Go Back  DVD Talk Forum > Entertainment Discussions > Comic Book Talk
Reload this Page >

Legendary Comic Book Artist Gene Colan Has Died

Comic Book Talk The Place to talk about Comics

Legendary Comic Book Artist Gene Colan Has Died

Old 06-24-11, 01:19 AM
  #1  
DVD Talk Legend
Thread Starter
 
The Valeyard's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: Building attractions one theme park at a time.
Posts: 10,800
Received 82 Likes on 49 Posts
Legendary Comic Book Artist Gene Colan Has Died



Legendary Comic Book Artist Gene Colan Has Died

Clifford Meth has reported that legendary comic book artist Gene Colan died last night at the age of 84. Colan is perhaps best remembered for his stylish, brooding work on Marvel’s 1970s Tomb of Dracula series, but the artist’s lengthy career spanned both titles and decades, beginning with Fiction House’s Wings Comics in 1944 and including a number of memorable hilights such as Daredevil and Doctor Strange in the Silver Age, Howard the Duck in the 1970s, and DC Comics’ Nathaniel Dusk in the 1980s.

I regret to announce that my friend Gene Colan died at about 11 pm on June 23. Gene spent this last week in a quasi-coma state following a broken hip and complications from liver disease. He was 84.

I am terribly saddened to lose Gene. 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. Below are some thoughts I cobbled together when he slipped from consciousness earlier this week.

I leave the historical perspective and details of Gene’s significant career to my friends Tom Spurgeon and Mark Evanier. For now, I mourn.

Clifford Meth
Bleeding Cool

Gah! A true comic legend. He'll be missed.

Gene.
Old 06-24-11, 01:44 AM
  #2  
DVD Talk Godfather
 
davidh777's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Home of 2013 NFL champion Seahawks
Posts: 52,393
Received 980 Likes on 811 Posts
Re: Legendary Comic Book Artist Gene Colan Has Died

RIP

<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sXIMNXlDw94" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Old 06-24-11, 08:49 AM
  #3  
Suspended
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 43,205
Received 36 Likes on 20 Posts
Re: Legendary Comic Book Artist Gene Colan Has Died

Gene Colan was awesome. Dracula, Howard the Duck, Iron Man, Dr. Strange, Batman, Captain America, Night Force ... so many great books over the years. Nobody in comics has ever understood light and shadow better than him.
Old 06-24-11, 10:52 AM
  #4  
DVD Talk Legend
 
Bronkster's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: AnaheimLand, SoCal
Posts: 22,361
Received 587 Likes on 338 Posts
Re: Legendary Comic Book Artist Gene Colan Has Died

Aww, I was always a fan of his work. Bye, Gene
Old 06-24-11, 10:52 AM
  #5  
DVD Talk Limited Edition
 
mrhan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 6,177
Likes: 0
Received 13 Likes on 11 Posts
Gene Colan dies at 84

http://beta.news.yahoo.com/comic-boo...132441929.html

Comic book artist Gene Colan dies at 84

By MATT MOORE - Associated Press,ULA ILNYTZKY - Associated Press | AP – 42 mins ago

NEW YORK (AP) — Comic book artist Gene Colan, whose career spanned seven decades and chronicled the adventures of characters like Dracula, Batman, Daredevil and the wise-cracking fowl Howard the Duck, has died in the Bronx at age 84.

Longtime friend and biographer Clifford Meth told The Associated Press that Colan died late Thursday at Calvary Hospital from complications of liver disease and cancer. Funeral details were not available, but Meth said it would be a private gathering.

Colan's impact on the industry was undeniable, developing a style both subtle and emotional that imbued the characters he drew with a sense of vitality that seemed to leap off the pages.

"He had developed a signature style by the late 1960s that people just loved," said Meth, whose book "Perverts, Pedophiles & Other Theologians" was illustrated by Colan.

Colan's art was a staple of the Silver Age era of comics, and his 70-issue run on "The Tomb of Dracula" that was written by Marv Wolfman in the 1970s remains critically lauded for returning horror to the pages of comics.

"It came to the point that Gene was so involved in that comic, there was something organic about the book," said Mark Evanier, a comics historian. "The moods were set by Gene's skill as an artist. He drew such rich characters — people who had flesh and blood in them and had recognizable human emotions."

In the 1980s, Colan's work on Batman for DC drew plaudits and is sought out by aficionados of original comic book art.

Dan DiDio, DC's co-publisher, called the artist "one of the great draftsmen in the industry, and his work is a fond part of some of my best comic book memories."

Jim Lee called Colan a unique artist and unrivaled in his generation.

"His ability to create dramatic, multi-valued tonal illustrations using straight India ink and board was unparalleled," said Lee, also DC's co-publisher. "The comics industry has lost one of its true visionaries today."

Born in New York on Sept. 1, 1926, Colan began working in comics in 1944, drawing for "Wings Comics, before joining the U.S. Army Air Corps where he was stationed in the Philippines at the end of World War II. When he was discharged, he joined Timely Comics, the precursor to Marvel Comics and then drew for National Comics, now DC.

He returned to Marvel in the 1960s as the industry entered what is widely known as comics' Silver Age. That period saw the revitalization of classic heroes from the 1940s, such as Superman, Batman and Green Lantern at DC, as well as the creation of Marvel's Fantastic Four, The Avengers, Captain America and Daredevil.

It was at Marvel that Colan became part of the company's fabled bullpen of artists who included Jack Kirby, John Romita Sr. and Sal Buscema, among others, along with writers such as Stan Lee.

"He was part of a small group — he, Romita, Buscema and Kirby — who were the pillars of that Marvel age," Meth said. "They were defining the characters in the terms of the way they drew them, investing a lot of emotion into the characters."

While at Marvel, Colan and Lee co-created The Falcon, an African-American character that was a hero in his own right, working in tandem with Captain America, but never as a sidekick.

Evanier said Colan was drawing Captain America "when they didn't know what to do with the character because he was such an anachronism" when The Falcon was created.

"Gene worked on almost every major Marvel book at one point," Evanier said, adding that his illustrations came alive.

"His characters were more than just costumes, they had credibility. Readers would connect with a Gene Colan character instantly," he said.

___
Old 06-24-11, 11:05 AM
  #6  
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
 
Pizza's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 4,136
Received 2 Likes on 2 Posts
Re: Gene Colan dies at 84

I love his work. A great artist.
Old 06-25-11, 04:49 AM
  #7  
Mod Emeritus
 
benedict's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Outside of the U.S.A.
Posts: 10,674
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Re: Gene Colan dies at 84

Originally Posted by mrhan
[...] "It came to the point that Gene was so involved in that comic, there was something organic about the book," said Mark Evanier, a comics historian. "The moods were set by Gene's skill as an artist. He drew such rich characters — people who had flesh and blood in them and had recognizable human emotions."
[...] "His characters were more than just costumes, they had credibility. Readers would connect with a Gene Colan character instantly," [...]
I'm glad to know that the guy had such a long and productive life.

Years ago, when I used to get black & white reprints of US marvel strips, without looking at the credits I could always tell where Gene Colan was the artist because there'd be at least one trademark "up the nostrils" panel. It always made me smile for some reason.

Last edited by benedict; 06-27-11 at 07:53 AM. Reason: I was thinking of Gil Kane!
Old 06-25-11, 09:12 AM
  #8  
DVD Talk Godfather
 
davidh777's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Home of 2013 NFL champion Seahawks
Posts: 52,393
Received 980 Likes on 811 Posts
Re: Legendary Comic Book Artist Gene Colan Has Died

(Thanks for merging these threads, mod )

I think if there were an artist who wouldn't be hurt by the loss of color--probably even enhanced by it--it would be Colan. But wouldn't the nostril shots be more representative of Gil Kane? I've joked about that a couple times on this board, and I sincerely thank Bronkster for getting the joke both times.
Old 06-25-11, 11:00 AM
  #9  
Suspended
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 43,205
Received 36 Likes on 20 Posts
Re: Legendary Comic Book Artist Gene Colan Has Died

Originally Posted by davidh777
I think if there were an artist who wouldn't be hurt by the loss of color--probably even enhanced by it--it would be Colan.
Marvel reprinted the entire Tomb of Dracula run in black and white as part of their Essentials line. It is gorgeous.
Old 06-27-11, 07:52 AM
  #10  
Mod Emeritus
 
benedict's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Outside of the U.S.A.
Posts: 10,674
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Re: Legendary Comic Book Artist Gene Colan Has Died

Originally Posted by davidh777
But wouldn't the nostril shots be more representative of Gil Kane? I've joked about that a couple times on this board, and I sincerely thank Bronkster for getting the joke both times.
You're absolutely right! This struck me over the weekend and I came back to check today hoping I'd not been found out! Original post now edited!
Old 06-27-11, 10:21 AM
  #11  
DVD Talk Godfather
 
davidh777's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Home of 2013 NFL champion Seahawks
Posts: 52,393
Received 980 Likes on 811 Posts
Re: Legendary Comic Book Artist Gene Colan Has Died

Nothing quite like a Gil Kane shot

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.