Sal Buscema – RIP
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Just hours after The Daily Cartoonist and others celebrated the 90th birthday of Sal Buscema the family released the news that Sal had passed away a few days ago.
Silvio (Sal) Buscema
January 26, 1936 – January 24, 2026
From the funeral home obituary:
Silvio “Sal” Buscema, 89, of Gainesville, Virginia, went to be with Jesus on January 24, 2026. A beloved husband, father, grandfather, and renowned comic book illustrator, Sal leaves behind a legacy of artistic brilliance and unwavering devotion to his family.
After several years with Creative Arts, Sal joined Design Center in Washington, D.C. Shortly after leaving Design Center, in 1968, he joined Marvel Comics—a move that would define his professional legacy. Over more than four decades with Marvel, Sal illustrated titles and characters including Captain America, Spider-Man, The Hulk, Thor, The Avengers, The Defenders, Rom Spaceknight, and countless others. His dynamic style and storytelling prowess earned him admiration from fans around the globe and cemented his place as one of the industry’s most influential artists.
The Comics Beat obituary by Russ Burlingame:
Buscema started his comics career as an inker, working with his brother John Buscema at Dell Comics. It would take years for him to come out from under John’s shadow and establish himself as a talent in his own right. He worked primarily at Marvel in from 1968 through the ’70s and ’80s, then moved to DC for a few years in the ’90s before returning “home” to Marvel.
He is arguably most associated with his run on The Spectacular Spider-Man with writer J.M. DeMatteis, and his work on ROM Spaceknight (although his Hulk is pretty iconic).
Before the news of Buscema’s death broke this afternoon, DeMatteis celebrated his former collaborator’s landmark birthday on BlueSky, writing, “Sal Buscema turns 90 today. There’s hardly a Marvel character Sal hasn’t left his mark on, from Cap to the Hulk, Avengers to Thor. Working with Sal for two years on Spectacular Spider-Man remains a highlight of my career. And the best part? He’s not just a great artist, he’s a truly good guy.”
Jerry Bails’ Who’s Who lists Sal’s comics work through the end of the 20th Century.
Further biographies of Sal will be added here as they appear.
In the meantime … more Amazing Spider-Man Sunday comic strips by Sal Buscema:
Recognition from comic book fans: J.M. DeMatteis, Mark Evanier, McScotty, Dan Greenfield, and Four Realities. And from the world at large: Marvel Comics, ICv2, Comic Book Resources, Forbes, Comics Journal.
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