Posted in: Comics, Marvel Comics | Tagged: marvel, rip, star wars, Tom Palmer

Tom Palmer Sr, Inker Extraordinaire, Dies At The Age Of 81

Published Fri, 19 Aug 2022 11:57:10 -0500

The following was posted by Tom Palmer Jr's Facebook page, regarding the death of his father, yesterday. "We are very sad to share the news that legendary comic book inker and artist Tom Palmer passed away on August 18, 2022 at the age of 81. He will be remembered fondly by his loving family and his many fans."

Tom Palmer Sr is best known as a comic book inker, especially for Marvel Comics over the decades, including with pencillers Neal Adams on Avengers, Howard The Duck and X-Men, Gene Colan, on Doctor Strange, Daredevil, and Tomb of Dracula, John Buscema, on Avengers, the entirety of John Byrne's X-Men: The Hidden Years, , as well as Walter Simonon, Howard Chaykin, Ron Frenz and himself in Star Wars – which he inked more than anyone else, Sal Velluto on Moon Knight, Denys Cowan on Steel, Lewis LaRosa on PunisherMAX, Pat Oliffe on Scooby Apocalypse, Sean Chen on Wolverine, and John Romita Jr on Hulk, Kick-Ass and Eternals – which saw his work used on the screen in the Kick-Ass movies. As well as comics, Tom has also had a successful career in advertising, where he painted and illustrated campaigns for a variety of clients including Hertz, American Cyanamid, Winsor & Newton and Panasonic.

Condolences from industry figures have been pouring in. Here are a few examples;

Robert Greenberger: Tom, I am so very sorry on your loss. Tom was a terrific inker and a great guy to spend time with when he visited. I will miss him terribly.

D.G. Chichester: Heartbroken. Such a prince of a man and talent. Very sorry for your loss, we are all better for having known him and worked with him.

Billy Tucci: We are so, so sorry. What a loss for us all.

Michael Stradford: My sincere condolences to Tom's family and friends. We established a brief correspondence over the couple years when I was working on a book on model Steve Holland. He couldn't have been more generous with his archive and time. What a gentleman. I'm grateful for the brief time I had to get to know him. Rest In Peace.

Larry Ganem: Condolences to the Palmer family. A consummate craftsman and extraordinary artist. Very sad to hear the news.

Christos Gage: The one time I met him I didn't know what Tom Palmer looked like and I for real thought he was, like, a member of some 1960s British rock band. He looked like Roger Daltrey or something. The epitome of cool, as suave as his art.

Jimmy Palmiotti: I told him more than a dozen times how I admired his work & he was one of my favorite artists. I also told him he made everyone he worked over look so much better. Man, he had major skills. He was sweet, generous, and kind to everyone. I will miss him. R.I.P. I would see him and his daughter carrying portfolios at the start of a show and walk with them both and give them a hand in the process and chat. Both such lovely people.

Chris Ryall: And now we lost Tom Palmer, too? One of the all-time great. You never wondered if a page was finished by Tom Palmer, but he did so much more than just ink a page. Here's just one example of that–Palmer's inks, washes, and colors over Byrne pencils. R.I.P., Tom.

Al Ewing: This was when I first encountered Tom Palmer's amazing inks – teaching me early on the huge difference a great inker could make. Later, I had the supreme fortune of his inks on the first comic I ever did for Marvel. A shining talent. Condolences to all his friends and loved ones

Dan Jurgens: Just saw the news about Tom Palmer's passing. Very sorry to learn of it… such a stellar person and honor to work with. Always a pleasure to be inked by him. RIP, Tom.

CB Cebulski: Gutted by the news of Tom Palmer's passing. Yet another comic legend has left us. Aside from being an incredible inker and painter, Tom was a true gentleman. He was like Obi-Wan to so many young editors, freely sharing his experiences and wisdom with us all. Rest in peace, Tom.

Dean Haspiel: Sad to learn of the passing of one of the greatest comic book inkers of all time. RIP Tom Palmer.