Name:

Dave Cockrum

Born:

November 12th, 1943 in Pendleton, Oregon

Died:

November 26th, 2006

Occupation:

Comic Book Illustrator/Creator

Characters/Comics Created:

The New X-Men (Relaunched in Giant Sized X-Men #1)
Storm
Nightcrawler
Colossus
The Futurians

Claim To Fame:

Dave Cockrum helped revamp the X-Men and helped introduce such characters as Storm, Nightcrawler, and Colossus, which are staples of the X-Men.

Interesting Fact:

Some of the characters that made their debut in The X-Men were first thought off for DC?s Legion of Superheroes.

Personal Website:

www.officialdavecockrum.com

Fan Website:

www.davecockrum.net

Bio:

Dave Cockrum was born in Pendleton, Oregon and was drawn to comic books at an early age.

Some of his favorites were the original Captain Marvel and Blackhawk. It was during this time that he also discovered an interest in drawing and deemed that he wanted to draw comics for a living. He read a large amount of comics from both DC and Marvel comics.
After a stint in the Navy he got back into illustrating and finally landed the dream job of penciling the Legion of Superheroes. His work on The Legion of Superheroes is often thought of as groundbreaking in the fact that his character designs and costume changes lasted for over a decade. His time at DC was short lived however, as a dispute led him to work at Marvel.

It was at Marvel Comics that Cockrum did some of his finest work. Working with Len Wein, they revamped the X-Men, introducing such characters as Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Storm. His work has had a lasting effect as these characters are some of the most popular characters in the X-Men universe. The reboot that Wein and Cockrum did paved the way for the X-Men to become the juggernaut that it is today, with many top selling comics, cartoons, toys, and a blockbuster movie franchise.

He later went on to create the comic book, The Futurians, that had a short run as a monthly series and then as a trade paperback. It was also released overseas in Europe. In his later years he drew covers for the Blackhawk relaunch.

Dave Cockrum suffered from diabetes and in 2004 he was hospitalized due to his disease and a bout with pneumonia. His hospital stay seriously hurt him financially and many comic book writers and fans came together to help him out. He also settled a lawsuit with Marvel over the money they made with Dave?s creations and additions to the X-Men. He finally succumbed to his illness on November 26th, 2006. He is survived by his wife Paty. Emails can be sent to magnetorampant@yahoo.com.