Neal Adams, comic book legend and defender of artists’ rights, dies at 80 : NPR

Comic book enthusiasts mourn the death of artist Neal Adams, who changed the game with realistic illustrations in the 1960s and 70s. Thought himself as a superhero in the comics world, he was his fellow champion, seeking artist rights and fair wages.

Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, and the X-Men are just a handful of characters that Adams rethought in the late 1960s. He turned the script over, deviating from the traditional cartoon-like appearance found in cartoons. Instead, Adams sketched heroes and villains with a gritty, realistic talent.

Adam’s death was confirmed on social media by one of his sons, Josh, on Friday.Adam’s wife, Marilyn Adams, said Hollywood Reporter Her husband died in New York due to complications of sepsis. According to a social media post, Adams died early Thursday. He was 80 years old.

“My father was power,” Josh Adams said. Said in his post.. “His career was defined by his unrivaled artistic talent and unwavering personality, and he has always been fighting for his peers and those in need.”

When Adams graduated from the School of Industrial Arts in New York City in 1959, comics in newspapers, rather than comic books, were in a high-paying position, comic historian Alex Grand told NPR.And Adams enjoyed his work on the following strips Ben Casey When ArchieHe felt more at home working on the longer story of the comic book.

DC Comics brought Adams in 1967.So he drew a cover of a war comic and contributed Jerry Lewis Adventures When Bob Hope Adventure The story, DC statement said.

In 1968, he reconsidered and redesigned Batman as a gloomy and dark detective. This is more in line with The Dark Knight’s 1939 origin story than the comical character with shark repellent played by Adam West.

Instead of the heroes and villains that look like bright eyes and a bushy tail, which was typical of the time, Adam’s character took on a more rugged look. Batman was jacked and the Joker was horrifying. In the battle scene, a tattered costume was seen with blood dripping from fresh wounds.

“He applied hyperrealism and incorporated it into the comics, so his work felt like he was looking at a still image of a movie he drew very well,” Grand said. .. “He showed you that you can believe this is almost possible.”

The reader didn’t get enough. Other illustrators began to emulate Adams’ approach as the industry turned the corner of the style, Grand said. And Adams, who has risen to a position close to a superstar in the world of comic books, worked to improve the lives of his fellow artists.

At that time, artists did not have many rights. According to Grand, one of his greatest achievements was how Adams helped the creators of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. SupermanThey deserved to get credit and money from DC, after the company bought the rights to the comics and removed the name from Byline.

“He really put himself there to create a union for better health care, payments and return of the original art for comic book artists and writers,” Grand said. Said. “He was a superhero himself in that sense. He was actually able to fight for the weak, and that’s something different.”

Adams saved the X-Men, who was on the verge of failure in 1969. Grand said he and Roy Thomas worked together to revitalize the Marvel series and introduced a new character to a comic that had been reprinting the story for some time.

Josh Adams described his father as someone who was always looking for someone else, who gave nothing in return and didn’t expect anything.

“The most undeniable qualities of Neal Adams were what I knew about him all my life. He was a father.” Josh Adams wrote on Twitter.. “Not just my father, but the father of everyone who knows him.”