Comics
Veteran artist Gene Colan dies, aged 84
Published Friday, Jun 24 2011, 08:50 BST | By Hugh Armitage | 3 comments
Legendary comic book artist Gene Colan has died at the age of 84.
Colan's almost 70 year-long career saw him work for extensively for Marvel Comics and DC Comics, as well as Marvel's precursor Timely Comics.
He had a seven-year run on Daredevil from 1966 to 1973 and, in the '70s, illustrated all 70 issues of Tomb of Dracula and the majority of Steve Gerber's satirical Howard the Duck.
In the '80s he worked on various titles for DC including Detective Comics.
Colan collaborated with Stan Lee on the creation of the Falcon, who is considered to be the first African-American superhero in mainstream comics.
He also worked on Dark Horse Comics' Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Archie Comics' Jughead's Time Police.
Colan returned to Daredevil in 1997 for an eight-issue run and more recently illustrated Captain America #601, which received the Eisner Award for 'Best Single Issue'. He was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2005.
His death was reported by his friend, the writer Clifford Meth, on his blog. He said that Colan had been in a "quasi-coma state" following a broken hip and complications due to liver disease.
"I am terribly saddened to lose Gene," said Meth. "He was a gentle and deeply spiritual man, a bright light in every context, and those who knew him at any level were enriched by his warmth and generous nature."
Marvel released a hardcover collection of Colan's work in association with the charitable organisation the Hero Initiative.
Colan's almost 70 year-long career saw him work for extensively for Marvel Comics and DC Comics, as well as Marvel's precursor Timely Comics.
He had a seven-year run on Daredevil from 1966 to 1973 and, in the '70s, illustrated all 70 issues of Tomb of Dracula and the majority of Steve Gerber's satirical Howard the Duck.
In the '80s he worked on various titles for DC including Detective Comics.
Colan collaborated with Stan Lee on the creation of the Falcon, who is considered to be the first African-American superhero in mainstream comics.
He also worked on Dark Horse Comics' Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Archie Comics' Jughead's Time Police.
Colan returned to Daredevil in 1997 for an eight-issue run and more recently illustrated Captain America #601, which received the Eisner Award for 'Best Single Issue'. He was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2005.
His death was reported by his friend, the writer Clifford Meth, on his blog. He said that Colan had been in a "quasi-coma state" following a broken hip and complications due to liver disease.
"I am terribly saddened to lose Gene," said Meth. "He was a gentle and deeply spiritual man, a bright light in every context, and those who knew him at any level were enriched by his warmth and generous nature."
Marvel released a hardcover collection of Colan's work in association with the charitable organisation the Hero Initiative.
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