NOTABLE DEATHS ELSEWHERE Tim Sale, 66

Tim Sale, an award-winning comic book artist best known for his work on the DC Comics characters Batman and Superman and for influencing depictions of the Caped Crusader in numerous films, died Thursday in Seattle. He was 66.

His death, in a hospital, was caused by kidney failure, said Richard Starkings, a friend and colleague.

Many of Sale’s most notable series were collaborations with writer Jeph Loeb, a partnership that began in 1991. Together they told the story of Batman in “The Long Halloween,” a murder mystery set during the hero’s early days, as Gotham City was overrun with mobsters and supervillainy. The team also explored Clark Kent and his evolution from farm boy to superhero in “Superman for All Seasons.”

The Batman adventure was moody, filled with eerie, stark shadows that heightened the creepiness of villains like Calendar Man, Joker and Scarecrow.

The Superman tale evoked Norman Rockwell paintings of idyllic times, with the title character enjoying tranquil moments with a childhood sweetheart, his dog and his adoptive parents.

Filmmakers Christopher Nolan and Matt Reeves, both of whom directed “Batman” films, have cited “The Long Halloween” as an inspiration.

Sale studied at the University of Washington and the School of Visual Arts in New York City, but did not graduate from either. “He really wasn’t built for that,” said Maggie Sale, his sister.

But he did complete the John Buscema Art School, which was advertised in the pages of Marvel Comics and held in a New York City hotel for a short time in the 1970s.

Sale and Loeb’s partnership began with an eight-part story about the Challengers of the Unknown for DC Comics, but it would stretch beyond publishing.

Loeb was an executive producer of “Heroes,” the NBC series, airing from 2006 to 2010, about ordinary people discovering super powers.

Sale’s artwork was frequently used on the series, depicting the visions of the future as seen by one of the main characters.