Rest in peace, Ramona Fradon

The Hall of Fame comics artist and co-creator of Metamorpho and Aqualad has passed away at 97.

Ramona Fradon, the longtime DC artist and co-creator of Metamorpho, passed away yesterday at the age of 97 — a little more than a month after officially retiring from drawing comics.

The news was announced by her art agent, Scott Kress of Catskill Comics, on Facebook.

“Ramona was 97 and had a long career in the comic book industry and was still drawing just a few days ago. She was a remarkable person in so many ways. I will miss all the great conversations and laughs we had. I am blessed that I was able to work with her on a professional level, but also able to call her my friend,” the post reads.

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Rest in peace, Paul Neary

The former editor-in-chief of Marvel UK and veteran artist passed away on Feb. 10 after a long illness.

Paul Neary, the former Marvel UK editor-in-chief and artist of Captain America, Excalibur, The Ultimates and more, has passed away at the age of 74. Neary died of a long illness on Feb. 10, as reported by his longtime colleague Alan Davis and shared by Paul Levitz.

“In a career of more than 50 years Paul earned international respect and recognition in numerous roles within the comic book industry,” Davis shared. “Paul could write, pencil, ink, colour, letter and edit. Skills he learned from studying the medium with an academic zeal.”

Neary was born in Bournemouth, England in 1949, and would attend college at Leeds University. According to Davis, Neary traveled to New York over his first summer at university to try and break into the comics industry.

“Comics were an enthusiastic hobby for Paul when he moved to Leeds University to study for a degree in Metallurgy, but in his first summer break Paul travelled to New York, bluffed his way into Jim Warren’s office, and secured his first professional work on Eerie magazine,” Davis said.

Neary’s work would regularly appear in Eerie, where he drew the “Hunter” series, which was about a half-breed warrior who fights for survival on a weird, irradiated alternate Earth.

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Tillie Walden named Vermont’s next Cartoonist Laureate

The creator of “Spinning” and “On A Sunbeam” will begin her tenure in April.

The Vermont Arts Council and the Center for Cartoon Studies have announced that Tillie Walden will serve as the next Cartoonist Laureate for the state. Her tenure will begin on April 13 when she will be recognized on the Vermont Statehouse floor.

“I’m so pleased Tillie Walden will serve as Vermont’s next cartoonist laureate,” said U.S. Representative Becca Balint (D-Vermont) in a press release. “She creates richly imagined worlds that transport readers on emotional and fantastical journeys and reminds us all of the importance of having a deep sense of self. Congratulations for this special accomplishment, and thank you for being part of a unique tradition that sets Vermont apart.”

Walden is the award-winning creator of several graphic novels, including the Eisner-winning Are You Listening? and Spinning, the L.A. Times Book Prize-winning On A Sunbeam and The Walking Dead tie-in graphic novel Clementine. She has two new graphic novels due out this year — a second Clementine book and Junior High, a collaboration with musicians Tegan and Sara.

Walden will be the fifth Cartoonist Laureate for Vermont, which I believe is still the only state that has one. Her term will last three years. She joins a list that includes James Kolchalka, Ed Koren, Alison Bechdel and Rick Veitch in holding the title.

‘Body Bags’ creator Jason Pearson passed away in December

The artist’s family announced this week that Pearson died from natural causes at the age of 52 last month.

Jason Pearson, the creator of Body Bags and a founding member of Gaijin Studios, passed away on Dec. 19 at the age of 52. His family revealed that he died on his Facebook page.

“Jason leaves behind a legacy of work that will be cherished by readers for decades to come,” their statement reads, which says he passed away from natural causes. “His hyper-kinetic style and breathless pace will be studied by both aspiring artists and seasoned professionals as long as the comic book medium exists. While sometimes a controversial figure, no one could ever question his commitment to the craft or the quality of work he produced as both a writer and artist.”

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Rest in peace, Kevin O’Neill

The co-creator of ‘League of Extraordinary Gentlemen’ and ‘Nemesis the Warlock’ has passed away ‘after a long illness.’

London comic retailer Gosh! Comics is reporting that Kevin O’Neill, known for his work on the earliest issues of 2000AD as well as for being declared objectionable by the Comics Code Authority for his entire art style, has passed away. No cause of death was reported, but Gosh! did say O’Neill had been suffering from a “long illness.”

“We had worked a lot with Kevin over the past two decades and had the highest personal and professional regard for him, and of course the impact he has had on the comics landscape cannot be overstated,” their post reads.

O’Neill’s impact included the co-creation of several comics, including Nemesis the Warlock and Marshal Law, both with writer Pat Mills, as well as The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen with Alan Moore. He’s won multiple Eisner and Harvey awards, as well as an Eagle Award and a Bram Stoker award.

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Webtoon apologizes for controversial ‘fun side-hustle’ comics ad

The ad, which appeared in New York’s subway system, will be updated, according to the company.

Webtoon apologized via social media yesterday after several comics creators called out a recent advertisement placed by the webcomics behemoth.

“Comics are literature’s fun side-hustle” appeared on one of several ads in the New York subway system, which you can view over at The Beat. Several comics creators called out the ad for disrespecting the work they put into creating the very comics that make a platform like Webtoon even possible:

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Rest in peace, George Pérez

The renowned artist of ‘New Teen Titans,’ ‘JLA/Avengers’ and more passed away from Stage 3 Pancreatic Cancer.

Legendary artist and Eisner Hall of Fame member George Pérez passed away yesterday at the age of 67 from Stage 3 Pancreatic Cancer.

Pérez revealed his heartbreaking diagnosis last year and took every opportunity over the last few months to connect with fans of his work. The news was shared by his friend, Constance Eza, who manages his Facebook page.

“We are all very much grieving but, at the same time, we are so incredibly grateful for the joy he brought to our lives,” Eza said in the Facebook post. “To know George was to love him; and he loved back. Fiercely and with his whole heart. The world is a lot less vibrant today without him in it. He loved all of you. He loved hearing your posts and seeing the drawings you sent and the tributes you made. He was deeply proud to have brought so much joy to so many.”

The post states that a memorial service for the artist will take place at MEGACON Orlando at 6 p.m. on May 22. It will be open to all.

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Artists celebrate ‘May the Fourth be With You’ Day

Enjoy some Star Wars Day art — and a song.

Today is May 4, Star Wars Day, the day we are legally obliged to celebrate everything Star Wars. And many artists took to social media to fulfill their legal obligation, so let’s take a look at some Star Wars art:

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Rest in peace, Neal Adams

The prolific artist, editor and comics advocate passed away from sepsis earlier this week.

Legendary comics creator Neal Adams — an artist, editor and advocate for creator rights — passed away Thursday in New York due to complications from sepsis, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Adams was 80 years old.

Over the course of his career, Adams brought his revolutionary art style, renderings, faces and figures to the pages of Batman, X-Men, Green Lantern/Green Arrow, Superman vs. Muhammad Ali, Avengers and countless others. His work with Denny O’Neil on Batman and later Green Lantern/Green Arrow in the 1970s helped push comics storytelling into a new era, where the emphasis on superhumans was as much on the “human” aspect as the “super.”

“There are few comic book artists whose work has echoed across the decades more than Neal Adams and it was a great shock to discover that this legend has passed away,” J.M. DeMatteis said on his blog. ” His work with the brilliant Denny O’Neil on Batman redefined the character and the same team exploded the superhero genre (and my sixteen-year-old mind) with the ‘all new, all now’ Green Lantern/Green Arrow series.”

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Jeff Lemire signs an exclusive deal with Image Comics

The deal will not impact the Black Hammer comics published by Dark Horse or the content on his Substack newsletter.

Jeff Lemire has signed an exclusive deal with Image Comics, his publisher for projects like Ascender, Descender, Gideon Falls, Primordial and more, for an undisclosed amount of time.

“Having worked with Image on so many projects over the last decade, I’ve come to appreciate the complete creative freedom and support that they’ve provided me,” said Lemire. “I’m excited to make Image the exclusive home for all my projects in the years to come, both solo projects that I will draw myself, and my various collaborations. Bone Orchard and Little Monsters are just the start of what I have planned this year and beyond.”

The deal does come with a couple of asterisks, though — Lemire clarified in his Substack newsletter that it will not impact the Black Hammer line of books he co-created at Dark Horse. “I have an exemption in my Image deal to finish the last few Black Hammer series as planned,” he said.

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Mad Cave announces their 2021 talent search winners

Eight new creators have been chosen by the publisher in their fourth annual competition.

Mad Cave Studios has announced the winners of their annual talent search competition, which is going on four years now. The winners were announced on Friday during Mad Cave Studios Showcase 4.0, which was broadcast on Twitch.

“We received a wealth of submissions from many talented creators and regrettably could only select a few to help usher in the next phase of Mad Cave,” Mad Cave said in the their statement announcing the winners. “The Mad Cave Studios Talent Search has created a supportive community of dedicated comic book lovers that leaves us feeling excited for the future of the medium, and we want to thank each creator who put everything they have into their respective submission.”

Previous winners of the competition include Shane Connery Volk and David Hazan, who went on to create the Mad Cave title Nottingham. A sequel has been announced for next year. The winners of the 2020 competition helped create the upcoming Grimm Tales From the Cave, a horror anthology that arrives in stores next week.

Here are the eight creators who won, who I’m sure you’ll be hearing about more in the future:

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DC + Milestone announce The Milestone Initiative

The new talent development program will provide nine weeks of training for new comic artists and writers.

Milestone Media and DC Comics have teamed up with Ally, an online financial services company, to launch the Milestone Initiative, a new program that’s meant “to identify, support and elevate emerging diverse writers and artists within the comic book industry.”

The program, which was announced yesterday during DC FanDome, will includes a week-long, in-person training seminar in DC’s Burbank, California offices next February. That will be followed by an eight-week virtual technical training course through the Kubert School. The initiative is actually part of a larger effort by DC to develop new talent called Next Generation DC.

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