RIP Dave Cockrum

On my birthday, yesterday, I swept online briefly and I read the sad news that one of the X-Men's biggest contributors, Dave Cockrum, passed away. Now, I love the X-Men but because of my relative youth I've only been able to really start with reading through older issues thanks in part to Marvels wonderful Essentials Collections. These black and white, phone book, cheap reprints allow simple Joe's like me to get a glimpse of how some of the masters worked.

Cockrum, in my eyes, is second only to Chris Claremont in terms of impact on X-Men. Cockrum created Nightcrawler, initially for Legion of Super-Heroes, as well as Mystique and the Starjammers. Not to mention having a hand in the creation of Storm and Colossus as I'm sure he's created many other characters in his career. Cockrum penciled the issue that would revitalize the X-Men, Giant Sized X-Men #1, which relaunched the book to success. He would work on the title for a few years around their period that John Byrne penciled.



I won't lie and say Cockrum was my favorite X-Men artist, but his work definitely grabbed me and dazzled me inside the pages of X-Men. I think his second stint on the title was his strongest. The first meeting between the "new" X-Men and Doctor Doom was a great story. The battle between Magneto on his island and the return of the Starjammers were to other stories I really enjoyed. I wish I could have seen more of his work and I hope that Marvel and DC do some reprints of this mans incredible work for the younger generation of comic readers can discover. I'd appreciate one of those Showcase volumes with his legion of Super-Heroes work. Make it happen DC!!!

I just want to give my condolences to all his family and friends. Cockrum was a great artist and its sad he had to go. But his work will live on to inspire future creators and fans like me.