Eisner-Award winning comic book artist Tim Sale, most notably known for his work on Batman: The Long Halloween, died on June 16, 2022. Sale’s Twitter account alerted fans to his passing today. The cause of death is currently unknown. He was 66 years old. Jim Lee, DC’s Chief Creative Officer, and Publisher, announced on Twitter Sale’s admission to the hospital last week. He said, “I regret to share the very sad news that the legendary artist Tim Sale has been admitted to the hospital with severe health issues.”
It’s with a heavy sadness that I must announce that Tim Sale passed away today. He passed with the love of his life beside him, and loves all of you very much. Please share photos and stories under this post, as we hope to share them with the community.
— Remembering Tim Sale (@ArtBySale) June 16, 2022
Tim Sale Worked On More Than Batman
The legendary artist has a wide breadth of work with many of the industry’s publishers. Apart from The Long Halloween and Batman: Dark Victory, Sale also worked on many other titles. Some for Marvel and a large portion of them in collaboration with legendary writer Jeph Loeb. Titles like Hulk: Gray, Spider-Man: Blue, Daredevil: Yellow, Captain America: White, and many more.
Tim Sale’s work went on to inspire a number of creators outside the comic book industry. Christopher Nolan noted Sale’s influence on his Batman film trilogy. Matt Reeves’ movie, The Batman, definitely has The Long Halloween’s fingerprints all over it.
Born in Ithaca, New York, in 1956, Sale broke into the comic book industry in the ’80s. In 1991, Tim began his partnership with Jeph Loeb and DC Comics on Challengers of the Unknown. Tim’s style was memorable from the beginning of his career. Eventually, he found his way into TV/film as a consultant on Heroes, a TV series about people with powers.
Furthermore, the artist’s Twitter handle was recently changed to “Remembering Tim Sale” after his passing. Many creators in comics and film came out to show their gratitude for Sale’s work and inspiration. Because of this, the Twitter account will share community messages that honor his life and work tomorrow.
