Dave Cockrum, 1943-2006

Comic book artist Dave Cockrum (left), best known for his role in reviving Marvel’s X-Men franchise in 1975, died yesterday of complications relating to diabetes. Comics blogger Tom Spurgeon has written a thoughtful obituary of Cockrum, describing how his artwork brought “a sumptuous, late-’70s cinema style that separated the book from the rest of Marvel’s line, and superhero comics in general.” In recent years, with the mutant characters Cockrum co-created proving wildly popular in animated series and live-action movies as well as in multiple comic-book spinoffs, Marvel reached a financial settlement with the artist acknowledging his fundamental contributions to the franchise’s success; the deal followed a period of fan support which paid for much of his initial medical expenses. (The picture of Cockrum comes from writer Mark Evanier’s tribute.)