R.I.P. Dave Cockrum

[Aaron Kashtan]

It gives me great sadness to report that Dave Cockrum has passed away (http://www.nightscrawlers.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=6539), according to his friend Clifford Meth. Dave was only 63.

We will no longer be able to enjoy his artwork, but worse than that, we've lost a valued member of the comics community, a man who suffered far more than his share of troubles.

May he rest in peace.

[benday-dot]

Thats really sad news Sir Tim. I was just starting to rediscover and appreciate like perhaps I hadn't in the past Cockrum's work on some of the early 70's Legion of Super Heroes. I recently acquired for the first time a decent run of these issues, and I got hooked. It was and is wonderful stuff. He will be missed.

[Lone Ranger]

I know that he has had health problems of late, but this still comes as a huge surprise.

Dave Cockrum always struck me as someone whose heart was as big as his talent.

Rest in Peace.

Thanks for the memories.

[CaptChucky]

There's just been too much sad news this week. He always seemed like a good guy. I enjoyed his art. He always looked like he was enjoying himself at conventions.

[Stephane Garrelie]

A great creator and a very nice man.
Rest in peace.

[Red Oak Kid]

Dave Cockrum was a very great human being who loved comic books. He gave everything he had to the medium.

Too bad the medium still hasn't evolved to the point that it could pay him back.

Just because you love something, doesn't mean it has to love you back.

[DDM]

Dave Cockrum's art is very influential to the comic book world. My first impression of him for me is Classic X-Men from the 80's; gradually, I bought the original Uncanny X-Men stories. I still think Dave Cockrum's design style with super-hero costumes was one of his most important strengths. For instance, he designed the original Phoenix, Ms. Marvel's second costume, & came up with the Mystique design...

I will miss him. He died at such a young age too...:(

[Red Oak Kid]

I happen to think that comic books are art driven. I think the art is what attracts a person to the medium.

I think the design sense of Dave Cockrum helped define the Bronze age and influenced the next generation of artists.

He took the Adams influence(without being an Adams clone)and expanded it to the next level.

[dan bailey]

This is the first I've heard of Dave's passing, as I've been away since Wednesday evening for Thanksgiving. Such sad news.

Giant-Size X-Men #1 was, of course, an absolute (sub)cultural landmark in this field.

Dave Cockrum drew it.

'Nuff said.

[Gingold]

This is sad news. He was a wonderful artist, and one of the best character/ costume designers to ever draw superhero comics. Ugh.

[Captain Jim]

Very sad. Dave was a very good and underappreciated artist.

Interesting story-I first met him at a convention in Indianapolis in the mid-1970's. He was selling some original art from both Giant-size Avengers and Giant-size X-Men. Being a big Avengers fan at the time, and never dreaming how big X-Men would become, I passed on G-S X-Men and bought a page of G-S Avengers. :rolleyes:

[Agentum]

To bad, one of my favorite artists, his part in X-mens success has been very underrated i think.

Rest in peace.

[joe bloke]

I don't have any Dave Cockrum stories. I never met the man, I'm not sure that I've even read an interview with him. But I loved his stuff, really, I did. My heartfelt condolences to his family and friends, and everyone who was ever touched by his unappreciated, untapped genious. A very sad day, indeed.

[Agent Helix]

I like to imagine that he went out with a Bamf.

Catch you later, Dave Cockrum.

[parrish]

This is sad news.

I met him at Heroes Con in Charlotte for the first time last summer and I was amazed at how nice he was.

[scratchie]

Damn, that's a real shame.

As someone else pointed out, Dave's real strength (aside from being able to draw really well!) was in character design. Between the 70s Legionnaires and the 70s X-Men, his characters were a huge part of my childhood, and, I imagine, that of many "bronze age" fans.

One thing that always made me laugh was at the end of X-Men 108 (Byrne's first issue), there was a blurb that said something like "Dedicated to Dave Cockrum for making the dream happen", and right below that, it said "I'm not dead -- Dave". Pity that's no longer the case.

EDIT: Here's a good appreciation of Dave, courtesy of Progressive Ruin: http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/dave_cockrum_1943_2006/

[MichikoS]

Dave Cockrum's name was well-known to me through his many, many contributions to fan publications from the '60s on. I was looking through an early Fantastic Four issue recently, and ran across a fan letter from a young David Cockrum. He has been a part of the comics scene for so long that I've taken him for granted, in some ways.

Now that he is gone, I realize what a tremendous void he leaves in the field.

Condolences to Dave's wife, Paty, and to family and friends of this gifted artist and storyteller.

Michi

[Slam_Bradley]

Sad news indeed.

R.I.P.

[Gothos]

I was really shocked to hear that he'd passed away, just days after Jerry Bails.

I talked with him just a little at a con and I too found him a nice guy with some cool stories about working at Marvel.

One wonders what might have become of a Marvel X-Men revival had Dave not had some spiffy new characters to contribute. Imagine the "New International X-Men" being done with some of the losers intro'd in the (somewhat later) CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS!

I tend to think he helped bring a lot of humorous elements to X-MEN, since both of his runs on the book are more light-hearted than the Byrne era or anything afterward. Claremont may've contributed his share, but you couldn't prove it by much of the work following the second Cockrum run.

He was also one of the best designers of superhero costumes out there, easily on the level of Perez in terms of quality though not quantity.

[joe bloke]

My favourite Dave Cockrum cover. Truly beautiful. Laters, Dave.

[Lone Ranger]

My favourite Dave Cockrum cover. Truly beautiful. Laters, Dave.

That is a very nice one.

I was pretty impressed with a more recent piece pencilled by Dave.

The cover to the Legion Companion.

http://twomorrows.com/images/large/books/legionc_LRG.jpg

[Bill Angus]

Really sad news. My condolences to his family.

I only had the opportunity to meet Dave once, sometime around '84 or '85 (it would've been around the time The Futurians Marvel Grapic Novel was released). He was in Ottawa for Maplecon, and I hung around his table in artist's alley for an ridiculously long time one day. He was very gracious, answering my undoubtly annoying fan boy questions, and didn't seem the least concerned with my hovering. He did a nice Phoenix sketch for me (which reminds me... I haven't seen that piece in quite a while... I wonder if it's lost or just 'put in a safe place'...), which cost me about $20 (which seemed like a lot to me at the time, but given that I wasn't even old enough to drive yet...). I treasured that sketch for years.

A real gentleman.

[DDM]

Dave Cockrum's name was well-known to me through his many, many contributions to fan publications from the '60s on. I was looking through an early Fantastic Four issue recently, and ran across a fan letter from a young David Cockrum. He has been a part of the comics scene for so long that I've taken him for granted, in some ways.

Now that he is gone, I realize what a tremendous void he leaves in the field.

Condolences to Dave's wife, Paty, and to family and friends of this gifted artist and storyteller.

Michi

Dave Cockrum has another fan letter published in Marvel Super-Heroes #13.

[Jake Lockley]

Sad news, indeed. One of the most unique drawing styles comics has ever seen.

[Pocket Rocket]

My favourite Dave Cockrum cover. Truly beautiful. Laters, Dave.

My third child is going to be born in a couple of weeks, and we are naming him John Carter. Also, to Dave Cockrum, wherever you are, thanks for the autograph, and rest in peace.

[Aaron Kashtan]

My third child is going to be born in a couple of weeks, and we are naming him John Carter. Also, to Dave Cockrum, wherever you are, thanks for the autograph, and rest in peace.

Welcome to CBR, and my advance congratulations on the baby.