A Batman icon suggests he might retire, signaling the end of a comic book era.

You might not know the name right away, but the unique art style is unmistakable. Greg Capullo has been a prominent figure in both superhero and indie comics since the 1990s, contributing to titles like Spawn, X-Force, and Reborn. His most significant achievements include his collaborations with writer Scott Snyder on the New 52 Batman series, which brought the Court of Owls into the DC universe, and the Dark Nights: Metal event. After a lengthy career, Capullo has recently hinted that he might be stepping back from drawing interior art.

During a panel at Orlando’s MegaCon, Capullo expressed, “I’m kind of feeling like I’m going to be done doing interiors.” He shared some personal reasons for considering retirement, including his age—he just turned 64. “I’ve seen a lot of people die earlier. I really love my wife, and I’ve spent so much time just sitting at that table working. I want to spend a lot more time with my wife. She’s great.”

While he didn’t specify, several comic artists have passed away at a young age in recent years. For instance, John Cassaday, known for Astonishing X-Men and Star Wars, died in 2024 from cardiac arrest at 52, and Jacopo Camagni, who worked on Generation X-23 and The Vision and The Scarlet Witch, passed away last month at 48 due to complications from heart surgery.

Capullo also mentioned the disbanding of his art team as a significant factor in his decision. “I recently lost my art team, my longtime art team. One guy I won’t even discuss, but Jonathan Glapion, my friend, has gone on to become his own artist. I’m very proud of him. He’s working under McFarlane. He’s got his own thing going.” In recent years, Glapion has illustrated interiors for the Spawn spinoff The Curse of Sherlee Johnson and a comic inspired by Ozzy Osbourne’s final album.

The unnamed artist Capullo referred to is believed to be FCO Plascencia, his long-time colorist. In a deleted tweet from 2024, Capullo indicated that Plascencia left the Wolverine: Revenge miniseries, hinting it was due to “deadline pressures,” although this hasn’t been confirmed. Since then, they haven’t collaborated, with Alex Sinclair stepping in to color the Wolverine book and Capullo’s art for the Deadpool/Batman crossover, where he provided the main cover and interior pages for the central story featuring Deadpool tracking down Batman at the Joker’s request.

Capullo’s remarks come after it was revealed earlier this year that Snyder had invited him to draw an arc in Absolute Batman. When a fan asked on X if he would consider guest artist duties on the book, which typically features Nick Dragotta on interiors, Capullo replied, “I’ve done more than my fair share of Batman.” Snyder confirmed that the offer for a two-issue arc was still open, saying, “Offer is always standing brother.”

While Capullo maintains that he plans to continue drawing covers and may not be completely done with comics, it seems unlikely he’ll take Snyder up on the offer anytime soon. The thought of a future without Capullo’s interior art is hard to accept—it’s truly the end of an era.