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[Loxley]

*Update - 5/14/2016

Darwyn Cooke has passed away

Darwyn Cooke, a Canadian comic-book artist who gave his signature retro flair to DC Comics heroes as well as one of crime literature's more notable protagonists, died early Saturday morning at the age of 54.

His wife Marsha Cooke confirmed the news in a statement one day after posting on the artist's blog that he was receiving palliative care following a bout with aggressive lung cancer.

Darwyn Cooke, who died at his home in Florida, was a Toronto native who worked as an art director and graphic designer until the 1990s when he was hired by Warner Bros. Animation to be a storyboard artist on Batman: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series.

Original post:

His wife just posted this on his blog:

fuck cancer

It is with tremendous sadness that we announce Darwyn is now receiving palliative care following a bout with aggressive cancer. His brother Dennis and I, along with our families appreciate the outpouring of support we have received. We ask for privacy as we go through this very difficult time. Urgent inquiries please contact David Hyde david.hyde@superfanpromotions.com

Marsha

For those who may not be familiar with his name, he's probably most known for his work on DC's New Frontier:

 

[PhoncipleBone]

Man, that sucks.

 

[Fury451]

Oh no. I absolutely love his work, and I just picked up The New Frontier during the sale on Amazon.

Such sad news.

Does pallative care means it's terminal?

Yes, most likely.

 

[The Hobo]

Does pallative care means it's terminal?

 

[Skilletor]

Damn

Love his stuff. Michael Turner died from cancer awhile back.

 

[jetpacks was yes]

Noooooo!

 

[Sojgat]

Damn, this sucks.

Massive fan of his work, but I hadn't heard about this.

Fuck cancer.

 

[Caboose]

Palliative means not much time left

 

[mjc]

Jeez, that sucks big time

 

[Loxley]

Does pallative care means it's terminal?

Not necessarily, palliative care generally means they're trying to improve his quality of life while he's being treated. In a way it's like therapy alongside whatever the normal treatment for an illness would be. But usually it's only reserved for really severe illnesses :/

 

[Duane Cunningham]

Damn it. Absolutely horrible. Such a talent, I've always loved his work.

 

[BiggNife]

guh, fuck cancer. Darwyn's an amazing artist.

 

[Mudcrab]

Horrible news, he's an amazing talent. I'm so sorry for what he and his family have to go through now.

 

[Scirrocco]

New Frontier changed the way I look at comics. An absolute tragedy.

Not sure if it's related, but comixology is having a Darwin Cooke sale. I don't know if he's getting a piece of it for his treatment, but either way all his work is great. It's to bad this is probably it, then.

http://darwyncooke.blogspot.com/2016/05/digital-darwyn-sale-on-at-comixology.html

 

[cbrotherson]

Awful, awful news. Such an incredible talent. New Frontier and Parker alone are brilliant, but he has such an amazing library of work. Gutted.

 

[George Oscar Bluth II]

Aah man

Fuck cancer.

 

[LiQuid!]

Does pallative care means it's terminal?

Likely. Palliative care is geared towards providing comfort moreso than treating the actual illness, which means he could be beyond hope.

Real shitty news, regardless of the prognosis. Darwyn will forever be a legend.

 

[anaron]

Oh for fucks sake, awful.

 

[Poodlestrike]

FUCK.

Goddamn 2016.

 

[Zekes!]

Damn, I always loved his work and style. My thoughts go out to him and his family

 

[TheFlow]

A living legend. Hope he beats it

 

[Blader]

Damn, what awful news. I wonder what kind of cancer? If this is something that came on suddenly or has been ongoing for a while.

Good luck to him and his family.

 

[Viewt]

Ugh, that's gutting. I love Darwyn. Not just his art style, but his attitude towards art and his incredible work ethic, as well.

His run on The Spirit doesn't get brought up as much anymore, but it's so, so great.

 

[jmdajr]

 

[Bleepey]

I loved the art of New Frontier. Get well soon.

 

[Gipsy Danger]

This sucks. Cooke is a fantastic artist. Really wish him the best.

People should check out his work on Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre. I never hear anyone talk about it but it was a great book caught up in a very mediocre event. His art is great in it and I really enjoyed the book.

 

[Osu 16 Bit]

Terrible news. I love his style. Huge fan of Selina's Big Score and the Brubaker Catwoman run.

 

[Kaiterra]

Aw jeez, this is really terrible. What sad news. What a unique talent to lose.

 

[Mac the KNife]

I haven't read much of his superhero stuff yet, but I like that his work feels so optimistic. It's very powerful.

His Parker adaptions are must-read material for anyone.

Get better, Mr. Cooke.

 

[Vyer]

That's awful. Man..,.

 

[exmachina64]

Fuck. ;_;

 

[see5harp]

Damn that sucks.

 

[Pau]

No!

One of my favorite artists. A New Frontier is just so good.

And his redesign of Catwoman is wonderful.

I hope he feels as comfortable and well as possible during the time he has left. His poor family...

 

[torre_avenue]

His Parker line of graphic novels were absolutely phenomenal, each with a unique color pallete in his classic art style. His Spirit issues were one of the first things I read, and have a place in my heart for how beautiful they looked.

I hope he pulls through.

 

[Tyrant Rave]

Cooke's a fantastic artist, this is really terrible to hear :/ I just started reading Catwoman recently too...

 

[AgentOtaku]

FUUUUUUUUCK T____T

 

[Frozenprince]

Hope he can make peace with himself and his loved ones. His art really was great.

 

[Salsa]

heard about this earlier

Cooke is so unique. Artists with such strong sense of style working in comics are a treasure. wish him the best

 

[Einchy]

One of the best graphic novels ever.

I'm still waiting for the one that was supposed to come out in 2015, Darwyn. You better fuck up cancer and live to be 100.

[edit]

Fuck, so it might be terminal? I really hope that's not the case.

 

[jetpacks was yes]

Along with Paul Pope he's my favorite artist in comics. This is so awful.

 

[Sesha]

This is a dark hour for the medium of comics. I wish him and his family the best.

 

[Shaanyboi]

One of the greats

 

[Frozenprince]

One of the best graphic novels ever.

I'm still waiting for the one that was supposed to come out in 2015, Darwyn. You better fuck up cancer and live to be 100.

[edit]

Fuck, so it might be terminal? I really hope that's not the case.

There's no might about it, sadly.

Palliative care means he's terminal. It's just the best way to easy his family and himself into the acceptance of the reality of death and to make him suffer the least.

 

[Einchy]

There's no might about it, sadly.

Palliative care means he's terminal. It's just the best way to easy his family and himself into the acceptance of the reality of death and to make him suffer the least.

Wow, that's horrible.

I know it's cliche by now but 2016 really is a terrible year.

 

[How About No]

I don't read comics, but I like that style, very-retro-esque

This is so goddamn sad. Fuck cancer.

 

[Gr1mLock]

Sad news.

 

[Akuun]

Does pallative care means it's terminal?

Probably. As I understand it, palliative care usually means the person is beyond help, so people are just trying to make him comfortable for the time he has left.

 

[captainnapalm]

That sucks. He may actually be the best comic book artist of the current generation. His stuff somehow manages to feel both retro and totally fresh and new.

The 12 issues of the Spirit he did is definitely his most underrated work. Just a mindblowing run.

My avatar:

 

[Screaming Meat]

That's terrible.

 

[VanWinkle]

I'm so sad about this. He is probably my favorite artist. It just pains me that his has happened. I hope somehow, some way, he pulls through. I have to at least hope.