Tim Sale, DC comic artist of 'Batman: The Long Halloween' fame passes away at 66

Famed comic book artist Tim Sale, who was behind classic DC Comics such as Batman: The Long Halloween and Superman for All Seasons, passed away on Thursday. The 66-year-old star breathed his last due to unnamed causes. As per Variety, DC Comics publisher and chief creative officer, Jim Lee informed that Tim had been admitted to the hospital after health issues. 

However, it's still not known what actually happened to the late artist. Expressing grief over Tim's demise, Lee said in a statement, "The entire DC family is heartbroken at the news of Tim's passing. Tim was an extraordinary artist, who was masterful at storytelling and panel layouts and his compositions were second to none. I was always so impressed and inspired by his use of lighting and shadows which infused his work with foreboding gravitas and dramatic noir sensibilities."

Renowned comic artist Tim Sale passes away

A veteran superhero artist, Sale kickstarted his career in independent comics in the early '80s and later shot to fame in the mid-'90s after he collaborated with writer Jeph Loeb. With Loeb, the late star worked on stories that aimed to capture the essence of the most famous superheroes of all time, including Superman, Batman and Marvel's Spider-Man and Captain America.

Mourning Tim's untimely demise, DC Comics issued a statement on Twitter that read, "Tim Sale was an incredible artist, whose take on iconic characters had real human depth, and his groundbreaking page designs changed the way an entire generation thinks about comic book storytelling. Our condolences go to Tim’s family and friends. He will be deeply missed."

The first of Loeb and Sale's collaborations included the popular comic series, Batman: The Long Halloween. The series instantly cemented Sale's reputation as one of the most distinctive and beloved Batman artists of all time. 

The elements of the popular series were later adapted into blockbuster films such as The Dark Knight and The Batman. Apart from this, the partnership of the duo extended beyond Batman, with Superman for All Seasons at DC, and a whole series of colour-themed titles including Hulk: Grey, Spider-Man: Blue, Daredevil: Yellow, and Captain America: White at Marvel. During the 2000s, Sale and Loeb began a series of unofficially linked “color” miniseries for Marvel, in which they retold formative events of classic superheroes. He also supplied artwork for the NBC series Heroes, which Loeb worked on as a producer and writer. 

IMAGE: Twitter/@DCComics