Geekend Review- Joe Kubert Dies at 85

Comic book legend Joe Kubert passed away today. News is still weak at best, but just a few hours ago the Twittersphere became alive with action as nerds from one coast to the other began propagating the rumor that the octogenarian had today been hospitalized before passing away. Kubert, for me, will always be known for his Kubert Art School ads somewhere in the middle of my comic pages. He is best known for his DC work on comics like Sgt. Rock and Hawkman. A professional illustrator for over 60 years, Joe Kubert helped shape the style of comics during his hay day and helped inspire thousands of artists across the world.

News broke on this via twitter, first by fellow comic artist Dave Gibbons who said “…a reliable source… says that Joe Kubert has been in the hospital and passed away today”. Kubert was adopted into the Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1998. Through his Art School has nurtured hundreds of future artists who will continue to influence the medium on his behalf. Most notably are Rags Morales and even his own sons. Andy Kubert collaborated with his father on the Before the Watchmen: Night Owl,  a one shot from DC comics released just a few months passed.

Originally from Poland, Kubert immigrated with his mother and father to Brooklyn before he became an illustrator at 12. In later years he illustrated for PS Magazine, a U.S. Military Magazine highlighting comic strips that encouraged maintenance and equipment upkeep. While this is hardly the amazing Kirby-esque style we expect to see from a legend such as himself, it only goes to show his commitment to the country he lived and loved, doing his part with funny pictures. I imagine the Blue Beetle showcasing proper tire balancing to soldiers and praising them for being the “real” heroes (I don’t read PS Magazine). He is survived by his two sons Adam and Andy, and will be missed the world over.

To the uninitiated he may not be as recognizable as Stan Lee or Jack Kirby, but I promise you he contributed as much and inspired artists and writers from The Walking Dead’s Robert Kirkman, The Watchmen’s Alan Moore, to Todd McFarlane who is best known for creating SPAWN and founding Image comics

 

This story is only a few hours old and not all the details are out yet. Normally this segment is used to breakdown all the note worthy events in Geek culture that happened during the week. By a huge margin though, this has to be the biggest news and it will shake the geek community. Out of respect for the Kubert family, friends, and fans the world over we’re going to keep this story alone and not clutter it with the latest Apple news, Olympic updates, or how Bourne beat Batman at the Box Office. We will update this story as more news comes available, but as of right now Joe Kubert has passed away on August 12th, 2012 at age 85.

 

 

Stay Tuned for more news as it becomes available here at 8daysageek.com, follow us on twitter for updates, or share your thoughts on this event and more below. You can also follow me @werewolforigin. Thank You. RIP, Joe Kubert 

About Eric bookout

Writer/Artist for X amount of years. Recently worked with people from IGN on a comic and studied writing under Victor Gischler of Marvel Comics at RSU in Oklahoma more X amount of years ago. Follow me @WerewolfOrigin on twitter
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