Jackson "Butch" Guice, an acclaimed artist for Marvel and DC since the early 1980s (and the co-creator of the iconic X-Men villain, Apocalypse), has passed away at the age of 63, according toa social media message from Guice's brother-in-law, James Hettel. Guice had recently been dealing with some health struggles.
Guice was a big fanzine artist in the early 1980s when he did some work on aRom Annual, which got him his first regular Marvel gig, drawing Micronautsat the tail end of Bill Mantlo's run on the popular toy-inspired series...
During that period, he also had a beautiful portfolio published inMarvel Fanfare #9...
With Bob Layton, Guice launched X-Factor for Marvel in 1986...
When Louise Simonson took over the book with its sixth issue, Guice left the book soon after, but not before co-creating the iconic X-Men villain, Apocalypse, with Simonson...
He did some New Mutants issues during this period. He also did some work with Mike Baron on Baron's creator owned-work (plus a Hawk story inTeen Titans Spotlight), and then Baron and Guice notably relaunchedThe Flash for DC in 1987...
Now one of the top artists in the business, Guice returned to Marvel for a reunion with Bob Layton on Layton and David Michelinie's return toIron Man...
before quickly moving over to launch Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme with Roy Thomas and José Marzan Jr. (they sort of rebooted the series five issues in)...
Guice then moved toNick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., and in 1990, helped kick off the excellent prestige formatDeathlok miniseries by Dwayne McDuffie and Gregory Wright that introduced a new Deathlok to Marvel...
Guice then returned to DC, taking over penciling duties onAction Comics, working with first Roger Stern, and then David Michelinie (Denis Rodier inked Guice). Guice was the regular artist on the book during the legendary Death of Superman storyline, and its follow-ups Funeral for a Friend and the Reign of the Supermen, where Guice and Stern introduced a new take on the Eradicator...
Michelinie and Guice got to do an epicAction Comics#700 together...
In the mid-1990s, Acclaim, the new owners of Valiant, tried a gambit of throwing a ton of money at established creators to come work for Valiant, and Guice and John Ostrander were paired on Eternal Warrior...
After working on a few other Valiant books, Guice made his return to DC and Marvel in a BIG way with the DC/Marvel: All Access miniseries, the follow-up to the blockbuster DC vs. Marvel crossover series...
He then createdResurrection Man for DC with Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning...
When that series ended, he became the regular artist onBirds of Prey with Chuck DIxon...
When CrossGen launched, it also made similar inviting offers to veteran artists like Valiant did years earlier, and Guice and Dixon BOTH joined up, with Guice doing some of the best work of his career on Rusewith Mark Waid, Mike Perkins, and Laura Martin, which earned Guice a nomination for an Eisner for Best Art Team...
When Crossgen folded, Guice returned to DC, doing an arc ofJLA Classified, and then relaunchingAquaman with Kurt Busiek for DC's "One Year Later" initiative...
Guice was then reunited with his fellow Crossgen artists Steve Epting and Mike Perkins on Ed Brubaker's classic run onCaptain America (netting another Eisner nomination for best art team). Guice did some inking, and some penciling during the run....
In 2009, Guice did aStorming Paradise miniseries with Dixon that I mention only because I know Butch REALLY liked that series...
After working on Captain America off and on for a number of years throughout Brubaker's long run on the book, Guice and Brubaker launched aWinter Soldier series in 2012...
Guice worked on a number of other books for Marvel and other companies (including a return to the newly reformed Valiant) throughout the decade, with his last regular series for Marvel being 2018'sInvaders with writer Chip Zdarsky...
Guice's last series was the independent comic book,The Futurists, in 2020...
Here's a cover Guice did for aCaptain America: Theater of War comic book...
I share that because of what his brother-in-law had to say about it:
This is a cover that my brother in law, Jackson "Butch" Guice did for a Captain America run he was working on for Marvel Comics. Notice the patch on the left shoulder of the American Soldier in the front of the wedge formation. That's the Unit patch for my Home unit, 478th Combat Eng.
Butch could have picked any number of high profile, well known Army units to recognize on a cover of a comic that would go world wide. He chose to give a head nod to my unit. Why? Because that's the kind of guy he was and will always be.
Loving to his family. Always took care of and loved with his whole heart my sister and niece. Never left me out in the cold and was quick with a joke. Straight shooter, literally and figuratively. Quiet until there was actually something that needed to be said.
People all over respected his talent and his ability to turn pencil strokes into living , breathing, I swear their gonna walk right off the page and punch ya in the throat, works of Real Art.
But more then that, they knew that they were gonna get an honest answer from Butch. Not some canned, milky, watered down version of what they needed to hear. The Real Deal.
He earned the respect of his peers because they knew they could trust him and his word. Art work, once laid down on paper or canvas or what ever medium he was working with at the time, is solid and the proof is in the end result. A mans word; whether you can put stock into what he says and know he stands behind it... like so many other things today, is ify at best.
Not with Mr Jackson Guice. If he told you something, you could take it to the bank. When ever I would ask his opinion on something, he would look at me hard, say, "now you really wants this?" and then proceed to let me have it.
Words to describe Butch: Solid. Dependable. Influential. Kind (in a very straight forward, get your ass back up and get back in there kind of way). Loving. Love for his family like a mountain. And a Holy Anger like a Mountain Slide if he saw you looking sideways at those he protected.
He is exactly the kind of man I would have picked to love and protect my sister. Thank You Lord for the chance you gave me to know and be around Butch.
Hooah brother! Save me a seat on the bank by the water.
CBR offers our condolences to Guice's friends and family.
