The Legendary Batman Comics Artist Turned 66 – Deadline

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The Legendary Batman Comics Artist Turned 66 - Deadline

Legendary Eisner Prize-winning comics artist Tim Sale, who influenced generations of creators in that medium as well as many in film and television, has died today, according to his official Twitter account. He was 66 years old.

The post on Sale’s account — who changed his name to “In Memory of Tim Sale” — suggested he “died with the love of his life by his side and loves you all dearly.”

Last week, Jim Lee, DC’s chief creative officer and publisher, announced that Sale was not doing well, writing on Twitter: “I regret to share the very sad news that legendary artist Tim Sale passed away with serious health conditions hospitalized.”

Lee’s message was retweeted last week by Sale’s partner Susan Bailey, who said she would “read out your replies to make his day. Despite everything, he is in a good mood.”

Much of Sale’s work was in collaboration with writer Jeph Loeb, who was also a producer/writer on Kleinville, Lost, command and teenage wolfa writer and co-executive producer heroes and later Executive Vice President of Marvel Television.

The duo created Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Specials, Batman: The Long Halloween, Batman: Dark Victory which documented Batman’s early years, as well as Superman for all seasons and Catwoman: When in Rome.

The Long Halloween has been mentioned as an influence on Christopher Nolan’s Batman films and certainly appears to be part of the DNA of Matt Reeve’s more recent films The Batman.

At Marvel, Sale and Loeb produced the so-called “color” comics, including Daredevil: Yellow, Spider-Man: Blueand Hulk: Gray and Captain America: White.

Marvel Entertainment mentioned the color books in its tribute to Sale today: “Tim Sale was a legendary artist who created comic book masterpieces that transcended the industry. At Marvel, his Color series became stunning classics, and remains just a small glimpse into his celebrated legacy.”

According to the official DC report, “Tim Sale was an incredible artist whose interpretations of iconic characters had real human depth, and his groundbreaking page designs changed the way an entire generation thought about comic book storytelling.”

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