The “Batman” run with Adams and writer Dennis O’Neil is the stuff of legend, with the duo bringing back a sense of gritty realism to the character in the decade following Adam West’s popular yet campy version from the 1960s live-action TV show. Adams’ sharp take on Batman, often bathed in blue and gray, remains a defining image for the character for many fans to this very day. Adams is among the most influential creators to ever touch the hero, ranking up there right alongside the likes of Frank Miller.

Adams also helped co-create some major characters such as Man-Bat and Ra’s al Ghul, the latter of which would go on to become a huge player in Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy, as played by Liam Neeson. Adams and O’Neil are also responsible for “Green Lantern/Green Arrow,” a very influential run with those characters that not only tackled real-world issues, but also introduced the John Stewart version of Green Lantern, who remains a wildly popular iteration of the hero to this day.

Adams has many accolades to his name including being inducted into the Eisner Award’s Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1998, as well as the Harvey Awards’ Jack Kirby Hall of Fame in 1999, and, more recently, the Inkwell Awards Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame in 2019. RIP, Neal Adams.