Death Of A Titan: Sal Buscema 1936-2026

When you hear a name for the greatest comic artists of all time, you’ll surely see Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Neal Adams, Jim Lee, John Buscema, George Perez, John Byrne, and…Sal Buscema? If you’ve never heard of Sal Buscema, it’s not a shock. John and Sal Buscema were the Adam and Andy Kubert before there was an Andy and Adam. While John was the far most recognizable name in the industry, it was his brother who put his own stamp on the industry. And this quiet titan of the industry has passed away.

Born on January 26, 1936 as the youngest of four siblings, Sal would do random jobs in illustration from the ’50s, getting his start as an inker for some of his brothers earlier works, until being drafted into the military, where he’d join the Army Corps of Engineers. He’d put in illustration work for different departments, the department of agriculture and the department of defense, before leaving for the private sector. He’d get random jobs until 1968, when he’d join Marvel Comics, where he’d forgo his first love of inking, and instead become an artist. Sal found that he’d always be in his brother’s shadow, after his work on the Avengers, Thor, and Conan, but it was his quiet demeanor and workmanship that would be his greatest influence in the comics medium.

worked with some of the greatest writers in the comics world, who also worked on some of the greatest stories to be told. His name was attached to a veritable who’s who. Names like Steve Englehart, Chris Claremont, Roger Stern, Gerry Conway, Peter David, and Bill Mantlo, just to name a few. Mix that with working on stories like the original Secret Empire storyline, that would humanize Steve Rogers. The impact of that story would reverberate throughout the story, causing Cap to forgo his superhero identity, and become the nomadic…NOMAD! The first of several times Steve Rogers would leave the title.

From here, Sal would jump from book to book, on titles like the Defenders, Avengers, and even Spider-Man! Sal and Spider-Super Scribe, Gerry Conway, would launch the first Spider-Man spinoff, the Spectacular Spider-Man in 1976. He’d later return to the book with issue 134, where he’d stay on the book until issue 238, when he would leave during the now infamous Clone Saga!

Sal’s work would reverberate throughout the comic industry for decades, and would put his stamp on some of the biggest characters ever created. Giving each book in a style that was instantly recognizable, yet was able to evolve with the different styles throughout the years, and it’s this versatility that would become his signature trademark. Good bye, Sal. We have truly lost a legend.