Just like Jim
Lee, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri, and all the
rest, Michael Turner was my comic generation's
rock star.
And I can't remember if I met him.
I went to
WizardWorld Chicago in 2001 or 2002, I'm
uncertain of the year as well as it seems so
long ago. Quesada was EIC of Marvel and I
remember the Marvel guys and the DC guys that I
met, and I remember stopping by a number of
times to the Top Cow booth. And if my memory
does not fail me, I remember getting his
autograph on a number of Tomb Raider books and
Witchblade issues. I remember a smile and a
handshake. And I remember a man who looked no
different from myself.
| Just
a man, nothing fantastic about him.
I
remember that being one of those
instants when I thought that these
heroes that I had in the comic
industry and the comic world were
human beings. Not rockstars. Not
idols. They were someone's children,
loved ones, and they were just like
me. And I remember, being in the
presence of this genius, that I
could be a part of this. That I
could be a creator in the comic book
world.
And that's what I'll remember about
Michael Turner.
All of the tributes people have
written to him are heartbreaking. He
fought cancer for 8 years with a
smile and a grin, and he never
complained. He makes me wonder if I
could do the same thing if I was
afflicted with something terrible
and horrible as this.
A
dear friend of mine was diagnosed
with cancer at 13 and is still with
me. I consider every day I have her
in my life a blessing. I know that
every person who knew Michael Turner
did the same, and I know that if I
ever lost her, it would completely
put a black cloak over my life. So
my entire life knows what it is to
be frightened that someone I dearly
care for will someday die. |
 |
I was never the
kindest person regarding Michael Turner's work.
I made comments about him not drawing feet. I
made comments that a lot of the characters
appear similarly. But you can't take away from
the dynamism of his art. There are few artists
in the comic industry that can convey so much
energy, so much wisdom, so much strength, so
much of everything in just one image that
appears at the beginning of our favorite
magazines, and there are so many fewer less than
before.
The comic industry is at a loss.
|
 |
I
will remember Michael Turner as a
dynamic cover artist, and a man. A
man who treated each and every
person waiting in line to meet their
comic idol with a smile. He never
appeared upset by the hundreds (damn
near thousands) of people waiting in
line to shake his hand and get him
to autograph anything. Just having
been in the same room as this talent
gave me hope that I may be able to
fight to live.
So that
is what we must do. We must live for
the sake of life. We must take his
example and move forward. Either as
critics of the comics we love or as
men and women living in a world that
fears death. We must look to the
beacons of hope like Michael Turner
and know that everything will be
okay. |
Whose side are
you on? Michael Turner was a genius, and I feel
sad for ever having made judgment of his immense
talents.
If you'd like
to help fight this horrible disease please
donate to the
American
Cancer Society. Turner will be sorely
missed.
|
