What’s up everyone! Ralph “The Perennial Aesthete” is here. With Avengers: Endgame being all set to shatter our senses, toy with our emotions and guaranteed to run rampant at the movie box office this weekend. There couldn’t be better time to be a comic book enthusiast or a superhero movie fan. In relation to that, I want to take a moment to pay homage and wish the late great Michael Layne Turner a very happy belated birthday. His birthday was this past Sunday, April 21, 2019.
Photo courtesy of Aspen MLT.
Michael Turner was an American comic book artist known for his work on Top Cow Productions‘ Witchblade, DC Comics‘ Superman/Batman, Aspen MLT’s Fathom and Soulfire. Turner also did various comic book covers for Marvel Comics, and was president of the entertainment company, Aspen MLT. Once an instructor in the martial arts and an avid water skier, Turner passed away at the Santa Monica Hospital in Santa Monica, California on June 27, 2008. He died from bone cancer after battling the disease for eight years.
Well respected by his peers in the comic book industry and loved by fans from all over the world, Michael Turner was of the most gifted and talented comic book artists to ever set pencil to Bristol board. In my eyes, it seemed unfair on how immensely talented he was; however, we were truly fortunate to witness his unique art form. Nobody drew like him.
I had the pleasure of meeting Turner twice; once at Boston Comic Con and the other time was a Philadelphia Comic Con. I remember being instantly drawn to this man’s work. There are some artists who are terrifically skillful and creative, and then there’s those other set of artists who has a little something extra in their work; almost like they learned how to draw under some celestial influence. Turner was truly one of those artists. The biggest takeaway that I received from Turner after meeting him, was his level of humbleness that he possessed. He was friendly, welcoming and was quick to give advice and tips to aspiring, professional comic book artists; but more importantly, he spoke about dealing with the triumphs and the shortcomings of life.
As a tribute to his life, his work and how he inspired me through a rough patch of my life, I curated 20 images of his best artwork and posted them below. Do yourself a favor, pull up a chair at a table and take a look at his amazing body of work. I hope you find them inspiring just as much as I did. Let me know which ones were your favorites. Rest in peace always Mr. Turner. You are truly missed and appreciated for your contribution to the world. Your artwork and legacy will live on forever. Thank you.
Image courtesy of DC Comics
1. Superman and Supergirl
2. Superman
3. Supergirl
4. Wonder Woman
5. Starfire
6. Batman, Superman and Supergirl
7. Incredible Hulk
8. Red Hulk
9. Avengers: Civil War
10. Wolverine (Logan)
11. Wolverine (X-Men)
12. Storm (X-Men)
13. Thor
14. Silver Surfer
15. Fantastic Four
16. Fathom
17. Witchblade and the Darkness
18. Soulfire Grace
19. Soulfire Grace
20. Justice League
21. Spider-Man
22. Old Man Logan
23. Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner
24. Teen Titans
To my readers, I hope that you enjoyed the images I shared on this post. Michael Turner remains one of the most inspiring comic book artists to me, so it was an honor to share some of his work here. I want to take a moment to invite you to join me on Facebook and to follow me on Instagram and Twitter. You can also reach me via email at: rgilmore@orangemoonwerks.com. If you find any joy and value in what I do, would you consider providing support to help keep my blog going? Learn how by clicking the link here: Support the Blog
The Perennial Aesthete 
Leave a Reply