Posted in: Comics, DC Comics | Tagged: carlos pacheco, dc comics

DC Comics' Tribute To Carlos Pacheco, In Comics Today

Published Tue, 13 Dec 2022 09:00:10 -0600

Carlos Pacheco died on the 8th of November, 2022 a few days before what would have been his 61st birthday. The Spanish comic book creator best known in the US for comic books such as Avengers Forever, X-Men, Superman, Fantastic Four, Green Lantern and his creator-owned series with Kurt Busiek, Arrowsmith, with a long career spanning over thirty years, has died. In June this year, Kurt Busiek revealed that Arrowsmith: Beyond Borders would be delayed due to health issues suffered by both men. And that Pacheco had suffered paralysis in his right leg and that he was recovering from spinal surgery. However, in August, Pacheco revealed he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis instead, which had caused the paralysis. ALS leads to a progressive loss of motor neurons, eventually paralysis and comes with a greatly reduced lifespan.

Today, DC Comics has run the following tribute in their titles.

CARLOS PACHECO
1961-2022

"To say that Carlos was a giant among giants is an understatement. He affected so many artists in so many ways, including myself, that his influence will be seen for a very long time to come. Not only as an artist but as a person, I had the opportunity of being close with him for years. He will be greatly missed." — Jesus Merino

"Carlos's great strength wasn't just his majestic artwork, his elegant storytelling it was that he made you believe. He knew the characters he drew inside out, like they were family, and that came through in every panel he drew. He was a creative partner without peer, and an even better friend. The world is an emptier place without him, but the worlds he brought to life will always be with us." — Kurt Busiek

"I wanted to be a Mirage pilot, a cowboy in the Far West, a marine in Okinawa, a superhero in New York, so I realized that what I wanted to be was a comic book artist." — Carlos Pacheco
Last month, the mayor of his home town San Roque, Juan Carlos Ruiz Boix, declared a period of official mourning for the death of Carlos Pacheco. And that during the two days of official mourning, the flags at the San Rogue City Hall in the south of Spain flew at half-mast with a funeral chapel installed in the Palace Of The Governors, with the agreement of Carlos Pacheco's family.

The mayor stated that Carlos Pacheco was a hero for signing up for organ donation and that "all of us who have known him will miss him, and he would like to offer condolences to his family and friends. I am sure that the rest of the Corporation and the people of San Roque will share my words, as well as the fact that two days of official mourning have been decreed. Likewise, a burning chapel is going to be set up in the Palace of the Governors so that all the people who wish to can pay homage to him… Our sadness is only lessened by the knowledge that in life, he achieved the recognition of all around him, that he knew and appreciated it. He was grateful that the City Council put up an avenue in his name, that he was named the town's Favourite Son and that, in his honour, there is a contest named after him."