Neal Adams Dies: The Comic Book Legend Who Played Batman, Fighting for Artist Rights Was 80 Years Old

Legendary comics artist Neil Adams, whose career spans nearly 60 years, has worked for DC for decades in portraying Batman and the Joker, as well as for artists’ rights and is committed to social relevance in his work, died early this morning. . His fiancee is Saori Adams. He was 80 years old.

In 1969, Adams and writer Dennis O’Neill distanced Batman from the tense personality he instilled into television with a series of dark comics appropriate for the time. During this time, the duo revived Two-Face and created Ra’s al Ghul, also resetting the Joker to the roots of his murder. This trio of characters is undoubtedly Christopher Nolan’s Decades later Warner Bros. It will become a requirement for his multi-million-dollar trilogy of films.

Adams and O’Neill also updated Green Lantern and Green Arrow for DC, adding modernity to their stories with their commentary on racism, overpopulation, pollution, and drug addiction. In fact, the duo created the John Stuart incarnation of Green Lantern, one of DC’s first black superheroes.

“I come from a time when fanaticism was much more subtle than that. [was] In the days of slavery,” Adams said. In 2011, she told him about American Perspective. “Not because of the people who acted against them, but because of them. [white] Passersby said, “It’s okay, is it?” said.

Adams had tried to include black characters in his work before, but when he came to DC, he decided it was time to emulate the many Americans whose characters were less likely to appear in comics.

ᲕAsk [my editor] And yes [the then-current Green Lantern] “Hal Jordan is killing it,” Adams said. “They told me they had backups,” apparently a Midwestern blonde boy.

John Stewart was born with a little faith. He became the Chief Green Lantern.

Speaking of black characters, Adams also showed off a memorable oversized DC. Superman vs Muhammad Ali The comic he called his personal favorite in 1978.

He has worked at Marvel on X-Men, Avengers, and Fantastic Four, among others.

Throughout Adams’ comic career, the company he co-founded with Dick Giordano, Continuity Studios, also produced screenplays, promotional art, animation, 3D computer graphics, and concept design. Continuity was about work that could only be a mortal’s work. For Adams, it was for many aspects of his career.

Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro paid tribute to the movie poster on Adams’ death and issued the following tribute:

“RIP Neal Adams: One of the first and most brilliant stylists to take US comics to a new level. One of his lesser-known works was penning the key to a great fantasy paradise poster by Richard Corben.

RIP Neil Adams – One of the first and greatest stylists to take American comics to a new level. One of his lesser-known works was painting Richard Corben with a pen poster of a wonderful paradise. pic.twitter.com/TvMG2M5IrF

-Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) 29 April 2022

Recalling on Facebook, his son Josh Adams wrote:

My father was a force. His career has been marked by an unparalleled artistic talent and an unwavering character that pushes him to constantly fight for his fellow men and those who need it most. He was recognized as one of the most influential creators of all time in the comics industry and advocated for social and creative rights. He did not hesitate when he saw the problem. Telling stories and tales about the ongoing feud came from the fact that when my dad walked into Marvel or DC theaters, he saw something wrong and immediately decided to do something about it.

This “force” was responsible for Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster ultimately receiving decades of back loans and financial compensation from DC. He fought for industry unification in the 1970s, and his work helped found the Comics Creators Guild, which has led to the standard practice today for returning original works to the artist.

In 2010, Adams They Spoken: American Voices Against the HolocaustA poignant series of comics telling the stories of Americans who protested against the Nazis or helped save Jews during the Holocaust. Adams was also a champion of the attempt to return the original work of Dina Babit, a Jew, to the Ouschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, and was working as an illustrator for Joseph Mengele to keep him and his mother out of the gas chamber.

In a Facebook post, Josh Adams describes his understanding of his father’s life and work, born out of his struggle to answer the frequently asked question: “How was Neil Adams’ son? She wrote that fans and compatriots finally realized that they loved her father for the reasons he loved her.

I did not understand until adulthood. But before I sat down next to the same people at the meeting, it occurred to me when I saw how my father was respected. He was also his hero. Neil Adams’ most undeniable trait is what I’ve known about him all my life: He was a father. Not just my father, but the father of everyone who knew him.

Neil Adams was inducted into the Will Eisner Comics Hall of Fame in 1998, the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1999, and the Inkwell Joe Sinnott Awards Hall of Fame in 2019.