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A Shocking Loss for the Comic Book Industry
Jason Pearson, a veteran comic book artist best known for his creator-owned series Body Bags, has died. He was 52 years old. According to a statement from his family, Pearson passed away on December 19, 2022, from natural causes, which was later revealed to be a heart attack.
Pearson’s death came as a shock to his fans, colleagues, and friends, who expressed their condolences and tributes on social media. Many praised his dynamic and hyper-kinetic style, his memorable characters, and his influence on the comic book medium.
A Prolific and Versatile Career
Pearson started his career in 1991, working with Keith Giffen on Legion of Super-Heroes for DC Comics. He later described Giffen as one of his mentors. He also worked on various titles for Marvel, Image, Dark Horse, and Wildstorm, featuring characters such as Spider-Man, Batman, Deadpool, and Green Lantern.
Pearson’s original work, Body Bags, helped him establish his name as a creator. Body Bags, which debuted in 1996 from Dark Horse Comics and Blanc Noir, the imprint he shared with his fellow Atlanta-based Gaijin Studios employees, quickly sold out and shot to the top of the “Wizard Top-10” List, which was the most important compilation of valuable comics during the 1990s.
Body Bags follows the exploits of Mack Delgado, a bounty hunter known as “Clownface”, and his teenage daughter Panda, who joins him in his violent and bloody profession. The series is known for its gritty and dark humor, its stylized and exaggerated art, and its action-packed and fast-paced storytelling.
Pearson produced a four-issue mini-series, a one-shot, and a sequel for Body Bags, which was interrupted by an illness. In 2015, he ran a Kickstarter funding campaign for a 96-page story Body Bags: Don’t Die Until I Kill You, raising $39,514, nearly double his goal of $20,000. However, the project was delayed repeatedly, and Pearson promised that publication was imminent in 2022, shortly before his death.
Pearson also announced that he was writing and drawing a mini-series called Redbird, intended to be the first of a trilogy, in 2004, but the project was not completed.
A Legacy That Will Live On
Pearson leaves behind a legacy of work that will be cherished by readers for decades to come. His hyper-kinetic style and breathless pace will be studied by both aspiring artists and seasoned professionals as long as the comic book medium exists. While sometimes a controversial figure, no one could ever question his commitment to the craft or the quality of work he produced as both a writer and artist.
