Original X-Artist Dave Cockrum Dies

I learned last evening from Mike Carroll that Dave Cockrum died earlier this week at the age of 63.

Cockrum's status as a legendary and historic figure in the comics industry, and the super-hero genre in particular, was cemented the day he picked up his pencil to draw a revival of Marvel Comics' X-Men in 1975. Together with writers Len Wein, who created the new team, and Chris Claremont, who would guide the mutant heroes' destiny for the better part of the next two decades, Cockrum helped to take what had once been Marvel's lowest selling title and start it on a path to becoming the best selling comic in the world, as well as the basis for a successful animated TV show and movie series.

In addition to X-Men, Cockrum first came to the attention of comics fandom as artist of The Legion of Super-Heroes and later created his own graphic novel, The Futurians.