Rusty Haller, 1964-2009

Rusty Haller, a cartoonist with two decades' experience and a well-known, likable presence in the field who provided scripts and artwork for companies as varied as Spotlight Comics, Marvel, Radio Comix and About Comics, passed away in his sleep between I believe Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning. He was found by a friend with whom he was living and the passing was announced on a comics-related message board. Friends and acquaintances suspect complications due to long-undiagnosed diabetes.

Haller's first published work in comic books seems to have been on "Deputy Dawg" for Spotlight Comics at the tail end of the black and white boom period. His most high profile work may have come for Marvel's Star line on licensed series including Alf in the early '90s. He has also made comics for the Flintstones franchise and later provided work to DC's Looney Tunes titles. One of the comics he worked on during that period was an Eek! The Cat book from Hamilton Comics. His partner on that issue was Nat Gertler, who later published a great deal of Haller material through is own publishing effort, About Comics. Gertler wrote a long letter to several sources about Haller.

Rusty was one of my regulars, working on a number of About Comics projects. He worked on every issue of Licensable BearTM, and also contributed to The Factor and Many Happy Returns.

Gertler says that Haller may have worked on some licensed material related to comics in addition to comics themselves.

Haller had recently found a level of creative satisfaction with his work on Ace and Queenie, his own creation. Ace and Queenie is an anthropomorphic adventure-romance that appeared in Radio Comix' Furrlough, and enjoy an on-line following through a devoted site. He had anticipated collecting that work. According to a post by Elin Winkler, Haller also contributed to the Radio's Hit The Beach and was in discussions for several new projects, including some on-line.

According to several postings by friends, Haller had been displaced after the death of a family member and drop in work opportunities. He had recently moved to Ohio to live with a friend. Describing him as someone who loved comics more than they loved him, Gertler mentioned that he remained hopeful to the end.

When last we talked, he had plans in place to go to some convention... which would involve his first ever airplane flight. I think I brought up once again the idea that it might be time to find something beyond comics to earn a living, but that wasn't in him. It may be a slightly poetic memory bank telling me that he said that he'd be doing comics until he died... but even if he didn't voice it that way, it was certainly how he felt.

Rusty Haller turned 45 in August.
 
posted 8:20 am PST | Permalink
 

---

 
Daily Blog Archives
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
 
Full Archives