RIP Rich Buckler

On May 19, comic book artist Rich Buckler passed away. He had a long career in the medium but was never upheld as one of the industry's leading artists, perhaps because he carried his influences - Jack Kirby & Jim Steranko - a little too obviously upon his sleeve. He's best-known for creating Deathlok, the original cyborg soldier of the future. It was during his Deathlok stories that he also created a fellow named Devil-Slayer whom you may remember from a post I wrote; Buckler liked Devil-Slayer so much, he created him three times!

For myself, I'm most pleased to recall Buckler's time as the original artist of All-Star Squadron with writer Roy Thomas. Although Buckler left within a year, he set the tone for that title's six year run. Most of the fans & pros eulogizing Buckler call Deathlok his finest hour and I won't disagree, but in terms of comic books which had a foundational impact on how I approach super heroes, All-Star Squadron looms large within the canon. Rest well Mr. Buckler.