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Russ Heath, DC War legend, passes away at 91
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83 posts in this topic

30 minutes ago, jimjum12 said:

...and he was such a genuinely cool guy.... I wish I could have been at one of those SDCC Dinners …….. GOD BLESS....

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)(thumbsu

I had the privilege to meet him back in the 90's at one of those dinners,a nice talented artist with lots of iconic work.:headbang: 

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An incredible artist and an incredible person.

I met him many times over the last few years, and he was a joy beyond belief.

To say that I am saddened is a great understatement.

One of the all-time greats in comics.  Thank you for being such an amazing artist, Russ.  You have always amazed me with your work, and you will never be forgotten.

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3 hours ago, Unca Ben said:

RIP Mr. Heath.  One heck of a great artist.  "Give and Take" in Blazing Combat was one of the best-drawn stories ever presented in the Warren line, IMO.

heath-resized.jpg

Absolutely agree. I also thought it was pretty cool that he used himself as a model for all of the soldiers in this story. One of the all-time greats, IMO...may he rest in peace...

Edited by The Lions Den
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10 minutes ago, jools&jim said:

Oh my.

The fact of the matter is that the man was simply incapable of drawing anything badly.  A true Olympian.

And with this story (and these two pages, below, among many, many others), he was also the artist, who, for a glorious period of time in the 1970s, presided over the aesthetic apotheosis of DC war comics.

So much has been lost; so much has been forgotten.

There will never be another.

Ave atque vale...

iQh7PZLb_0401141951531.thumb.jpg.06031b517f49b1712fc80ca90008bb88.jpg

Fantastic stuff...it literally gives me goosebumps...

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3 hours ago, Robot Man said:

Oh, man, what crappy news...

Russ and Kubert were my favorite war artists. My first comics at the age of 7 or 8 were DC war from my uncle. Looking at Russ's "machinery" with all the steel plates and rivits was just beautiful. Such a realistic approach. He took the time to research everything he drew carefully.

I had the pleasure of sitting at a table with him several times. What I actually really loved the most were his stories of the Playboy mansion during the Little Annie Fannie years. He was quite the ladies man I surmised. I would always look him up when I saw him at cons. I even brought him a bottle of wine once. He loved the vino. 

Rest in peace Russ. Your work will live on through my 8 year old eyes. 

I've apparently reached the limit of my "likes" today, so I'll have to post this instead:  <3

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7 hours ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

From Newsarama:

 

Russ Heath

"The family of Russ Heath has confirmed the comic book legend passed away Thursday evening at the age of 91 in Long Beach, California, after battling cancer.

Born in 1927, Heath broke into comic books working on Western stories for Timely Comics (now Marvel Entertainment), including Two-Gun Kid.

Moving on to horror and war stories, Heath worked for EC Comics for a time before co-creating the Haunted Tank at DC Comics and drawing the first appearance of the Losers.

Heath’s illustrations were well known outside of comic books as well. Several panels of fighter jets from his work on DC war comic books were appropriated by Roy Lichtenstein for his paintings, including his works “Blam,” “Brattata,” and “Whaam.”

Heath also contributed to Playboy’s comic strip Little Annie Fanny – even living at the Playboy Mansion for a brief period.

Heath also worked in commercial art, illustrating battle scenes to advertise toy soldiers which ran in comic books for many years.

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MTUzNTEyNTM2OQ==
Credit: Russ Heath

In his career, Heath was recognized with a 1997 Inkpot award, a 2010 Comic Art Professional Society Sergio Award, and the National Cartoonists Society’s Milton Caniff Award in 2014. In 2009, he was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame."

I had the opportunity to get to know the crusty old guy earlier this year, for which I am immensely grateful. He lived about a mile away from where I moved last year, so I got to visit many times before he relocated to Long Beach in the spring. He was a kick in the pants, let me tell you. 
 
Thanks for letting me into your life, old fella, and I'll see you again.

the ad sold me>>>i think i might of bought them>>rest in peace

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6 hours ago, pemart1966 said:

Russ will always be remembered by me for his beautiful Star Spangled War Stories dinosaur covers and stories.  Couldn't get enough of those as a kid when they were being issued.

I had the pleasure of meeting him at an NYC comic book show a few years ago.  Got him to sign 131 (at the bottom of pg 1 NOT on the cover lol) - Russ cover and story...

SSWS were great, and his work was part of the reason for that...

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