Darwyn Cooke (1962 – 2016).
When I went to my one (and so far only) Wizard World convention a few years ago, the only panel I sat in on was the DC Comics one. Dan DiDio was there, and James Robinson…and Darwyn Cooke. A couple of observations I noted from that original post:
“When Didio noted that they’re trying to create a ‘cohesive continuity,’ Cooke openly laughed at him. ‘These panels are a gas,’ says he.”
…and:
And there was some fun had at Cooke’s expense, regarding his affinity for older material. When current DCU plans were being discussed, Cooke piped in saying he had no idea what anyone was talking about. ‘We send you a box [of comp books],’ DiDio said — ‘Do you even open it?'”
Anyway, I thought he was pretty funny on that panel. His New Frontier is legendary, of course, and the Parker adaptations were finding him a brand new audience. And regardless of what you thought of the “Before Watchmen” project as a whole, you can’t deny that Cooke’s Minutemen series sure looked fantastic.
My condolences to Cooke’s family, friends, and fans. So long, Darwyn.
Lovely, Mike. Thank you for this.
He will be missed. I wish there were more like him working in mainstream comics.
…Damn.
Well said. He will be remembered as one of the great ones.
Oddly enough, I had just finished re-reading Darwyn’s Before Watchmen work and was trying to contact him when news of his passing hit the Internet.
Sad and unexpected news to hear. I really liked his Spirit comic. RIP.
geez!! i hadn’t even heard about this.