Sad to report that the veteran comic artist Gene Colan is ailing, hospitalized with a broken shoulder. This is above and beyond other ailments which have worried us all for some time. A busted shoulder on anyone is bad. On an 84 year old man, it's even worse. And on an artist (it's his drawing arm), it's worse than worse.
Gene has been one of the most prolific and admired illustrators of comic books since 1944. That is not a typo. 1944. He's been doing it for 66 years and just recently did a special issue of Captain America that was wonderful enough to be nominated for an Eisner Award. I don't know what it is you do for a living but let's see you do it well enough and long enough that someone nominates you for an award after you've been doing it for 66 years.
Alas, what Gene needs now is not accolades, as nice as they are. He needs bucks since drawing commissions, which he can no longer do, has recently accounted for most of his income. Our pal Clifford Meth is helping organize a benefit and you should visit his weblog for details on that, as well as the latest news about Gene's condition. Cliff has also done a fine job squashing some of the uninformed rumors that have been making the rounds. (I know it's hard to believe but folks on the Internet do sometimes get things wrong.)
If you have ever been a follower of adventure-type comics, you have probably enjoyed a lot of stories drawn by Gene Colan…Tomb of Dracula, Daredevil, Batman, Night Force, Nathaniel Dusk, Doctor Strange, Captain America, Wonder Woman, Sub-Mariner, Iron Man, Howard the Duck…if the guy had a few dollars for every great comic he's done, his problems would be over. Unfortunately, that's all the business paid guys like Gene Colan…a few dollars. I love it that the community of comic fans and professionals will rally around one of our own who's down on his luck and health, and I can't think of a better person to rally around than Gene.