Really, really sad to hear about the passing of a real good friend, Rick Hoppe. People knew him best as an animation designer and animator, especially for Disney where he worked on Mickey's Christmas Carol, Black Cauldron, Aladdin, Little Mermaid and so many more, occasionally also contributing to other studios' projects. I knew him before all that. In the seventies, he was dabbling in comic books, doing a little (just a little) work for Gold Key Comics and for the Tarzan and Korak comics I edited for the Edgar Rice Burroughs Estate.
We lost touch for a while, reconnected, lost touch again, etc. I always thought if he'd followed his muse to draw comic books, he would have been one of the greats but he was slow and he fit in better at Disney where they paid him by the hour, not by the drawing, and didn't mind if he took a week to produce one. Because it was always worth the wait. Real nice, talented guy. He was 75.