He influenced multiple generations with his style and co-created such characters as Ra's al Ghul, the Man-Bat and one of DC's first Black superheroes, Green Lantern Jon Stewart.
Neal Adams, the legendary comic book artist who reinvigorated Batman and other superheroes with his photorealistic stylings and championed the rights of creators, has died. He was 80.
Adams died Thursday in New York of complications from sepsis, his wife, Marilyn Adams, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Adams jolted the world of comic books in the late 1960s and early ’70s with his toned and sinewy take on heroes, first at DC with a character named Deadman, then at Marvel with X-Men and The Avengers and then with his most lasting influence, Batman.
During his Batman run, Adams and writer Dennis O’Neil brought a revolutionary change to the hero and the comics, delivering realism, kineticism and a sense of menace to their storytelling in the wake of the campy Adam West-starring ’60s ABC series and years of the hero being aimed at kiddie readers.
He created new villains for the rogue’s gallery — the Man-Bat and Ra’s al Ghul as well as the latter’s daughter, Talia, who became Batman’s lover. The father and daughter, played by Liam Neeson and Marion Cotillard, were key characters in the trilogy of Batman movies directed by Christopher Nolan.
The Batman run also revived some villains who had grown stale, no more so than the Joker, who became less comical and more the homicidal maniac that modern readers and moviegoers know and love, truly taking his place as the Caped Crusader’s archnemesis.
“We took a harder edge. We decided that Joker was just a little crazy,” Adams told Abraham Reisman for a 2019 Vulture article that made the case that without that classic story, 1973’s “The Joker’s Five-Way Revenge” in Batman No. 251, comics such as The Killing Joke and portrayals by Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix would not exist.
Cameron Brown
“It was no secret that we were doing Batman right,” Adams said during a panel at San Diego Comic-Con in 2010. “It was as if the memory of DC Comics went along with the statements that both Denny and I were making, that we want it to be more realistic, more gritty. And that’s how we remember — whether it was true or not — that Batman should be. And when we did it, everybody went, ‘Ah, that’s it. We don’t need comedy anymore.'”
Adams, also with O’Neil, came up with a then-controversial turn for Green Lantern/Green Arrow, tackling social issues such as drug addiction, racism and overpopulation and creating the Green Lantern hero, Jon Stewart, who became one of DC’s first Black icons. Their 1971 two-part story “Snowbirds Don’t Fly” remains a watermark in the evolution to more mature readers.
It was at this creative height in the mid-’70s that Adams quit drawing for the Big Two, as DC and Marvel were known, and launched Continuity Studios, an artists studio that produced comics, commercial art and storyboards, among other services. The comics division created indie characters such as Bucky O’Hare and Ms. Mystic.
He also proved to be an influence on generations of artists, giving many a boost or break into the industry. He acted as mentor to Bill Sienkiewicz, who would draw an influential run of Moon Knight and New Mutants, and Frank Miller, who would more than a decade later reinvent Batman himself with The Dark Knight Returns.
Nathan Sanchez
Good night, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest
>“It was no secret that we were doing Batman right,” Adams said during a panel at San Diego Comic-Con in 2010. “It was as if the memory of DC Comics went along with the statements that both Denny and I were making, that we want it to be more realistic, more gritty. And that’s how we remember — whether it was true or not — that Batman should be. And when we did it, everybody went, ‘Ah, that’s it. We don’t need comedy anymore.'” Funny, how no one ever mentions them every time oldfags cry about DC not being child friendly anymore.
Zachary Foster
HE WAS AN ANGEL, A LIVING ANGEL!
Anthony Evans
everyone dies user
Jose Hernandez
Fuck, one of the absolute legends of the industry.
Rest in peace.
Ryder Rodriguez
I remember seeing past students visit my elementary teachers and figured I'd do the same when I got older at the time By the time I reached that age I realized how awkward it'd be and decided not to do it That and I figured they were already dead
Ethan Torres
RIP
one of the greats
Logan Hill
Damn, F Someone should storytime Odyssey
Isaac Cox
rip to a legend
Christian Miller
RIP. He created more iconic images of Batman than any other artist, with some specific images getting statues and shirts.
DC still has kiddie books, Yea Forums just would rather read another Batman comic as much as they bitch
Jayden Anderson
His Batman is still rather kid friendly, he's just not the weirdo psychedelic camp cop he was in the 60s. Like, TBAS is shockful of Adams / O'Neill stuyff and clearly aimed at kids.
Christian Evans
Aw shit Reading the black and white Marvel Essentials as a kid, Neal Adams was the first artist that me stop and actually appreciate the art and remember the name of who was drawing it. I'll always have a soft spot for the late 60s X-Men because of him He had a great run, and 80 is a good age. RIP MODS STICKY THIS MAN
RIP, Adams was a true master of the form. He didn't just have a mastery of realism, but also clearly understood how to tell a story with pictures.
Robert Hernandez
except me fuck
Jack Lopez
WHERE THE FUCK IS THE STICKY
Colton Gutierrez
It's because he didn't just draw realistically, his figures and staging also had a cartoon foundation to them (which came from him working on DC's humor comics) which made them read really well
That's the part a lot of people miss
Jordan Long
Mad F to the legend Mods get off your ass and sticky
RIP to one of the all-time greats. It was incredible to see him still be able to knock it out of the park art-wise even in recent years. Even something as insane as Odyssey had that incredibly unique "Adams" stamp to it, although it's not going to be leading any obits I'm glad he got to pull off something as unfiltered as this at DC.
Thanks, Neal. What a fucking legend. I loved the stories he did, and his art was defining. His work is alwas a delight in some way or form. Rest in peace.
Aside from his enormous talent and influence, it's interesting to remember Neal Adams was a complete crackpot. He spent a lot of time developing and promoting his idea that the planet Earth is growing. Yes, like a plant or animal. That was how he explained away continental drift.
I don't think this made it into any of his stories, though.
It is. And talking dinosaurs and Merlin. Or something like that.
Bentley Hernandez
No, he didn't deny anyone anything, That wasn't within his capacity one or another. The real villains are a bunch of faceless corporate drones watching profits.
Connor Robinson
the fact that he was at every con regardless meant he cared
William Flores
Yeah, I'm not bringing it up as criticism. It makes creators more colorful when they have some far out ideas.
Carson White
such a based design
Anthony Walker
I've been going to the Baltimore Comic Con for years, and he's there every time. Dude always had the biggest table of any artist in the place. Just stacks and stacks of his prints everywhere, with him & his wife in the middle.
