R.I.P. John Cassaday – Gone Too Soon, A Modern Great

Tributes have, understandably, come pouring in over the last few days. It seems that Cassaday was not just supremely talented but a rather lovely person as well, a man well loved by friends and colleagues.

I heard the news just as I’d finished the obituary/tribute piece for Bernie Mireault, where I bemoaned that I was just sick of having to write obituaries as we were losing far too many great artists far too young. And then came the news that John Cassaday had died, unexpectedly and tragically young. Life, and death, just isn’t fair and the comics world feels so much more empty today knowing we’ll never see Cassaday’s art again.

And what art it was. Cassaday just had this style, a manner of getting something on the comic page that looked both seemingly effortlessly beautiful and perfectly simple, always serving whatever script his incredible art was about to make so much better so wonderfully well.

But as obviously good as his work on Desperadoes was, it was Planetary where I fell in love with his art. Cassaday’s co-creation, this was just the perfect moment, the perfect comic, the ideal series for him to experiment, grow, and develop into a superstar.

Scott Dunbier told a lovely anecdote in tribute to Cassaday, sharing this…

‘I’ve been thinking back on the good times. Hanging out at the worst bachelor party ever in the farthest outskirts of Brooklyn; firing a devastated John from the planned WildC.A.T.s relaunch and then telling him on the same call that I had something better for him (planetary). I remember him calling me back 15 minutes later, after he read the faxed proposal, more excited than I had ever heard him.’

And you can see – I certainly did – all that excitement expressed quite beautifully on every page. Sure, Cassaday’s desire to make every page perfection and increasing demands for his art on plenty of other series may have meant a long wait between issues, but it was a wait that was always made worthwhile as the next issue arrived with Cassaday’s artistic brilliance unfolding on each new flight of fantasy within the pages.

After Planetary, Cassaday was never short of work, whether it was covers or interiors. There followed work for DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, Image… all of it stunning, all of it just perfection on a comic page – a classical style that managed to be everything – realistic yet dynamic, characterful, and always telling the story seemingly effortlessly.

Selected highlights over the next two decades included Captain America for Marvel, launching Astonishing X-Men in 2004, and I Am Legion for Humanoids. And of course it was Cassaday’s artwork that heralded the return of Star Wars to Marvel in 2015.

His final project, sadly unfinished, was Madshadows, described as a dream project, from Humanoids, where he’d become Chief Creative Officer in 2019. Head of Humanoids, Fabrice Giger, had this to say of his colleague and friend for over 20 years…

‘Creating worlds and breathing life into characters as John Cassaday knew how to do is a very rare gift (and the fruit of immense labour). My friend John was a soul of infinite gentleness, with a heart as vast as his talent.’

That’s a lovely way to end this tribute, as we say farewell to another of our own, although his art, so much of it and so sublime, will remain to be enjoyed by millions around the world.

Our heartfelt condolences to John’s family, friends, colleagues, and so many fans around the world.

John Cassaday – 14 December 1971 – 9 September 2024

Now, a small selection of his works over the years. All quite impossibly good, all worthy tributes to one of the truly great modern American artists…

Planetary (1999-2009)