R.I.P. Gene Colan – 1926 – 2011

We are saddened to pass along the news that legendary comic book creator Gene Colan passed away this evening, June 23, 2011 at the age of 84 years old.

Gene Colan was best known for his years of work at Marvel Comics, most notably  a legendary run on Daredevil spanning over 80 issues, Howard The Duck and Tomb of Dracula.  Most recently, in 2010, he won the Eisner Award for best single issue, along with Ed Brubaker for Captain American #601.

His art spanned decades and touched many fans and inspired many current day comic book creators. Gene Colan was truly one of the greats of comic book history and he will be missed.  

For those not aware of Gene Colan's body of work, check out Gene Colan's artistic legacy in his listing on ComicBookDB

 

Origina Sketch of Dracula by Gene Colan that many artists recently have inked over:

Many of the artists who have participated in inking over this piece have made their work available for sale, via auction to benefit The Hero Initiative:  Gabriel Hardman, Kevin Mellon, Ande Parks – Get 'em before the bidding ends!

 

An amazing page of Gene Colan original art from Daredevil #57 (1969):

Comments

  1. So sad

  2. Gene Colan is kind of the unsung hero next to Neal Adams and Jim Steranko that helped superhero comic art push beyond the Kirby/Buscema school of art in the 60’s and 70’s into a more detailed and experimental direction.  Plus, he drew a righteous Iron Man.  He’ll be missed.

  3. Gene Colan did more with a book about a cartoon duck than most artists now do with the biggest books in the line. God bless him for all he brought us.

  4. 🙁

  5. Terrible news 🙁

    R.I.P.

  6. Sad to see him go. I am happy I got to see and appreciate his work while he was alive. I loved his art from Steve Gerber and his Superman: Phantom Zone miniseries. Colan did an excellent job with the darker atmosphere (which is rare for a Superman story), but still delivering some good action.

  7. My favorite Daredevil artist of all time. A giant. Rest In Peace, Sir.

  8. Rip a true master has left us

  9. Damn.  RIP Gene Colan.  

  10. that sucks.

  11. I was just looking at some of his art last night. So sad.

  12. A genius right to the very end…rest easy, sir.

  13. What terrible news to wake up to. RIP.

    In a way it’s nice that he won an Eisner last year, but he will be missed, for sure. 

  14. That Gene kept the standard of his work to such a high level even when in his 80’s is a true testament to him. RIP

  15. sad, but fortunately we have so much great work of his to remember him by.

  16. Such an amazing, influential artist. He kept on doing great work, well into his 80s. He will definitely be missed and looked back upon as one of the giants of the industry. 

  17. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    One of the absolute greats. Will be reading some Dracula today. 

  18. Sad. Day a tru legend.

  19. Very sad to hear it. One of the greats! 🙁

  20. Probably one of the most influential artists in comics. I’m sad to see him go.

  21. I guess that makes Cap 601 the last published comic by Gene. Rest in Peace.

  22. Wow what a body of work he had, very sad to hear about this.  RIP

  23. The name didn’t click until I read the story. Then I realized how much of his work I had read over the years. Tomb of Dracula was one of the first comics I read as a kid, as well as some Howard the Duck. Nice that he won the Eisner last year, I’m sure that was a thrill for him. I think he began working in comics at the age of 14! Amazing body of work. Well done, sir. RIP

  24. This man will be missed. My thoughts are with his family today.

  25. Talk about going out with a bang…that Captain America issue he did was superb. If anyone could bring to life WWII vampires, it his certainly him. RIP, hope everything is alright with his family and close friends.

  26. Thank you, Gene.

  27. Terrible news. RIP, Gene.

  28. His art was always a pleasure to view. Amazing  composition. R.I.P.

  29. I have made the image here my Facebook profile pic.

    http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FSjlXK-bKvM/Tbo2tH5n7jI/AAAAAAAABsU/BHO8qq-CmxE/s1600/gene_colan_collage.jpg

    Very sad to see such a legend pass, and even more sad that that is the times we are in.

  30. He will be missed

  31. He’ll definitely be missed. It’s so inspiring to see guys like him still drawing and doing what they loved until the end. Not only that, but still being good at it.

  32. I was first introduced to Gene’s work in the awesome comic “Night Force”. Way before Veritgo and Sandman made the mystical mainstream, Night Force rocked full on towards the supernatural in a believible fashion. And one of the big contributing factors in making this comic realistic was Gene Colon’s art work. 

    You know right off the bat that you are looking at a Gene Colon comic. There is NO OTHER ARTIST LIKE HIM. Period. His style has never been aped or duplicated, whihc is a rare occurance in comics. Much like the great film directors Stanley Kubrick or David Lynch, in which you KNOW you are watching one of their movies because of the “style” and “vibe” of the film. 

    Gene Colon will go down as an absolute legend in the comics world. There will never be another artist like him. Thank you Gene for countless excellent panels of lovely artwork. You passion shown thru with each one.  

  33. A very skilled man.

  34. Very sad to hear about the passing of Gene Colan, but he had been in failing health for the last few years.

     

    This interview  (right click to save) was made in October of 2005. Actually it was my second interview with Gene. I had just bought some new recording equipment and after we did our talk, I realized it hadn’t recorded the conversationat all!

    Completely embarrassed I called Gene back and asked if we could possibly do it again on another night and without hesitation he said “Of course call me tomorrow, this was fun!”

     

    That was a big relief, and made me feel better.  I saw him twice after this talk, at New York Comic Conventions in 2009 and 2010.

    The last time was bittersweet. Fellow podcaster Rick Gordon and I spoke to Gene and it was clear his health was declining, but he still smiled shook our hands and thank us for stopping by. He even cupped Rick’s cheek like a grandfather would do to a small child. We both knew it was probably the last time we’d see him.

    Rest well Gene. The heroes you drew are waiting to buy you a drink in Valhalla .

  35. After that HUGE gaffe I made that almost conor quit the site, I looked back at a lot of Gene Colan’s work. I feel bad not knowning the man’s work at that time but I sure as hell now see his amazing talents. He is definitely one of the greatest artists to ever work the medium.

    RIP 

  36. R.I.P.   Great artists leave us with a legacy to reflect upon and enjoy for decades, new and old fans and friends alike.
     

  37. Legendary. I wonder how many artists working today will acheive the same status. 🙁

  38. Glad to see you came around, TNC. I remember that Cap 601 kerfuffle as if it happened yesterday.

    We’ve known this was coming for a while but it still hurts. Gene revolutionized comics layouts; the medium today is better for his lasting contributions. We owe him every time we pick up a book with dynamic, something-other-than-a-grid presentation. It was all him.  

    I’m getting a beer and pulling out my Howard the Duck Omnibus. Then my Daredevil essentials. Then Nathaniel Dusk. And maybe even some Batman. And I’m going to cry.

    Bye, Gene. And thanks.

  39. He definitely belongs on Marvel’s Mt. Rushmore. 

    I just started reading the first essential Daredevil last night and I’m looking forward to the art.

     Thanks Gene. 

  40. The saddest news I’ve had in years. I was lucky enough to collect his run on Daredevil when they were published – to this day they remain my favourite comics. Vale Gene.

  41. A Giant. His Tomb of Dracula work left a lasting Powerful impression on me that inspired me to become an artist.
    Love and Peace Gene.