Comic artist John Cassaday, co-creator of Planetary, has died at the age of 52

Posted in: Comics, Comic Publishers, Latest News, Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics, Image, Marvel Comics, X-Men | Tagged: John Cassaday, Planetary

Comic book artist John Cassaday, co-creator of Planetary and Astonishing X-Men, has died at the tragically young age of 52.

John Cassaday died tonight at the age of 52. He was admitted to the intensive care unit at Mount Sinai West Hospital in New York last week. His sister Robin wrote: “My little brother John passed away at 6:51 p.m. Texas time. Please pray for me and my mom.”

Co-creator of Planetary with Warren Ellis, Desperados with Jeff Mariotte And I am Legion with Fabien Nury, He was the artist on Amazing X-Men with Joss Whedon, Captain America with John Ney Rieber And Jeph Loeb,, And star Wars with Jason AaronJohn Cassaday was a very popular, incredibly detailed, versatile and design-oriented comic artist who won several Eisner Awards for Amazing X-Men, PlanetaryAnd I am Legion. He began his career as a television news director after attending film school, then switched to comics while working in construction, and after some success with independent publishers, was first hired by Mark Waid.

Today, Waid remembers that first meeting in the mid-1990s at the Big Apple Comic Con. “John was nice, polite and well-mannered, and when he showed me his portfolio, I knew he was incredibly talented for a newbie. The next morning, I had breakfast with writer Jeff Mariotte, who mentioned that he was looking for an illustrator for his next series, Desperados. Boy, did he say that to the right man, because I had exactly the right artist in mind.”

Cassaday follows Desperados by WildStorm with Spirit of Dark Horse before working on Ta Titans, Flash, X-Men, Gen13, Superman/Batman, Hulk, And The Avengers for Marvel and DC.

In 1999 he co-created Planetary with Warren Ellis for Wildstorm/DC, tells the story of the architects of superhero and pulp fiction history that became part of the Wildstorm revival of the late 1990s. It remains one of the most critically acclaimed superhero comics of all time. He then launched X-Men with Joss Whedon as Amazing X-Menwhich remains one of the most popular and frequently reprinted editions of the title.

His redesign of Captain America became incredibly influential and had a major impact on the character's portrayal in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He was also successful in the larger French comic market, drawing I am your legion from Fabien Nury by Les Humanoïdes Associés, which gave him a new appreciation of “high art.” Cassaday also wrote comics such as Hellboy: Weird Tales, Little Nemo: Dream Another Dream, Rocketeer Adventures, X-Men: Alpha Flight, Bela Lugosi: Takes from the GraveAnd Union Jack.

Cassaday also headlined the Marvel Comics relaunch of star Wars with Jason Aaronwhose first issue sold one million copies and was the best-selling American comic book that year. John Cassaday became Chief Creative Officer at Humanioids in 2018.

He also returned to work on screen and worked as a concept artist for the Guardian Film, director of an episode of Joss Whedon's Dollhouse TV series and actors in House on the hillHe has also directed and appeared in several documentaries about comics.

Mark Waid added, “As his publisher at Humanoids, I briefly had the great and now melancholy pleasure of watching his dream project slowly come to life with great pages, his best ever, an as-yet-unannounced multimedia series that will now be his unfinished symphony.” And he shared an observation and anecdote with us. “Men in comics aren't usually blessed with the looks of a leading man, but John was. Ask anyone. With his handsome looks, charming demeanor, and perfect blend of confidence and modesty, he was the darling of many, many ladies in his youth. Lots. Effortless. Walking into a room full of women with John was a reminder that the rest of us really, really needed to work on our game. My very favorite memory of John is when he and I and a couple of other comic guys were standing around at a big bar party at a convention when actor Michael Rosenbaum walked in. All the women turned around immediately, all eyes on Rosenbaum. It was like throwing a magnet into a box of iron filings. Conversely, every man in the bar who had been there on a date suddenly had two drinks in his hand. In the tumult, I had the presence of mind to look at John and say, “Now you know how WE feel.”

Christopher Golden wrote: “I am truly shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the passing of John Cassaday tonight. My old friend Jeff Mariotte introduced us to each other decades ago, and in the years when I was a regular at SDCC and other major comic cons, we often hung out together. I don't know what it's like now, but back then the comics scene was full of a wild, hierarchical, high school-level clique culture, but no matter how successful he became, John didn't play that game. Laconic, dryly witty, smart as hell, and one of the best artists in the business, he was always friendly. Young John was not only slim and handsome like a cowboy in the movies, he also had an easy charm that put everyone at ease. I don't think I spoke to him more than a few times in the last decade, but I always considered him a friend. I'd like to think he thought so too. What a huge, huge loss to the comics scene and to everyone who knew him. My condolences to his family and loved ones. It's just unimaginable that this guy is gone.”

Jeff Mariotte wrote: “My friend John Cassaday and I were important parts of our respective comics careers. Desperadoes was my first title that I wrote myself. It allowed me to work with a number of outstanding talents. It sold well and helped start a boom in weird western comics that is still going strong. It put me on the map as a comics writer.
John was the first artist on the show. He developed the look of the characters. He wasn't very well known yet, but he became well known as the show progressed. I showed the first pages to Warren Ellis, who recruited John for Planetary, which made him a superstar. I once tried to introduce John to Joss Whedon because Joss loved Desperadoes. Joss turned down the offer at the time, but later worked closely with John and even hired him to direct an episode of his TV series Dollhouse.
Now John is dead, much too young. I haven't seen him for 5 or 6 years and now I won't see him again. Safe journey, partner, and thanks for riding with me.”

Heather Antoswho edited it on star Warswrote: “Oh my god, this is a real blast. You introduced me to comics when I was a nobody and new. You were my mentor when I was learning to draw. You inspired a generation. May the force be with you. Always.”

My own experiences with this man were gentle, kind, occasionally amused, but he also made you feel cooler than you had any right to be. He had an extraordinary artistic talent, but behind it all was a truly decent human being. We all extend our condolences to his friends, colleagues and family, especially his sister and mother.

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