Comics writer Steve Gerber, 1947-2008
Mark Evanier is reporting at his site that comics writer Steve Gerber died Feb. 11 after “a long, painful illness. For the last year or so, he was in and out of hospitals and had just become a ‘candidate’ for a lung transplant. He had pulmonary fibrosis, a condition that literally turns the lungs to scar tissue and steadily reduces their ability to function. Steve insisted that his affliction had nothing to do with his lifelong, incessant consumption of tobacco — an addiction he only recently quit for reasons of medical necessity. None of his friends believe that, but Steve did.”
The above announcement is directly from CBGXtra.com.
Steve Gerber will be missed by the CBH crew. Howard the Duck and Man-Thing were mind-expanding for me and pointed me in new directions as a comics reader. Gerber’s Defenders book was an excellent left turn for superhero comics. I remember his Nevada book fondly.
Many people have more articulate and informed things to say about Steve Gerber than I:
- Evanier on Steve Gerber’s blog
- The New York Times
- L.A. Times
- Tom Spurgeon’s The Comics Reporter
Finally, an important direct quote from Evanier
“Lastly for now, Paul Levitz had a wise suggestion. The Hero Initiative, a charity group that helps ailing comic book creators, had been doing a lot for Steve recently. It would be a nice thought to remember him with a donation in his name. Here’s a link to their website.”
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