Christian Comic Arts Society
A Network of Christian Fellowship for Comics Fans, Pros, and Amateurs
Rusty Haller 1964-2009
"It is with a sad heart that I pass along the information, that a friend of mine, Rusty Haller, creator of Ace & Queenie, and former cartoonist of Marvel’s Star Line passed away in his sleep last night. Rusty’s mother had passed away earlier this ...year, forcing Rusty to re-locate to Ohio to live with a friend. It was his friend & roommate that discovered Rusty’s body. That's all I know at the moment." -- Robert J. Sodaro
(found at Heidi MacDonald's THE BEAT comics blog: http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/10/01/rip-rusty-haller/)
Rusty Haller was a friend I don’t believe I had ever met face-to-face.
Rusty Haller was a comic book artist, specifically an inker. Some people today do not know what an inker is. That was a big part of Rusty’s problem.
Rusty was a nice, personable guy. I spoke with him on the phone many, many times and exchanged numerous e-mails. He was eager and anxious to work, and up until the last he was looking for new opportunities.
I should put “new” in quotes. Truth be told, Rusty wasn’t really interested in “new” opportunities; he just wanted more of the “old” opportunities.
Rusty, as nice as he was as an individual, was both a late adaptor and unwilling to move out of his comfort zone. Those two clichés are probably linked. Late adaptors often wait until new techniques and technologies are literally forced upon them because they aren’t comfortable learning new methods or dealing with unfamiliar frustrations.
Rusty was an ink-on-paper kinda guy, still wanting to do printed 32-page comic books. Unfortunately for him, the world had moved on to PhotoShop and digital delivery.
It wasn’t that Rusty’s ideas were unworkable; ideas rarely are. What was unworkable was Rusty’s extreme reluctance to achieve parity with other comics artists who had embraced the new technologies. I’m not gonna get into a debate of the virtue of pen & ink vs. digital art; there are people who prefer one over the other just as there are those who prefer analog records over mp3s and film over digital video.
The thing is, those preferences are immaterial for the most part. The tide is clearly moving in an all digital direction, and attempting to deny that is like pulling a King Canute on reality. Just ain’t gonna happen.
I’m sorry Rusty’s last years were filled with anxiety and frustration. I could offer him little more than sympathy and encouragement. My business had already moved far past the pen & ink world; I could no more have offered him gainful employment than I could have employed a groomsman for my non-existent horses.
But just as Rusty was frustrated by changes in technology he didn’t like, didn’t feel comfortable with, didn’t want to even acknowledge, we often do the same thing with other realities around us. I know a lot of people who would love living in a 1900/1930/1950/1960 Never-never Land that really didn’t exist the way they imagine it existed.
They want the clock set backwards and fixed so that nothing ever changes. But change has been and always will be part of the human condition: “And this, too, shall pass away.” Indeed, the only constant is change itself.
They end up being angry, frustrated, and frightened by the world around them, often failing to realize wonderful opportunities to make huge, positive contributions.
May God grant you peace, Rusty.
(found at Heidi MacDonald's THE BEAT comics blog: http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/10/01/rip-rusty-haller/)
Rusty Haller was a friend I don’t believe I had ever met face-to-face.
Rusty Haller was a comic book artist, specifically an inker. Some people today do not know what an inker is. That was a big part of Rusty’s problem.
Rusty was a nice, personable guy. I spoke with him on the phone many, many times and exchanged numerous e-mails. He was eager and anxious to work, and up until the last he was looking for new opportunities.
I should put “new” in quotes. Truth be told, Rusty wasn’t really interested in “new” opportunities; he just wanted more of the “old” opportunities.
Rusty, as nice as he was as an individual, was both a late adaptor and unwilling to move out of his comfort zone. Those two clichés are probably linked. Late adaptors often wait until new techniques and technologies are literally forced upon them because they aren’t comfortable learning new methods or dealing with unfamiliar frustrations.
Rusty was an ink-on-paper kinda guy, still wanting to do printed 32-page comic books. Unfortunately for him, the world had moved on to PhotoShop and digital delivery.
It wasn’t that Rusty’s ideas were unworkable; ideas rarely are. What was unworkable was Rusty’s extreme reluctance to achieve parity with other comics artists who had embraced the new technologies. I’m not gonna get into a debate of the virtue of pen & ink vs. digital art; there are people who prefer one over the other just as there are those who prefer analog records over mp3s and film over digital video.
The thing is, those preferences are immaterial for the most part. The tide is clearly moving in an all digital direction, and attempting to deny that is like pulling a King Canute on reality. Just ain’t gonna happen.
I’m sorry Rusty’s last years were filled with anxiety and frustration. I could offer him little more than sympathy and encouragement. My business had already moved far past the pen & ink world; I could no more have offered him gainful employment than I could have employed a groomsman for my non-existent horses.
But just as Rusty was frustrated by changes in technology he didn’t like, didn’t feel comfortable with, didn’t want to even acknowledge, we often do the same thing with other realities around us. I know a lot of people who would love living in a 1900/1930/1950/1960 Never-never Land that really didn’t exist the way they imagine it existed.
They want the clock set backwards and fixed so that nothing ever changes. But change has been and always will be part of the human condition: “And this, too, shall pass away.” Indeed, the only constant is change itself.
They end up being angry, frustrated, and frightened by the world around them, often failing to realize wonderful opportunities to make huge, positive contributions.
May God grant you peace, Rusty.
Views: 7
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Joe Chiappetta on -
How very sad.
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Permalink Reply by Clint DeRon Johnson on
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There is a message in Rusty's passing that many of us can embrace.
His "placement" sounds more like a wake-up than a homegoing.
Peace to the family.
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Permalink Reply by Matt Baker on -
Wow, that is really sad. Poor guy.
It's a shame that artists have to keep up with technology, instead of honing a specific craft that they love, I think. I myself have learnt graphic design skills and am now learning a 3D graphics program in order to stay in the freelance game. Both of these things I enjoy, but in a perfect world, I would just like to write and illustrate stories using traditional methods. It ain't no perfect world though. But anyway, a lot of amazing art can be made these days that couldn't 20 years ago, thanks to technology, so..... yeah.... hmmm.
I hope your friend is in heaven now living it up, Buz.
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Permalink Reply by Liz on
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Rusty Haller, I know his name! I remember Rusty as a prominent comic artist that attended ConnectiCon. Being that I went nearly 3yrs ago I can't remember if I actually met him. I saw him on a panel I attended tho. I remember his artwork well, specifically his art of Bryanna Bunny, the former CTcon mascot. I'm quite shocked to hear that he passed away. =( By all means I wish him God's peace and blessings.
~Liz
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Permalink Reply by Brian Jeffrey Durham on -
Wow. Absolutely correct. I feel for Rusty. Proverbs talks about hardening the neck. If we don't acknowledge and learn about how things are now, we may still be great, but media won't take us to others. I hope Rusty knew Jesus.
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Permalink Reply by Buzz Dixon on -
He was only 45, but had a family history of severe medical problems (I know his mother passed away just a year before he did).
leo said:
CCAS at Comic-Con
The 'Spirituality in Comics' Panel from San Diego Comic-Con 2011
In comics, movies, and even Broadway musicals like “The Book Of Mormon”, spiritual themed work seems to be unexpectedly coming from the least religious of sources.
Panelists including SERGIO CARIELLO (The Action Bible), RUSSELL DALTON (Marvelous Myths: Marvel Superheroes and Everyday Faith), BUZZ DIXON (Serenity/Hits & Misses), and MIKE SHIELDS (Blue Blazes) discuss how a new generation of comics and pop culture are exploring timeless truths and also address the question “Is Mass Media Our New Church?”
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