Neal Adams

Neal Adams (1941–2022) was an American comics artist whose naturalistic figures and dramatic compositions changed the appearance of mainstream superhero comics. After drawing the newspaper strip Ben Casey, he joined DC in 1967. His Batman stories with Dennis O’Neil helped establish a darker treatment of the character; their Green Lantern work addressed racism, drug use and other social questions.

Adams also drew Superman vs. Muhammad Ali and helped introduce John Stewart as Green Lantern. Beyond drawing, he campaigned for creators’ rights, including recognition and financial support for Superman’s creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, and the return of original artwork to artists.