Posted in: Comics, Comics Publishers, Current News, Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics, Image, Marvel Comics | Tagged: michael zulli, puma blues, sandman

Michael Zulli of Puma Blues, Swamp Thing and Sandman Has Died Aged 71

Michael Zulli, comic book writer, artist and publisherl, died two days ago, on the 8th of July, at the age of 71.

Michael Zulli, comic book writer, artist and publisher known for his work as an animal and wildlife illustrator, died two days ago on the 8th of July, at the age of 71.

Michael Zulli self-published the environmental activist comic The Puma Blues in 1986 through Dave Sim's Aardvark One International before being picked up by Mirage Studios, notable for its scenes of nature and wildlife, over three years, and the comics were recently collected by Dover Press. Zulli also worked on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at Mirage.

He drew the never-published issue of DC Comics' Swamp Thing written by Rick Veitch, in which the time-travelling Swamp Thing meets Jesus Christ and becomes the cross that he is crucified on. He drew the comic book series Sweeney Todd, written by Neil Gaiman in Steve Bissette's Taboo anthology, though it remains unfinished. He worked on Sandman with Neil, co-creating Hob Gadling, and drawing the final arc, The Wake.

He continued his work with Neil Gaiman on Alice Cooper's The Last Temptation, as well as drawing Vertigo titles Winter's Edge, Witchcraft: La Terreur, Sandman Presents: Love Street and the Shade series which spun off from Starman. He also worked on Delicate Creatures, Grendel, Creatires Of The Night, Tales Of Spider-Man, Star Wars Tales, Longshot: Fools, Batman: No Man's Land, The Facts In The Case Of The Departure Of Miss Finch and The Fracture Of The Universal Boy, for the likes of Marvel, Dark Horse, DC and Image Comics. Here are a few responses from those who knew and worked with the man.

Steve Bissette: "WEDNESDAY'S CHILD: Michael Lewis Zulli 20 December 1952 – 8 July, 2024"

Colleen Doran: "With deepest love and respect, beautiful, wonderful, true artwork of a human Michael Zulli departed this existence on July 8, 2024."

JM DeMatteis: "Just heard that Michael Zulli passed away. Michael and I worked on a number of projects together in the late 90s/early 2000s. He wasn't just a brilliant artist, he was a brilliant man: deep, passionate, philosophical. Condolences to his family. Safe travels, Michael."

Iain Sinclair: "The artist Michael Zulli died on Monday, as confirmed today by his widow. His work may be best known to this group for illustrating Neil Gaiman's never-completed interpretation of Sweeney Todd, including the Temple Bar scene shown here, which is referenced in Lights Out for The Territory. Zulli also illustrated the groundbreaking Puma Blues graphic novel and collaborated with Gaiman on several other projects, including issues of Sandman. As art director of the anthology Taboo – where Sweeney Todd was published – I was fortunate to be involved in the design of the promotional and related materials for this curious work."

Paul Levitz: "Sorry to see post announcing the death of Michael Zulli, a talented contributor to Vertigo and a climactic moment for Sandman. I do on't think we ever interacted, but I appreciated his art as a unique stylistic voice and perfect for ushering Morpheus into eternity."

Mark Bode:"My friend Michael Zulli has left the building. Was an honor to tattoo him twice. We traded for a few of his pages of which this is one."

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