Matt Tauber: PASSAGES 2012 - COMICS (PART 1 OF 3)

Here's a look back at folks from the world of comic books and comic strips that died in 2012. Special thanks to D.D. Degg for compiling his own list and providing a lot of names I hadn't heard about. I didn't try to be comprehensive, but I wanted to provide some career highlights. If there's someone missing, it's probably because I couldn't find decent enough pictures. If you'd like somebody added, please let me know.

Richard Alf, 59 (1/4)

Co-founder, in 1970, of what is now Comic-Con International: San Diego, the world’s largest comic book convention

John Celardo, 93 (1/6)
comic book artist for
Quality ("National Comics") 1940-41
Fiction House ("Jungle Comics", "Wings Comics", "Jumbo Comics") 1940-49
Standard ("Billy West", "New Romance") 1949-54
Western ("Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery", "Ripley's Believe It or Not") 1967-79
DC (inker: "House of Mystery", "Weird War Tales") 1978-82
comic strip artist
"Tarzan" (1954-68)
"Tales of the Green Beret" (1968)
"Buz Sawyer" (1983-89)
King Features associate comics editor 1973–1990s

Al Rio, 49 (1/30)

Brazilian “Good girl” artist

Freelancer for all the major publishers, 1994-2012

Al Rio's website

Blaine, 74 (2/5)
Canadian political cartoonist for the Hamilton Spectator

NCS Editorial Cartoonist 1969

Salon of Cartoons, 1963

Mike White (2/5)

British artist, known for his work on the comic series "Roy of the Rovers" and for the long-running "2000 AD" anthology

John Severin, 90 (2/12)

Comic book artist and beloved legend

Prize 1948-55 (Prize Comics Western)

EC 1950-55 (Frontline Combat, Extra!, MAD)
Atlas war 1954-60 (Battle, Battleground)
Atlas western 1955 – 59 (Kid Colt, Kid Slade, Rawhide Kid, Ringo Kid, Two Gun Kid, Wyatt Earp)
CRACKED Magazine 1958 - 2000
Charlton western 1959-61 (Billy the Kid)
Warren 1960s-70s (Blazing Combat, Creepy, Eerie)
Marvel war 1967-1972 ( Sgt. Fury, Incredible Hulk, Kull)
DC war 1971-73 (G.I. Combat, Our Army at War, Our Fighting Forces)
DC war 1981 (Unknown Soldier)
Marvel fantasy 1985-86 (Savage Tales)
Marvel humor 1988 (What The--?!)
Marvel war 1988-89 (Semper Fi)

various Westerns, 2001 - 2011 (Desperadoes, Rawhide Kid, Bat Lash, Witchfinder)

Sheldon Moldoff, 91 (2/29)
regular filler and back-up feature artist for "Action Comics" (1938-41)
Artist for the original Justice Society of America (All Star Comics #1-23)
Regular Hawkman artist for "Flash Comics" (1940-45)
Black Pirate for "Sensation Comics" (1942-44)
Moon Girl for EC (1947-49)
Batman 'ghost artist' for Bob Kane (1953-67), drawing hundreds of Batman stories for "Batman" and "Detective Comics"
co-creator of the original Bat-Girl [Betty Kane], Bat-Mite, Ace the Bat Hound, Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy

Shelly Moldoff's official site

Ralph McQuarrie, 82 (3/3)
Star Wars concept artist and designer. Designed the characters Darth Vader, C3P0, R2D2, Chewbacca, Yoda, Boba Fett and others, as well as set concept designs, for the original Star Wars trilogy. These characters and concepts have had a long life in comic strips (1979-84) and comic books (1977-1986, 1991 - present).

Ralph McQuarrie's official site

Don Markstein, 64 (3/7)
editor, "Comics Revue" (1984-87, 1992-96)
creator: Don Markstein's Toonopedia, an online encyclopedia for animation and comics

link to Toonopedia

Jean Giraud, 73 (3/10)
French artist who attained international fame under his pseudonym - Moebius
Known best for his fantasy character Arzach & Western character Blueberry
One of the founders of the magazine "Metal Hurlant", known in the U.S. as "Heavy Metal"

official Moebius website

Sid Couchey, 92 (3/11)
Artist for Harvey Comics in the 1950s and '60s, drawing stories for "Little Lotta", "Little Dot" and "Richie Rich"

Emilio Squeglio, 81 (3/12)
Fawcett comics staff artist, 1947-mid-1950s

Josie DeCarlo, 82 (3/14)
Wife of Archie Comics artist Dan DeCarlo
Model for the Archie character “Josie”, later of "Josie & the Pussycats"

Fran Matera, 87 (3/15)
Comic strips:
Assistant to Alfred Andriola on "Kerry Drake" (1946-48)
"Dickie Dare" (1948-49)
Assistant to Marvin Bradley on "Rex Morgan, M.D." (1976-78)
"Steve Roper & Mike Nomad" (1985-2004)

Comic books:
Artist for Quality and Charlton in the 1940s/50s
Artist for "Treasure Chest" (1958-71)