bernie-wrightsonIt is always sad news when a creative talent has to retire and news has come in that the co-creator of ‘Swamp Thing‘, Bernie Wrightson, has had to do just that. This popular Stephen King collaborator is 68 and his wife Liz helped make the announcement early Monday morning after 49 years of creating comics and other content for us to enjoy.

This isn’t Wrightson’s first bout with health issues but due to recent complications, his ability to produce new art and attend conventions has come to a standstill. While they are still hoping for a recovery, at this time it isn’t something that will be quick.

Here is what they had to say about the situation:

Last November Bernie began falling again, and having obvious problems with perception. He had to undergo yet another brain surgery to relieve bleeding, and then spend several weeks undergoing in-patient rehabilitation. Unfortunately, it appears that he has lasting damage: he has extremely limited function on his left side, and is unable to walk or reliably use his left hand, among other limitations.

Wrightson started off his career with ‘House of Mystery’ # 168 back in 1968. He later co-created Swamp Thing with writer Len Wein and popular ‘The Sandman’ recurring guest character Destiny with Marv Wolfman in 1972’s ‘Weird Mystery Tales’ #1. Later in his career, he worked on multiple Stephen King projects such as ‘Cycle of the Werewolf’, ‘The Stand’, and illustrating the comic adaptation of King’s and George A. Romero‘s ‘Creepshow.’ Recently, teamed up with Steve Niles of ’30 Days of Night’ fame to bring us ‘Frankenstein Alive, Alive!’

Here is the post which the couple shared on Facebook:

Truly a sad day for comic fans everywhere. While they do post that there is hope he may one day return, it isn’t looking likely at this time.

What is your favorite piece of work by Bernie Wrightson? What would you like to see him work on if he does return? Share your thoughts below!

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

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Stuart Conover is an author, blogger, and all around geek. When not busy being a father and husband he tries to spend as much time as possible immersed in comic books, science fiction, and horror! Would you like to know more? Follow him on Twitter!