Elmer by Gerry Alanguilan
Award-winning comic book artist Gerry Alanguilan, known for his acclaimed graphic novel Elmer as well as his work on several DC and Marvel comics, and a viral video has died. He was 51.
Karen Green, curator for comics and cartoons at Columbia University, recalled on a Facebook post today her time as a judge for the Eisner Awards in 2011 when Alanguilan’s Elmer was up for Best New Graphic Album: “His book, ELMER, came out in 2010, which meant I read it as an Eisner judge in 2011. This book blew the entire jury away: Rich Johnson, Andy Helfer, Chris Powell, Ned Cato Jr, John Berry, and I all gave it our highest score. I was incredibly excited when I heard he would attend SDCC 2011, and I completely fangirled over him. Sadly for his jewel of a book, the publisher did not print a large run, and it was mostly unavailable by the time voters would have needed to see it; it lost to RETURN OF THE DAPPER MEN.”
Page from Elmer
“Saddened to learn of the passing of Gerry Alanguilan,” Marvel Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski tweeted. “Another wonderful person taken from us too soon. An amazingly talented writer and inker, mentor to younger artists, and advocate for global comics, the comics world and Filipino art community lost a friend and hero today.”
Alanguilan also achieved viral video fame with his “Hey Baby” YouTube video, which has been viewed 6.49 million times, and was featured in a segment on Comedy Central’s Tosh.0.
Gerry Alanguilan was a singular talent. An architect by trade, he gained wide recognition for his work for DC and Marvel, went on to create his own beloved personal graphic novel, and continues to inspire all those who love comics and storytelling.
