Posted in: Comics | Tagged: crip, neal adams

The Comics Industry Remembers Neal Adams

Published Sat, 30 Apr 2022 08:57:10 -0500

Last updated Sat, 30 Apr 2022 09:52:39 -0500

Comic book industry legend Neal Adams died two days ago over complications due to sepsis, and we ran a notice of his death yesterday, with word from one of his son's and occasional Bleeding Cool contributor, Josh Adams. We have had a lot of people reading Neal Adams' comments regarding comic book creator rights on Bleeding Cool seven years ago, which are always worth a revisit. His passing was also noted by the likes of Fox News, The Daily Mail and CNN. And online, the memories and tributes have come from everyone, Here is a collection of some of them;

Saori Adams: I am sure you all may have heard already, but for those who may not be aware, yesterday on April 28th, 2022, my father in law, Neal Adams , has passed away.
My husband and I are whisking away my mother in law to our farm and taking our time to get our heads on straight. So we appreciate your support and understanding during this time.
For those asking me about flowers and etc – please contact us in a couple weeks. A memorial service will be planned down the line.
If I can share one story…
One night we were invited to a magic show called, "In and of itself" which a family friend had produced. Upon the wall before you enter they ask you to take a card with a word that best represents you. There were a bunch of options like "comic book fan", "artist", "illustrator", "boss", "activist", etc –
Neal said he felt nothing on that wall represented him. I took a moment to look and found "Dad". I grabbed it, gave it to him and said, "What about this one?" He looked at me and said with a smile, "Perfect."

Jimmy Palmiotti: Neal Adams, one of my comic book heroes, just passed away. This great man changed the industry in so many ways, all of them for the better. Personally, he's always been kind, giving, and always had a piece of advice for me every time I saw him. I will miss him dearly. R.I.P… Neal Adams would come up to Amanda and I at every show, look at our lines and tell us we are charging too little for autographs. I always had the same answer for him. " When my name is Neal Adams, I will raise my prices" He would smile and tell me to come see him later to talk.

Jim Lee: When I was a kid, I idolized the work of Neal Adams. His work brought the world of superheroes to life with a sense of realism and dynamism that I had NEVER seen before.
EVERY rendition of characters like Batman, Green Lantern, Superman, Green Arrow, the X-Men, the Inhumans—just to mention a few—instantly became my definitive favorites.
He was a master at every facet of art—his range of expressions, the dramatic use of lighting and shadowing, the seemingly facile command of anatomy, and of course, the trademark finger-pointed-in-your-face foreshortening was all just unbelievably next level.
And it all seemed so very magically ALIVE. Neal's work has influenced every image I have created and continues to be the gold standard I aspire to when I put pencil to paper.
Beyond the brilliance of his creative work, Neal was as importantly a selfless champion for creators' rights, endangering his own career in his quest to make the business of comics a better and more equitable one.
He was also as influential in the dozens of artists he mentored, taught and brought into the business through his 'Crusty Bunkers' studio which was also an inspiration in the early days of Homage Studios which I started with @scottwilliamsinks and @whilceportacio.
The list of Crusty Bunkers alumni is a veritable Who's Who of some of the best and brightest comic book artists to have worked in the industry.
Neal was tough and as straight forward as they come, but he was also a character as brilliant, impactful, principled and colorful as the heroes he illustrated. The fact he even *knew* of my work's existence when I became a pro meant the world to me.
My deepest condolences to his wife of 45 years Marilyn and his five children Kris, Jason, Joel, Josh and Zeea and his many generations of fans all around the world. Rest in power, Neal. #legend

Jonathan Ross: One of the true greats of the comic industry. He changed the way they looked and, behind the scenes, helped make them a better place for the creators. A great man. #RIPNealAdam

Jeromy Cox: Aww, Neal Adams passed away. A titan of the comic book tapestry. I've been lucky enough to color a number of Neal's covers for DC Comics over the years and it still brings a huge smile to my face. Our industry is so influenced by his imagination and work for creator's rights. RIP

Rob Liefeld: Oh my Lord! Rest In Peace NEAL ADAMS! The greatest illustrator of comic books of all space & time! I am literally devastated at Neal Adams passing. He was so kind and generous and just the most amazing talent. So grateful to have called him friend… NEAL ADAMS! My last interaction with @thenealadams was March 2021. I was putting together my last issue of Snake-Eyes and I wanted to do a jam issue featuring other artists inking over my pages. Whenever you put together a collaboration with a group, everyone wants to know who said "Yes" already, a name to rally around. I knew there was no bigger name than Neal Adams for a collaboration as big as this so he was my very first call. He responded immediately, "Yes," he said, but there was a hitch "only if it can be a double pager, something splashy!" I was thrilled, of course I'd draw more, I'd be getting more Neal! Without hesitation, I drew the page immediately and sent it to him. He turned it around in a matter of days, it's the signature piece of the last issue. Every time I look at it, I can't stop smiling. I could not have been more thrilled to work with my long time idol & comic book icon. Years earlier as I told him how much I'd enjoyed all the embellishing he'd done over other artists like Gil Kane, John Buscema, Jack Kirby and others, Neal took great pride in proclaiming that he was "Everyone's best embellisher. No one inks & embellishes better than me" he told me in 2015. "I'm serious." He poked at me with his pen. Years later, when he embellished my Snake Eyes page, it was a dream come true. R.I.P. Neal.

Gail Simone: I just heard that comics industry giant Neal Adams just passed away. 'Legend' hardly seems to cover the man's talents and achievements. So many of the keystone comics in my life were his. My favorite were his Tarzan paperback covers. This frankly sucks.

Mike Perkins: One of the most astounding, influential artists in comics ever. The fluidity, the realism, the dynamism – the personal and creative tenacity. We should ALL strive to be as good. R.I.P. Neal Adams.

Ed Catto: Cover by cover, page by page, convention by convention – every interaction with Neal Adams was like having him pulling up in a convertible in front of your house, laying on the horn and saying "Come on- get in! It will be fun!" And we'd eagerly get in the car every damn time.
When someone is larger than life, it's hard to come to terms with their passing. Neal saw the world as some grand Arthurian Epic. And through his phenomenal artistic talent, charismatic personality, and warm smile, he helped us to see the world that way too.
He had a big heart and big visions – and to me he was also always welcoming and supportive. I was a fanboy first and foremost, but become a friend and collaborator too. I was his so-called 'art director' on two projects- one for NYCC and another for a variant Batman cover. What a laugh to think I was an 'art director' to Neal! I was just along for the ride. No one can art direct a wild tornado or a breathtakingly memorable sunset – they happen with a grand design all of their own.
When we dragged Neal and his wife Marilyn up to Central New York a few years ago to be our convention's Guest of Honor, I asked Syracuse's mayor to rename Adams Street as Neal Adams Street for the weekend. She took it one step further and issued a proclamation – June 20, 2017, became Neal Adams Day.
When I presented Neal with the certificate at a ceremony, he laughed, rolled his eyes, and graciously accepted the honor. I don't think he ever quite understood it the way I saw it. To me, so many days were Neal Adams Day.
Geez, we'll miss you, pal. And I'm sending warm thoughts to your wonderful family.

Diana Davis: Allow me to share a little tale Russ Heath told me about Neal Adams.
As many know, Roy Lichtenstein took frames from comics, blew them up, changed a few lines, and made millions. The comic artists got bupkis, maybe an invite to a gallery show decades later, something they were, at the time, sadly used to getting. Russ told me that the cut up comics were found under furniture in Lichtenstein's studio.
Many also know that Russ was one of the slighted artists.
In the last few years of his life, Russ was contacted by an international collector who wanted to commission him to create a piece that was a copy of Lichtenstein's copy of his art, sort of a final piece of artistic punctuation on the story of purloined art. He offered a price that was…at least what Russ could use for rent or food, but nothing spectacular.
Like many comic artists of his time, Russ lived on a budget in his golden years.
Now, Neal checked in on Russ regularly. Shortly after the commission was arranged he did so, and Russ filled him in. Neal was angered at the lowball price. So he managed to badger Russ into giving him contact info for the collector.
Neal Adams himself called the collector, told him the commission fee he had offered was *nowhere near* what Russ deserved and what the piece was worth. By the end of the conversation, the collector agreed to a price many, many times over the original he had offered, and was happy to do so.
Now both men belong to History.
THAT was Neal Adams, right up to his last day fighting for comic creators to get a fair deal.
His impact on the industry was such that his passing leaves a massive void that can never be filled.

Darick Robertson: RIP Neal Adams. This spread is why there was eventually a Transmetropolitan. The detail, the life he brought to such a quiet scene, showed me at 10 years old, how even a city could be a character. I poured over this and still look at it in awe.

Alex Ross: One of the greatest artists in the history of American illustration has passed away.Neal Adams was a seismic influence on how one depicts life.His dynamic interpretation of realism combined with the energy shaped generations of artists.People like me wouldn't be here without him

Walter Simonson: Another tough one, with no need to explain it because it's everywhere by now. So I'm posting this photo from 2019. I love it. And them. Marilyn and Neal Adams. Weezie and me. Love you, pal. Godspeed.

Steve Geppi: A giant in our industry! They don't get any bigger than this guy, and he will be missed greatly! R.I.P. Neal Adams!

Pepe Larraz: We lost one of the greatest. Neal Adams changed comics forever and his influence on the comic book art can be tracked until today's published works. A legend.

Michel Fiffe: Neal Adams made this credit happen. That should never be forgotten. One of his many accomplishments. RIP

Jake Tapper: Cartoonist Neal Adams was such a genius there's no way to adequately pick his best work, he was so iconic.

Neil Gaiman: Neal Adams is gone. He was the reason I drew Batman in every school exercise book. He reinvented the look of comics pages and characters, made me care about comics at the point where I didn't care any more, and I wish I'd been lucky enough to write a story he drew. #RIPNealAdams

Bryan Hitch: It's always sad to hear of the death of a fellow comic book pro but when it's a legend like Neal Adams, it feels seismic. You simply can't understate the effect Neal had on the industry. There's a clear line in the sand, a before Neal and an after Neal.

Joe Quesada: There was a time in the world of comics when giants walked amongst us. A small handful still do, but today we lost one of the greatest.
Our hearts go out to Neal's family, and we want them to know that while the void he leaves behind will remain forever unfillable, it will serve as a reminder of all the joy and inspiration his work brought us and an epitaph of how much he changed the face of our industry.
Godspeed, Neal.

Scott Snyder: What Neal Adams did for the medium and for creators is unparalleled. I don't even know where to begin, except to send love and condolences to his family, and thank him again for the immeasurable good he did for comics on every front.

Tom King: Neal Adams, a towering giant in the world of illustration, comics, and creator rights has passed. He was one of my heroes, I met him, I thanked him, got to know him—and he was truly smart and kind. He drew as well as anyone ever has, and he fought for us. I'm going to miss him.

Philiip Hester: Neal Adams got us pre-digital pros our originals back, and indirectly created the hobby of Original Art collecting. By the time I could afford a Neal Adams sketch, I couldn't afford to leave my convention table long enough to stand in his line. So, my buddy Cho Ravada went and scored this for me as a surprise… A Hall Of Famer for what he did for Siegel & Shuster alone. Beyond that, a true titan for injecting the slick aesthetic of advertising art and the virtuoso realism of his own drawing style into comics. Adios, Rock God!

Fabian Nicieza: He changed what superhero comic art could be. He fought to change how creators should be treated. He was a titan of art and a tremendous advocate for the business of art. Rest in Peace Neal Adams.

Bill Sienkiewicz: My artistic father #nealadams has passed. No words…. Neal Adams was both an unstoppable force and an immovable object. The world just lost an amazing artist, a brilliant storyteller, a wild creative force of nature, a man who forever changed the comics medium and the culture of entertainment. His impact was beyond seismic; it also changed the course of my very existence. His work saved my life. Literally. Without his work, without HIM, there wouldn't be me, at least not the me that I am today. Neal was my artistic father, mentor and dear dear friend. I miss him. Love you, Dad. Rest in Peace. I'm sorry folks. I'm in shock. It's going to take me some time to process this.

Guillermo del Toro: R.I.P. Neal Adams- one of the first and great stylists to push USA comics to a new level. One of his lesser-know works was pencilling the excellent PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE poster for Richard Corben to color.

Zach Rabiroff: When Stan Lee formed an Academy of Comic Book Arts as a back-patting promotional arm for the industry, Neal Adams used it to agitate for unionization and creator ownership. Lee was irritated for the rest of his life. Neal Adams was an icon.

Jock: R.I.P. Neal Adams. The absolute best #batman

Henry Barajas: I used to see Neal Adams set up for cons all the time. He changed comics and supported the people that made them until the very end. RIP.

Francesco Francavilla: Heartbroken to hear about a Giant of Comics leaving us today: NEAL ADAMS. Very few artists have been so influential in redefining superhero comics, & very few have created very iconic comic covers: Neal did all that & much more. Loved his horror work too, near & dear to my heart. We lost a Legend, a Giant of the Comics world, an influential & consequential creator on the comics pages & outside (i.e. he is the reason publishers started to return original art to creators so they could have an extra income from sales). Thank you for everything, NEAL ADAMS

Christian Ward: Neal Adams was always one of my favourite batman artists growing up & a few years ago at some artists alley we sat near each other & I was struck by how before the show started he did a lap of the tables & introduced himself to everyone

Brad Meltzer: I will always love his art. No one drew better raw emotion. But what makes Neal Adams a legend is that he fought, at the top of his game, for the rights of creators like Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, and Jack Kirby. Rest In Peace to a real hero

James Gunn: RIP to Neal Adams, one of the greats.

Jorge Fornés: Rest in peace Neal Adams…

Tom Taylor: We couldn't really afford comics when I was a kid, so I read the hell out of the few I had. I had Batman comics by Neal Adams that were falling apart, and were about the coolest things I'd ever seen. When I picture Batman, he's drawn by Neal Adams. Farewell to a legend.

Jon Bogdanove: My heart is literally breaking.

Todd McFarlane: Lost one of our comicbook GIANTS today. NEAL ADAMS literally changed the looks of superheroes in the 1960's and inspired hundreds of young upcoming artists, including myself. We will miss this guy.

Stephanie Phillips: Neal Adams' Batman was my first. RIP to a legend.

Tom Feister: If you're a comics pro who's ever received your originals back from a publisher, or cashed a royalty check, you have Neal Adams to thank. Legends like Neal Adams don't die. #nealadams

Mike Mignola: Neal Adams… Like Frazetta and Corben, Neal was somebody I somehow just assumed would always be there. Just too damn huge to ever go away. And, I guess, he never really will in that he lives on in so many artists he influenced and inspired.

Paul Kupperberg; Two significant covers in my life. ACTION COMICS #356, the first Neal Adams art I ever saw. SUPERMAN FAMILY #182, featuring my first story for DC. Thanks for all you've given comics Neal, and most especially, for your kindness to me ever since I'm a kid, despite you-know-who.

Denys Cowan: My second dad just passed away I'm heartbroken There are no words to describe the impact Neal Adams had on my life. RIP boss

Colleen Doran: Sincere condolences to the family and friends of Naal Adams.

Richard Pace: Rest in Peace, Neal Adams. Legendary isn't a word I use lightly when considering artists, but it is a term that truly fits Neal, his work, and his impact on comics, especially in the 60's and 70's. He brought a dynamic realism to superheroes that hadn't been seen before, and his influence was immeasurable. For me, it was this issue of Batman, the first I remember reading, that pushed me into collecting and later, pursuing a career in comics. His work as an advocate to artist's rights forever helped creators that followed him. I'm so grateful that I was able to meet him and thank him for his contributions. He will most certainly be missed.

Terry Moore: RIP Neal Adams. One of the most inspirational artists of our time. He was the first one to come over and say hi to me at Chicago con 2020. He did a fantastic Motor Girl Pinup for charity. When I get home tomorrow I'll post it. I'll miss his cheerful presence in the room. #respect

Peter Tomasi: RIP Neal Adams. a true great. Did so much for so many. Lucky to have worked with him on both sides of the desk. Privileged to have his iconic name on a comic cover next to mine. I'll remember lunch we spent talking movies/comics at a Terrificon years ago. My thoughts to his family.

Jamal Igle: I'm having a hard time imagining what the current comics landscape would look like if he hadn't drawn Batman. #RIPNealAdams

Gary Spencer Millidge: Damn. Just heard the news. RIP Neal Adams.

Jen Bartel: Before Neal Adams fought for original art to be returned to artists, the Marvel bullpen was notorious for just, giving inked pages and covers away to visitors as gifts. It's because of his efforts that today, comic artists are allowed to sell our originals and set our own prices… He then went on to campaign for Superman creators Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel to be given official credit + payments from DC. Neal Adams was of course, a visionary artist—but what I'll remember him for most is how he used the fame his art granted him to fight for other creators.

Christos Gage: At Heroes Con 2012 I saw Neal Adams and Michael Golden making plans to regularly check in on the 90 year old Nick Cardy, whose weight loss they were alarmed by when they saw him at the show. Amazing as Neal's talent was, it was his looking out for others that impressed me most.

Fraser Campbell: This is absolutely devastating news. The master and star of the silver age, an absolute Titan of comics. RIP the truly great Neal Adams. I'm heartbroken. But his art will live forever.

Mike Mignola: Like Frazetta and Corben, Neal was somebody I somehow just assumed would always be there. Just too damn huge to ever go away. And, I guess, he never really will in that he lives on in so many artists he influenced and inspired. Someone made the comment today that no-one since Kirby did so much to change the look of comics and I think that's probably true.
I was a MARVEL ONLY kid so I entirely missed out on so much of the ground-breaking stuff Neal did on books like Batman and Green Lantern, but he did those couple issue of the Avengers–One in particular knocked me for a loop, the one where Ant Man goes down the Vision's throat and looks around in there–That one was just SO different than anything else I was looking at back then.
So was I influenced by Neal? Not consciously–I mean one look at Neal's stuff and I KNEW I was never going to attempt to draw like that–His was draftsmanship was just too damn good–No tricks, just amazing drawing. But I don't think it was possible to look at his work and not bring SOMETHING away from it–Even it was just the knowledge of what was possible.

Jo Duffy: Long before I met Neal Adams, his artwork changed my entire notion of how comic books could or should look. I never had the privilege of working directly with him, but for many years saw him socially on numerous occasions and found him always to be a charming and extremely genial man, and a gracious and generous host. Moreover, he was a trailblazing crusader in the area of creators' rights, particularly championing those who had been overlooked, left behind, or kicked to the curb, Without the groundwork Neal laid, by the work he did on his own and all of our behalf, we would be working in a very different and much less generous industry. For that as much as for the exquisite illustrations, I miss him and I will always be grateful to him. And he was such fun company!
My deepest condolences to Neal's family, friends, and fans.
Thank you Neal.

Christos Gage: The great Neal Adams has passed away. A giant of the comics industry, not just for his stunning art but for his championing of creators' rights and nurturing up-and-coming talent. Working with him on FIRST X-MEN was an honor of a lifetime. Sincere condolences to his family.

Julie Benson: Had the honor of being on a panel w/ Neal Adams (& @MarkWaid) in '19. @shawnabenson & I told him the influence he had on our Green Arrow run. He appreciated that & called us the "tiger twins" for some reason the rest of the panel. He was & is a comics legend. #RIPNealAdams

J. Michael Straczynski: I didn't know Neal Adams well, our paths crossed and parted in little soundbites of work and greetings and profound admiration on my part, but his art and his work had a huge impact on me, and he seemed to me a good and honorable man, which is all anyone can ever ask of us.

Paul Levitz: Comics has lost a force of nature. Neal Adams was a magnificent artist, but that might have been the least of his talents. It would have been enough if he had just been an artist, of course: being one of the two newcomers to comics in the 1960s (with Jim Steranko) that rekindled the aspirations of a generation to reshape the pages of comics; drawing the definitive Batman that Neal would argue with his customary modesty would make possible billions of dollars of revenue for the company; moving the world of American comic art back from design (exemplified by Carmine Infantino) and exaggerated cartooning (as leaped from the pencil of Jack Kirby) to a new balance of dynamism and illustration; and entertaining so many millions of us.
Neal was unstoppable. Barred from showing his portfolio at DC by production artist Walter Hurlicheck, told not to ruin his life by going into comics by legendary writer-artist-entrepreneur Joe Simon, Neal perservered. If the path in required Archie Comics gag pages or Jerry Lewis stories at DC, he'd do them as well as he executed Ben Casey for the newspapers. It was all a path to what he most wanted to do, and nothing could block him.
I met him through his art when I was 11…a startling departure from Murphy Anderson's beautiful but very traditional work that had previously filled the pages of The Spectre, and that may have made him the first comic artist whose name I noticed. His talent began to explode on covers as well, a shocking combination of the designs of then-new DC cover editor Carmine Infantino and Neal's powerful characters interacting in ways that simply weren't very DC. I followed him through Deadman, met his Green Arrow modernization and his take on Batman in The Brave and The Bold, his ground-breaking collaboration with Denny O'Neil on Green Lantern/Green Arrow and crossed over to delight in his X-Men and Avengers.
What I didn't know is that as Neal began shaking up the look of comics, he began devoting much of his energy to shaking up the processes. Creative people were treated very poorly in the field in those years, and most of the leaders in the community were afraid to champion the cause because of the likely consequences. The disparity of power between the owners of the comics companies and the creators was an immeasurable gap, and at its base waited carnivores ready to devour agitators. But a modern Don Quixote had no fear.
Neal wasn't a perfect crusader. As my roles in the industry evolved, we'd spend decades arguing about principles and practices. He was idealistic, occasionally ill-informed or illogical, and often so impractical that he wasn't able to forge the concensus that might have enabled him to accomplish more. Someone else might have been able to build the guild that the comics creators really needed in those years (and would still be benefiting from)…but no one else had a fraction of Neal's courage or commitment to charge against the stone ceiling holding his fellows down.
Of the many fights won or ignored, the one that was most visible was being part of the team (with Jerry Robinson and Ed Preiss) that labored to restore Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster's credit to Superman, and economic dignity to their lives. Jerry was probably the more suave negotiator, Ed the wise lawyer…but Neal roared the loudest. And they won.
Principles mattered. Our first argument was the dressing down he gave me for using his Superman sketch (bought from him for $6 at my first Comic-con) as the cover of my fanzine: "Didn't you know the difference between buying a piece of art and buying reproduction rights?" Actually, at age 14, I didn't. But I learned.
Over the years, we'd wrestle over contracts and sometimes fail to reach agreement because it didn't matter that what was being offered to him was financially better, but didn't conform to the structure he wanted to make a precedent. We lost some magic that way.
But I'm proud that when I presented him a bonus check for our use of Ra's Al Ghul in Batman Begins he felt it was fair, possibly the first such payment he'd ever been willing to characterize that way, and even put the moment up on his website in celebration.
Neal was a born teacher who needed no classroom. Bring a portfolio to his desk at Continuity Associates, and you'd leave humbled, with art lessons and advice that might last a lifetime. And after your second or third return, improved but assaulted anew each time, he might send you up to DC or Marvel or Warren or Gold Key, opening the door with a phone call ahead that had the power of the most talented endorsing the next up-and-comer. The list of people who benefitted from that open door would be longer than this document, but just start with Frank Miller, Bill Sinkiewicz, Denys Cowan….so, so many more.
Like all of us, he was imperfect and inconsistent. When he briefly formed a comics publishing company, the results were less than epic, and the dealings with talent didn't always live up to the principles he'd campaigned for publishers to adopt. But we got Bucky O'Hare out of it.
He was idiosyncratic: he wore cornflower blue shirts like a uniform to business meetings and conventions, having researched that it was the color that was most convincing. We shared a love of comic character-themed ties, and when I left my desk job, he took custody of a portion of my collection.
He was a family man, who ran his studio as a very extended family: a circus managed by his daughter Kris, filled with his wife, ex-wife, children turned artists, and the many, many lost boys who'd found it their Neverland, a place where dreams really did come true and you never had to grow old. We didn't think he would, does the enfant terrible ever mature?
He'd been ill these past months, but I'm still shocked at his passing. How did the Angel of Death ever win that inevitable argument, and why did it have to be so soon?