201304041817.jpgIn a day that already saw the passing of beloved movie critic Roger Ebert and Archie mainstay George Gladir, news has now come that comics legend Carmine Infantino has passed away. He was 87 and had been in poor health for a while.

One of the most influential comics artists of the Silver Age, Infantino not only drew “Flash of Two Worlds” in FLASH #123 that kicked off Earth Two and ushered in the modern age of comics. Sleek and dynamic, his artwork defined the DC look for decades. He later served in a more controversial role as DC’s editor in chief, before returning to art on Star Wars, Spider-Woman and many more titles.

Tributes are pouring out on Twitter and Facebook.

 

 

 

 

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13 COMMENTS

  1. Oh man. And I just heard Jane Henson passed away earlier today (or sometime yesterday). SO many major influences cashing out…

    If he was in poor health, I hope he went quickly and painlessly.

  2. Carmine was my first boss, and I couldn’t have asked for a better one. He was a good guy, very kind to us Junior Woodchucks, and of course, a great great artist. “You start with speed lines…” Yeah, he was an old man and ill, and this and that … but damn, he was a great man and a great influence and I am grateful for knowing him. He and Julie and Sol and the rest are up here arguing about the next incarnation of THE FLASH right now …

  3. RIP…always liked his Flash art when I’d see his old stories reprinted in trades of Earth 1/Earth 2 team-ups.

  4. If truly we stand on the shoulders of giants, then Carmine was a titan. There’ll never be another one like him again. God bless, and thanks.

    Lance Roger Axt
    The AudioComics Company

  5. Loved looking at his FLASH and ADAM STRANGE work, of course. Met him at a convention in White Plains in 1999. Asked him to sign his only issue of SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN and he was delighted to see that again — waxed rhapsodic over the Filipino inkers — dragged David Spurlock away from his own table to show me a stack of Carmine’s originals that were in Spurlock’s possession — and mercilessly busted tablemate Irwin Hasen’s chops (Irwin’s expression indicated it was far from the first time). We met many greats and near-greats at that show; we drove back to New England talking about Carmine …

  6. Sorry to hear of Infantino’s death. I was reading Silver age Flash reprints just this week, and admiring his work all over again. Brilliant conceptual visual designer, very inventive. Thankfully, there is a lot of his work available for us to read and remember him by.

  7. The N.Y. Times got some details wrong in his obit — said Flash was on the verge of cancellation in ’56 when Infantino and Schwartz were given six months to turn sales around. Actually, Flash had been cancelled in 1949.

    It was BATMAN that Carmine and Julie were recruited to rescue from impending cancellation.

  8. I had the pleasure of being the great Carmine Infantino’s art assistant back through 1990 to 1992. He was a great guy and a great mentor. To be honest, I believe the term “bad-ass” is a more accurate description. I’ve met a lot of weasels in the comics industry. Carmine was just the opposite. He said what he meant, and meant what he said. I was a student at S.V.A. back then, and my teacher Joe Orlando introduced us. We did a lot of work for DC’s Special Projects department. Carmine taught me a lot about drawing comics and even more about the comics industry. He always treated me with nothing but the uttermost kindness and respect. I can’t tell you how many great stories he told me about his youth, personal life, and his very long and prolific career in comics. My jaw would drop as he told me any number of stories like how he got the 1976 Superman movie off the ground, or how he discovered Neal Adams, or his conversations with Steven Spielberg. Visiting Carmine to drop off work was always cool. Kurt Vonnegurt was his neighbor and I would often run into him on the elevator. Inside Carmine’s apartment was a treasure trove of art from some of the finest artists in the world. He must have had 4 or 5 Hirschfeld originals in his living room alone. I’ll never forget using his bathroom for the first time and seeing an original full color Charles Shultz drawing. It was awesome. A frustrated Snoopy in full Red Baron attire, looks towards the viewer as Batman sleeps on the roof of his doghouse. It was personalized to Carmine. It wasn’t long before I started to build a career of my own. Carmine was always there to give me support and career advice. Although Carmine didn’t do many convention appearances, I would run into him at a show from time to time. We would laugh and talk about how we had to, “Get together and have dinner one of these days”. The last time I saw him I said, “I’ll give you a call after the con in a week or so. Is your number still 1(212)838-xxxx? “. “Holy Cow!”, he said. “You still remember?”. He just couldn’t believe that I still knew the number after all these years. Time went by and as usual, I got caught up in the hectic chaos of my life. Sadly, I forgot to call Carmine. Had I only known that brief meeting at the con was to be the last time I’d see my friend and mentor. It’s hard to believe he’s gone. Thanks old friend, for all you’ve done. May you rest in peace.

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