John Cassaday, the artist who co-created the influential turn-of-the-century comedian Planetary after which drew an award-winning X-Males comedian written by Joss Whedon for Marvel, has died. He was 52.
His sister Robin Cassaday introduced his demise Monday on Fb. She beforehand wrote that he had been admitted to the intensive care unit of Mount Sinai West in New York on Sept. 3. The reason for demise was not revealed.
Cassaday additionally drew the relaunch of Star Wars that grew to become the best-selling comedian of 2015.
“Like [fellow artists] Neal Adams, Jim Steranko or Michael Golden, he’s a touchstone, a reference level to the handfuls and dozens of artists whose work was influenced by his,” comics author and editor Mark Waid stated. “Most individuals are fortunate if greater than a dozen individuals are nonetheless speaking about them a month after they go. My buddy John might be talked about and remembered by a whole business for ages.”
Born in 1971, Cassaday was a self-taught artist and movie college graduate who plugged away at his craft whereas working in building and as a director of native TV information in Texas. Within the mid-Nineties, he confirmed his portfolio to Waid at a comic book conference.
Waid then referred the artist to writer and editor Jeff Mariotte, and that opened the door to Cassaday getting employed for illustration gigs that paid nicely sufficient for him to give up his day job and draw full time.
Within the late Nineties, he teamed with writer Warren Ellis for Planetary, an exploration of the superhero and pulp hero genres that centered on a trio of adventurer-archeologists who have been a part of a company that tried to maintain observe of worldwide superpowered exercise.
The comedian initially revealed on a bimonthly schedule earlier than Ellis’ well being issues — and Cassaday’s propensity for exactness — precipitated a number of delays. Nonetheless, its 27-issue run, revealed by Picture imprint Wildstorm, would discover comics tropes earlier than such a factor was in style and acquire a cult following. It additionally earned a number of Eisner Award nominations.
Cassaday discovered breakthrough industrial success with Astonishing X-Males, a 25-issue run within the mid-aughts that helped restore the mutant group to prominence amongst Marvel titles. His cinematic model proved to be an ideal complement to the tales by Whedon, the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly. Critics cherished it, with the collection profitable the Eisner for finest comedian in 2005 and 2006 and Cassaday taking the very best artist prize in 2005. One of many storylines additionally influenced Brett Ratner’s X-Males: The Final Stand (2006).
The artist labored on titles for a number of publishers, together with I Am Legion for French-based Humanoids, and continued to attract for Marvel, the place he additionally labored on a Captain America comedian. He additionally dipped his toe in Hollywood, performing as an idea artist for Zack Snyder’s 2009 adaptation of Watchmen, amongst different gigs.
When Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012 after which Marvel a yr later, the license for Star Wars comics returned to the latter. Marvel relaunched the title in 2015, marking the primary time a Star Wars comedian was revealed by the corporate for the reason that Eighties.
Cassaday was chosen to attract the primary story arc of the guide, propelling gross sales into hyperspace. The title grew to become the high-selling comedian of that yr, and the primary difficulty offered greater than 1,000,000 copies.
“We’re devastated by the lack of our pricey buddy, artist and comedian guide legend John Cassaday,” Marvel stated in a press release to The Hollywood Reporter. “His artwork was a grasp class in emotion, motion and storytelling, and he captured the essence of each character he drew. John was one the very best, and he’ll all the time be a part of our Marvel household.”