Joe Kubert, 1926-2012

Since the news of Joe Kubert’s passing broke yesterday, there have been any number of well-written eulogies, many of which have been written by those who knew the man himself. I can’t lay claim to any personal interactions with Mr. Kubert. I can’t even claim that I’ve been a life-long devotee of his work, since I came to appreciate it as an adult, which is late in the game for a comic book aficionado. Others, like the recently departed Gene Colan, have been a part of my artistic luggage for much longer.

Kubert was great, though. Let’s make that clear. He was a talent who’s potency influenced generations of artists, both through his example and his instruction. His legacy will live on, not only through his children, but through that wonderful art of his. Immortal through either. Whether he was crafting something like the cover you see above (which I marvelled at once before), or slumming in ads that paired Tarzan with dinosaurs and candy, he always brought his A-game, that rough around the edges, athletic style that never half-assed it. That’s what I’ll remember him for most: his life-long consistency and quality. His work had POWER.

Joe Kubert, you will be missed. That’s all I can add.