Michael Turner, 37, comic-book artist
SANTA MONICA, Calif. - Michael Turner, a comic-book artist who drew covers for major titles such as "Superman/Batman," "The Flash" and "Civil War," has died. He was 37.
Mr. Turner died June 27 at a Santa Monica hospital of complications related to bone cancer, said Vince Hernandez, editor in chief of Aspen MLT, the Santa Monica publishing company Turner founded in 2003.
Through his company, Mr. Turner created online comic adaptations for the NBC series "Heroes" and published his own titles, including the best-selling "Fathom," a deep-sea story about a female superhero. He also drew covers for large projects such as DC Comics' "Justice League."
"He was definitely one of the most popular and influential comic-book artists working right now," said Andrew Farago, curator of San Francisco's Cartoon Art Museum. "He was very, very much in demand as a cover artist on high-profile projects."
Ryan Liebowitz, general manager of the Golden Apple Comics store in Los Angeles, said Mr. Turner's name was synonymous with special-edition covers that often became collectibles. The milestone 500th issue of "Uncanny X-Men," due out next week, will feature a special-edition cover by Mr. Turner.
In 1994, the budding artist was hired by Century City-based Top Cow Productions after an editor saw his work at the Comic-Con convention in San Diego.
