When I heard the news of Dave Stevens' passing this week, at the much too young age of 52, the first two people I thought about were my pals Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez. I knew they were close to Dave so I sent them my condolences. Gilbert wrote me the following email, which I thought some of Dave's fans might enjoy, so he kindly consented to let me share it. R.I.P., Mr. Stevens.

Dave was always Dave. No matter where I saw him, at the premiere of THE ROCKETEER in Hollywood, or when he was mobbed by fans at GLAMOURCON, he would turn his head to me and ask "what do ya think? " Jaime and I met Dave at his studio in 1984. It was next to a gas station that was later used in David Lynch's LOST HIGHWAY. The studio that Dave shared with Bill Stout and Richard Hescox was a matress outlet by then. Right away we hit it off having similar interests, most notably the subject of curvy women. That's one thing he never outgrew. God bless him.

He was neurotic as any perfectionist when it came to finishing an art project, but when he delivered, he delivered. One of the few pieces of original art I own and cherish is the one he did for GIRL CRAZY #1, and not because he did it for free, either. Actually, he refused payment for it because he said he did it for fun. That was Dave and he lived for fun. That's the way I like it.

- Gilbert Hernandez, March 2008