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Here's a great tribute obituary to Jackson Guice, that gives behind-the-scenes commentary by many of the writers, artists, editors and others in fandom who got to know Guice over his 45-plus years in the comics field.
I like this article because it goes pretty much chronologically through his entire career, starting with his early fanzine and convention days, to breaking into comics, and quotes from the writers, artists and editors he collaborated with on these series. It actually turned me on to some series and annuals that I'd missed, and reminded me of some I read years ago that I'd forgotten.
A great insight not only into these series, but also what it was like to collaborate with Guice, and the pleasure of knowing him personally. I can't say I've ever seen such consistently kind and appreciative remarks about a comics creator, or such universal sense of loss about anyone else who has died.
Guice seems to have been universally appreciated by fans and young artists, professional collaborators and editors alike, for not only his artistic talent, but for his kindness, patience, professional knowledge, thoroughness and reliability, as well as his intelligence, sense of humor and low-key demeanor, and just for being very approachable and fun to be around. It makes me regret that I never got to meet him at a convention or booksigning appearance.
https://www.tcj.com/rip-jackson-butch-guice-june-27-1961-may-1-2025/ Bob Layton explains the switch from "Butch" Guice to Jackson Guice was his suggestion, that caused Guice some hardship over many years, to the point tha Guice eventually went back to "Butch".
Among the opportunities that Guice explored after Micronauts were several titles published by First Comics with writer Mike Baron under the editorial guidance of Mike Gold, including Badger, Nexus, and the Michael Moorcock sword and sorcery series The Chronicles of Corum. This work allowed Guice to showcase his artistic range beyond superhero adventures, although he maintained a strong presence at Marvel on titles like The New Mutants and the launch of X-Factor, a series that reunited the original X-Men for the first time in more than a decade, under the guidance of writer and inker Bob Layton.
“I met Butch early in his career when he was penciler on the Micronauts,” said Layton. “It was one of those chance meetings where the two of us became instant friends. Of course, we immediately wanted to team up on a few projects.
“I lived three blocks from the Marvel offices in Manhattan at the time, so I offered my couch as a place for him to crash when he visited NYC from his abode in Asheville, North Carolina. One evening, while hanging out at my place, I asked the easy-going Southerner if ‘Butch’ was his real name. He replied that his given name was Jackson. Since he was beginning his Marvel career, I implored him to use Jackson as his official pen name. I said it sounds classy. I said that I could see an art book in his future entitled ‘The Collected Works of Jackson Guice.’ So, he did … to his eternal regret.
“From that point on, fans started writing letters to Marvel asking if Butch and Jackson were related or maybe even brothers? Needless to say, after almost a decade of confusion, Jackson Guice quietly disappeared and Butch Guice reappeared.
“In spite of all of that, ‘Butcherhead,’ (as I lovingly nicknamed him) remained a steadfast friend and followed me to Iron Man in 1988 and to Valiant years later where he did some amazing illustrations as one of our best storytellers," Layton said. “Although I’m responsible for giving my pal some really disastrous advice, his friendship and loyalty never wavered. But … he did tease the hell out of me!”
