Tom Artis, R.I.P.
Comics artist Tom Artis died of complications from diabetes today at his home in Springfield, Illinois.
Tom had been hospitalized off and on for the past several years. According to his friend, fellow artist Doug Rice, Tom had been in a hospice since the beginning of the year. His wife Kim and children, Duke and Hope, were there with him when he died.
Tom’s many credits included Judge Dredd, Aliens vs. Predator, Justice Society of America, She-Hulk, The Spectre, Green Arrow, and his own creation for DC Comics (with friend and writer Peter Gillis), Tailgunner Jo.
I had the honor of working with Tom for several years; he was a talented artist and a good man. He will be missed greatly.
Dammit.Tom did one of my favorite Wasteland stories, a nasty piece of work called "Heebie Jeebies". His work was filled with humor and seriousness at the same time, and moved well between them.
Tom was a creative powerhouse. Ideas spilled out of him in flood. He was a gas to work with. I'm pleased I got to share projects with him.Len Strazewski
That's actually my favorite Wasteland story.
This is a shock. I had heard rumors about his health, but still… "Heebie Jeebies" was also one of Del's favorites; Tom did a fantastic job on that, snd so many other stories…
i was lucky enough to hangout with tom in detroit after a con. we talked comics and the BTS of the industry. he was a good guy.
The really sad part, besides the hit to gut of loosing an old friend, is that his creative potential was never realized. Tom was a virtuoso, who managed to erupt out of his circumstances through sheer force of will, and then get pulled pulled back again by the iron-clad baggage of his life. He had a hard life, but his heart was good and expansive. Losing him is like losing a treasure that noone has seen. Doubly tragic. Spent last night toasting to his memory. He'll be missed.
This is too bad, and my condolences to his family… I never knew Tom WELL, but to the degree that I did know him, I thought he was a really nice guy, and a real talent. He certainly was a fixture around Chicago comic shops and cons during the era that my old pal Chuck Fiala & I hung out in those places (along w/some of the above commentators). He was too young…
He was a good friend, and a great mentor.
Are you the same Phil Knecht that was assigned in Cyprus?
At the family's request, Tom's obituary was not published online. However, our local newspaper (State Journal-Register, Springfield IL) ran an article about Tom and family on the previous day. It is currently online but read it soon if you are interested; once they move it into the archive it will only be available for a fee:http://www.sj-r.com/sections/news/stories/114038….
please help out tc's family they are in a need of help thanks alot rip artis
Nice episode. I like the effect in the last panel on page #79, the superimposed images using the reflection of the window. Those with and without. I like the setting of the scene with the shots of the city and the contrast between the revelers in The Paradise Restaurant and the folks standing in the Salvation Army Soup Line. "Paradise" and "Salvation" is clever without being heavy handed.
Russ, in this case I have to give you the credit for "Paradise" and "Salvation" – because it never occurred to me! I had to name the restaurant on layout and "Paradise" seemed to offer some good contrast for OB's situation. But it was just a happy accident about the Salvation Army following on the next page. But those kinds of happy accidents happen all the time in creative arts. That's one of my favorite payoffs for doing this kind of work. And these kinds of happy accidents happen a lot when Bob and I work together. Of course I should just shut up and let everyone think that Bob and I are clever!
I guess your subconscious is more clever than you realize. You and Bob have created enough of a rich, layered and textured story, that yeah. there are plenty of payoffs for the reader.
I guess I've held back long enough – but dammit, I can never post under my own name at CM for reasons that I can't decipher. Russ – thank you for your continued attention and commentary. I look forward every week to your thoughtful analysis. But through it all I feel like a fraud. Because honestly, I think Mark Wheatley is doing the work of his life – and I'm just along for the ride. He's making me look better than I deserve…
Ladies and gentlemen – Robert Tinnell! And Bob, if you're a fraud then I'm worse because I'm just building on your solid foundations!
ComicMix is my favorite web site. And Mondays have been my favorite day on ComicMix for months, just because that is the day when the new episodes of Lone Justice comes out. The interaction with other fans and creators in the comments has been a treat. Bob, it's especially gratifying to know both you and Mark appreciate my musings and ramblings. So you are very, very welcome.And you are hardly a fraud, Bob. You've been lucky to work with some very talented artists. But Lone Justice, EZ Street and Demons of Sherwwod are not great by accident. Their appeal extends beyond just genre bending. They are each unique and original visions with a depth and spirit not usually found in most fiction, let alone comics. You're not faking it, Bob; you are the real deal..
All hail the subconscious! Breathing though my eyelids is what it is all about. I do a lot of my creative work in my dreams – I work out ideas, scenes and entire scripts in a lucid dreaming state. In fact, I did a series that was directly inspired by this called RADICAL DREAMER. RADICAL DREAMER was collected into a graphic novel called DREAMS CANNOT DIE! (the first of my graphic novels with an exclamation point in the title!). I also have had a good deal of success at working out music and orchestrations in my dreams. But I don't get much help with visuals in my dreams. About the only example of that that I can recall is the character design for RADICAL DREAMER.
I knew Tom back at Fort Knox, Ky. at about 1976-1978 He was an amazing comic artist then. I learned a lot from Tom. He had a dream about a comic book called "The Lion". He told me that he had met Frank Frazetta at a convention somewhere and got to show him his work. frank told him very smugly, "Use a brush!". It saddens me to only catch up to him after his passing. He not only was an amazing artist but an amazing friend! My condolences to his family.
At one time, I had the whole run of Tailgunner Jo in my collection, and Gods only know how much more of Tom's work as well. Brilliant pencilling, and for the longest I actively searched for his stuff. Then the move came, and my comics went to the shop… Tom actually introduced me, indirectly, to John De Chancie, who's a great guy and great writer, through Tailgunner Jo. When I told John about how I had come to pick up one of his books, he looked at me in slackjawed amazement. The notion of someone putting a reference to him in a comic panel just wigged him out. Only Tom coulda done it.
This is Tom Artis’s Wife Kim I am wondering if anyone wants to do a memorial book for his work on sinster or his adult material. please e-mail me at rowediana@yahoo.com. thanks for the support The Artis family.