On 1st May 2025 comic book artist and creator Jackson "Butch" Guice passed away. News of his death first broke by his brother in law James Hettel. His cause of death is unknown, but he had been dealing with health issues. Hettel posted the following on Facebook.
Not often do I put anything out there...but this is worth it.
This is a cover that my brother in law, Jackson "Butch" Guice did for a Captain America run he was working on for Marvel Comics. Notice the patch on the left shoulder of the American Soldier in the front of the wedge formation. That's the Unit patch for my Home unit, 478th Combat Eng.
Butch could have picked any number of high profile, well known Army units to recognize on a cover of a comic that would go world wide. He chose to give a head nod to my unit. Why? Because that's the kind of guy he was and will always be.
Loving to his family. Always took care of and loved with his whole heart my sister and niece. Never left me out in the cold and was quick with a joke. Straight shooter, literally and figuratively. Quiet until there was actually something that needed to be said.
People all over respected his talent and his ability to turn pencil strokes into living , breathing, I swear their gonna walk right off the page and punch ya in the throat, works of Real Art.
But more then that, they knew that they were gonna get an honest answer from Butch. Not some canned, milky, watered down version of what they needed to hear. The Real Deal.
He earned the respect of his peers because they knew they could trust him and his word. Art work, once laid down on paper or canvas or what ever medium he was working with at the time, is solid and the proof is in the end result. A mans word; whether you can put stock into what he says and know he stands behind it... like so many other things today, is ify at best.
Not with Mr Jackson Guice. If he told you something, you could take it to the bank. When ever I would ask his opinion on something, he would look at me hard, say, "now you really wants this?" and then proceed to let me have it.
Words to describe Butch: Solid. Dependable. Influential. Kind (in a very straight forward, get your ass back up and get back in there kind of way). Loving. Love for his family like a mountain. And a Holy Anger like a Mountain Slide if he saw you looking sideways at those he protected.
He is exactly the kind of man I would have picked to love and protect my sister. Thank You Lord for the chance you gave me to know and be around Butch.
Hooah brother! Save me a seat on the bank by the water.
Born 27th June 1961 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Guice began is comic book career in the 80's working in fanzines. One of his first published works was on a Rom annual. In 1982, he began working with Marvel on the Micronauts series. In 1986, he would work with Bob Layton working on X-Factor. He would leave after working on 7 issues of the series, but would co-create Apocalypse with Louise Simonson before his departure. He would then work on some New Mutants before leaving to work with DC Comics on The Flash in 1987. He would soon come back to Marvel reuniting with Bob Layton and working with David Michelinie on Iron Man. After working on 9 issues plus an annual, he would work with Roy Thomas on the newly launched Doctor Strange: Sorceror Supreme for a further 18 issues, then work on Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. before teaming with Dwayne McDuffie on a Deathlok miniseries.
Moving back to DC Comics, Guice would work with Roger Stern and David Michelinie on Action Comics, covering the Death of Superman, Funeral For a Friend, and the Reign of the Supermen storylines.
By the mid 90's, Guice would then work with John Ostrander on Valiant's Eternal Warrior for 8 issues.
Later, he would go back to Marvel and DC working on their amalgam mini series DC/Marvel: All Access, following their DC vs Marvel series.
Staying at DC, he would then work with Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning in creating Resurrection Man, which ran for 28 issues. After, he would become a regular artist with Chuck Dixon on Birds of Prey. After a brief stint working with CrossGen on Ruse, he would team up with Kurt Busiek for Aquaman in the iconic Sword of Atlantis storyline.
Guice's final comics work would be The Futurists with independent label Allegiance in 2020.
He will be remembered for co-creating one of the X-Men's most devastating villains in Apocalypse, but also for his dynamic artwork that helped define the look of comic books in the 80's and 90's that will be an inspiration to future artists yet to come.