James Ian McGinty, a comics artist whose creator-owned series Welcome to Showside was published by Z2 comics in 2016, died on June 8, 2023, at the age of 38.  His obituary stated that he died of natural causes.

McGinty, who went by Ian, earned a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from St. Mary’s College of Southern Maryland and a Master’s degree from the Savannah College of Art and Design.

His creator-owned Welcome to Showside was published by Z2 Comics in 2015 as a four-issue miniseries and in 2016 as a graphic novel; the story, which was written and drawn by McGinty, was later adapted into an animated short.  McGinty’s other work for Z2 included Robot’s Tale: A Dance Gavin Dance Graphic Novel (written by Eliot Rahal), The Wonderful World of Perfecto: With Paul Oakenfold and Friends; the Poppy origin comic Genesis 1 (see “Enigmatic YouTube Star Poppy Releases Graphic Novel Origin Story”); and art prints for several of their deluxe packages.

McGinty was also the artist for Glint, a children’s graphic novel written by Samuel Sattin and published by Lion Forge in 2019 (see “Lion Forge Expands CubHouse Imprint”); the Dynamite comic Li’l Bionic Kids, written by Brandon Jerwa (see “Dynamite Announces 5-Issue All-Ages Series”); and Hello, My Name Is Poop (written by Ben Katzner) for Vault.  His last comic appears to be a story in Young Men in Love, an anthology published in 2022 by A Wave New World.

Much of McGinty’s work was in licensed comics, particularly children’s titles, including stories in VIZ's Hello Kitty and Uglydoll graphic novels and covers for BOOM! Studios’ Adventure Time, Bravest Warriors, Bee and Puppycat, Fraggle Rock, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Munchkins, and Rocko’s Modern Life, as well as Oni Press’s Invader Zim and Rick and Morty comics.

In addition to drawing comics, McGinty illustrated children’s books and card games, including Steve Jackson Games’ Munchkin (see “Steve Jackson Games Launches ‘Munchkin Cows’”).

Although he was not a household name, McGinty was well liked within the comics community, and his death brought an outpouring of tributes on social media from creators who spoke of his warmth, generosity, and kindness.  Many also described him as an incredibly hard worker, and a Tweet by artist Shivana Sookdeo launched a wide-ranging discussion on Twitter, under the hashtag #ComicsBrokeMe, of long hours, unreasonable deadlines, and low, often late, and sometimes nonexistent payments.

In his obituary, McGinty’s family invited friends to make a donation to The Hero Initiative, which provides financial aid to comics creators in need, or to “offer a bit of encouragement to a young, creative person navigating a life in the arts.”