Sunday, June 03, 2018
Sunday, December 11, 2016
Venus Winston, October 8, 1981-December 11, 2016
According to her Facebook page, artist and cartoonist Venus Winston passed away last night, from cancer. She was a member of the DC Comics Conspiracy (DCC) and a contributor to the group's Magic Bullet comics newspaper.
Earlier this year, Winston was invited to present on her comic at Dundee University in Scotland this summer for the Annual International Graphic Medicine Conference. While fundraising to attend the conference, Winston wrote, "I lost my ovaries to cancerous Krukenberg tumors and it is my belief I survived by enforcing a healthy diet and mindset within my personal environment. 'Cooking with Cancer' has now grown into a collection of short stories, recipes and informative pieces focusing on my experience with cancer and how food can help beat illness."
Monday, November 07, 2016
Nick Galifianakis on Robert Weber, New Yorker Cartoonist
by Nick Galifianakis
Robert Weber, 92, and one of the truly gifted cartoonists, passed away a few days ago. Here is, I believe, his first cartoon for the New Yorker in 1962 (plus a couple of other smiles). I urge you to stroll through the hundreds of others he created over the last half century. An astute observer, he could puncture the pretentious and entitled with withering dryness.
Weber was a compositional master and the deftest of draftsman. His buttery-soft charcoal line had a simple, energy-filled immediacy yet somehow also retained the forethought of structure, a balance of in-the-moment expressiveness but with the weight of any great painting. This is the rarely (rarely) achieved Holy Grail of making art.
He is first among artists that have nudged me to draw more courageously, and I'm deeply saddened by the passing of one of my great heroes.
"Lucy, move - you're blocking Pliny the Elder" |
Friday, August 05, 2016
Fanzine and fine artist John Fantucchio has died
Fantucchio's art, possibly for Gary Groth's first Metro Con |
Big Planet Comics founder Joel Pollack writes, "John Fantucchio was my mentor when I was 16. He taught me about the great strip artists Alex Raymond and Hal Foster, as well as illustrators such as Maxfield Parrish, N.C. Wyeth, and Howard Pyle. I'm happy that we rekindled our friendship in the last five years."
Joel noted that Fantucchio's influence wasn't limited to him. "John's nephew, Rick Lowell, owns Casablanca Comics, Maine's coolest comics stores!, in Portland, ME, and counts John as a mentor, as well." Fantucchio eventually left the fan community and made a name for himself as a fine artist.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
James "Giacomo" Bellora, RIP
Self-portrait courtesy of Billy Ireland Library |
ComicsDC has learned that Falls Church illustrator and sometime cartoonist James Bellora passed away on February 18, 2015. He was born in St. Charles, MO on June 6, 1960 according to the CaringBridge website that reported his passing. The site also notes that he had an engineering degree and was an avid bicyclist, and is survived by his wife and daughter. According to a brochure for his services held at Ohio State University's Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, his cartoons appeared in trade publications such as FBLA Association News, Air Force Acquisition Network News, Actuarial Association Magazine and Sketches magazine. He listed himself as a cartoonist and "humorous illustrator." He also recieved work from Arlington's BonoTom Studio. At points in his career, Bellora was a member of the National Cartoonists Society and the Illustrators Club of Washington, DC (where he also served as President). A funeral will be held on March 6th at St. James Catholic Church in Falls Church.
Several local cartoonists and illustrators have given us their thoughts on him.
Editorial cartoonist Steve Artley: "In the 90's, he was a regular at the annual Cartoons & Cocktails event and hung with Jack Higgins, Chip Beck and I during the event and afterward in the bar upstairs. He and I had a great time banging out songs on the piano in the lounge. He was very friendly and outgoing, engaging and seemed happy... ."
Illustrator David Hagen: "We had sort of a competitive relationship especially in the days you used to hump your big illustration portfolio around town for freelance jobs. I'd see him either coming or going. He was the president of the Illustrators Club when I joined and remember pausing by his display table at the yearly portfolio shows. I think I stepped up my game because I knew he was out there! Which made me a better illustrator."
Cartoonist Joe Sutliff: "James (I never called him Jim or Giaccomo) and I hung out a lot years ago, but I lost touch after he met his soon-to-be wife. He was full of passion for anything he got involved in, and truthfully I had been thinking about him a lot lately... I remember James as always being "full throttle"… whatever he went after, it was never halfway. He was always ready to lead the way - he went from a freshman member of the Illustrator's Club to President in just a couple of years, and joined the National Cartoonist Society and organized the local chapter as well. He was always fun-loving; I remember one Illustrators Club Holiday party where he lead me, Rob Sprouse and some others in a full dance-out of YMCA… I think it's still on online somewhere…:
Illustrator Kevin Rechin: "So unbelievably sad. I knew him fairly well. Saw him quite often in the '90s either at NCS stuff or Illustrators Club gatherings. He was definitely a go-getter and full of life. Always had a smile on his face. Thoughts and prayers to his wife, daughter and family."
Friday, April 11, 2014
OT: Courtney Utt, graphic designer at Viz, has passed away
Updated, 4/11/14.
Friday, January 03, 2014
Deaths in the comic arts during 2013, now completely updated
Chinese cartoonist He Wei, Pete Hoffman, "Robin" the Robin comic strip creator George Howard Hollenbeck, Carmine Infantino, editorial cartoonist Ned E. Jarvis, Magnus Johnstone, Herald of Randolph comic strip Local Color John H. Kennedy, Danish cartoonist Rune T. Kidde, magazine cartoonist Brad Kirkland, British anti-war cartoonist Leon Kuhn, Nepalese cartoonist Ujjwol 'Jyapoo' Kundan, political cartoonist Lyle John Lahey, Cracked and Sick cartoonist John Langton, Pollut-O-Crats comic strip cartoonist Gordon Larkin, comic book store owner and censorship victim Gordon Lee, Stan Lynde, webcomics publisher Joey Manley, Nisei cartoonist Jack Matsuoka, Sorehead comic strip cartoonist Carl Eugene May, Jr., comic book writer Robert Morales, Swiss cartoonist Christian Moser, comic book writer Philip Nutman, comic strip artist George Olesen, comic strip artist John Olson Sr., Diamond Comic Distributors Senior Marketing Manager Phyllis Opolko, Spanish cartoonist José Ortiz, Simpsons scriptwriter Don Payne, magazine cartoonis Sophia Jean (Cissie) Peltz (nee Liebshutz), Suspect Device cartoonist Greg Peters, Canadian editorial cartoonist Roy Peterson, editorial cartoonist Eldon Pletcher, magazine cartoonist Roy J. "Boots" Reynolds, Cleveland Press editorial cartoonist Bill Roberts, Lebanese political cartoonist Pierre Sadek, editorial cartoonist Lee Sanderson, Filipino komiks illustrator Jesse Santos, Filmation cartoon studio founder Lou Scheimer, Adoornments comic strip creator John Jay Schmitz, Australian Phantom publisher Jim Shepherd, gag cartoonist Vahan Shirvanian, Jr., political cartoonist David L. Shore, Fort Worth Star Telegram comic strip The Adventures of Hal 'n Dick creator Dick Siegel, magazine, sports and comic strip cartoonist Scott Smith, Studio Proteus founder Toren Smith, Playboy and editorial cartoonist Al Stine, editorial cartoonist Robert McMillan Stuart, editorial illustrator Jean-Claude Suares, Fantagraphics co-publisher Kim Thompson, Grand Rapids Press's Counterpoint comic strip creator Bob Wepman, Disney cartoonist Ross Wetzel, comic book artist Janice Valleau Winkleman, gag cartoon book publisher Peter Workman, cartoonist gagwriter Eileen "Jo" Wyman, 'Anpanman' cartoonist Takashi Yanase, and underground cartoonist Yossarian (Alan Shenker).
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Monday, December 31, 2012
Deaths in the comic arts 2012 UPDATED
Deaths in the comic arts during 2012
Monday, August 13, 2012
Comic Riffs and Monkey See on the death of Joe Kubert
Thursday, January 05, 2012
Ruffin on the past year's comic creator losses
Mark Ruffin, DC Comic Books Examiner
January 2, 2012
http://www.examiner.com/comic-books-in-washington-dc/in-memoriam
UPDATE: Mark's list had nine people that I don't have below!
As I noted in my new edition of the Comics Research Bibliography, deaths in 2011 included editorial cartoonist Bob Artley, Uruguayan cartoonist Eduardo Barretto, Croatian cartoonist Ivica Bednjanec, Italian comic-book publisher Sergio Bonelli, avant-garde animator Robert Breer, Charles Brooks, Archie Comics artist John "Jon" D'agostino, Spanish artist Victor de la Fuente, sports cartoonist Bill Gallo, Belgian cartoonist Andre Geerts, French artist Paul Gillon, Belgian comics writer Francine Graton, Jeffrey Jones, Family Circus creator Bil Keane, British cartoonist David Langdon, German cartoonist Loriot, Spirou editor Thierry Martens, Indian cartoonist Mario Miranda, caricaturist Sam Norkin, Slovenian artist Jelko Peternelj, Serbian inker Branko http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifPlavsic, Jerry Robinson, Albany Times Union editorial cartoonist Hy Rosen, DC Comics http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifwriter Alvin Schwartz, Captain America co-creator Joe Simon, French cartoonist Jean Tabary, Argentinian comics writer Carlos Trillo, Belgian cartoonist Albert Weinberg, Irish editorial cartoonist Terry Willers, and Ziggy creator Tom Wilson.