The Phantom world has lost a major talent this week with the passing of Moonstone, Hermes and Frew artist, Lindsay Walker.
ChronicleChamber has confirmed with a family friend that, after a difficult period in her personal life, Lindsay tragically ended her own life on 27th September.
In a terrible twist, the news comes in the same week that her first cover for Frew, issue #1764 The Crying Idol, hit newsstands throughout Australia.
The stunning cover, with heavy supernatural themes, is a wonderful Frew debut cover for Walker. Phans will certainly be the poorer for not having further images grace the covers of the fortnightly release.
While certainly the most mainstream, this is not the first time that Australian readers have been treated to her work, with Walker commissioned by Phantom's Vault to produce the Australian variant cover for Hermes Press' The Phantom #3B.
The Hermes cover is slated for the upcoming Frew Pholio series 2 set. ChronicleChamber understands that Walker did finish autographing both the Pholio prints and Frew's Signature Series for #1764 last week.
These were the first covers produced by Walker in some time. Back in 2009-2010, working as Mick Collins, she had variants published for Moonstone's The Phantom: Ghost Who Walks series, both as artist (#3) and colourist (#7).
Walker is perhaps most familiar for her personal or commissioned artwork. The Phantom (2013), with Phantom firing his pistol at full gallop with a ferocious Devil by his side, has become something of an iconic image among phans.
Perhaps fittingly, the last image ever published by Walker is another masterpiece. Published to her Facebook and her Deviant Art pages just the day before her death, The Phantom: Skull Throne is a dark and foreboding piece.
As a proud transgender woman, Walker was a role model for others and will be sorely missed by many many more than just the Phantom community.
You can hear from Lindsay on the 2014 GeekGirlSpeak podcast or the very first X-Band podcast #1 - In the beginning...
You can also read her interview with Joe from 2012 or Monika Kowalska's The Heroines of my Life blog from 2014.
Lindsay is survived by her partner Kim and three children Ariel, Heloise and Evelyn. If you would like to help support the family through this difficult time, please donate here.
If Lindsay's story raises any issues for you, please visit Beyond Blue or call 1300 22 4636.
