Legendary and Eisner award-winning comic artist Tim Sale passed away yesterday. Earlier this week DC Comics Publisher/CCO Jim Lee shared on social media that Sale had been admitted to the hospital with severe health issues.
Sale’s official Twitter account indicated he “passed with the love of his life beside him, and loves all of you very much.”
It’s with a heavy sadness that I must announce that Tim Sale passed away today. He passed with the love of his life beside him, and loves all of you very much. Please share photos and stories under this post, as we hope to share them with the community.
— Remembering Tim Sale (@ArtBySale) June 16, 2022
As news spread of Sale’s passing over the last 24 hours, tributes came in from across social media. They’re too numerous to collect all of them but here’s just a few from those who worked with, knew, and loved him:
Tim Sale was an incredible artist, whose take on iconic characters had real human depth, and his groundbreaking page designs changed the way an entire generation thinks about comic book storytelling. Our condolences go to Tim’s family and friends. He will be deeply missed. pic.twitter.com/VgXxu7O0V4
— DC (@DCComics) June 16, 2022
Tim Sale was a legendary artist who created comic book masterpieces across and beyond the industry. At Marvel, his Color series became stunning classics and remain just a glimpse at his acclaimed legacy. We mourn his loss today, and our thoughts are with his family & loved ones. pic.twitter.com/akI1iAGTtf
— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) June 16, 2022
https://twitter.com/RichStarkings/status/1537500022077628417?s=20&t=pBJHecr1cfl4PxUwpjiWBw
https://twitter.com/GregCapullo/status/1537516311558881282?s=20&t=xBjEBmmgJK5gzKul2Nlg3Q
Very sad to hear that the great Tim Sale has passed. I hear it was peaceful which, I suppose, is what you hope for. He was funny and super smart and a great talent. And gone way way too soon.
He will be missed.
Portrait (which Tim actually got to see) by Bill Sienkiewicz. pic.twitter.com/MFFlyNHwEH— Mike Mignola (@artofmmignola) June 16, 2022
Superman For All Seasons was the first Superman book I really connected with in high school. So much of that was thanks to Tim’s work, and it remains a favorite because of him. Rest in peace, Tim Sale. pic.twitter.com/mpILn19W4A
— Doc Shaner (@DocShaner) June 16, 2022
R.I.P. Tim Sale….. so sorry to hear. What a loss pic.twitter.com/ISOjhGHtQ7
— jock (@Jock4twenty) June 16, 2022
Hey gang…today I’m so incredibly sad to learn of the passing of Tim Sale, an extraordinary artist and one of my dearest friends for the past 35 years. Tim was like a brother to me and we spent so many hours over the course of our friendship on the phone and online…
— Matt Wagner (@MattWagnerComic) June 16, 2022
The cross-section of varied Tim Sale being shared emphasizes both his incredible talent and also the immensity of the loss.
Here are some of my favorites, Tim's covers for Daredevil: Yellow. R.I.P. pic.twitter.com/hyuoHE8PRr
— Chris Ryall (@chris_ryall) June 16, 2022
https://twitter.com/TerryMooreArt/status/1537562589101801473?s=20&t=xBjEBmmgJK5gzKul2Nlg3Q
REST IN POWER, TIM SALE, ARTIST EXTRAORDINAIRE pic.twitter.com/s9aN0qr6oV
— Bryan Fuller (@BryanFuller) June 16, 2022
#TimSale #rip pic.twitter.com/7dORy6CXxH
— Bill Sienkiewicz Art (@SienkiewiczArt) June 16, 2022
Tim did the alt covers for the first 25 or so issues of Batman. This is my favorite. Mostly because, well, how many arms does Batman have? I asked Tim about this, and he hadn’t noticed, and we both laughed a bunch. Hey, he’s Batman, if the situation calls for it, he makes do. pic.twitter.com/Krh5NzD9Ss
— Tom King (@TomKingTK) June 16, 2022
Goddamnit. Tim Sale was one of the greatest story tellers in the history of comics, an era defining Batman artist, and a kind, humble, cool man. My favorite, his stunning work on Challengers, showed me what a super hero story could be. We’re all still living on borrowed time. RIP pic.twitter.com/8gHkaUEP09
— Tom King (@TomKingTK) June 16, 2022
Terribly sad news about Tim Sale's death. His Black & White hardcover sketchbook is what made the biggest mark on my young mind. We should all be so lucky to have as many significant works to be remembered by, RIP.
My condolences to his family and friends, which seem to be many. pic.twitter.com/EqsHHCCgsQ— Declan Shalvey (@declanshalvey) June 16, 2022
My favorite memory of Tim Sale was dinner one night with a gang of pros. We stumbled into a conversation about “favorite panels” and discovered we had so many in common. Great fun to find a comrade. Godspeed, Tim-you’re the best!
— Klaus Janson (@klausjansonnyc) June 16, 2022
https://twitter.com/GailSimone/status/1537560183945109504?s=20&t=DXu1AiW4u1NgRWGXtLUxbA
Goodnight dear friend.
Tim Sale passed today.
He was one of the very first people I met in the business, and always one of the most talented and kindest. I wish we’d all had more time. pic.twitter.com/BJthj7GEcP— Joyce Chin (@TJoyceChin) June 16, 2022
A graduate of the School of Visual Arts, Tim Sale made a splash in the comics industry with his iconic and distinct art style. He is arguably best known for his acclaimed collaborations with writer Jeph Loeb that include Batman: The Long Halloween, Superman for All Seasons, and Catwoman: When in Rome. The story and art of Long Halloween not only greatly influenced both filmmakers Christopher Nolan and Matt Reeves for their Batman films but was adapted into an animated film released last year. For Marvel, Sale and Loeb teamed up to produce their self-styled “color” books such as Daredevil: Yellow, Spider-Man: Blue, Hulk Gray, and Captain America: White. Sale’s artwork also graced the television show Heroes, where his frequent collaborator Jeph Loeb served as a writer and producer.
The death of Tim Sale comes on the heels of the tragic passings of Neal Adams and George Pérez in the last two months. It’s been a tough year for the comic book community, marked by the loss of yet another incredible talent. Everyone here at The Beat offers our condolences to Sale’s family and friends; he will be sorely missed.
I think I discovered Tim’s work in the early 90s with BILLI 99 — his work just completely sucked me into the story.
After that, I made a point of looking around for anything he worked on; and I was not disappointed. SUPERMAN FOR ALL SEASONS was probably my favorite, but there’s so much good work he did. Also, he was a local Seattle artist; and there were a number of signed prints and comics whenever I went into my local shop, Zanadu.
He will be missed.
Have the Thieves’ World volumes from Donning/Starblaze gone into the memory hole? that’s where I first noticed Sale
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