Steve Dillon, the talented artist behind such titles as Hellblazer, The Punisher, Judge Dredd, and Preacher (which he co-created with writer Garth Ennis) has passed away reports ComicBook.com. Friends, fans, and colleagues from around the world confirmed his death and expressed their mourning on social media.
https://twitter.com/warrenellis/status/789830547975659521
Steve Dillon, dessinateur de Preacher et The Punisher de Warren Ellis, nous a quitté. Énorme choc pic.twitter.com/QztUY9S8IH
— Bomask (@AccesComics) October 22, 2016
https://twitter.com/50ShadesofPaolo/status/789836546811760640
In mourning him as an artist it will be too easy to overlook the huge contribution to comics Steve Dillon made in co-founding Deadline.
— Phillip Hester (@philhester) October 22, 2016
Oh no. Steve Dillon was a true legend of comics.
— Jamie McKelvie (@McKelvie) October 22, 2016
https://twitter.com/brubaker/status/789831114605023232
Steve Dillon was a master of comic art and expression. Inimitable, no matter how hard I tried. RIP
— Real Chip Zdarsky (@zdarsky) October 22, 2016
Dillon was a childhood prodigy who began drawing professionally as a teenager. During the 1980s he made a name for himself in the British science-fiction anthology series 2000 A.D. Later, as part of the “British Invasion” of American comics, Dillon teamed up with Garth Ennis on the definitive run of Hellblazer. The duo went on to collaborate on various titles, reaching their apex with the industry changing and smash hit Preacher (adapted earlier this year into a hit TV series by AMC). Information on his passing is still coming in, but suffice to say we lost a giant in the world of comics today. He was 54 years old.