Dick Giordano: 1932 – 2010
It is with profound personal regret that I report comics legend Dick Giordano died this morning.
The man who guided two comics companies, Charlton and then DC, to greatness and served as collaborator, friend and mentor to more people than I’d have capacity to recall in a week – Neal Adams, Dennis O’Neil, Jim Aparo, Joe Rubinstein, Terry Austin, Steve Ditko, Frank McLaughlin, Klaus Janson, Al Milgrom, Bob Layton, Steve Skeates, and every young artist, writer and editor who passed through Continuity Associates and DC Comics during his tenure at those companies, to name but a very few. His own gifts as an editor and artist were nothing short of breathtaking.
Dick always defended creative freedom and aesthetic opportunity, sometimes putting him heads-on with management powers, often representing not his own work but that of the editors in his charge, most certainly including myself, for which I will be forever grateful. He knew the good stuff when he saw it, he knew how to improve it, he knew how to incubate it. Projects he saw through included Ditko’s Blue Beetle, Bat Lash, Deadman, Superman Vs. Muhammad Ali, The Dark Knight, Watchmen... really, way too many to list in one place.
As an artist, he drew virtually every major and most minor characters for Charlton, Marvel and DC, including his own early work with Joe Gill on Sarge Steel. Best known as an inker on Batman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow (separately and together), and Superman Vs. The Amazing Spider-Man. One of his very last creative projects was the forthcoming graphic novel White Viper with Erin Holroyd and Frank McLaughlin, serialized on ComicMix and to be released shortly by IDW/ComicMix.
Much of Dick’s best known efforts were done in collaboration with artist Neal Adams, with whom he partnered in a commercial art studio, Continuity Associates, in 1971. A great many comics artists both young and old worked in that studio, often collaborating under the name “the Crusty Bunkers.” He authored the book Drawing Comics with Dick Giordano and served on the board of directors of The Hero Initiative. Even in his corporate capacities, Dick always championed the cause of creator’s rights.
A very warn, opinionated, feisty man with a disarming sense of humor and a knowledge of illustration history second to none, Dick suffered through many health difficulties, including asthma, hearing loss, and ultimately leukemia.
Dick was my friend and my mentor as well; I had the privilege of serving under him for seven years at DC Comics where we worked on Green Arrow, Modesty Blaise and numerous other projects. Dick did a public service piece for me in promotion of The National Runaway Switchboard, and I was proud to be his editor on The White Viper.
I’ll miss him a lot; in this, I will not be alone.
I was so excited when I first worked at DC and had a chance to see Dick every single day. He was a legend and, unlike so many of them, a nice guy, too. It was so much fun to work with him.Glad I had a chance to promote his work here on ComicMix as well.
Absolutely will be missed. He was my "dad", my mentor, in the business. I got to be his assistant on projects like Crisis and Man Of Steel back in the day, and followed him in to DC when he took that Exec position, and soon had my own varied projects including a long run on Star Trek that has taken me to places I never expected to go. Dick helped in keeping me there when others would have moved me along with the various change in editors over the years. He tried to be fair with everyone, not always succeeding of course, but he made a good damn go of it. Was hoping to see him a couple of weeks ago, but he didn't make it to Megacon as he was ailing. Gonna miss the old man bigtime. He was family.
I am saddened by the passing of Dick Giordano. He was an inspiration, a beloved comics creator, a mentor, and a dear, dear friend.
While I'm merely a fan to Mr. Giordano, he is yet another legend in the industry I love so much. As you've written here Mike, the man's resume is that which could be gilded. His contributions to many to list, it's a loss to the comic book world, that will not be forgotten.
Dick was a mensch, in the truest, best sense of the word.
I never knew him personally, only his work, but the quality and care always would shine through. Another of my childhood inspirations has gone. I feel so old.
This is sad news indeed. Dick was a good man, a great teacher and a true friend. He's my favorite contemporary Wonder Woman artist. My prayers are with his family.
As i said over at Bob Greenberger's piece, if only for the work at Charlton, he deserves a place in comicdom's pantheon of great creators/editors.And that was one of the smallest aspects of the man's CV>Another Good Man Done Gone.
I became a fan of Dick's work when he was an editor at Charlton. When the Action Hero line was canceled I actually sent him a letter telling him that, if it would help, they could keep my subscription money. And they did keep it! I told Dick that story years later when we had become friends. He laughed and looked embarrassed – he said, "Those crooks!" I learned just enough from Dick over the years to know that I missed a great opportunity to learn more from him.
Was "White Viper" the last professional comics work that Dick Giordano did? It's good stuff. There are some beautiful pages in that story. I was hoping there would be a White Viper 2.
Second the comment.
White Viper was the last complete series he worked on, but I understand his last work was Jonah Hex #51.
I am saddened to hear this. I have always had tremendous respect for Mr. Giordano and he's long been on my list of creators I'd like to meet some day.
I first recognised his artistic talents when he inked the JLA with Dick Dillin, as a young lad of 10.Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to meet him.The world is a little bit darker with his passing.
I wrote about Dick for today's column:http://www.worldfamouscomics.com/tony/back2010032…Tony Isabella
I just read your article about my father. Thank you so very much for your kind words. My father was also a great influence on anyone who knew him, especially his family! On a personal note, he also taught me to have a sense of humor, how to be fair, kind, loving and responsible. I am a graphic designer, and even though it is a vastly different medium than comics, he taught me about layout, composition and the like. So…he was also a mentor to his own daughter. Words cannot express the depth of our family's loss. He will be greatly missed by us. The whole family extends our hearts to you…his fans, business associates and to the many lives that he touched throughout his journey. Thank you all for your well wishes during this most difficult time.
I am so pleased you liked the piece. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.Tony
Dick was my sequential illustration teacher at Parsons school of Design and a better teacher or finer person would be hard to meet. His enthusiasm in class was one of the things that made me look forward to going. He had endless patience and was always more than willing to share his experience and knowledge with his students. He was a real gentleman and he will be missed.
I had the rare good fortune to have Dick Giordano ink my pencils on a Human Target one shot we did back in the 80's. He of course did his usual flawlees job and made my work look better than it had any right to. One thing: the Target (who was designed by Dick) was supposed to have these two little tufts of hair sticking up on the sides of his head, like horns. I left them off. In the first few pages of the book Dick inked them in and then, they disappeared. A couple of years later I asked him about that and he said, "It looked better the way you did it." I knew better than that, but it was a gracious thing for him to say. My heart hurts.
Bobby,What you said.Dick Giordano made time for a passionate 17 year old aspiring artist who moved to NY from Kansas City never to return, in the summer of 1970.He knew that I wanted to be the next Neal, Curt, Carmine, Kirby, what-have-you, in a medium that I was damn sure, really wanted me to be there! Dick was the very first comics pro that I ever met. He gave me my first, very paternal critique, and my first job interview, of sorts.It would be over the next couple of weeks that Dick would make (more) time to see whatever I had gone back to my hotel room to do, and redo, and return to DC.He even parked me in the coffee room and library when he was busy with "real" work as an editor. Cool.Dick had immense patience and a penchant for my "rough around the edges" talent. Dick also had a big, sympathetic heart, most noticeable when he sadly sent me back home to KC. (Ouch.) His gentle advice was to study, and retry again later. Which I did. Ultimately, I picked-up a wonderful, albeit modest battery of work, that I had the intimidating pleasure of seeing Dick, the master, ink. He even let me guest "Meanwhile" his column when DC turned 50. Dick made more than just an artist's mark on me, and I owe him. What a wonderful role model and friend.Thank you Dick Giordano, for stopping, and stooping to lift me up. You are loved.
I only knew Dick from his work, but in all the comics that I read that he worked on, I never saw one bad line. Not one. What he did with Neal Adams was as close to perfection as I think can be had. Damn, what a loss to the world.