From The Scoop: In Memoriam – Dave Cockrum

From the December 1 issue of Gemstone Publishing's The Scoop:

This past weekend, the comics industry suffered the loss of one of the most influential creators of the Bronze Age. Dave Cockrum passed away on the morning of Sunday, November 26, 2006 due to complications from diabetes.

Cockrum began his career in comics as an assistant to artist and inker Murphy Anderson, who was responsible for various titles staring Superman and Superboy (which featured back-up stories of DC's The Legion of Superheroes at the time). After taking over as the artist on Legion, Cockrum redefined the series with his stunning art and sequential storytelling.

After his work on The Legion of Superheroes, Cockrum moved over to Marvel and, with the help of writer Len Wien, helped reshape the X-Men for a new generation.

"Dave left an indelible four-color mark on the comic industry," said artist Mike Grell in a posting on his official website. "I own much my own career to the fortuitous timing of Dave's departure from The Legion of Superheroes, which opened the door for me to make my big break. Dave was on to bigger and better things - among them, co-creating X-Men characters Storm, Colossus and Nightcrawler - and his groundbreaking work has been an inspiration to generations of artists who followed."

In the summer of 1975, Giant Size X-Men #1 hit the stands with the debut of the new team of X-Men, including Cockrum's Storm, Nightcrawler and Colossus, and has since become one of the most sought after books of the Bronze Age. After the major success of the new characters from Giant Size, Cockrum relaunched Marvel's Uncanny X-Men with issue #94 and continued on the titles through issue #107, working with writer Chris Claremont.

During his time working on Uncanny X-Men, Jim Shooter got to know Cockrum on not only a professional level, but a personal level as well. Shooter writes:

"When I first moved to New York City in 1976, as it happened, Dave had a room to rent and I needed a place to live. We didn't know each other at all, but it worked out fine for the eight months or so I stayed there. Dave was good-natured, easygoing and easy to get along with - also, totally honest and honorable. The place was great.

"Anyway, Dave was drawing the Uncanny X-Men back then and I was working on staff at Marvel and writing the Legion of Super-Heroes for DC - that seems odd, I know, but it's a strange business. Anyway, Dave loved kibitzing on my Legion stories. He always had good suggestions and insightful comments. Both of us loved the Legion. Dave had his drawing table set up in what otherwise would have been the dining room, just off the kitchen. I did most of my "homework" and writing sitting on the living room couch, in sight of his workspace. We'd talk. Not the best thing to do while I was trying to write, but we had some really great conversations about work, life, the world and what could be done about all of the above.

"Dave and I worked together a good bit while we were both at Marvel, and a few times after that. Dave was a great artist and an amazing creator. His work and his creations changed comics dramatically, irrevocably, forever. Let me emphasize that: he changed the paradigm. If you don't know that, it's because you don't know enough about what went on to know that, and because you never worked with him. He doesn't get nearly enough credit."

After his run with the X-Men, in 1983 Cockrum produced an amazing graphic novel (first published through Marvel in Marvel Graphic Novel #9, then later continued as an ongoing series through Lodestone) called The Futurians, again demonstrating his artistic and storytelling talents.

In a book titled, The Uncanny Dave Cockrum...A Tribute, nearly 100 creators came together to recognize the impact Cockrum had on their live and their careers. Among them were Dave Sim, Randy Bowen, Jim Lee, Mark Bagley, Joe Quesada, John Cassaday, Dave Gibbons, Sam Keith, Gabrielle Dell'Otto and Alan Moore, as well as other comic legends Will Eisner, Stan Lee, John Romita, Sr., Dick Ayers, Roy Thomas and Gene Colon. The book was produced as a fund raiser to aid Cockrum during a difficult medical time in 2004. Cockrum was suffering from complications due to his diabetes, as well as a severe case of pneumonia and was receiving treatment in a VA hospital.

Pulling together, the entire comic industry, lead by Clifford Meth and ACTOR (now know as the Hero Initiative), raised the money necessary to help Cockrum with his medical treatment and other financial burdens. After a long recovery, Cockrum made a few convention appearances prior to his death, including this year's Hero Con in Charlotte, North Carolina

"Through thick and thin and thinner and thinner, Dave and I always remained friends. Even when being a friend of mine wasn't fashionable," said Shooter of Cockrum's passing. "I'll miss [him]. This world is significantly poorer without [him]."

"They say you're never truly dead as long as there's one person who remembers you," wrote Grell. "Somewhere, someday, a kid is going to crawl into the attic and find his grandfathers stash of comics. When he opens his first Dave Cockrum book, he's going to be astounded."

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