DAVE COCKRUM R.I.P.
November 26, 2006

photo ©1995 Anthony Taylor, shot at Wonderfest in Louisville, Ky in 1995; published in Sci Fi & Fantasy Models #36
I'VE JUST LEARNED THAT DAVE COCKRUM PASSED AWAY THIS MORNING. MUCH OF THE REST OF THE WORLD HASN'T NOTICED YET, BUT THERE IS A GIGANTIC EMPTY PLACE IN THE WORLD OF COMICS THAT WILL NEVER BE FILLED.

DAVE LEFT AN INDELIBLE FOUR-COLOR MARK ON THE COMIC INDUSTRY. I OWE MUCH OF MY OWN CAREER TO THE FORTUITOUS TIMING OF DAVE'S DEPARTURE FROM THE LEGION OF SUPERHEROES, WHICH OPENED THE DOOR FOR ME TO MAKE MY BIG BREAK. DAVE WAS ON TO BIGGER AND BETTER THINGS - AMONG THEM CO-CREATING X-MEN CHARACTERS STORM, COLOSSUS AND NIGHTCRAWLER - AND HIS GROUNDBREAKING WORK HAS BEEN AN INSPIRATION TO GENERATIONS OF ARTISTS WHO FOLLOWED.

DAVE AND I RARELY MET IN PERSON, BUT I THOROUGHLY ENJOYED THE OCCASIONS WHEN OUR PATHS CROSSED. THE LAST TIME WE SPOKE WAS BY PHONE FOR A JOINT INTERVIEW CELEBRATING HIS CAREER, WHICH SPANNED THE GREATEST DECADES IN THE HISTORY OF COMICS. I FOUND HIM TO BE A GRACIOUS AND ENGAGING GENTLEMAN WITH A GENEROUS NATURE TO MATCH HIS ENORMOUS TALENT.

THEY SAY YOU'RE NEVER TRULY DEAD AS LONG AS THERE'S ONE PERSON WHO REMEMBERS YOU. SOMEWHERE, SOMEDAY, A KID IS GOING TO CRAWL INTO THE ATTIC AND FIND HIS GRANDFATHER'S STASH OF COMICS. WHEN HE OPENS HIS FIRST DAVE COCKRUM BOOK, HE'S GOING TO BE ASTOUNDED.

AND THAT, MY FRIENDS, IS AS CLOSE AS YOU CAN GET TO IMMORTALITY.