Rest in peace, Ken Cooke

Just going through some more work for the upcoming show - and came across the name of Ken Cooke, a dealer from last year's Merry Comic Book Christmas Con (and brother to artist Darwyn Cooke). For those who don't know, Ken passed away this past March. He was only 48-years-old. This illustration of Ken (by Tony Gray) is from the pages of The Incredible Conduit. Ken, a longtime Chrysler worker, actually became part of a Chrysler story line (inside The Incredible Conduit #2) as his very own self, eventually helping the Conduit defeat the evil Preston Todd and his Hubots. He loved being a comic book hero - as did I (having also appeared in the issue). That's how Ken and I first met, actually, at the issue's release party. Sadly, we were just becoming real life friends upon his untimely passing. Rest in peace, Ken. Sure wish we could have had many more conventions together. This year's Christmas Comic Con won't be the same without you.