Comic book artist John Cassaday suddenly, shockingly passed away today at age 52. The news was posted by his sister, who explained that he had been hospitalized in New York City days before, though the cause of his illness is unknown. As a result, comic professionals, fans, and collaborators came out in droves to commemorate the life and memory of an iconic artist taken far, far too soon.
If you’re struggling about how best to remember the man, though, there’s no better way right now than to read one of his many, many incredibly drawn books. With that in mind, here’s a partial list of must-read John Cassaday books worth checking out to commemorate his memory.
1. Astonishing X-Men
The third volume of a Marvel Comics book to carry the name Astonishing X-Men, this book is, truly, astonishing. Written by Joss Whedon and drawn by Cassaday, the 25 issues of the book featured an all-star team of X-Men including Cyclops, Wolverine, Kitty Pryde, Beast, and Emma Frost. It also introduced concepts immediately harvested for the screen, like a mutant “cure” and S.W.O.R.D.; and those that have yet to make their way to the screen, like villain Ord of Breakworld. While Whedon was in his prime writing form here, it is Cassaday’s art that elevates this book to another level.
There are multiple ways to snag this, including an Omnibus that collects all issues, and two Ultimate Collections. But if you’re looking to try it out, see if you can grab the first collection, “Gifted,” and get hooked from there.
2. Planetary
Another relatively short run, though over a very long period — 27 issues plus a preview over 11 years — Planetary is a masterpiece. It introduced the Wildstorm Universe (an imprint of DC Comics) to Planetary, an organization dedicated to mapping the secret history of the twentieth century. Opposing them was The Four, loosely based on Marvel’s Fantastic Four, who were attempting to harvest these secrets for their gain. Each issue expertly mapped the concept on a classic genre story or tale, from superheroes to Frankenstein. And Cassaday absolutely crushed every single idea thrown at him.
Planetary has been collected a ludicrous amount of times by DC Comics, but you might be best served picking up the first volume of Absolute Planetary, which collects the preview issue and the first 12 issues of the series, proper.
3. Star Wars
In 2015, after a lengthy stint at Dark Horse Comics, Marvel started publishing Star Wars comics again. And who better to kick that run off than the team of Jason Aaron and John Cassaday? The artist was only on the book for the first six issues, which are collected in Star Wars Vol. 1: Skywalker Strikes. But they are some of the most stunning Star Wars comics ever made. Nobody — I mean, nobody — draws Darth Vader being an absolute bad-a** like John Cassaday.
4. Captain America: The New Deal
Before the two other Marvel books above, Cassaday tackled a Captain America miniseries for Marvel, written by John Ney Rieber. As would become apparent throughout his work, Cassaday excelled in balancing the realism of a more down-to-earth Cap, alongside jaw-dropping action scenes.
5. The Dynamite Art Of John Cassaday
One word to describe John Cassaday’s art? Dynamite. Luckily, there’s a publisher named Dynamite, as well — so basically, a perfect fit. For years, Cassaday delivered amazing cover art for the publisher, ranging from Red Sonja to his incredible work on The Lone Ranger. You can check all of that out in The Dynamite Art of John Cassaday, which also includes sketches and inks from the artist.
6. I Am Legion
Written by Fabien Nury and published by Humanoids, I Am Legion mixes superpowers into the world of Nazis in World War II. While perhaps not the most iconic book Cassaday worked on, it’s a very different mode from his Marvel and DC work, and well worth checking out to see him flex his muscles in graphic novel form, versus issue by issue.
7. Hellboy: Weird Tales
The eight-issue anthology series focusing on Mike Mignola’s creations is the rare instance of Cassaday both writing and drawing a story. In the first issue, he wrote and drew a mini-classic with “Big-Top Hellboy.” Running throughout the issues, as well, was a serialized story focusing on old-timey vigilante Lobster Johnson. You can pick up the full thing in a trade collection titled, you guessed it, Hellboy: Weird Tales.