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In terms of sheer volume, Dick Giordano’s work nearly gives me a heart attack. An index of all his work takes up nearly nine pages.* In little tiny type. And that’s just through early 2003.
And his art? Gorgeous — both when he was penciling and (as so often happened) when he was inking other artists.
But his impact as an editor and innovator is even more impressive. During his tenure, Charlton launched its line of “action heroes.” Those heroes—Blue Beetle, Captain Atom, The Question, Sarge Steel, etc. — are about the only thing most people remember about Charlton.
Years later at DC comics, Giordano played a key role in the development of The Watchmen (which Alan Moore loosely based on Charlton’s action heroes.)
Dick was also at the helm when Frank Miller broke ground with The Dark Knight Returns. And Crisis on Infinite Earths? That was Dick’s idea.
For much of the 1980’s Dick was the voice of DC. His “Meanwhile…” columns ran in all DC comics—giving readers behind-scenes scoops and always ending with a soothing, “Thank you and Good afternoon…”
“My syntax was poor, but that’s how I talk,” said Giordano. “I sound like Yogi Berra.”*
*from Dick Giordano: Changing Comics, One Day at a Time
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CAPTION: That night I dreamt about my upcoming romance...and the beautiful wedding that was sure to come!"
PRIEST: ...forever, until death do you part?
OLD MAN/PATIENT: I...I...D-D-D...
LIFE SUPPORT MACHINE: BLIP! BLIP!
