So with the passing of Neal Adams I was reminded of a character he was associated with. Not nearly as much as with Batman, but one that he seemed to take pride in, and that's Deadman.

Neal didn't do the art for the first issue, but he took over from the 2nd appearance on, and it was a really interesting idea for a, "Superhero."

If you're not familiar, Deadman is Boston Brand, a trapeze artist who is killed (murdered, made to look like an accident) during a performance. He is given the ability to possess/take over a living body to further his quest to find his killer. Along the way, he also stops a number of other bad guys, occasionally working with Batman (who cannot see him or hear him unless Brand is talking through someone he is temporarily inhabiting).

He's a fascinating character, and wildly original (when he was first introduced).

It's a shame that he didn't have his own title for an extended period of time. (But what was published was good.)

Deadman has always been a personal favorite of mine. Pretty sure I own every appearance.

I need to re-read that 4 issue mini in 1986 by Andrew Helfer and Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (praise be his name).

The only Deadman comics I read were the pre-Vertigo series drawn by Kelley Jones.

That was the first time I'd ever heard of the character, and it was Jones' grotesque artwork that caught my eye.

Deadman is one of those properties that would make for the perfect animated show on HBO Max (ala Spawn) but I don’t have a lot of faith in DC/Warner that they want to do creative things like that anymore.

Here's a purchase I just made on ebay. I'm looking forward to reading these (even if I have a few of the stories from the backups in one of the Aquaman collections).

I've always had a soft spot for Deadman. If I ever got a crack to write the Justice League, I think I'd included Deadman as a member. The Deadman omnibus collects

Strange Adventures #205-216; The Brave and the Bold #79, #86, #104 and #133; Aquaman #50-52; Challengers of the Unknown #74 and #84-87; Justice League of America #94; World's Finest Comics #223 and #227; The Phantom Stranger #33 and #39-41; Superman Family #183; DC Super-Stars #18; DC Special Series #8; Adventure Comics #460-466; DC Comics Presents #94; Detective Comics #500; Deadman #1-4 (1986); Secret Origins #15; and covers from Deadman #1-7 (1985)

Jim Aparo cover.