Is it stupid to say that I owe my whole interest in comics to Dave Cockrum? On one hand, sure; I mean, the comics that got me addicted and kept me addicted weren’t any that he had any direct involvement in – partially because his high profile work was before my time, and partially because I didn’t really get into his style until later on, when the surface shininess of people like John Byrne had lost its sheen (I was a shallow child, I admit it). But on the other hand, it was X-Men that really popped my cork for the first time, and he’s pretty much one of the three people who’re responsible for the All-New, All-Different characters that were my early favorites (Especially Nightcrawler, a favorite of both Cockrum and the kid who was me at the time); Hell, he’s kind of indirectly responsible for the way the entire mainstream industry turned out, thanks to his work on that book and those characters. Without Dave Cockrum, who knows if another comic would’ve caught my eye, or whether I would’ve ended up passing comics by altogether?
This weekend, as well, I read about the death of Jerry Bails on Wednesday last week. For those who don’t know who he was, go read Tom Spurgeon’s obituary and get yerselves educated. He was the man who created comics fandom as we now know it – the good parts, at least – and, let’s face it, also played a large part in shaping what the industry is today. It’s been a crappy weekend because of the loss of these two, you know?
So, Dr. Bails and Mr. Cockrum, rest in peace. And Paty, if you’re reading this, as much as I’ve snarked about your behavior in the past, my thoughts are with you.
Back to snark later, but for now, I’m going off to read some early X-Men once again.
November 28th, 2006 at 6:18 am
As much as I enjoy your snark and general top-notch punditry you usually impart, I really appreciate the sentiment you expressed here. Thanks, sir.