Dick Giordano facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dick Giordano |
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Dick Giordano by Michael Netzer
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| Born | Richard Joseph Giordano July 20, 1932 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | March 27, 2010 (aged 77) Ormond Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| Area(s) | Penciller, Inker, Editor |
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Notable works
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Action Comics (Human Target) Batman Detective Comics Wonder Woman |
| Awards | Alley Award
Shazam Award
Inkwell Awards
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Richard Joseph Giordano (born July 20, 1932 – died March 27, 2010) was an American comics artist and editor. He helped create the "Action Heroes" for Charlton Comics. Later, he became a top editor at DC Comics, a very famous comic book company.
Contents
Early Life
Dick Giordano was born in New York City on July 20, 1932. He was an only child. His parents were Josephine Labruzzi and Graziano "Jack" Giordano. He went to the School of Industrial Art to study art.
Career in Comics
Working at Charlton Comics
Dick Giordano started working as a freelance artist for Charlton Comics in 1952. This means he worked for them on different projects without being a full-time employee. He drew for many of their comics. These included Western comics like Annie Oakley and Billy the Kid. He also drew for the war comic Fightin' Army.
By the mid-1960s, Giordano became a very important person at Charlton. He became the executive editor in 1965. As an editor, he helped change Charlton's existing superheroes. He also had artists and writers create new ones. He called these new characters the "Action Hero" line. He brought in new talented artists like Jim Aparo and writers like Dennis O'Neil.
Moving to DC Comics
In April 1968, Dick Giordano was hired by DC Comics. He became an editor there. He brought some of the creators he worked with at Charlton over to DC. Giordano worked on comics like Teen Titans and Aquaman. He also started a new horror comics series called The Witching Hour in 1969.
Giordano also continued to draw for DC. He was especially known for his inking. Inking is when an artist draws over the pencil lines to make them darker and clearer. His inking was very popular when he worked with artist Neal Adams. They worked together on Batman and Green Lantern/Green Arrow in the early 1970s. Many people felt that Giordano's dark inking made Batman's adventures feel more serious and exciting.
Starting Continuity Associates
In 1971, Giordano left DC Comics for a short time. He teamed up with artist Neal Adams to create their own company called Continuity Associates. This company created art for other comic book publishers. They worked for Charlton Comics and Marvel Comics. Many new comic artists started their careers at Continuity. Dick Giordano helped teach and guide them.
During this time, he drew for the Wonder Woman series. He also drew stories for Action Comics that featured the Human Target. He often drew for Batman and Detective Comics. He and writer Denny O'Neil created the character Leslie Thompkins in Detective Comics #457 in 1976. Giordano also inked a big comic book where Superman met Spider-Man in 1976. He also inked Superman vs. Muhammad Ali in 1978.
Returning to DC Comics
In 1980, Dick Giordano came back to DC Comics. He first edited the Batman comics. Then, in 1981, he became the company's managing editor. By 1983, he was promoted to vice president and executive editor. He held this important job until 1993. People in the comic book world respected him. They liked his calm and friendly way of working.
Giordano helped create art for special anniversary issues of DC comics. He worked on Detective Comics #500 in 1981. He also contributed to Justice League of America #200 and Wonder Woman #300. In 1985, he helped oversee a big event called Crisis on Infinite Earths. This event changed many of DC's main characters. After that, famous comics like Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen were released. Giordano inked many important projects during this time.
From 1983 to 1987, Giordano wrote a monthly column called "Meanwhile..." in DC comics. It shared news about the company and its creators. His columns were friendly and informative. He always ended them by saying, "Thank you and good afternoon."
Later Career
Dick Giordano left DC Comics in 1993. He continued to work as a freelance artist. In 1994, he drew a graphic novel based on the book Modesty Blaise. He also helped draw Superman: The Wedding Album in 1996. This comic showed Superman marrying Lois Lane.
In 2002, Giordano started a new comic company called Future Comics. He worked with writer David Michelinie and artist Bob Layton. He also drew for The Phantom comics published in Europe and Australia. In 2004, Giordano and writer Roy Thomas finished drawing a comic book version of Bram Stoker's Dracula. They had started it in 1974. In 2005, he wrote and drew an art book called Drawing Comics with Dick Giordano. His last work for a major comic company was for Jonah Hex in 2010.
Personal Life
Dick Giordano married Marie Trapani in 1955. She was the sister of another comic artist, Sal Trapani. They had three children: Lisa, Dawn, and Richard Jr. Marie passed away in 1993. After her death, Giordano spent time between homes in Florida and Connecticut. He moved to Palm Coast, Florida, in 1995. He continued to work there until he passed away.
Dick Giordano had lymphoma and later leukemia. He died on March 27, 2010, from problems related to his treatment for leukemia.
Legacy
Dick Giordano was a teacher and an inspiration for many inkers. These included artists like Terry Austin and Bob Layton.
After Giordano's death, a special award was created in his honor. It is called "The Dick Giordano Humanitarian of the Year Award." This award is given each year to someone in the comic book community. It recognizes people who show great kindness and honesty.
Awards
Dick Giordano received many awards for his work.
- He won the Alley Award for Best Editor in 1969.
- He won the Shazam Award for Best Inker (Dramatic Division) four times: in 1970, 1971, 1973, and 1974.
- He received the Goethe Award for "Favorite Pro Editor" in 1971.
- He won an Inkpot Award in 1981.
- In 2009, he received the Inkwell Awards Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame Award.
