Tom Palmer Sr., the prolific and celebrated inker in the comics industry passed away at the age of 80 years old.
Best known as a comic book inker for Marvel Comics over the decades, Palmer inked the greats such as Neal Adams on Avengers, Howard The Duck and X-Men, John Buscema on Avengers, the entire run of John Byrne’s X-Men: The Hidden Years, and especially making a name for himself as the definitive inker of Gene Colan, on titles such as Doctor Strange, Daredevil, and Tomb of Dracula.
His passing was announced by his son Tom Palmer Jr on Facebook saying:
“We are very sad to share the news that legendary comic book inker and artist Tom Palmer passed away on August 18, 2022, at the age of 81. He will be remembered fondly by his loving family and his many fans.”
Creators across the industry took to Twitter with condolences and praise of his work:
Palmer’s work was recognized over the years with the following awards:
- #3 Inker of American Comics by Atlas Comics
- 1969 Alley Award
- 1975 “Favorite Inker” Comic Fan Art Award
- 2008 “Favorite Finisher/Embellisher” Inkwell Award
- 2014 “The Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame Award” Inkwell Award
He collaborated with Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr. on Kick-Ass and comics adaptation of Jaws 2 and Marvel’s 1980s Star Wars comics, where he also penciled and colored several issues along with a number of painted covers.
Comic Watch would like to extend condolences to Mr. Palmer’s family, friends, fans, and collaborators during this difficult time.
REST IN POWER
This news makes me very sad. He was the greatest inker of all time (despite everyone falling all over themselves for Joe Sinnott). Neal Adams, John And Sal Buscema, Gene Colan: he was their best inker. Pretty much anyone he inked he became the best inker they ever had. He did a one-off over Mike Sekowsky’s pencils in House of Mystery # 206 that was amazing. I was fortunate enough to meet him at a convention in 1990 when I lived in NYC. He was nice and humble and signed my X-Men and Avengers, including Avengers # 93, his masterpiece (you might say it was Marvel-ous). I can’t tell you the amount of pleasure this man’s output brought me over the years. I can pick up X-Men # 56, his first teaming with Neal Adams, and feel my pulse quicken again. Rest in peace, Mr. Palmer. We will not see someone of your brilliance again for quite awhile. So sorry I will not get a chance to see him again, a dream I kept in the back of my mind.