphic novel.
- Includes stencils for speech bubble, sound effects, and narration panels.
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- Notebook measures 5" x 3.5" and has 64 pages. Fits in a purse or back pocket.
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From comics to storyboards
After about two decades in American comics, Bright shifted toward storyboarding for commercials, live-action television, and feature films. Among his screen projects was M. Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender. FA Online also cites work on films including 27 Dresses and television series such as Third Watch.
Bright’s final announced comics work
BOOM! Studios announced that The Center Holds #1, written by Larry Hama, would feature Bright’s final work. The publisher’s announcement gave February 11, 2026, as the date the issue would be available through comic shops and digital content providers, including Kindle. That announcement establishes the planned release and channels, not present-day stock or the status of a particular retailer listing.
Rank #3
- Written by Robert Loren Fleming
- Illustrated by Mark D. Bright
What is known about his death
Bright’s official obituary gives his dates as December 27, 1955, to March 27, 2024, and records his age as 68. It does not state a cause of death. FA Online likewise said no cause had been reported in its May 3, 2024, account. No cause should be inferred from those accounts.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Written by Jim Starlin
- Illustrated by Mark D. Bright
Rank #4
- Written by Dwayne McDuffie
- Illustrated by Rich Buckler
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