Neal Adams

In 1969, Adams and writer Dennis O'Neil pulled Batman back from the campy persona he had been saddled with on TV through a series of dark comics appropriate to ...

One of his lesser-know works was pencilling the excellent PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE poster for Richard Corben to color. R.I.P. Neal Adams- one of the first and great stylists to push USA comics to a new level. “R.I.P. Neal Adams- one of the first and great stylists to push USA comics to a new level. He would become known in the comics industry as one of the most influential creators of all time and champion social and creator’s rights. “I come out of a time when bigotry was a lot more subtle than it [was] in the days of slavery,” Adams told The American Prospect in 2011. In 1969, Adams and writer Dennis O’Neil pulled Batman back from the campy persona he had been saddled with on TV through a series of dark comics appropriate to the times.

Neal Adams, the legendary comic book artist known for revitalizing the Batman franchise as well as creating some of the Dark Knight's greatest foes, ...

Neal's photorealistic style helped shape the Marvel Universe and beyond, inspiring generations of comic artists as he championed their mentorship & growth. What would become tales told and retold of the fights he fought were born out of my father simply seeing something wrong as he walked through the halls of Marvel or DC and deciding to do something about it right then and there.” During his tenure working on Batman in the early Seventies, Adams is credited with infusing a dark realism in the comic book franchise then associated with the campy, colorful Adam West-starring TV series. He would become known in the comics industry as one of the most influential creators of all time and champion social and creators’ rights. “The modern comic landscape would not be what it is today without the incomparable work of Neal Adams,” DC Comics tweeted Friday. “Neal portrayed heroes as both super and human in equal measure. His dynamic interpretation of realism combined with the energy shaped generations of artists.

Neal Adams, who illustrated characters like Batman and the X-Men, has passed away at the age of 80.

Muhammad Ali and Batman: Odyssey, as well as helping form the Comic Creators Guild. However, I’d be remiss if I also didn’t mention the work he and Denny O’Neil did on the Green Lantern book from 1970 to 1972, where Hal Jordan was paired with fellow Justice Leaguer Oliver Queen, a.k.a. Green Arrow. With Adams having already redesigned Green Arrow’s costume and given him a distinct goatee in The Brave and the Bold #85, the Green Lantern/Green Arrow run delivered commentary on issues like overpopulation, racism and drug use, with the latter being explored in the “Snowbirds Don’t Die” two-issue arc, where it was revealed that Green Arrow’s sidekick Roy Harper, a.k.a. Speedy, was using heroin. Adams and O’Neil also debuted John Stewart, the third human member of the Green Lantern Corps, in Green Lantern #87, who was one of DC’s earliest African-American superheroes. Starting in 1969, while he was still freelancing for DC Comics, Neal Adams also started working for Marvel Comics, where he was paired with writer Roy Thomas on nearly ten issues of the X-Men series. During this time, the duo also created villains like Ra’s al Ghul, Talia al Ghul and Man-Bat, as well as re-tooled classic adversaries like The Joker and Two-Face. Marvel and DC movies are among the most popular franchise heavy-hitters these days, but that wouldn’t be possible without decades of comic book source material to draw from. Along with Marilyn, Adams is survived by their three sons (Jason, Joel and Josh), as well as his daughter Zeela from his previous marriage to Cory Adams, who was a comic book colorist.

DCComics.com: Welcome to the Official Site for DC. DC is home to the "World's Greatest Super Heroes,” including SUPERMAN, BATMAN, WONDER WOMAN, ...

In 1972, Neal turned to advertising illustration, but he occasionally returned to DC, notably illustrating a popular Superman vs. Born June 5, 1941, Neal received his art training at the School of Industrial Arts in New York City. His first big success came at the age of 21 when he started drawing the Ben Casey syndicated newspaper strip. DC Publisher and Chief Creative Officer Jim Lee, who has drawn quite a few Batman stories of his own, said, “Neal Adams was an amazing illustrator, he changed comics.

Legendary comic book artist #NealAdams, the legendary comic book artist who helped reinvigorate Batman and other superheroes with his photorealistic ...

His stint on Batman also reinvigorated villains, such as the Joker who had grown stale, taking him from a comical menace to more of the homicidal maniac he is today, cementing his position as Batman’s archnemesis. He also helped create the Green Lantern hero, Jon Stewart, who became one of DC’s first Black icons. Adams also worked for several years in the ’60s on a daily comic strip featuring Ben Casey.

Adams' version of Batman in the 1970s set the scene for a million dark and brooding takes on the iconic character.

He openly freelanced for both DC and its rival Marvel in the late ’60s—generally frowned at by the publishers—contributing art to a run on X-Men. He also became an open advocate for creators rights; among other things, he was one of the loudest voices in the industry calling for the return of original artwork to creators, and specifically for DC to acknowledge the contributions of Superman creators Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel for their massive impact on the company. These “relevant comics” can look cheesy to modern eyes, admittedly, but they were also an outgrowth of Adams and O’Neil’s convictions that superhero comics could interface with, rather than ignore, the politics of the era in which they were published. The O’Neil/Adams run was, in some ways, a direct reaction to the Batman of the 1960s, which had embraced the campy elements of the character so prevalent in the hit Adam West television show. It was the beginning of a rise that would see him become one of the most respected artists in the industry, with his work spearheading an increasing understanding of comic book art as art, rather than as a mere vehicle for superhero stories. Characters he left a lasting impact on include Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and especially Batman—whose modern incarnations owe much to the brooding, shadowy take on the Dark Knight that sprang out of Adams’ run on the character during the first half of the 1970s. A long-time artist best known for his legendary, character-creating and -defining runs on DC Comics—and for his work as an advocate for comics creators’ rights—Adams defined the looks of whole eras of the history of some of the most iconic characters in the medium.

Iconic comic book artist Neal Adams died on Thursday in New York at the age of 80, according to his daughter Zeea Adams Moss and daughter-in-law Saori ...

This is a huge loss for the entire industry," Lee said in a statement. "Neal Adams was an amazing illustrator, he changed comics. "His career was defined by unparalleled artistic talent and an unwavering character that drove him to constantly fight for his peers and those in need.

Iconic comic book artist Neal Adams died on Thursday in New York at the age of 80, according to his daughter Zeea Adams Moss and daughter-in-law Saori ...

This is a huge loss for the entire industry," Lee said in a statement. "Neal Adams was an amazing illustrator, he changed comics. "His career was defined by unparalleled artistic talent and an unwavering character that drove him to constantly fight for his peers and those in need.

We talk to the creator & co-star of HBO Max's 2nd American Civil Wars series. We also remember one of he legends of comic culture.

The truly revolutionary Adams passed away at the age of 80. Long an advocate for artists, Adams with Dennis O’Neil and other collaborators changed the way we perceived what comics were capable of as literature and storytelling with his work on Batman, Green Lantern and many more. “We’re telling a story about New York, which if you take a 10% cross section of New York, you are going to get all people from all walks of life, from all faiths, and we needed to do that justice,” DMZ showrunner Roberto Patino says of the decision to look at the periphery of the acclaimed comic for its March 17 launching HBO Max adaptation.

Comic book artist Neal Adams has died at age 80. He illustrated characters such as Batman and the Green Lantern for DC, along with Marvel heroes like the ...

Vulture named it one of the most notable pages in the history of the American comic book. In 1971, he and Dick Giordano co-founded Continuity Studios, a company that created graphic design, movie storyboards, and advertisement art. Adams worked on a wide array of iconic superhero characters, including DC’s Batman and Joker and Marvel’s X-Men and Avengers. “Neal Adams was an amazing illustrator, he changed comics,” DC publisher and chief creative officer Jim Lee said in a statement. “R.I.P. Neal Adams,” Guillermo del Toro tweeted in response to his death, “one of the first and great stylists to push USA comics to a new level.” “I loved his take on Batman. It was lithe, acrobatic, and dynamic. According to his daughter-in-law Saori Adams, he died on April 28.