It was already heard on Tuesday that Tim Sale had been hospitalized for various health problems, but the American’s relatives asked for privacy via Twitter. Now it’s official: After Neal Adams and George Pérez, the comic world has lost another of its great, yes, its unmistakable masters within a short time
Tim Sale made his debut in the mid-1980s inking the comic book adaptation of Robert Asprin’s funny fantasy novel One Demon Too Many. Even in his early work, you could see that Sale drew differently, somehow approached things differently. He had his own verve and style, his pictures a striking look, with the overdrawing of the figures sometimes bordering on caricature.
In the late 1980s, Sale entered the comic universe of Matt Wagner’s independent hero series Grendel as a draftsman and ink artist. Sale inked his first Batman story in 1991, and a year later he drew his first miniseries for the Batman series “Legends of the Dark Knight”. In the early 1990s, Sale first collaborated with author Jeph Loeb, with whom he later co-wrote masterpieces such as Batman: The Long Halloween, Batman: Dark Victory, and “Challengers of the Unknown,” on a series about DC’s adventurers and scientists. Superman: A Hero for the Year”.
Meanwhile, for the TV series Heroes, Sale created the paintings that were part of the story and featured in the episodes. In addition, Sale illustrated many covers, including for Tom King’s “Batman” series a few years ago. Finally, in 2021, after more than 25 years, Sale and Loeb returned for a brand new sequel to their classic Batman: The Long Halloween, the noir masterpiece in which Sale’s mesmerizing imagery evoked the magic of old hard-boiled Hollywood, and also in animated form was adapted. Tim Sale passed away on June 15 at the age of 66.
