Tom Lyle, co-creator of Stephanie Brown from DC’s Batman books and artist of titles like Robin, Spider-Man and Starman, passed away today at the age of 66.
Lyle suffered a brain aneurysm in October, which required him to be placed in a medically-enduced coma and to have surgery to remove a brain clot. According to artist Phillip Sevy, funeral details are still being finalized.
Lyle’s artistic career began in earnest in the 1980s, when he worked on titles like Airboy and Strike! for Eclipse. In 1988, he and writer Roger Stern teamed up to create a new version of Starman for DC Comics, bringing Will Payton into the DC universe.
That led to more work at DC, and in the early 1990s he teamed up with writer Chuck Dixon on a series of miniseries starring the just introduced Tim Drake, who took on the mantle of Robin. His work appeared in the Batman-related books for several years following that, as he became one of the quintessential Batman artists of the 1990s.
In 1993, he made the jump to Marvel, drawing various Spider-Man titles — including chapters of the crossovers “Maximum Carnage” and “The Clone Saga.” He also designed the original Scarlet Spider outfit worn by Peter Parker’s clone.
His work at Marvel also included work on titles like Iron Man, Mutant X and Punisher, and he wrote and drew an Adam Warlock miniseries.
In 2005, Lyle became a professor, teaching sequential art at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia, where he also served as internship coordinator for a number of years. He is survived by his wife, Sue.
Many in the comics industry expressed their appreciation for Lyle on social media, both for his artwork and as a professor at SCAD: