Jim Lee, Tom King and other comic writers and artists eulogized John Paul Leon after learning about his recent passing.
“John Paul Leon passed away yesterday at the way too early age of 49. One of the greatest artists of our generation, he was also one of the nicest & most talented creators one could be lucky enough to have met. So young & still creating the very best work of his career, Lee, who is the publisher and chief creative officer of DC Comics, wrote on Twitter. “I remain in awe of both his unrivaled draftsmanship & his stellar designwork-both of which were simply unparalleled & technically just so precise & perfect. But what really made me a fan was how he still squeezed in every bit of emotion & life in every image he created.”
Lee also shared some of his favorite artwork by Leon, including Future State: Dark Detective, Batman: Creature of the Night, The Winter Men and DMZ.
I remain in awe of both his unrivaled draftsmanship & his stellar designwork-both of which were simply unparalleled & technically just so precise & perfect. But what really made me a fan was how he still squeezed in every bit of emotion & life in every image he created. 2/3 pic.twitter.com/2wswYtxFzF
— Jim Lee (@JimLee) May 3, 2021
Batman and Mister Miracle writer Tom King wrote that “John Paul Leon was a comic book humanist. He grounded the inherent absurdity of conveying myth and story through inked panels by insisting the emotional struggle of our lived experience be in every line, every picture. And he was a joy of a man, kind and funny, to the end. RIP.”
John Paul Leon was a comic book humanist. He grounded the inherent absurdity of conveying myth and story through inked panels by insisting the emotional struggle of our lived experience be in every line, every picture. And he was a joy of a man, kind and funny, to the end. RIP. pic.twitter.com/ERLxdJjnIX
— Tom King (@TomKingTK) May 2, 2021
Others in the comics community who posted about Leon include Spider-Man and Star Wars writer Jody Houser, DC vs. Marvel writer Ron Marz and Captain Marvel artist Marcio Takara.
Absolutely gutted to hear about John Paul Leon’s passing. Possibly the very best artist I’ve ever worked with (and I doubt any other artists would be offended by my saying that). Didn’t know him well, but had been meaning to drop him a line. Fuck. pic.twitter.com/Wbdm3hNQ41
— Jody Houser ✒️🗯️🎲 (@Jody_Houser) May 2, 2021
Every writer has a list of artists they want to work with. John Paul Leon was always on my list. An utterly unique talent who made a classic artistic tradition very much his own. My heart hurts for the loved ones he left behind, and for the brilliance stolen from all of us. pic.twitter.com/kNB4kJUXgv
— Ron Marz (@ronmarz) May 2, 2021
The news of Leon’s death came via Chris Conroy, a senior editor at DC Comics. “Last night we lost John Paul Leon, one of the greatest draftsmen in the history of comics, the kind of artist that EVERY artist revered. Those who loved him had some warning, but not enough,” he wrote.
Leon started his career at the age of 16, illustrating for the Dragon and Dungeon magazines. His move to comics began with RoboCop (1992) and RoboCop: Prime Suspect (1992) for Dark Horse Comics. He then worked for DC Comics on Static (1993) and Static Shock!: Rebirth of the Cool (2001), helping launch the Milestone Comics Universe. He also worked on The Further Adventures of Cyclops and Phoenix (1996), The Winter Men (2005) and Batman: Creature of the Night (2017). He was nominated for an Eisner along with King for his work on the short story “Black Death in America,” which debuted in Vertigo’s CMYK: Blackissue.
Leon also contributed artwork to a number of style guides for comic book films, including Superman Returns, Batman Begins, Green Lantern and The Dark Knight.
Source: Jim Lee, Tom King, Jody Houser, Ron Marz, Marcio Takara
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