As reported earlier tonight, iconic comic book artist John Cassaday has died at age 52. And as news of his passing filtered through the comic book community, an outpouring of heartfelt remembrances came from his collaborators, and the comic book community as a whole.
Comic Book writer Mark Waid took to Facebook for a lengthy post about Cassaday’s passing. This is notable because most reports credit Waid with discovering Cassaday, after checking out his portfolio at a comic convention… In the post, however, Waid refuses to take credit for the artist’s career.
My dear friend John Cassaday passed today at the absurdly young age of 53 and I miss him already.
I met John in, I believe, 1996–Google will not give up the secret of exactly which year the Big Apple Comic Con was held at Madison Square Garden. John was pleasant, he was polite and well-mannered, and when he showed me his portfolio, I also knew he was tremendously talented for a newcomer. The next morning, I was having breakfast with writer Jeff Mariotte, who mentioned he was looking for an illustrator for his next series, Desperados. Boy, did he say that to the right guy, because I had just the artist in mind.
Outside of that fortuitous referral, I refuse to take any real credit for “discovering” John Cassaday. I can’t take credit for having functioning eyeballs. But we were friends forevermore after that, and watching his quick ascension to becoming one of the most gifted, most sought-after comics illustrators of his generation was a blast. John had a memorable stint on X-Men and another on his favorite character, Captain America, but it was Planetary that rightfully put him on the map. He was meticulous, he wouldn’t turn in a single piece of art until he’d worried it to death, and as his publisher for a brief time at Humanoids, I had the great and now melancholy pleasure of watching magnificent pages, his best ever, come in slowly on his dream project, an unannounced creator-owned multimedia series that will now be his unfinished symphony.
Men in comics, as a general rule, are not exactly blessed with leading-man looks, but John was. Ask anyone. Between his handsome appearance, his charming manner, and his perfect blend of confidence and humility, he was quite the favorite of many, many ladies in his youth. Many. Effortlessly. To walk into a room of women with John was a reminder that the rest of us really, truly needed to work on our game. My single favorite memory with John was when he and I and a bunch of other comics dudes were standing around a big convention bar-party when actor Michael Rosenbaum walked in. Every woman’s head turned, instantly, every eye upon Rosenbaum. It was like throwing a magnet into a box of iron filings. Conversely, every man in the bar who’d been there with a date was suddenly holding two drinks. In the tumult, I had the presence of mind to look at John and say, “Now you know how WE feel.”
John Cassaday, I will say without hesitation and with very little fear of disagreement, was one of the very best illustrators and storytellers to ever work in the comics medium. Like Neal Adams, Jim Steranko, or Michael Golden, he is a touchstone, a reference point to the dozens and dozens of artists whose work was influenced by his. Most people are lucky if more than a dozen people are still talking about them a month after they pass. My friend John will be talked about and remembered by an entire industry for ages. And rightfully so. Rest in peace, sir.
Other creators posted on social media as well. Writer/artist Ben Templesmith said, “I see the terrible news is out. Rest in peace John. There’ll never be another John Cassaday.”
Editor Heather Antos, who worked on Marvel’s Star Wars comics with Cassaday, posted, “You welcomed me into comics when I was a nobody and new. You mentored me when I was learning to draw. You inspired a generation. May the Force be with you. Always.”
Creator Michael Avon Oeming posted a lovely picture of Cassaday, adding, “Goodbye #JohnCassaday. Gone too soon but you won’t be forgotten. You were always kind to us and I’ll remember that even more than your amazing art. We still owe you drinks.”
Said Colleen Doran, another iconic creator, “Another blow in a rough year. John Cassaday, my sweet buddy. Beyond talented, and kind, so kind and good. Can’t believe it. You deserved 100,000 better tomorrows. Good night, my dear friend.”
Jimmy Palmiotti, writer and artist, said, “My heart is broken at the passing of my buddy John. I will miss our late nights in the village talking all kinds of crazy s**t. Amanda and I will miss that beautiful heart and smile. Love you man.”
And writer David Pepose posted, “Genuinely stunned to hear of John Cassaday’s passing at the age of 52. He was an artist of limitless talent, who should’ve had decades left to do whatever he wanted. This is a loss that feels as unfair as it is unbelievable.”
No cause of death has been reported for Cassaday at this time, though he was hospitalized on September 3 in Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, per a Facebook post from his sister.