Category: Creators

Rest in peace, Jacopo Camagni

The artist of ‘Generation X-23,’ ‘Nomen Omen’ and more passed away after complications from heart surgery.

As reported by Bleeding Cool and several Italian outlets, comic artist Jacopo Camagni died this past Sunday following complications from heart surgery. He was 48 years old.

Camagni’s work spanned continents, as he began working in the industry in Italy in the late 1990s and eventually found success in the United States working for Marvel, most recently on Generation X-23, which launched in February. His final Marvel work, Generation X-23 #2–4, is scheduled for release in March, April and May.

“We are deeply saddened to share artist Jacopo Camagni has passed away,” Marvel said in a statement on social media. “To those who experienced his work, he brought undeniable energy both on and off the page. He was Marvel family and a dear friend to so many more. We will be honoring his memory and work in the weeks to come.”

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Rest in peace, Tatjana Wood

The pioneering DC colorist passed away at the age of 99.

Tatjana Wood, the German-born colorist who brought a distinctive sensibility to decades of DC Comics covers and interiors, including Alan Moore’s Saga of the Swamp Thing and Grant Morrison’s Animal Man, passed away Feb. 27. She was 99.

Her passing was confirmed by former DC editor Karen Berger. Today would have been her 100th birthday.

“So sad to share that legendary colorist Tatjana Wood has passed away at the age of 99,” Berger wrote. “Her pioneering painterly touch graced scores of DC & Vertigo series. She was truly one of a kind and a special friend. May her memory be a blessing.”

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10 Count | 10 creations of the late, great Sal Buscema

From Cypher to the Grandmaster, here are 10 characters that stand as a lasting reminder of what Sal Buscema gave to comics.

Sal Buscema’s impact on Marvel Comics can’t be measured by a single run or a single title — although given the depth of his work on Incredible Hulk and Spectacular Spider-Man, I can see why someone might. Passing away Jan. 23 at the age of 89, Buscema left behind decades of work that shaped how Marvel stories looked and felt. He was a master storyteller whose art anchored everything from cosmic epics to street-level brawls.

Just as enduring are the characters and concepts he co-created druing his long career, like the Grandmaster, Hyperion, Firebird and Constrictor, all of whom continue to appear and evolve long after their debut. Here’s 10 of my favorites.

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Rest in peace, Sal Buscema

The Marvel legend passed away this month at the age of 89.

Sal Buscema, a classic Marvel artist whose work spanned decades for the publisher, passed away Jan. 23 at the age of 89, just a few days shy of his 90th birthday.

Buscema pencilled and inked a number of comics for Marvel throughout the years, including Avengers, Fantastic Four, Thor, Marvel Team-Up, Sub-Mariner, Daredevil, Nova, Eternals, Marvel Two-In-One, New Mutants, Iron Man, Ghost Rider, Ms. Marvel, Howard The Duck, Master Of Kung Fu, and three major Spider-Man series — Amazing, Web of and Peter Parker, Spectacular Spider-Man. He pencilled key runs on Captain America, ROM: Spaceknight and The Defenders, and a 10-year run on Incredible Hulk.

His death was reported by artist Sterling Clark on Facebook, who worked with Buscema on a project. “When I think back on my childhood and all of the comic books that I read, Sal’s name seems to have appeared in just about all of them,” Clark said. “I didn’t just read the books that he illustrated, I studied them. Every nuance in his pencils and his inks I saw and tried to mimic. He was definitely one of the greats during those years at Marvel, when handling more than three titles a month was not just a requirement but a necessity.”

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Rest in peace, Jim Shooter

The former Marvel editor-in-chief and founder of Valiant Comics has passed away at the age of 73.

Jim Shooter, the prodigy who began his career in comics as a teenager and went on to become editor-in-chief of Marvel, passed away at the age of 73 yesterday. According to writer Mark Waid, Shooter had been battling esophogeal cancer “for some time.”

As Waid points out, Shooter was a somewhat controversial figure in comics, especially during his time at Marvel. But during his tenure, Marvel published Chris Claremont and John Byrne’s Uncanny X-Men, Frank Miller’s Daredevil and Walt Simonson’s Thor — some of the most beloved comic runs of all time. He also introduced Marvel’s first direct-market only title, Dazzler, which was only sold in comic shops, and spearheaded event crossovers like Contest of Champions and Secret Wars (which he also wrote). And he launched the Epic Comics line, giving Marvel a creator-owned imprint. Still, his management style alienated many creators at the time, with many leaving to work for DC or other publishers.

“Jim was an excellent super hero writer, a character creator, an editor with an eagle eye, and a man who gave his all to what he did,” former DC Publisher Paul Levitz wrote. “From my perspective, he was far weaker as an enterprise leader, and unfortunately that was what he most wanted to be. His sense of history was not, in my view, as good as his sense of fiction. But what he did well, he did gloriously…and my inner child will always be grateful for his inspiration.”

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Rest in peace, Peter David

The writer of ‘Incredible Hulk,’ ‘Young Justice,’ ‘Spider-Man 2099’ and more has passed away.

Peter David, the legendary “Writer of Stuff,” has passed away at the age of 68.

David’s long tenure as a writer included runs on Young Justice, X-Factor, Aquaman, various Spider-Man titles, Wolverine, She-Hulk, Supergirl and an epic decade+ run on Incredible Hulk, among many others. He was also a novelist and screenwriter, and for years contributed a column, “But I Digress,” to Comic Buyer’s Guide.

David passed away yesterday, according to his wife Kathleen O’Shea David. David’s health had been in decline for several years, as he suffered from kidney disease and some recent small strokes, according to a GoFundme page for his medical expenses.

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Rest in Peace, Butch Guice

The co-creator of Resurrection Man and Apocalypse, and artist of everything from ‘Iron Man’ to ‘The Death of Superman’ storyline has passed away at the age of 63.

Jackson “Butch” Guice, the artist who rose to fame drawing Micronauts, X-Factor, The Flash, Doctor Strange and more, has passed away. He was 63.

The news was reported by his brother-in-law, James Hettel, on Facebook. Guice had reported on his own Facebook page in early April that he was experiencing health issues that landed him in the ICU, and noted he had been in a “losing a fight to a strong case of pneumonia.”

“Words to describe Butch: Solid. Dependable. Influential. Kind (in a very straight forward, get your ass back up and get back in there kind of way). Loving. Love for his family like a mountain. And a Holy Anger like a Mountain Slide if he saw you looking sideways at those he protected,” his brother-in-law said in his post.

Guice was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee in 1961, and became a fan of comics not long after that.

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DC adds another autobiographical story to this year’s DC Pride anthology

Black Lightning co-creator Jenny Blake will team with artist Sara Soler on the personal story ‘Master Planner.’

DC has announced that their upcoming DC Pride special has grown in scope with the addition of an autobiographical story by Jenny Blake and Sara Soler, with lettering by Jodie Troutman.

Blake came out as transgender earlier this year after working “over half-a-century in the comic-book industry” and co-creating characters like Black Lightning and Black Goliath. She follows in the footsteps of Kevin Conroy and Phil Jimenez, who wrote personal stories for previous volumes of DC Pride.

“When I came out as transgender, the comics community was overwhelmingly loving and supportive,” Blake said. “Being asked to contribute to this anthology was unexpected and so affirming. I’ve done a lot of cool things in my 50-plus years in comics, but this story is one of the things I’m most proud of. I see myself in this story and I hope readers see something of themselves in it. I had a wonderful time writing my story, and I hope the readers enjoy it as much as I did.”

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In Memory: Comic creators we lost in 2024

As we move into 2025, we pay respect to some of the comics creators we lost last year.

As we move into the new year, we take a moment to remember the comic writers, artists and editors we lost in 2024.

José María Del Bó, known professionally as José Delbo, passed away at the age of 90 in February. The Argentine comics artist was known for his work on Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen, World’s Finest, Batman Family and Wonder Woman in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as Transformers, ThunderCats, Captain Planet and the Planeteers and NFL SuperPro at Marvel.

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Editorial cartoonist Ann Telnaes quits the Washington Post over rejected cartoon

The cartoon featured several media CEOs, including Jeff Bezos, bowing down to Donald Trump.

Award-winning editorial cartoonist Ann Telnaes has left her position at the Washington Post after the paper rejected an editorial cartoon idea she submitted featuring several tech and media executives bowing down to President-elect Donald Trump.

Telnaes shared the news in her Substack newsletter today.

The cartoon in question features Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, LA Times publisher Patrick Soon-Shiong, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Mickey Mouse and, perhaps most notably, Amazon CEO and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos.

“The cartoon that was killed criticizes the billionaire tech and media chief executives who have been doing their best to curry favor with incoming President-elect Trump,” she said in her post. “There have been multiple articles recently about these men with lucrative government contracts and an interest in eliminating regulations making their way to Mar-a-lago.”

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‘10,000 Ink Stains: A Memoir’ offers a detailed look at Jeff Lemire’s 25+ years in comics

The hardcover will arrive next July from Dark Horse Comics.

A new book coming from Dark Horse next year will explore the comics career of Jeff Lemire, offering “a book-by-book and step-by-step journey” of sketches, essays, previously unpublished material and more.

10,000 Ink Stains: A Memoir will be a $50 hardcover and is due out next July. It’ll contain materials that he first posted to his Substack newsletter, which he has since expanded and built upon for this collection.

“This hardcover book will feature essays that document the creation of each of my books, from my earliest self-published never before published mini-comics to Essex County, Sweet Tooth, Black Hammer, Minor Arcana and everything in between,” Lemire said in his newsletter. “In addition to essays discussing the creation of each project and my personal life at the time, this book will also feature never seen developmental artwork, rare and unpublished comics and in-depth process material.”

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Rest in peace, Karl Moline

The co-creator of ‘Route 666’ and Joss Whedon’s ‘Fray’ passes away at 51.

Karl Moline, the artist known for his work on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, for CrossGen and more, has passed away at the age of 51. No cause of death has been reported.

“In a week of awful news, there is unfortunately more,” Marz wrote on social media. “I learned that artist Karl Moline has passed away. Lovely guy, beautiful artist, one of my studiomates at CrossGen. Gone much too soon, deepest condolences to his family.”

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