It’s been revealed that a comic book legend, artist Neal Adams, has passed away at age 80. He contributed to many iconic comic books and superheroes throughout his career. This included Batman, X-Men, and the Avengers just to name a few.
His death was noted via THR, where they were able to reveal the cause of death as “complications from sepsis.” This report was shared to them directly from his wife, Marilyn Adams.
While Neal Adams was a comic book artist, he also helped redefine the characters as we know them today. He added a darkness and realism to Batman, for example, that changed the way fans now see the character. In fact, he created new villains for the characters that have become icons in their own right. This includes iconic villain Ra’s al Ghul and his daughter, often Batman’s love interest, Talia al Ghul. He also created the villain Man-Bat.
These creations came as a result of Neal Adams’ work with writer Dennis O’Neil. They further reinvented such characters as Green Lantern, which included the creation of John Stewart. They also had a major impact on the Green Arrow character. At the time these changes were seen as controversial, especially because they dealt with topics like racism and drug addiction. But now they’re viewed as some of the strongest stories offered by DC.
This is only the tip of the iceberg regarding his accomplishments. He helped other comic book artists earn such freedoms and rights as reacquiring their own artwork from comic book publishers. At a time when they chose to either keep it or destroy the artwork completely, this now allowed comic book artists to earn a second form of income.
Neal Adams is survived by his wife of 45 years along with his sons Josh, Jason, and Joel, and his daughters Kris and Zeea. He’s also survived by his grandchildren Kelly, Kortney, Jade, Sebastian, Jane and Jaelyn, and his great-grandson Maximus.