It was some sadness that it is been reported that legendary comic book artist and illustrator Russ Heath has passed away, as confirmed from by family on social media. He was 91.
Lee Kosa, Heath’s grandson, took to Twitter to share the sad news earlier this week.
My grandfather and legendary comic artist Russ Heath passed away last night. His mastery of the craft of illustration encouraged me to pursue the arts and it is a joy to see my son now filling his own sketchbooks. Thank you for passing along the joys of drawing and storytelling. pic.twitter.com/CNE2QvRG6W
— Lee Kosa (@leekosa) August 24, 2018
Heath, who was one of the industry’s longest-tenured artists, got his first professional gig for Timely Comics — the predecessor to Marvel — in 1947. While at Timely, Heath primarily drew for the company’s Western series under titles like Two-Gun Kid and Wild Western. Some of his work, in fact, was a Two-Gun Kid story released in Wild Western #4 in 1948.
“His mastery of the craft of illustration encouraged me to pursue the arts and it is a joy to see my son now filling his own sketchbooks,” Kosa wrote of his grandfather. “Thank you for passing along the joys of drawing and storytelling.”
After proving his skill drawing for Timely, Heath’s first superhero gig 
came as he drew a seven-page story in Captain America Comics #71 (1949), a story titled “Fate Fixed a Fight.”
Showing a talent for doing all kinds of stories, and as Timely turned into Atlas Comics and then Marvel, Heath worked on various horror titles such as Marvel Tales, Strange Tales, and Journey Into Mystery.
After his work at Timely was complete, and with healthy resume of work, Heath went on to work for both EC Comics and DC Comics, primarily focusing on horror and war titles.
He worked steadily through the years and his last professional comic book work was a four-page penciling and inking job in The Immortal Iron Fist #20 (2009). “The Mortal Iron Fist, Conclusion,” story Heath drew and inked was a flashback sequence in the fan-favorite Iron Fist run.
As a man whose work was respected by fans and peers alike, Heath received an Inkpot Award in 1997 before being inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2009. The legendary artist also received the Comic Art Professional Society’s Sergio Award in 2010 as well as the National Cartoonists Society’s Milton Caniff Award in 2014.
His ability to tell a story, his range as an artist, and his reliability made him a legend in the comic book world and he will be missed by the fans and the comic book industry the world over.
Our condolences to the Heath family and all of his fans. RIP Russ Heath from all of us at GVNation
Senior Writer at GeekVibesNation – I am a 50 something child of the 70’s who admits to being a Star Trek/Star Wars/Comic Book junkie who once dove head first over a cliff (Ok, it was a small hill) to try to rescue his Fantastic Four comic from a watery grave. I am married to a lovely woman who is as crazy as I am and the proud parent of a 18 year old boy with autism. My wife and son are my real heroes.
