In Memory of Gene Colan: September 1, 1926 – June 23, 2011

The comic book world mourns the loss of Gene Colan, the prolific comic-book artist responsible for bringing to life some of the most landmark comic book characters of all time (Tomb of Dracula, Howard the Duck, Iron Man and Dare Devil). Colan passed away at 11pm on June 23 after losing his battle to liver disease. Right up until the end Gene was doing work for fans until he became too weak to do so. In 2009, Gene illustrated the Captain America issue 601, titled “Red, White and Blue-Blood,” which won the 2010 Eisner Award for best single issue. Gene has done work on many of the iconic superheroes over the past decades and worked with comic publishers from Dark Horse and Marvel to DC and Eclipse.


Longtime colleague and friend Clifford Meth has posted a very touching eulogy to Gene on his blog and has also posted Gene’s last interview. In his eulogy Meth writes:

“I knew this day would come but it came too quickly. It's been a rare pleasure working with Gene. He knew who he was—how valuable his contributions to the world of comic art have been—how prized it remains by so many. Yet he never felt less than grateful to anyone who’d even read a single panel that he’d drawn.”

Gene’s family has also decided to set up a scholarship at the Joe Kubert School. To find out more about how to donate, please visit Gene’s own blog.