The Comics Super Blog!
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.”
Continue reading “Rest in peace, Karl Moline”The artist of ‘Astonishing X-Men,’ ‘Planetary’ and more has passed away at 52.
John Cassaday, the co-creator and artist of Planetary, has passed away yesterday at the age of 52. The news was reported by his sister on social media, as well as by his colleagues and friends.
“My dear friend John Cassaday passed today at the absurdly young age of 52 and I miss him already,” said writer Mark Waid, who met Cassaday when he reviewed his portfolio in the 1990s.
“John Cassaday, I will say without hesitation and with very little fear of disagreement, was one of the very best illustrators and storytellers to ever work in the comics medium,” Waid continued. “Like Neal Adams, Jim Steranko, or Michael Golden, he is a touchstone, a reference point to the dozens and dozens of artists whose work was influenced by his. Most people are lucky if more than a dozen people are still talking about them a month after they pass. My friend John will be talked about and remembered by an entire industry for ages. And rightfully so. Rest in peace, sir.”
Continue reading “Rest in peace, John Cassaday”The creator of ‘The Jam’ and ‘Grendel: The Devil Within’ has passed away at 63.
Bernie Mireault, creator of The Jam, Mackenzie Queen and Dr. Robot, and the artist of Matt Wagner’s Grendel: The Devil Inside, has passed away at the age of 63.
Mireault’s death was shared by his friend and fellow artist Howard Chackowicz, who posted on Facebook that Mireault committed suicide on Monday.
“Bernie was a wonderful friend (truly like a brother to me),” Chackowicz wrote. “I can’t tell you how much he’s helped me over the years, what a great, great person, I love him so much. My heart and soul goes out to his two sons and his three sisters, his family and friends.”
Continue reading “Rest in peace, Bernie Mireault”The artist of ‘Sandman,’ ‘The Last Temptation’ and ‘Puma Blues’ has passed away at the age of 71.
Michael Zulli, the creator of Puma Blues and artist on Sandman, Alice Cooper: The Last Temptation and many more beautifully drawn comics, has passed away at the age of 71. The news was shared by artist and publisher Stephen Bissette, who published Zulli’s work in several issues of Bissette’s Taboo in the late 1980s/early 1990s.
“Beloved longtime friend, irreplaceable Taboo ally and co-conspirator, and among the greatest animal artists who ever worked in the comics medium anywhere in the world—miss you, Michael Zulli, proud to have walked a few beats in this crazy creative path with you,” Stephen Bissette wrote on Facebook.
Continue reading “Rest in peace, Michael Zulli”The co-creator of ‘Strikeforce: Morituri’ and writer of ‘Doctor Strange,’ ‘Defenders’ and ‘Micronauts’ has passed away at the age of 71.
Peter B. Gillis, the writer of Strikeforce Morituri, Shatter, Doctor Strange, The Defenders and more, has passed away. His brother Rob shared the news on Facebook, saying that Gillis passed away around 2 a.m. this morning after battling health issues for the last two years. He was 71.
“Many of you know my brother Peter has been struggling almost the the last two years with health issues,” his brother posted. “Getting better, getting much worse, getting much better, getting far worse. Yesterday he went from being ‘on the road back home’ in the morning to a quick decline and passed away around 2am this morning in the presence of some close friends who drove to Albany to be with him.”
Gillis began his career in comics in the late 1970s, with his first published story appearing in Captain America #224, which featured artwork by Mike Zeck. He went on to write issues of Marvel Two-In-One, Super-Villain Team-Up and What If…?, of which he wrote about 12 issues in the early 1980s, which gave him the chance to write everyone from the Fantastic Four to Conan the Barbarian.
Continue reading “Rest in peace, Peter B. Gillis”The co-creator of Moon Knight and Bloodshot and artist of countless comics passed away at the age of 94.
Don Perlin, the veteran comics artist who co-created Moon Knight and Bloodshot, passed away May 14 at the age of 94, his daughter confirmed on social media.
“I am devastated to report the death of an amazing man. My father Don Perlin passed away peacefully yesterday at the age of 94,” Elaine Perlin wrote on Facebook. “He was an amazing father, husband, grandfather and great-grandfather. We will all miss him terribly. He was an amazing artist and considered a legend in the comic world. To me he was my best friend. I will miss him so much.”
Born in New York City and raised in Brooklyn, Perlin began pursuing his career in high school when he began taking classes from Burne Hogarth, who worked on the Tarzan comic strip and wrote several anatomy books aimed at artists.
“I always wanted to draw and I always like to draw cartoons,” he told Nerd Team 30 back in 2018. “While I was in high school, Burne Hogarth had put an ad in some of the high school papers about a class he’d be having on Saturday mornings in Manhattan. I showed it to my dad and he called Hogarth. We went to his apartment and showed him some of the things I’d done, and he accepted me into to the class. There I started learning about comic books and comic strips and the ‘how-to’ part of things. From there on I started trying to get into the business and slowly I managed to.”
Continue reading “Rest in peace, Don Perlin”The influential comics creator and pioneer has passed away at the age of 85.
“Trina wears her wampum beads
She fills her drawing book with line
Sewing lace on widows’ weeds
And filigree on leaf and vine
Vine and leaf are filigree
And her coat’s a secondhand one
Trimmed with antique luxury
She is a lady of the canyon”
–Joni Mitchell, Ladies of the Canyon
Trina Robbins, a comics creator, historian, advocate and pioneering figure in the underground comix movement — and, yes, the “Trina” Joni Mitchell sang about in 1970 — passed away yesterday at the age of 85.
Her death was first reported by her daughter on social media last night, followed by tributes and obituaries by her fans, fellow artists and news outlets, including The New York Times and Forbes. Forbes reported that Robbins passed away following a stroke that left her hospitalized earlier this year.
“Not only was she a legendary creator of comics, she was also one of comics’ greatest historians and researchers, and a guiding light to countless girls and women who had a hard time believing there was space for them in this art form,” Gail Simone said in a remembrance of her “hero, friend and mentor.”
Continue reading “Rest in peace, Trina Robbins”The artist of ‘Quantum & Woody,’ ‘Iron Man,’ ‘Icon’ and more was 68.
Mark “M.D.” Bright, an artist whose resume included drawing iconic runs on Iron Man and Green Lantern, as well as co-creating the Valiant Comics series Quantum and Woody and the Milestone Media series Icon, has passed away.
Bright died on March 27 at the age of 68. While no cause of death has been reported, an obituary posted by the funeral home notes he passed away “peacefully.”
Continue reading “Rest in peace, Mark D. Bright”The creator of ‘Hip Hop Family Tree’ passed away on Monday.
Ed Piskor, the creator of Hip Hop Family Tree and X-Men: Grand Design, has passed away at the age of 41.
According to the obituary posted on the Savolskis – Wasik – Glenn Funeral Home website, Piskor passed away “unexpectedly” yesterday. His sister, Justine Cleaves, confirmed her brother’s passing on Facebook.
The news followed a week of allegations against the artist for inappropriate behavior and grooming of an aspiring artist. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust indefinitely postponed a gallery showing of Piskor’s artwork as a result of the allegations, and his longtime podcast partner Jim Rugg announced he was ending his working relationship with Piskor. Piskor posted an apparent suicide note on social media yesterday several hours before it was revealed he had died.
Continue reading “Rest in peace, Ed Piskor”Plus: News on Rob Liefeld, Scout Comics, G. Willow Wilson and the Robert E. Howard awards.
Nirvana Comics in Knoxville, Tennessee has won Image Comics’ inaugural Image Select Retailer Award. The winner was announced this weekend at the Emerald City Comic Con during an event hosted by Lunar Distribution.
Images Comics announced the award last month as a way to recognize retailers “that are going above and beyond to serve their customers, expand readership and grow a healthier marketplace.” Customers were able to vote for their favorite store via an online form.
“This is such a huge honor,” said Grant and Jasmine Mitchell, co-owners of the store. “Thank you Image Comics for all you’ve done to help the comic shop industry. Thank you to all our customers who nominated us. Your support and friendship is why we do this everyday. The best is yet to come!”
According to Image, the shop was in the top tier of most nominations by sheer volume from “happy customers eager to pay it forward to the store they love.” They’ll receive several prizes from Image, including a commemorative medallion and their choice of a comic with a gold foil exclusive variant cover branded with their store logo.
“The response to this award was phenomenal with thousands of nominations submitted in just a few days,” said Alex Cox, director of direct market sales at Image Comics. “Reading that many testimonials from people praising their local comic shops was a great reminder of how amazing the comics community can be, and Nirvana Comics stood out as a prime example of a store that truly values their customers, and makes new fans every day.”
Continue reading “Quick Hits | Nirvana Comics in Knoxville wins the first Image Select Retailer Award”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.
Continue reading “Rest in peace, Ramona Fradon”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.
Continue reading “Rest in peace, Paul Neary”
