Dick Giordano, an only child, was born in New York City on July 20, 1932, in the borough ofManhattan to Josephine Labruzzi and Graziano "Jack" Giordano. He was "sickly as a child" and spent a significant amount of his childhood in bed. After his father brought him a copy ofFamous Funnies, he became hooked on comics and, by age seven, began to draw his own stories on brown paper grocery bags. In elementary school, he played baseball and began writing and drawing sports stories and adaptations ofpulp adventures.[3]
By the mid-1960s a Charlton veteran, Giordano rose to executive editor, succeedingPat Masulli, by 1965.[10] As an editor, he made his first mark in the industry, overseeing Charlton's revamping of its few existing superheroes and having his artists and writers create new such characters for what he called the company's "Action Hero" line. Many of these artists included new talent Giordano brought on board, includingJim Aparo,Dennis O'Neil, andSteve Skeates.[10][11]
He continued to freelance for DC as a penciler and inker.[15] As an artist, Giordano was best known as aninker. His inking was particularly associated with the pencils ofNeal Adams, for their run in the early 1970s on the titlesBatman andGreen Lantern/Green Arrow.[6] Comics historianLes Daniels observed that "The influential Adams style moved comics closer to illustration than cartooning, and he brought a menacing mood to Batman's adventures that was augmented by Dick Giordano's dark, brooding inks."[16]
By 1971, frustrated by what he felt was a lack of editorial opportunities, Giordano had left DC to partner with fellow artistNeal Adams for theirContinuity Associates studios,[17] which served as an art packager for comic book publishers, including such companies as Giordano's former employer Charlton Comics,[18]Marvel Comics, and the one-shotBig Apple Comix. Several comics artists began their careers at Continuity[11] and many were mentored by Giordano during their time there.[19]
In 1980, DC publisherJenette Kahn brought Giordano back to DC.[25][26] Initially the editor of theBatman titles, Giordano was named the company's new managing editor in 1981,[27] and promoted to vice president/executive editor in 1983, a position he held until 1993.[10] DC Comics writer and executivePaul Levitz observed in 2010 that "Giordano held the respect of talent as one of their own, and kept their affection with his reassuring calm and warmth."[28]
Giordano provided art for several anniversary issues of key DC titles. He and television writerAlan Brennert crafted the story "To Kill a Legend" inDetective Comics #500 (March 1981).[29][30] Giordano was one of the artists on the double-sizedJustice League of America #200 (March 1982)[31] as well asWonder Woman #300 (Feb. 1983).[32][33] He was promoted to Vice-President/Executive Editor in 1984,[34] and with Kahn and Levitz, oversaw the relaunch of all of DC's major characters with theCrisis on Infinite Earths limited series in 1985.[35] This was followed byFrank Miller'sBatman: The Dark Knight Returns andAlan Moore andDave Gibbons'Watchmen in 1986.[36] Giordano inked several major projects during this time such asGeorge Pérez's pencils onCrisis on Infinite Earths andJohn Byrne's pencils onThe Man of Steel andAction Comics,[6] though during this period he always employed assistants for inking backgrounds, filling in large black areas, and making final erasures.[37]
From 1983 to 1987,[38] Giordano wrote a monthly column published in DC titles called "Meanwhile..." which much like Marvel's "Bullpen Bulletins" featured news and information about the company and its creators. Unlike "Bullpen Bulletins," which was characterized by an ironic, over-hyped tone, Giordano's columns ". . . were written in a relatively sober, absolutely friendly voice, like a friend of your father's you particularly liked and didn't mind sitting down to listen to."[4] Giordano closed each "Meanwhile..." column with the characteristic words, "Thank you and good afternoon."[39]
Giordano signing at a comic convention, August 2008.
Giordano left DC in 1993, and still did the occasional inking job, but later returned to freelancing full-time.[48] In 1994 Giordano illustrated agraphic novel adaptation of the novelModesty Blaise released by DC Comics, with creator/writerPeter O'Donnell.[6][49] He was one of the many artists who contributed to theSuperman: The Wedding Album one-shot in 1996 wherein the title character marriedLois Lane.[50]
In 2002, Giordano launched the short-livedFuture Comics with writerDavid Michelinie and artistBob Layton.[15] Since 2002, Giordano had drawn several issues ofThe Phantom published inEurope andAustralia.[51] In 2004, Giordano and writerRoy Thomas completed an adaptation ofBram Stoker'sDracula novel. They had begun the project in 1974 but the cancellation of many of Marvel'sblack and white magazines put it into limbo.[52] The finished story was collected into a hardcover edition in 2005[53] and a colorized hardcover edition in 2010.[54] In 2005,F+W Publications Inc. published the instructional art bookDrawing Comics with Dick Giordano, which he wrote and illustrated. His last mainstream work appeared inJonah Hex vol. 2, #51 (March 2010) for which he drew the interior art and the cover.[6] His last comics work was pencilling and editingBaron Five, published by Hound Comics.[citation needed]
Giordano married Marie Trapani, sister of fellow comics artistSal Trapani, on April 17, 1955.[55] She died from complications of her second stomach cancer surgery in February 1993.[56] They had three children together; Lisa,[57] Dawn, and Richard Jr.[58] Marie's death, combined with Giordano's increasing hearing loss, hastened his decision to retire from DC.[56] Following the death of his wife, Giordano split time between homes in Florida and Connecticut.[10] In 1995, he moved to Palm Coast, Florida, where he continued to work full-time freelancing, until his death.[59] Giordano had suffered fromlymphoma and later fromleukemia, secondary to the chemotherapy.[60] He died on March 27, 2010, due to complications of treatment for leukemia.[61]
Shortly after Giordano's death in 2010,The Hero Initiative created "The Dick Giordano Humanitarian of the Year Award", which debuted at the 2010Harvey Awards ceremony held at theBaltimore Comic-Con. The award recognizes one person in comics each year who demonstrates particular generosity and integrity in support of the overall comic book community.[65]
Giordano received recognition in the industry for his work, including theAlley Award for Best Editor in 1969.[66] He won theShazam Award for Best Inker (Dramatic Division) in 1970 (forGreen Lantern),[67] 1971,[68] 1973 (forJustice League of America),[69] and 1974.[70] He won the 1971Goethe Award for "Favorite Pro Editor." Giordano received anInkpot Award in 1981.[71] In 2009 he was awarded theInkwell AwardsJoe Sinnott Hall of Fame Award.[72]
DC Comics Presents #12, 33–34 (inks over Rich Buckler); #13–14 (inks over Dick Dillin); #26 (inks over George Pérez); #27 (inks over Jim Starlin); #31 (inks over García-López) (1979–1981)
Green Arrow Vol 2 #1-6 (inks overEd Hannigan), #7 (inks overEduardo Barreto), #8 (inks overParis Cullins) , #9-12 (inks over Ed Hannigan), #13-14 (inks overDan Jurgens), #15-16 (inks over Ed Hannigan), #17-18 (inks over Dan Jurgens), #19-20 (inks over Ed Hannigan), #21-24, 27-30 (inks over Dan Jurgens), #117 (inks over William Rosado), Annual #2 (1988-1997)
^Bails, Jerry (2006)."Giordano, Dick". Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999.Archived from the original on March 18, 2012. RetrievedAugust 8, 2011.
^Boström, Antonia; Bedford, Christopher; Curtis, Penelope; Hunt, John Dixon (2008). "The Fran and Ray Stark Collection of 20th-Century Sculpture at the J. Paul Getty Museum". Getty Publications: 96.{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)
^abcde"Contributors: Dick Giordano".The New Teen Titans Archives, Volume 1. New York, New York:DC Comics. 1999.ISBN978-1563894855.
^McAvennie, Michael; Dolan, Hannah, ed. (2010). "1960s".DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. London, United Kingdom:Dorling Kindersley. p. 132.ISBN978-0-7566-6742-9.Editor Dick Giordano conjured up a triumvirate of witches to host an anthology series produced by some of comics' biggest names.{{cite book}}:|first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 140: "Editor Dick Giordano ushered the [Western comic] genre into a new era with the return ofAll-Star Western."
^Hatcher, Greg (February 25, 2006)."Friday at the License Bureau".Comic Book Resources.Archived from the original on November 10, 2013. RetrievedMarch 7, 2009.
^Greenberger, Robert; Manning, Matthew K. (2009).The Batman Vault: A Museum-in-a-Book with Rare Collectibles from the Batcave. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:Running Press. p. 30.ISBN978-0-7624-3663-7.It was Dick Giordano who, among many other similar feats, drew the March 1976 fan-favorite issue #457 ofDetective Comics to illustrate the fabled Denny O'Neil yarn "There is No Hope in Crime Alley".
^McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 170: "Many talents from both DC and Marvel contributed to this landmark publication - in addition to inker Dick Giordano, Neal Adams provided several redrawings of Superman while John Romita Sr. worked on numerous Peter Parker/Spider-Man likenesses"
^Weiss, Brett (December 2012). "Superman vs. Muhammad Ali".Back Issue! (61). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing:59–64.
^Eury, Michael (2003).Dick Giordano: Changing Comics, One Day At A Time. Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 101.ISBN1-893905-27-6. RetrievedDecember 23, 2011.Giordano was also frequently partnered with penciler Ross Andru, and for several years, the duo illustrated virtually every Superman cover published, and a host of other covers.
^"Jack Adler Retires, Dick Giordano Promoted".The Comics Journal (67). Fantagraphics Books: 15. October 1981.
^Levitz, Paul (2010). "The Dark Age 1984-1998".75 Years of DC Comics The Art of Modern Mythmaking. Cologne, Germany:Taschen. p. 559.ISBN9783836519816.
^Manning, Matthew K. "1980s" in Dolan, p. 193: "The comic responsible for DC's name reached its 500th issue with the help of a variety of talented comic book icons...In a dimension-spanning story by writer Alan Brennert and fan-favorite artist Dick Giordano, Batman traveled to an alternate Earth to save the parents of a young Bruce Wayne."
^Greenberger, Robert (December 2013). "Memories ofDetective Comics #500".Back Issue! (69). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing:54–57.
^Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 200: "The Amazing Amazon was joined by a host of DC's greatest heroes to celebrate her 300th issue in a seventy-two-page blockbuster...Written by Roy and Dann Thomas, and penciled by Gene Colan, Ross Andru, Jan Duursema, Dick Giordano, Keith Pollard, Keith Giffen, and Rich Buckler."
^Mangels, Andy (December 2013). "Nightmares and Dreamscapes: The Highlights and Horrors ofWonder Woman #300".Back Issue! (69). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing:61–63.
^McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 217: "Running for twelve monthly parts, and written by Marv Wolfman with art by George Pérez and Dick Giordano among others,Crisis led to many major characters - Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman - being relaunched."
^Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 218: It was what many consider the greatest year in comics. DC debuted two of the industry's most influential works: Frank Miller supplied a gritty take on super-heroes withBatman: The Dark Knight, while writer Alan Moore brought a literary ear and sophisticated structure to DC's comics with the maxiseriesWatchmen.
^Eury, Michael. "When Worlds Collided! Behind the Scenes ofCrisis on Infinite Earths".Back Issue! (34). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 39.
^Grant, Steven (April 1988). "What Dick Said".The Comics Journal (121). Fantagraphics Books: 24.
^Slifer, Roger (April 1988). "Screwed by DC".The Comics Journal (121). Fantagraphics Books: 25.
^McEnroe, Richard S. (April 1988). "Lies, Damned Lies, & Dick Giordano".The Comics Journal (121). Fantagraphics Books:25–27.
^McEnroe, Richard S. (April 1988). "Packaging: Work-For-Hire in the Real Publishing Industry".The Comics Journal (121). Fantagraphics Books: 44.
^"Newswatch: Dick Giordano Retires Role as DC VP: Editorial Director Closes Out Position, Returns to Freelancing Full-Time".The Comics Journal (161). Fantagraphics Books: 21. August 1993.
^Manning "1990s" in Dolan, p. 275: " The behind-the-scenes talent on the monumental issue appropriately spanned several generations of the Man of Tomorrow's career. Written by Dan Jurgens, Karl Kesel, David Michelinie, Louise Simonson, and Roger Stern, the one-shot featured the pencils of John Byrne, Gil Kane, Stuart Immonen, Paul Ryan, Jon Bogdanove, Kieron Dwyer, Tom Grummett, Dick Giordano, Jim Mooney, Curt Swan, Nick Cardy, Al Plastino, Barry Kitson, Ron Frenz, and Dan Jurgens."
