Click on image above to see spectacularly larger view of today’s comic.”
Well, there you have it. The end of the story and…possibly the end of Mitzi.
Looking back, I think it was a mistake to break the story into such small episodes. Showing just two-panels an episode — for most of the story — created some weird breaks in the action and dialog.
Of course, now that it’s all on the web, you can read the entire story from the start in a single, fun sitting!
Dick Giordano Tribute Wrap Up:
We’ve also reached the end of my memorials for “Widow” artist Dick Giordano.
In retrospect, was it absolutely nuts to stretch these tributes out over three weeks and 17 different episodes? Absolutely! By the end of the first week, I felt like I was running the world’s longest online wake.
In the future, nobody–no matter who they are–gets 17 tributes on this site. Heck, even when I die–I’m only giving myself 16!
On the other hand, if anyone deserves 17 tributes, it’s Dick Giordano. In the course of researching Dick’s life I found myself truly inspired by the graceful, balanced way he lived his life. He didn’t just accomplish great things. He had fun doing it.
I’m going to close with a few words from Dick’s former assistant, Michael Eury whose entertaining biography of Dick Giordano is well worth the space on your bookshelf:
“Dick Giordano is a mutant. He was born with the power of unbridled optimism. He’s always smiling, and…just about everyone in the comic business likes him. This has led to his ability–as an artist, an editor, a teacher, and an editorial administrator—to encourage the best from creators, guiding innovative series…
“Some comic folks are known as much for their self-promotion as for their published product, but rarely has Dick Giordano beaten his own drum. His career can, however, be best assessed by his relationships with his collaborators and coworkers, and with the characters to whom he’s helped breathe life. By those measures, Dick is one of the industry’s giants…”
–Michael Eury, April 2003
from Eury’s introduction to Dick Giordano: Changing Comics, One Day at a Time
Sprechen Sie Deutsch? To read “Widow Miss Muffet” and other Last Kiss comics in German click here.
CAPTION: "No! I needed to be widowed…to survive Al!"
AL: You’ve lasted so much longer than any of my other wives!
MITZI (gasping): Krptglugg zrq klp tpeg dsarbap!*
CAPTION: *Translation: Get off my oxygen tube, you #%&@ idiot!
THE END
Hello, I am into comics, but don’t know much about great artists or the finer details you or others know. I guess you wouldn’t think to highly of me if I told you, I hadn’t heard of Dick Giordano before you told me. And, am glad you did, I am impressed by Dick Giordano’s works and glad to know he worked on my favorite ‘The Watchmen’ and the global spectacle ‘The Dark Knight’ too. More than that, he’s unbiased help to every artist and his optimism and attitude were really inspiring. I had a really awful, stingy boss on this internship and I hope someday I have a boss as encouraging as Dick Giordano and be someone as helpful and inspiring as himself. Thanks for this lovely series, they were all laugh out loud. Keep writing and may God bless Dick Giordano.
Gosh, Uddhav. Don’t worry about not knowing about a particular artist. Nobody knows everything. And one of the reasons I did the tributes to Dick Giordano was that I felt that many (newer) comic readers didn’t know that much about him. I’m glad you found the stories about him inspiring. And I certainly hope that someday you have a boss who inspires you. Better yet, I hope you inspire people yourself!
I don’t know how this was in real time, but it was a real delight to sit down and read the Widow Miss Muffet comic and the tribute. So much fun, and lots to reflect upon. Thank you for all 17 episodes!