Tim Sale, The Artist Behind ‘Batman: The Long Halloween’ Passes Away

Tim Sale, the renowned comic book writer behind legendary DC Comics like “Batman: The Long Halloween” & “Superman for All Seasons,” passed away on Thursday, according to a media report from DC Comics. He was 66 years old at the time.

On Monday, Jim Lee, the chief creative officer & publisher of DC Comics, said that Sale had been hospitalized owing to health difficulties. The reason for death has yet to be revealed.

Sale’s art was distinguished by its smooth yet in-depth combinations and his massive use of color to express tone and mood. He collaborated with both DC as well as Marvel Comics.

Sale’s most dependable partner was comic author Jeph Loeb, with whom he collaborated on stories aiming at capturing the essence of the world’s most recognized fictional characters, such as Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, and Captain America.

Sale and Loeb collaborated on a short series reboot of the Jack Kirby sci-fi squad “Challengers of the Unknown” in 1991. Further to the partnership, the duo proceeded to collaborate regularly, such as on the miniseries “Wolverine/Gambit: Victims,” based on the popular X-Men superheroes.

Batman: The Long Halloween, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Specials, Batman: Dark Victory, as well as Superman for All Seasons, and Catwoman: When in Rome, were all developed by the pair.

The Long Halloween was being cited as a source of inspiration for Christopher Nolan’s Batman films, and it appears to be present in Matt Reeves’ latest The Batman.

Spider-Man: Blue, Daredevil: Yellow, Captain America: White, and Hulk: Gray were among the “Color” comic books created by Sale and Loeb and Sale at Marvel.

According to variety.com, Sale provided art for the NBC series “Heroes,” on which Loeb served as a writer and producer, in addition to his work in comics. Sale developed the original artwork by the character Isaac, as well as the font used in the show’s subtitles and credits.