Gene Colan, the creator of the Falcon and co-creator of Blade, died on Friday. He was 84.
Colan began drawing comics in 1944, and first caught the attention of comics fans with his war comics, which he researched heavily. If you can find these, the art is a treat: Colan was a detailed and meticulous artist, and it really pays off with these stories.
Most comics fans, though, know him from Marvel’s Silver Age: his 81-issue run on “Daredevil”, the complete run of “The Tomb of Dracula”, his work on “Captain America”, and naturally his art for “Howard the Duck”. Although Colan is most known for his Marvel work, he drew for DC, with a four year run on “Batman”, and even spent some time drawing for Archie Comics. In the last decade, he returned to Marvel, drawing the final issue of “Blade” and most memorably issue #601 of “Captain America”, which brought Colan back to his war comics roots.
On a personal note: Gene Colan was one of my favorite Marvel artists, and this is incredibly sad. We’ve lost a legend, and he will be missed.
[ via Bleeding Cool ]