When I was a kid I loved Daves work. He made the transition to the new X-men. 67-93 in the series were repeats.
Cockrum the X-Men Illustrator Dies
63-year-old Dave Cockrum died in his favourite Superman pyjamas and with his Batman blanket around him at his home in Belton, SC, after battling with diabetes and its complications for a long time.
The illustrator who is well known for boosting Marvel Comics’ popularity by overhauling the X-Men comics in the 1970s which were made into a film franchise requested that he doesn’t get a public service and for his body to be cremated.
Cockrum was born in Ore., served in Vietnam for the U.S. Navy and then he moved to New York and started drawing Legion of Super-Heroes for DC Comics. He then moved to Marvel where he re-launched and added new heroes to the X-men with Len Wein.
shortnews.com
At Marvel Comics, Cockrum and writer Len Wein were handed the X-Men. The comic had been created in 1963 as a group of young outcasts enrolled in an academy for mutants, but the premise failed to capture fans.
Cockrum and Wein took the existing comic, added their own heroes and published “Giant-Size X-Men No. 1'' in 1975. Many signature characters Cockrum designed and co-created – such as Storm, Mystique, Nightcrawler and Colossus – went on to become part of the ”X-Men'' films starring Hugh Jackman and Halle Berry.
Cockrum received no movie royalties, said family friend Clifford Meth, who organized efforts to help Cockrum and his family during his protracted medical care.
“Dave saw the movie and he cried – not because he was bitter,'' Meth said. “He cried because his characters were on screen and they were living.''
Cockrum was born in Pendleton, Oregon, the son of an Air Force officer. He set aside his interest in art while serving in Vietnam for the U.S. Navy. He moved to New York after leaving the service and got his big break in the early 1970s, drawing the Legion of Super-Heroes for DC Comics before moving to Marvel.
In January 2004, Cockrum moved to South Carolina after being hospitalized for bacterial pneumonia. As his diabetes progressed, his drawings became limited. His last drawing was a sketch for a fan, who attended a small comic book convention in Greenville, Paty Cockrum said.
Meth said Cockrum, who will be cremated in a Green Lantern shirt, will be remembered as ``a comic incarnate.''
“He had a genuine love for comics and for science fiction and for fantasy, and he lived in it,'' Meth said. “He loved his work. |
