John Cassaday, Astonishing X-Men and Planetary Artist, Dies at 52

As a devoted fan of John Cassaday’s exceptional work, it is with a heavy heart that I write these words. The news of his passing at such a young age has left me utterly disheartened. His artistic brilliance, as evidenced by his work on iconic series like Planetary, Astonishing X-Men, and Star Wars, was nothing short of breathtaking.

John Cassaday, a renowned artist recognized for his work in comic series such as Planetary, Astonishing X-Men, and Star Wars, has tragically passed away at the age of 52. The sad news was initially announced by Cassaday’s sister, Robin, via Facebook, stating that he had been hospitalized in the ICU four days prior to his passing. At this moment, the reason behind Cassaday’s death remains undisclosed; however, Robin’s earlier post pointed towards complications with his brain. In a touching tribute, comic writer Mark Waid, who collaborated with Cassaday on several projects, also paid his respects.

Waid stated, ‘I don’t claim full credit for discovering John Cassaday. It’s like saying I deserve praise for having working eyes. However, we became inseparable after that, and witnessing his rapid rise to become one of the most talented comic illustrators of his era was exhilarating. John had a notable run on X-Men and Captain America, but it was Planetary that truly established him. He was meticulous, never submitting any artwork until he’d perfected it, and as his publisher for a short while at Humanoids, I had the privilege and now bittersweet memory of receiving stunning pages, his finest work yet, for his secret project, an original creator-owned multimedia series that will forever remain his unfinished masterpiece.’

I’m deeply saddened to share that my cherished friend, John Cassaday, left us far too early at the age of 53. Already, I find myself longing for his presence.
Posted by Mark Waid on Monday, September 9, 2024

1971 saw the birth of Cassaday. He kick-started his career in film school and television journalism, even dabbling in construction work for a while. His big break came when he was spotted by Waid, leading him to relocate from Texas to New York. There, he landed jobs at Dark Horse and Homage Comics before moving on to Marvel and DC, where he worked on series such as Teen Titans, X-Men, Alpha Flight, Union Jack, Gen13, Superman/Batman, and The Hulk. One of his most memorable creations is Captain America, which includes the “Captain America Lives Again” and “Captain America: The New Deal” issues in the comic book series Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America.

Cassaday is primarily recognized for collaborating in the creation of Planetary, a team of Wildstorm antiheroes which includes The Drummer, Jakita Wagner, and Elijah Snow. Additionally, he played a significant role in initiating the 2004 reboot of “Astonishing X-Men”. More recently, Cassaday has been working together with Jason Aaron on Marvel’s highly successful revival of the “Star Wars” comics.

Beyond his extensive contributions to comic interiors and covers, Cassaday also penned stories for series like “Hellboy: Strange Tales”, “Little Nemo: Dream a New Dream”, “Rocketeer Chronicles”, “X-Men: Alpha Flight”, “Bela Lugosi: Tidbits from the Grave”, and “Union Jack”. He even ventured back into film and television, helming an episode of Fox’s “Dollhouse”, contributing as a concept artist for the “Watchmen” movie, and making an appearance in the 2012 production “House on the Hill”. Throughout his career, he garnered three Eisner Awards and was nominated for five more.

Our thoughts are with Cassaday’s family, friends, and fans at this time.

2024-09-10 06:41

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