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Dave Cockrum has passed away

Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 6:46 pm
by kgaard
Very sorry to hear it. Condolences to the Cockrum family.

Dave Cockrum has passed away

Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 6:59 pm
by MGPetrino
To me, Dave was a touchstone of my youth. To lessen my sadness at his passing, I started to think about some things he liked (at least back in 1976, and as best as I recall):

Creature from the Black Lagoon
Stratego
Aurora Models
Grey Morrow
Douglas Fairbanks
Erold Flynn
Pogo
The Martian War machines from the 1950s movie
Sheba
The tall ships of 1976

To recall him through these things, puts a smile on my face.

I am reminded of a part of a Simon and Garfunkel song:


"Time it was, and what a time it was. A time of innocence. A time of confidences. Long ago, it must be, I have a photograph. Preserve your memories. They're all that's left you."


*Sigh*

Dave Cockrum has passed away

Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 2:23 am
by matlock
I haven't posted here in ages either, but I know I speak for all Dave's Legion fans when I say how much his run on the book is loved and how much we'll all miss him. He was always great to us fans at legionworld.net when he was active there in happier times. He was the first pro I ever had a chance to interact with and it was just terrific that he still seemed to care about the fans of a book he'd been off of for decades. When he got that assignment to do a short tale on the current book a few years ago it was a real thrill for his fans.

There's not much more that can be said about Dave after all that's been said the last few days. My heart goes out to Paty and the rest of Dave's friends and family. I keep thinking that his huge spirit just couldn't be held in his unhappily fragile body any longer and now he's been released. It doesn't make it easier to know we'll never be graced with his wonderful work again though.

Thanks for all you gave us Dave.

Dave Cockrum has passed away

Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 3:31 am
by CliffordMeth
Originally posted by MGPetrino
For what it is worth, I called both the Style section and the Obituary section of the Washington Post to see if the newspaper was aware of Dave Cockrum's passing. The obit writer was aware, so maybe he will gain a mention in the Washington Post also. It would be a nice gesture.
The story ran in nearly every major news outlet--The NY Times did a three-column feature obit today, and it's just about everywhere else: CNN, ABC, CBS, The Hollywood Reporter, The Guardian (in the UK)...

Dave Cockrum has passed away

Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 4:07 am
by Editor Man
It's surreal reading news articles about Dave written by people who never knew him or were familiar with his work. Dave was a living, breathing entity on this board, and as accessible as a next door neighbor. He was as friendly as one, too. What people will take away from those articles will be the facts of his life, but they'll never get the feeling of who he was like people here did.

Dave Cockrum has passed away

Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 5:30 am
by stormcrow20
My condolences to Mr. Cockrum's family. His art and characters became a big part of my life, as well as countless others' lives. He will be missed.

Dave Cockrum has passed away

Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 5:30 am
by Panz
Paty I am so very sorry. I'm still in shock from the news. Dave was a one of a kind very wonderful man and I will miss him very much. Please take care and email me if you just need to talk. Going through the aftermath of losing a loved one is grueling

Hugs
Panz

Dave Cockrum has passed away

Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 8:59 pm
by STEPHANEGARRELIE
Good article in the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/29/arts/ ... ref=slogin

Dave Cockrum has passed away

Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2006 3:34 am
by Arcane-angel
I haven't been here in so long....

When I heard the news from a friend of mine. (I was working that day) She told me of the post on this forums. Imediatly I demanded the thread and rushed over here rereading it again and again.

I couldn't believe it. I still can't. I never got to know him personally on here or in real life but to put it quite simply: I worshiped the ground he walked on. He was my hero. His creations inspired almost my entire artistic career. If it wasn't for him I would still be drawing goofy anime people.

Theres best friends of mine that if it wasn't for him and his charming blue elf I would never had the pleasure of knowing.

I owe so much to him. I just wish I could have told him so.

sharing some of the last photos of Dave

Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2006 8:32 pm
by Blue Fairy
Originally posted by Editor Man
It's surreal reading news articles about Dave written by people who never knew him or were familiar with his work. Dave was a living, breathing entity on this board, and as accessible as a next door neighbor. He was as friendly as one, too. What people will take away from those articles will be the facts of his life, but they'll never get the feeling of who he was like people here did.
I feel the same as EditorMan.... It is too bad that not one of the many articles about Dave said anything about his humor, his humanity, or his gentle soul .... Those of us who have had the good fortune to know Dave will never forget and we will hold him in hearts for ever.
I remember being took when I was a very young child; that as long as there is someone left alive on the earth to speak your name with love ..... you will live on long after you body is only dust..... With that in mind we all know that Dave Cockum will live for thousands on years.... I have shared my memories of Dave with my husband and our sons. When my grandchildren are old enough I will share with all three of them.

I have pictures of Dave taken in mid October of this year that I would like to share with all of you. I asked Paty if it was OK and she said that it was fine with her.

I hope that I can figure out how to post them. OK I guess that I will need some help...it isn't as easy as putting them in email.....

[Edited on 1/12/06 by Blue Fairy]

Dave Cockrum has passed away

Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2006 1:10 am
by mt_rambler
Its great all the news org=anizations ran articles on Dave but not a peep out of Marvel or DC. No official press staement from Marvel and the one article I found on their site was buried and hard to find. And Joey Q's weekly column on newsarama didn't even mention Dave. Just rambled on about Civil War, Ultimates and the important stuff for 2006 and 2007. What a joke.

thank you for my childhood

Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2006 4:11 am
by DavidGBernstein
I am sorry to have learned of Dave's death so late. I had the great pleasure to work with Dave in setting up a deal to do the French reprint of the Futurians a few years ago. The honor of working with him, being at his house and seeing his drawing board, and being able to do even some small deal for him, is one of the things, not just in my career, but in my whole life that I am most proud of.

As his alter-ego would say, Danke, Dave.

And G-d bless Clifford Meth as well, a true mensh if there ever was one.

[Edited on 2/12/06 by DavidGBernstein]

Dave Cockrum has passed away

Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2006 5:51 am
by jafabian
On another message board, someone suggested that all the characters that Dave either designed or re-designed should go back to what Dave created for them for at least one issue in tribute for him. I'd love to see that.

Dave Cockrum has passed away

Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 5:08 am
by mt_rambler
There is a really nice article ob Dave by Erik Larsen. He covers Dave's career extensively, sounds like he is a big fan of Dave's. Check it out at:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/?column=20

Be seeing you,
Brian

Gray Morrow?

Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 7:29 am
by CliffordMeth
Originally posted by MGPetrino
To me, Dave was a touchstone of my youth. To lessen my sadness at his passing, I started to think about some things he liked (at least back in 1976, and as best as I recall):

Creature from the Black Lagoon
Stratego
Aurora Models
Grey Morrow
Douglas Fairbanks
Erold Flynn
Pogo
The Martian War machines from the 1950s movie
Sheba
The tall ships of 1976

*Sigh*
I introduced Dave to Gray in Rockaway, NJ, about a dozen years ago. They both attended a little comics show I'd promoted. Gray was a wonderful, guy, too.

Dave Cockrum has passed away

Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 3:16 pm
by JerWJohnson
I would like to echo the sentiments I left on CBS News and I wish Paty the best.

**Jeremy W. Johnson**
Indianapolis,IN

Dave Cockrum has passed away

Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2006 8:11 pm
by MGPetrino
I introduced Dave to Gray in Rockaway, NJ, about a dozen years ago. They both attended a little comics show I'd promoted. Gray was a wonderful, guy, too.

Well, I am sorry to hear that Gray Morrow is also gone. I am glad to know that Dave met him, for he admired his work. When Dave and I were at a NY comic convention, he introduced me to Gray's work. That day, we each bought tiny comps by the artist,
studies for covers, I guess. Dave's had a triceratops on his, mine a blue lady.

Dave Cockrum has passed away

Posted: Wed Dec 06, 2006 12:22 am
by Sandy
I am still too shocked to say something useful...haven't been around for a while due to RL obligations, and now it's too late to say something. Dave not only touched my life with the characters he designed, but in an even more personal way with his being on this board as a real person...now I will have to send my postcards from Egypt to Paty only. *Hugs*
My gran died of diabetes-related issues when she was about Dave's age, and for me, history seems to repeat itself.

I don't think I can say anything else now.

Dave Cockrum has passed away

Posted: Tue Dec 12, 2006 4:09 pm
by Paty
:magneto
Hi, folks...
Paty peeking in. I want to say thanks to all who posted their love and respect for Dave on this forum. I promised to peek in occasionally earlier in theis thread, but I have been so busy here that I just haven't gotten back to it yet. Often days go by without my touching the computer...and I know that isn't fair to those of you who have posted here...keeping Dave's memory alive and Cockrum Corner viable. I shall try to do better now that things around here are calming down a bit.

My thanks to all who posted links to articles and who devised memorials to him. He would have been amazed at the brouhaha his passing has stirred up...three columns in the NY Times! sheesh! I KNOW he never expected THAT!!! He thought a blurb in the local paper and a notation on this forum and maybe X fan... but that's the kind of humble man he was.
He still walks the halls of the house... and I think he is laughing ...a lot.
so, don't be sad, people...he wouldn't want you to be. But if you see Marvel doing bad things with his characters... write to them... for Dave! He cannot express to them his disapproval of the treatment of his characters... but YOU can! He always said that the fans had a bigger say than they realized... so realize...if only for him... how much power you have in helping the comics to be the best they can be...If you see something you don't like...write! and it's not like voting...you can 't vote but once... but you can write, and badger, and hound and write some more if you see badness or something so wrong it makes your teeth hurt!
Dave loved the fans... He said that without them, he wouldn't have a job...and he was right. But it was more than that... he lived to tell stories to the fans and he was good at it, too... as witness the number of people his storytelling touched . I wish the current crop of superstars in the industry understood this. but then, not everyone is a Dave Cockrum...more's the pity...

Huggies
Paty

Dave Cockrum has passed away

Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2006 5:40 pm
by chicory
I've been meaning to stop in and say - Thank You, Dave! for giving the world some of its nicest fictional characters. The world really has lost a marvelous storyteller.

There are lots of really nice memorials all over the internet, as well as real life. UXN has their banner dedication and sites like this one posted some of their favorite pages of his in tribute to his memory. :)

The Media Honoring Dave

Posted: Tue Dec 19, 2006 5:10 am
by CliffordMeth
Originally posted by Paty

My thanks to all who posted links to articles and who devised memorials to him. He would have been amazed at the brouhaha his passing has stirred up...three columns in the NY Times! sheesh! I KNOW he never expected THAT!!! He thought a blurb in the local paper and a notation on this forum and maybe X fan... but that's the kind of humble man he was...Paty
Paty,
Posting to you in public because I want others to read this, too: Dave's life (and passing) was covered by CNN, ABC, NBC, The Hollywood Reporter, "The Howard Stern Show", The LA Times, The Chicago Tribute, The NY Times, and TIME Magazine, as well as hundreds of newspapers (to say nothing of hundreds of blogs). That's quite a statement.

Dave Cockrum has passed away

Posted: Tue Dec 19, 2006 10:52 pm
by Saint Kurt
It's taken me forever to get time to sit down and write this. The problem was that November 26th was the day I arrived home from my Thanksgiving break. I left Chicago and a five hour drive later I had the news. Then it was none stop exams until Dec 14th after which I immediately had surgery (as in that day).

I was behind the scenes a bit, helping with the arrangements, but most of that was in the hands our two new and capable administrators. And I didn't write because Dave Cockrum is practically the reason I am here, why I have stayed, why I have the commitment that I have, and why I do what I do. Saying "I'm sorry for your loss" just to get a word in seemed inadequate – not when I could wait and tell the real reason and my real feelings.

I joined Nightscrawlers just before Dave got sick. He was a vibrant and funny member of the community. I thought he was cool just to be here with us comics dorks. Then he got sick with pneumonia. This totally sucked.

However, because of his illness I got to see something really rare: a true community formed and in action… on the Internet. This was in 2003, and I was already an administrator of two different Internet communities, but neither of them was as connected or as cool as Nightscrawlers was. I didn't know it was possible for Internet communities to do anything but fight. But, here was true support and generosity as Dave's family and friends came to the forums and received such incredible love and encouragement from his fans. The address of Dave's hospital room was posted and he received countless drawings, cards, and flowers there without a hint of abuse. Amazing!

Throughout Dave's illness this never changed. No one got bored or restless or tired of hearing the worries of his family; I could see that his wife Paty Cockrum really needed this place – that it really lifted her spirits to come here and have a community that truly cared. I watched this site become an incredible gift to those that knew and loved him and, when he was well enough – to Dave himself. It was just such a beautiful thing to me. I had so much respect and love for everyone here.

From that point on I knew this place was special and I decided early on that I would protect it at all costs. That was nearly 4 years ago and that decision has been an incredible ride for me for which I have Dave to thank. I used to keep the site running both because it was so great and in honour of the wonderful character Dave created; now it will run in his memory as well. As long as there needs to be Nightscrawlers, there will be.

-e

Dave Cockrum has passed away

Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 4:44 am
by CliffordMeth
Originally posted by Saint Kurt
From that point on I knew this place was special and I decided early on that I would protect it at all costs. That was nearly 4 years ago and that decision has been an incredible ride for me for which I have Dave to thank. I used to keep the site running both because it was so great and in honour of the wonderful character Dave created; now it will run in his memory as well. As long as there needs to be Nightscrawlers, there will be.

-e
Well, "e" (whoever you might be), you have my deep thanks for keeping this site running. It was was always a center of friendship & encouragement for Dave, as it remainsl for Paty. Salute.

Dave Cockrum has passed away

Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 6:12 pm
by Saint Kurt
Thanks, but the credit doesn't all go to me. I'm just one of several owner/admins who's had the privilege of taking care of the site (not to mention all the mods who look after the place). They all have cool stories too. :)

-e

Dave Cockrum has passed away

Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 9:15 pm
by Paty
:magneto

and they are all welcome to post their thoughts and memories of Dave here on the Corner! for sure!
Scrawlers has been the site that Dave cared most about on the internet. he told me that the bickering and fighting and puerile behavior of some other sites just got wearying... but here at Scrawlers, he felt at home. Mostly it was all fun and joking and stories and conversation with his fans... and he loved his fans like no other pro I have ever met. He wrote for the fans...he drew for the fans...and that is not to say he didn't have his own standards to meet... cuz he did... I saw him tear up whole pages because one panel didn't work for him! I told him often that if one panel wasn't the best, it wouldn't matter... but it mattered to him because he wouldn't give to his fans less than the best he could do.

so, to all his fans...he's still hanging around. Every once in a while we hear him in the hall... and every now and again, I feel a cool finger up my spine...a thing he used to do when he would come into my office at Marvel and find me hunched over a drawing board... LOL... he would run his finger up my back to let me know he was there....as if I didn't already know ...LOL

He enjoyed so much interacting with all the people here at Nightscrawlers... and when his eyesight began to give him trouble or his hands shook so much he couldn't type, it really bothered him that he was losing communication with all you wonderful people here.
I will peek in more and more as I get stuff squared away here at the homestead... but right now, things are crazy here... what with legalities and the holidays on top of it all!
so I will take this moment to wish you all a happy holiday season and a very merrie New Year! And we will keep Cockrum Corner up and running! It won't be the same...of course... but if any of you have questions you wanted to ask Dave, I will try my best to answer them for you.
So stay warm and cozy in the nasty winter...think of us here in the sunny south in our tee shirts and sixty degree days as you shovel snow and ice... and listen for
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA on the breeze...heh heh...
Huggies to all
Paty
:magneto