Sal Buscema, one of the most respected and prolific artists in the history of comic books as a medium, has passed away just three days shy of his 90th birthday. He was born January 26, 1936, and died January 23, 2026.

Born Silvio Buscema in Brooklyn, Buscema would help shape the entire superhero comics genre for more than five decades. The younger brother of comic book artist John Buscema, he began his career inking his brother’s pages in the 1950s, and did advertising and government illustration before joining Marvel Comics full time in 1968. It was at Marvel that he made his mark on the industry, working there through the 1990s. His work graced celebrated long runs on The Incredible Hulk and The Spectacular Spider-Man, and made major contributions to Captain America, Thor, The Defenders, ROM Space Knight, and many other titles.

He later brought his prodigious experience with illustration and storytelling to DC Comics, where his work on Superman-related titles became a notable part of his legacy. He contributed artwork to Superman Vol. 2, Superman: The Man of Steel, and The Adventures of Superman, lending a grounded, authoritative visual style to stories centered on the Man of Steel. He also lent his hand to Batman and Superman: World’s Finest, and handled both the quieter character-driven moments and over-the-top super-heroics with equal penache and skill.

Buscema will be remembered as an artist whose pages shaped generations of heroes and readers alike, leaving behind a legacy as solid and enduring as the icons he helped bring to life. He is survived by his wife Joan, and is predeceased by his brother John Buscema, who passed away in 2002 at the age of 74.

We at SCIFI.radio offer our condolences to the Buscema family, but offer this thought which we hope will be of comfort:

Stories pass to myth, and myth passes to legend, but at the beginning of them are the storytellers. Sal Buscema created legends for us all, and, in the end, finally became one himself.