Longtime Marvel Comics artist John Cassaday has passed away at the age of 52.
The Hollywood Reporter shared the news of Cassaday’s passing, noting that his sister Robin revealed the artist’s death on her Facebook. John had previously been admitted to the Mount Sinai West intensive care unit in New York last week. Marvel’s X account also paid tribute to Cassaday, sharing the following note: “We’re devastated by the loss of our dear friend, artist & comic book legend John Cassaday. His art was a master class in emotion, action, and storytelling, and he captured the essence of every character he drew. John was one of the best. He will always be part of our Marvel family.”
Born in 1971, Cassaday was a self-taught artist and film school graduate who plugged away at his craft while working in construction and as a director of local TV news in Texas. For DC Comics, Cassaday is perhaps best known for his work on Warren Ellis’ Planetary, an exploration of the superhero and pulp hero genres that centered on a trio of adventurer-archeologists who were part of an organization that attempted to keep track of global superpowered activity.
At Marvel, he drew an award-winning X-Men comic written by Joss Whedon, with a storyline that influenced Brett Ratner’s X-Men: The Last Stand. After Disney acquired Lucasfilm and Marvel, the license for Star Wars comics returned to Marvel – and Cassady drew the first story arc for the series in 2015. The title became the high-selling comic of that year, and the first issue sold more than a million copies.
Our thoughts are with John’s friends and family at this time.