John Cassaday, the Eisner Award-winning comic book artist who co-created Planetary with Warren Ellis and penciled Astonishing X-Men, died of cardiac arrest on Sept. 9 at the age of 52. Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios and Chief Creative Officer of Marvel, is among those mourning the loss in a tribute featured in Marvel’s comics published on Oct. 30, including new issues of Amazing Spider-Man, Ultimate X-Men, Namor, and Deadpool Team-Up.
The spread, which you can see below, highlights Cassaday’s cover for 1998’s Union Jack #1, which Cassaday co-wrote with Ben Raab; Cassaday’s artwork from 2002’s Captain America #1, written by John Ney Rieber and penciled and inked by Cassaday; panels from 2004’s Astonishing X-Men #4, written by Joss Whedon; Cassaday’s cover for Astonishing X-Men #7; interior artwork from 2007’s Captain America: Fallen Son #5; and 2015’s Star Wars #1, written by Jason Aaron, with pencils and inks by Cassady.
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“John’s art made the most fantastical situations feel grounded and real,” Feige writes in the tribute. “His work had a uniquely cinematic quality to it, and we strive to bring to the screen what he masterfully accomplished on the page: characters that, even as they’re pulled into extraordinary situations, still seem human and believable. He was a wonderful artist and storyteller, collaborator and friend to so many of our people here at Marvel.”
Adds Marvel Comics President Dan Buckley, “John is one of the defining creative voices of his generation, whose work will be celebrated for years to come. His artistic and design skills were unparalleled, and he moved into otherworldly when you took in his ability to tell a story visually. With all that being said, he was simply a great guy who enjoyed a great meal and a quiet conversation. I will miss John dearly, and I consider myself lucky to have been his friend.”
“John approached his art in the same way he did everything in life: fearlessly. It’s what made him so good at what he did,” adds Marvel Comics Editor in Chief C.B. Cebulski. “From the soft touch needed on certain lines, to the bold bravado of the shots he often chose, John made every page better by putting 100% of himself into every composition and character. His comics truly embody his spirit, and while he’s left us far too early, his legacy will live forever in these stories that he loved telling.”
In a memorial published by DC Comics featuring Cassaday’s art from 2006’s Planetary #26, Ellis remembered Cassaday as a “titan” of the comic book industry.
“That tall, rangy, lantern-jawed Texan with the easy smile and the bone-dry sense of humor had universes inside him. He could do anything,” Ellis wrote. “He challenged himself as an artist and storyteller constantly, never standing still, always reaching for new peaks and always finding them. His kindness was eternal. My life would have been a very different and lesser thing if not for John Cassaday. The world and our medium are thinner and meaner places for his passing. These words are not enough. Good night, my good friend.”
Jim Lee, DC Comics Publisher and CCO, called Cassaday “an incredible artist who drew beautifully naturalistic figures when house styles chased hyperrealism trends.” Mark Waid remembered his longtime friend and collaborator Cassaday as “one of the best comics illustrators and storytellers of the 21st century.”