Founder Of Aircel Comics, Barry Blair, Dies

[Rich Johnston]

I'm told by close friends that Barry Blair, founder of Aircel Comics, died today from a brain aneurism.

He complained to friends of an ear ache previously and was on medication as a result. However he felt so ill, he was eventually taken to hospital, but it was too late. His website currently hosts an brief eulogy.

Aircel was famously an insulation company that lost its contract with the government and, under the guidance of comic fan and employee Barry Blair, decided to publish comic books instead. Popularising manga style artwork with titles such as Elflord and Samurai, Blair would write Warlock 5 to much acclaim, before moving into erotic comics.

Aircel would become part of Malibu and created the hit Men In Black for the company, before Blair left the company when Marvel bought Malibu.

Blair worked on a number of Elfquest titles and of late specialised in selling original artwork, especially erotic elf illustrations.

[Todd VerBeek]

This is confirmed on www.blairdotcomix.co.uk

More than a decade ago, my boyfriend Andy suffered a brain aneurysm. Just a weak blood vessel in the brain, which bulged and then started to bleed. If diagnosed and treated quickly, there's a fair chance of survival (often with some degree of brain damage), but the symptoms are easily mistaken for less severe ailments (as apparently happened in Blair's case), so the mortality rate is pretty high.

Barry Blair's art isn't everyone's cuppa tea, particularly the erotica, but he was unquestionably a talented artist, and the medium of comics is poorer without him.

[_OM_]

...My uncle died under similar circumstances. He had an aneurysm at the base of the brain, just in front of the Medulla. This caused his respiratory system to react as if the body was fighting a really bad case of the flu, and that's what he was subsequently treated for. When it didn't get any better, the quacks figured that he'd deteriorated into pneumonia, and stuck him in the hospital. After a week of treatment, he had "improved" enough for them to send him home. He got up out of the bed, stood up, and collapsed as the orthostatic hypertension finally blew out the artery. They managed to get him on life support, but as the EEG showed he'd was checked out before he hit the floor.

...That being said, Todd raises an issue regarding Barry's art that a lot of comic fans have taken sides on over the past two decades since Elflord first saw print. You either loved his art and accepted the fact that, like John Byrne, Barry only knew how to draw one style of face, or you hated it and avoided anything he drew, especially his Logan's Run attempt and even his Elfquest shorts. Still, his death is a tragic one, and regardless of whether you loved or hated his work, he will be missed. Personally, I despised his art almost as much as I did Mike Sekowsky's JLA with his beer barrel belly Superman and Batman, but I *will* give him props for that one panel in Elflord #1 where the troll gets sliced open and it's revealed that their internal arrangement is exactly like that of a lemon.

[thekamisama]

I recall he seemed everywhere in the boom days for indy/Black and white small press in the 80's but slowly faded from the scene. Sadly I think his most lasting legacy will probably be his role as the "inspiration" for Dave Cooper's disturbing and genius Dan and Larry in: Don't Do That! book.

[Corum]

I liked his Elflord stuff, and really enjoyed his ElfQuest stuff. Truly a loss. Godspeed.

[Mark Bourne]

Very sorry to hear the news. He was a very nice man when I met him post/pre Malibu. Elflord was one of the first Indy books I ever read and Gun Fury w/ Dave Cooper stands as some of the funniest comics next to Justice League.

RIP

[Karlos]

I remember working in a LCS back in 1990 and can clearly recall stocking a LOT of Aircel product - some good, some not so.

Hadn't heard his name for a long time - until this. Very sad.

Sleep well, Mr Blair.

[Sammy In CT]

I was fortunate this summer, while suffering from headaches for nearly a month, my Dr. misdiagnosed me a having "cluster headaches", and after another few days of headaches, I was taking stuff to the Post Office with my wife, and she said when I came out I was a totally different person. She being a nurse, she drove me to the ER, where they gave me a CT Scan, and then immediately stuffed me into a LifeStar helicopter for a ride to the larger in-state hospital for emergency brain surgery for a subdural hematoma larger than a lemon on the side of my head. They drilled two holes in my skull, the blood poured out like a high-pressure hose, and fortunately my brain went right back into it's proper place almost immediately, and I was home in 3 days back at full capacity.

The moral here is to never mess around when you have headaches, and get them checked out thoroughly. The Neurosurgeon estimated I had it for over 6 weeks, and said my brain was less than 5 hours away from shutting down entirely. He said he had no idea how I was able to function that long without my brain shutting down much earlier.

[Dreadpiratemick]

That's a shame.




I have a few Aircel comics - North American reprints of The Southern Squadron, but never gave much thought to the company or people responsible.

[yelodoggie]

What a shock. I am just heartsick over this. Barry was a delightfully funny guy, and a joy to work with. I have never met a more prolific artist in my life. As an indy creator, he marched to his own drummer and was true to his vision. Barry gave me advice once that I'll never forget. He said "You are only as good as the next thing you draw." Rest in Peace, Bao.