ParyBoyMx
20-feb-2004, 02:06
De Newsarama:
IN MEMORIAM: BILL OAKLEY
While much of the focus this week has been on all things X and FF, there has been a sad bit of news that shouldn’t get lost in the shuffle. Longtime letterer Bill Oakley died earlier this week of cancer.
One of the few letterers still working by hand, Oakley had been an industry fixture – and so good at what he did for so long, that many may not even realize where his work appeared. While most recently, he worked on titles for DC such as Hawkman and Sleeper, his career stretched back well over a decade. Those who appreciate the art form had always found Oakley’s lettering to be as distinctive as that of Jim Novak, John Workman, or Ken Lopez.
Oakley had two bouts with cancer, while the first one left him without insurance, the acclaimed letterer took on more work to help pay for treatments. According to his friend and peer, Chris Eliopoulos, Oakley often worked from his hospital room.
When asked by Newsarama for a remembrance of his friend, Eliopoulos wrote:
“Bill Oakley has lettered just about everything.
”He lettered Avengers for a long time, X-Men before it became “New”, Superman titles, FF on Simonson’s run, Amazing Spider-Man, Batman, DC versus Marvel Comics, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen— god, he has had a hand in so many books for Marvel and DC, it’d be tough to know them all.
“He started on staff at Marvel working under Jim Novak and eventually went freelance. He was so good at his craft, most people wouldn’t recognize his work, because he believed good lettering shouldn’t be noticed. But all us letterers noticed and, in fact, I was on the phone with Tom Orzechowski and he said he thought Bill was the best of all of us—high praise indeed.
It’s sad that most people don’t realize who Bill was and what a great letterer he was, except for those who worked with him. I truly wish more people realized what a phenomenal talent and great human being he was.”
que mal
:( :(
IN MEMORIAM: BILL OAKLEY
While much of the focus this week has been on all things X and FF, there has been a sad bit of news that shouldn’t get lost in the shuffle. Longtime letterer Bill Oakley died earlier this week of cancer.
One of the few letterers still working by hand, Oakley had been an industry fixture – and so good at what he did for so long, that many may not even realize where his work appeared. While most recently, he worked on titles for DC such as Hawkman and Sleeper, his career stretched back well over a decade. Those who appreciate the art form had always found Oakley’s lettering to be as distinctive as that of Jim Novak, John Workman, or Ken Lopez.
Oakley had two bouts with cancer, while the first one left him without insurance, the acclaimed letterer took on more work to help pay for treatments. According to his friend and peer, Chris Eliopoulos, Oakley often worked from his hospital room.
When asked by Newsarama for a remembrance of his friend, Eliopoulos wrote:
“Bill Oakley has lettered just about everything.
”He lettered Avengers for a long time, X-Men before it became “New”, Superman titles, FF on Simonson’s run, Amazing Spider-Man, Batman, DC versus Marvel Comics, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen— god, he has had a hand in so many books for Marvel and DC, it’d be tough to know them all.
“He started on staff at Marvel working under Jim Novak and eventually went freelance. He was so good at his craft, most people wouldn’t recognize his work, because he believed good lettering shouldn’t be noticed. But all us letterers noticed and, in fact, I was on the phone with Tom Orzechowski and he said he thought Bill was the best of all of us—high praise indeed.
It’s sad that most people don’t realize who Bill was and what a great letterer he was, except for those who worked with him. I truly wish more people realized what a phenomenal talent and great human being he was.”
que mal
:( :(