Published Jun 15, 2026, 12:01 PM EDT
CBR senior staff writer Brian Cronin has been writing professionally about comic books for twenty years now at CBR (primarily with his “Comics Should Be Good” series of columns, including Comic Book Legends Revealed). He has written two books about comics for Penguin-Random House – Was Superman a Spy? And Other Comic Book Legends Revealed and Why Does Batman Carry Shark Repellent? And Other Amazing Comic Book Trivia! and one book, 100 Things X-Men Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die, from Triumph Books. His writing has been featured at ESPN.com, the Los Angeles Times, About.com, the Huffington Post, Vulture and Gizmodo. He features legends about entertainment and sports at his website, Legends Revealed and other pop culture features at Pop Culture References. Follow him on Twitter at @Brian_Cronin and feel free to e-mail him suggestions for stories about comic books that you'd like to see featured at brianc@cbr.com!
Superstar comic book artist Michael Turner tragically passed away in 2008, when he was just 37. For a man who sadly didn't even live until he was 40, Turner left behind a stunning legacy of comic book art. He was one of the most popular comic book artists in the entire industry when he passed away, continuing to work through a nearly decade-long struggle with bone cancer.
During the early 2000s, after he launched his own comic book company, Aspen comics, Turner also worked for DC Comics for a number of years, drawing some of the most famous covers of the era, as well as working on a special Superman crossover arc, and, most famously, bringing the classic version of Supergirl back to the DC Universe in a story arc of Batman/Superman that Turner drew for writer Jeph Loeb.
Aspenc Comics and Clover Press are celebrating Turner's DC art with a new hardcover collection from Clover Press, The DC Art of Michael Turner, that is live on Kickstarter right now. In a CBR exclusive, we are featuring an exclusive preview of five portfolio pieces from the collection.
What Are the Michael Turner Classic Pieces That Are Being Featured Here?
The first image, of Superman, is from the cover of Adventures of Superman #626, which was the "Godfall" storyline that Turner co-wrote with writer Joe Kelly, and that Turner did the design work for, as well as the covers. It was a special story spread throughout all of the Superman titles at the time showing an amnesiac Superman living in the Bottled City of Kandor, with a brand new costume, and seemingly married to a Kandorian woman.
The next image is a Batman variant cover from Turner that would eventually see publication after Turner's passing.
The next image is the cover of Justice League of America #2, from 2006. Turner was the cover artist on that series when it debuted.
The next image is a Superman/Batman #8 variant cover that did not see publication until after Turner's passing.
Finally, the Teen Titans #1 cover was a variant cover that Turner did in 2003 for the launch of that series, one of the earliest DC covers that Turner drew for the company. Teen Titans writer, Geoff Johns, wrote the introduction for this new collection.
What Does Clover Press and Aspen Comics Have to Say About the Project?
Frank Mastromauro, Aspen Comics President, said about the project, “‘We are so thrilled to be collaborating with the incredible team at Clover Press again to bring everyone the upcoming artbook, THE DC ART OF MICHAEL TURNER! This Deluxe Edition Hardcover will be the most comprehensive collection of Michael’s DC artwork we have ever put together, ranging from his most popular covers and illustrations to some rarely seen and produced art. After months of preparing and assembling this hardcover, we are extremely excited and honored to bring this book to the fans and keep Michael Turner’s legacy alive and thriving!’
Hank Kanalz, Clover Press Publisher, added, “Mike’s work really energized the DCU when he was creating covers and interior work at DC. It really made the projects he chose something extra special and inspired his peers to take things to the next level. Bringing so much of his work together in one book is definitely something extra special."
The DC Art of Michael Turner is live on Kickstarter now.
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