RIP Rick Buckler

[WannabeMego]

[Could Someone Correct the Subject Line to Rich instead of Rick...Please]

At 5 PM Friday a few of us saw a Post come up on Rich Buckler's Facebook Page about his Passing at 3:30 Am that morning that initially looked skeptical...

"Our hearts is bleeding from the pain of loss.
You will always remain in our memory as brilliant artist,
kind man with a great sense of humor, intelligent and amazing person. You'll be missed."

The Person who posted it claimed to be a Family Friend and could not share any additional information.

We quickly browsed the 'Net to see if there were any other posts from more reliable sources in the Field but could not find a thing...

Then around 3 PM Saturday, Angelica Buckler (Rich Buckler's Ex-Wife) confirmed that he did pass away.

I've enjoyed his work throughout many books over many years.

I was lucky enough to have the honor of meeting and speaking with him several times at length about many topics and was always surprised that there was never a 'crowd' of people in & around his table whenever I went, but that just gave me more time to talk with him.

Others may have had different experiences with him, but he was always kind and considerate whenever I met him.

This hit me much harder then I thought...It's really starting to get to me how My Youth is Slowly Disappearing.

Rest in Peace Mr. Buckler.

[PNGwynne]

I really liked his illustrative style. I was just re-reading some of his Shazam! stuff this week. RIP Mr. Buckler.

[Bruce Banner]

A truly great artist. Loved everything he did for Marvel and DC.
R.I.P.

[emeraldknight47]

Ahhhh--bummer news. Always loved his stuff for both companies. He was one of the many under appreciated workhorses the companies used to pull their fat out of the fryer if they were tight on deadlines or what have you. RIP to you, good sir, peace and condolences to your family, friends and many fans.

[Earth 2 Chris]

Wow, sad to hear. I know his career was sometimes mired in controversy, but unlike other artists who were also accused of similar things, it was never in doubt that Buckler could DRAW. Yes, he sometimes swiped Kirby, Adams, etc, but it was probably for expediency than anything else. He was a commercial artist who was hired to work in a "house style". At Marvel that was Kirby, and at DC that was Adams. He did both very, very well, but added enough of his own flair to make it his own.

I loved his brief tenure on Justice League and his longer run on World's Finest, and of course, the early issues of All-Star Squadron. He was quite the workhorse at DC in the early 80s and helped define the look of those characters in my young mind, in some ways more than Adams, since he had mostly moved on by that point.

Rest in peace.

Chris

[Joshua the Atomic Robot]

Rich Buckler's Reagan's Raiders comic came out when I was going through a weird "angry conservative" phase in junior high, and thus became an instant favorite. I've since grown up to be happy left-winger, but I still look back at this comic and get a kick out of it.
rr2.jpg

[Starroid Raiders Dagon]

I loved Deathlok and his work on the Archie heroes (Red Circle?). Awesome artist, and I need to see his run on Fantastic Four. Sad news.

[Random Axe]

If he had only ever drawn the Superman vs Shazam book he'd still have my undying respect and admiration.

[VintageMike]

Always loved his work and his special ability for draw these characters EXACTLY as they should appear. I never felt he got credit for that the way say a Garcia-Lopez does. To this end when I was looking a "classic" Wonder Woman to add to my collection (I had one from Jose Delbo wwhich I like but it's a 3/4 shot and sword/sheild) I contacted Rich last year for a commission. He quoted mt a price which I happily paid. There were delays I stayed in friendly contact making sure Rich knew I was just trying not to forget about this myself. He mentioned family stuff and yes his health. One if not the last time I checked up I mentioned I hoped his heath had improved and he said he said it had. Shortly thereafter I recieved this beautiful piece of art. I realize everyone I have something from will go before me, but to have something like this completed only 8 months before his passing and knowing know he was probably not in the best of health makes it so much more special. This is also the only one of four commisons I had done where I spoke with the artist directly.

[hedrap]

I loved his brief tenure on Justice League and his longer run on World's Finest, and of course, the early issues of All-Star Squadron. He was quite the workhorse at DC in the early 80s and helped define the look of those characters in my young mind, in some ways more than Adams, since he had mostly moved on by that point.

Rest in peace.

Chris

Total agreement. And his Deathlok is the only Deathlok worth a damn.