Comics Community Mourns X-Force Artist Joshua Cassara, Dead at 46

The comics community is mourning Joshua Cassara, the self-taught artist best known for defining the look of Marvel's Krakoa-era X-Force, who died September 22 at age 46 from heart complications. His wife, Martha, asked fans to celebrate his impact rather than offer condolences, describing him as someone who "approached the world with humor, sweetness, and kindness."

Cassara broke out penciling Benjamin Percy's X-Force during the Krakoa era, quickly becoming one of the title's signature artists and earning Marvel's Stormbreaker designation in 2020. His credits extended across the X-Men line as well as Venom, Falcon, and Deadpool/Wolverine, and colleagues have pointed to his X-Force work specifically as some of the defining art of that entire era of mutant storytelling.

Tributes have poured in from across the industry. Russell Dauterman called him "THE artist of the Krakoa era," while writer Tini Howard remembered him and Martha as "a highlight of every convention we shared" and "Krakoa family." Marvel issued its own statement praising Cassara as "a gifted artist" and "a wonderful friend and collaborator with a kind heart."

Source: The Beat