Acclaimed 'Batman' comic artist Tim Sale dies at 66

Award-winning comic book artist Tim Sale, who helped create some of DC Comics' iconic series like 'Batman: The Long Halloween' died on Thursday. He was 66. – Photos: DC Comics

Acclaimed Eisner award-winning comic book artist Tim Sale, who helped create some of DC Comics' iconic series like Batman: The Long Halloween” and “Superman for All Seasons,” died on Thursday. He was 66.

DC Comics confirmed Sale's death in a press release published on its website DCcomics.com. In the release, DC chief creative officer and publisher Jim Lee said the "entire DC family is heartbroken" at the news of Sale’s passing.

“Tim was an extraordinary artist, who was masterful at storytelling and panel layouts and his compositions were second to none. I was always so impressed and inspired by his use of lighting and shadows which infused his work with foreboding gravitas and dramatic noir sensibilities," Lee said in the statement.

Sale's death comes just two months after the death of another legendary Batman artist, Neal Adams, who died in April.

Batman: The Long Halloween is arguably Sale's most famous work. – Photo: DC Comics

Born in Ithaca, New York, in 1956, Sale began his comics career in 1983, working for independent publishers and working on books such as MythAdventures and Grendel with Matt Wagner.

He first teamed up with comics writer Jeph Loeb in DC Comics when working on a 1991 revival of The Challengers of the Unknown. The pair went on to enjoy a long-running partnership that would include the highly acclaimed Batman: Long Halloween, Batman: Dark Victory, and Superman For All Seasons.

They also created comics for Marvel, they created successful comics series such as Daredevil: Yellow, Spider-Man: Blue, Hulk: Gray and Captain America: White.

“Tim contributed innovative ideas to every project he worked on,” said DC Editor in Chief Marie Javins says in the company's statement. “His work always surprised with artful compositions and graphic use of contrast and negative space.

"I especially loved his Batman villains, whose attributes Tim sometimes highlighted through exaggeration and caricature. We will miss Tim, and we consider ourselves lucky to be a partner in his legacy.”