Legendary comic book artist Neal Adams, known for his work with both Marvel and DC Comics, has passed away at the age of 80.
- Adams helped shape Marvel and DC Comics with his photorealistic style.
- Marvel shared their sadness regarding the loss.
- Adams died Thursday in New York after dealing with complications from sepsis, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
- Adams began his work on comics with DC before taking over X-Men and the Avengers at Marvel. He was perhaps best know though for his run on Batman.
- In the mid-’70s, Adams created Continuity Studios, an artists studio that produced comics, commercial art and storyboards, as well as other services.
- Adams is also well known for promoting better working conditions and creators’ rights, demanding compensations for himself and other creators when their characters we adapted into other media.
- With Stan Lee, Adams formed the Academy of Comic Book Arts, in an effort to start a union that would fight for benefits and ownership on behalf of writers and artists, though the two eventually parted ways.
- Adams would go on to help change the norm of publishers keeping original art, establishing a policy of returning the art to the artist.
- Wanting to give back to fans, he was also a fixture on the convention scene.
- Adams is survived by his wife, Marilyn; his sons Josh, Jason and Joel; daughters Kris and Zee; grandchildren Kelly, Kortney, Jade, Sebastian, Jane and Jaelyn; and great-grandson Maximus.
- All three of Adams’ sons currently work as artists in either the comic book or fantasy fields.
What they’re saying:
- Josh Adams: “It wasn’t until I sat at tables at conventions next to the same people I would watch treat my father with such reverence that I understood: He was their father, too. Neal Adams’ most undeniable quality was the one I had known about him my entire life: He was a father. Not just my father, but a father to all that would get to know him.”