Things are such for me, from a professional standpoint, that I haven’t had the energy or focus to write. So it goes. I tried to fight it by writing music, but that’s been a complete bust (although I have an idea that’s going to be a banger-and-a-half when I get back to it). So, rather than try to do anything “big,” I’m just going to talk about something that happened today.
Comic artist John Cassady passed away this morning.
You may not know him or his work, but he means a lot to me. It was one of his covers that convinced me to check out the book he did with Warren Ellis called Planetary.
Look at that. Just look at it. Even with no familiarity with the story, you have an immediate sense of what’s being conveyed: The man in the white suit is a mystery, a puzzle even to himself. He’s pieced everything together except for one final piece, and he is holding that piece in his hand. It draws you in, doesn’t it?
What I didn’t know at the time was that this was the penultimate issue and, for all intents and purposes, the end of the story (at least, of Elijah Snow’s story). Nonetheless, it was a glorious book and of course I bought every other issue.
The other thing I didn’t know was that almost every issue of Planetary was a pastiche of one comic convention or trope. There was a kaiju story, a golden age of comics story, a 50’s pulp story, a 2001-A-Space-Odessey story, etc. That’s a challenge for any artist, but to make it worse: Every cover was done in the style of the pastiche. It was very clearly “Planetary” but there were few if any design elements in common from month to month.
There ya go: All 27 covers—no repeated logo or typeface to be seen. It’s amazing. After a couple of wobbly starts, the art on the inside is every bit as fascinating. Cassaday’s ability to create these images is one of the reasons that Planetary is, push come to shove, probably my favorite comic. I am not sure any other artist on the planet could have equaled this work.
Then there’s the Batman issue. Look, posting any of the art would spoil it. Just go find it and read it. It’s called “Night On Earth” and it’s one of the best things you’ll ever see if you have a soft spot for the Bat.
Anyway, I didn’t know Mr. Cassaday and I haven’t seen any details of his demise. I don’t need to; I’m just sad that it happened. He brought me more joy and wonder than he ever knew.