Dærick Gröss Sr. With over 40 years in the commercial art field, Dærick Gröss Sr has worked as an illustrator, instructor, and art director. As an illustrator in the comic book industry, he has painted, drawn, written and edited comics for Marvel, DC, Image, Malibu, Studio G, Heroic, Revolutionary, Chaos, Innovation, Topps, and numerous other companies. His best-selling work includes the series Anne Rice’s The Vampire Lestat for Innovation (followed by work for Interview with the Vampire, Queen of the Damned, Tale of the Body Thief and The Mummy), Batman: Two-Face for DC Comics, and Bloodwulf for Image Comics. Other work includes Excalibur and other books at Marvel, his creator-owned series Murciélaga She-Bat for Studio G and Heroic, Brian Lumley’s Necroscope for Malibu, and the best-selling sex book The Guide To Getting It On (now in its 7th Edition). He is also the recipient of the Russ Manning Award. He founded and maintains Studio G as his own commercial art and publishing firm since 1989.
But more important than all that is that he was my friend. Here at First Comics News, we syndicated his political cartoon TRUMPY
I met Dærick in 2011 when he was promoting his comic Murciélaga She-Bat. Eventually, I was able to talk to him about his entire career. We struck up a friendship and would talk about comics and art over the next twelve years. When I started G-Man Comics, Dærick contributed a cover
. It is a beautiful cover but more important to me was that he wasn’t to help and support me. It was a niceness that he didn’t have to do.
In November Dærick posted on Facebook
“Results of the PET scan are ‘definitely cancer’ at/of the gall bladder… But that is the ONLY cancer in the body! (whew!)
Starting a targeted chemo next Friday. Getting ready for some major lifestyle changes and hoping they will be temporary.
I’ll be glad to have this gone as the pain is exhausting. It is not a severe pain, but it is constant and more than annoying.”
I talked to him and he was optimistic and in better spirits than I expected. I assumed that things would go well for him. A week later he was supposed to start chemo. It was only a month ago.
I learned about Dærick’s death this morning when his family posted…
Dear Friends and Family
It’s with great sadness that we announce Daerick Gröss Sr has passed this morning. While we grieve with you, we ask that you allow us to do so in private for the time being. He was a a great man, artist, father, grandfather and mentor. We miss him with every part of ourselves. Thank you for your understanding.
With love,
The Gröss Family
Dærick Gröss Jr. posted the following on Facebook.
I was over for a visit with you last weekend, it was the first time just the four of us were all together again as a nuclear family since probably back when I flew from the nest. It wasn’t just a social visit, but it felt ‘normal’ and comfortable. Familiar.
It was just last weekend. Like, five days ago.
When I hugged you at the butt-crack of dawn on Monday I said “I love you”. You smiled, clearly holding back some emotions. At the time I thought you were just emotional because I was leaving, but now I see that you were afraid. Afraid that was going to be our last hug.
It wan’t supposed to be our last hug. It wasn’t supposed to be the last time I said “I love you”. If I knew, if I even suspected that was going to be our last embrace, the final words I was ever going to say to you, I would have held you longer. I would have told you I love you again and gain and again.
And again.
I have never known a day without you in it.
There has never been a day in my entire life where you weren’t there. If you weren’t next to me, you were only a phone call away. As an adult, I didn’t *need* to hear your voice every day, but there was always that option if something changed. And I always thought of you. Never a day in my life has passed where you and Mom weren’t in my thoughts and in my heart.
I have never known a day without you in it. And now I will never have that opportunity again.
Without you, I would be nothing. Without you, I would not be who I am today. Without you I would be lost. And now, today, I am without you.
And I am lost.
I am lost for words, words to describe the utter devastation I am experiencing right now. I am writing this as a means to navigate what I am feeling in the wake of your departure. In the shadow of your death.
Death. I need to say the word. It doesn’t feel real yet. I haven’t processed the reality of what has happened today. The reality that you have died. Today. Just mere hours ago.
A day ago you were here. I could talk to you. We could talk about the visit we just had. We could talk about that last hug. The hug that wasn’t supposed to be the last one.
I am truly grateful for last weekend. We had a full and rich visit. If we are to say goodbye, that was a good note to end on. So many don’t get the opportunity to end on such a good connection. So many don’t get the opportunity to part with the final words “I love you.”
I wish I said it again. And again. And again.
I wish I said it louder, and not simply whispered it in your ear as we hugged that final hug.
It wasn’t supposed to be our last hug.
You weren’t supposed to die today. Today was supposed to be another twenty years from now. It’s always supposed to be another twenty years from now.
Today is today. Today is a hard day. I am lost for words. Lost for any words of meaning, except “I love you”. Those words I have.
Goodbye, Papa. I love you.
I love you.
I love you.
My heart goes out to his family. I will miss you.
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