NEAL Adams illustrated comic books for a living and shaped many of the superheroes (and villains) we know and love today.
He died on April 28, 2022, at the age of 80, following a battle with sepsis.
Neal Adams will forever be remembered for creating the version of Batman that we all know today.
Stoic, serious, dark, and lurking deep in Gotham city, unlike the comics who had tried to make Batman a comedy before him.
In fact, he addressed the subject while on a panel at Comic-Con in 2010, when he reminisced on bringing Batman to life, along with writer Dennis O’Neil.
He said: that “It was no secret that we were doing Batman right… we want it to be more realistic, more gritty. And that’s how we remember — whether it was true or not — that Batman should be. And when we did it, everybody went, ‘Ah, that’s it. We don’t need comedy anymore.”
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He is also the man responsible for X-Men and the Avengers, as well as the Green Lantern.
Adams’ Green Lantern was one of DC’s first black icons, and his depiction of a black superhero marked the beginning of a social conversation through comic books about issues including racism.
Another influence that Adams will always be remembered for was his activism for creatives to be paid fairly for their artwork.
He served as a voice for all creators, demanding that the comics and writers behind the paper versions of the stories made money off of them once they were adapted for the screen.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Neal Adams’ son Josh Adams said in a statement that his “father was a force,”
“His career was defined by unparalleled artistic talent and an unwavering character that drove him to constantly fight for his peers and those in need.”
“He would become known in the comics industry as one of the most influential creators of all time and champion social and creators’ rights.”
Adams’ wife, Marilyn, told The Hollywood Reporter that her husband died Thursday, April 28, 2022, following a complication with sepsis.
Per WebMD, when you have “sepsis, your immune system, which defends you from germs, releases a lot of chemicals into your blood.”
“This triggers widespread inflammation that can lead to organ damage.”
“Clots reduce blood flow to your limbs and internal organs, so they don’t get the nutrients and oxygen they need.”
Tributes to Adams have been pouring in through Twitter.
User Comic Book Creator Magazine (@CBCMagazine) tweeted: “I’ll always be grateful for the generosity of Neal Adams. Godspeed and thank you for your courage, artistry, and your gifts that gave me much more than I can say.” – Jon B. Cooke
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Humanities Studio (@humanities_art) tweeted, “Neal Adams has passed away. He has many great accomplishments but to me he’ll always be the definitive Batman artist. He perfectly captured the tone of Batman: A dark gothic universe where good and evil fought in masquerade costumes.”
User Joseph Cotterill ((@jsphctrl) tweeted: “RIP Neal Adams, who fought for creator rights in the comic book industry – including credit for Siegel, Shuster, and Kirby – long before it became today’s cultural juggernaut. And his Batman was *the* Batman.”
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