Dillin eventually did art forFawcett Comics (on features including "Lance O'Casey" and "Ibis the Invincible" inWhiz Comics) and Fiction House ("Buzz Bennett", "Space Rangers") led to drawing forQuality Comics, beginning in 1952. He worked particularly on the popular titleBlackhawk but also onG.I. Combat,Love Confessions, andLove Secrets.[5] When Quality went out of business, Dillin, searching for new work, eventually triedDC Comics where he saw one or more issues ofBlackhawk on the desk as he was being interviewed, and to his relief was told, "We've been trying to get in touch with you."[6]
Justice League of America #64 (Aug. 1968), penciller Dillin's first issue. Inking byJoe Giella.
Dillin returned toBlackhawk, now a DC property, and when the book's initial run ended, was assignedJustice League of America, a superteam series featuring, at the time,Superman, Batman, theFlash,Green Lantern,Wonder Woman,Green Arrow, and theAtom. Dillin penciled the series from #64–183 (Aug. 1968–Oct. 1980), except for the planned reprint issues #67, 76, 85 and 93; issue #153 which was pencilled byGeorge Tuska; and issue #157 where he provided the intro and epilogue pages while Juan Ortiz pencilled the main story.[5][7] He had completed the first 2½ pages of #184 when he died; pencilerGeorge Pérez and inkerFrank McLaughlin took over the title, starting that issue from scratch.[8]
Wein and Dillin created thesupervillainLibra inJustice League of America #111 (June 1974),[15] who would play a leading role inGrant Morrison'sFinal Crisis storyline in 2008. Dillin drew the return of Wonder Woman to the team in issues #128–129 (March–April 1976).[16] He and writer Steve Englehart crafted a new origin story for the JLA in issue #144[17] and inductedHawkgirl into the team two issue later.[18] Other highlights of Dillin's tenure included the 1976 integration of the defunct and newly acquiredFawcett Comics heroes in issues #135–137, and the murder of the originalMister Terrific in issue #171.[19] Dillin and writerBob Haney created theSuper-Sons, Superman Jr. and Batman Jr., inWorld's Finest Comics #215 (Jan. 1973).[20] He drew severalGreen Lantern backup stories inThe Flash from 1974 to 1977.[21] In 1975, Dillin drew the framing chapters for a 1940sSeven Soldiers of Victory script inAdventure Comics #438 and 443.[22][23][24]
He was living inPeekskill, New York, at the time of his death.[2] As per the letters page ofJustice League of America #184, Dillin suffered a heart attack.
^abBails, Jerry (2006)."Dillin, Dick".Who's Who of American Comic Books 1928-1999. Archived fromthe original on September 22, 2013. RetrievedSeptember 21, 2012.
^"Interview with the family of Dick Dillin".Alter Ego. No. 30. Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing. November 2003.
^Riley, Shannon E. (August 2012). "22,300 Miles Above Earth: A Look Back at the JLA's 'Satellite Years'".Back Issue! (58). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 18.
^McAvennie, Michael (2010). "1960s". In Dolan, Hannah (ed.).DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. London, United Kingdom:Dorling Kindersley. p. 133.ISBN978-0-7566-6742-9.
^McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 152 "Through an impromptu team-up of the JLA and the Justice Society on Earth-2, writer Len Wein and artist Dick Dillin ushered in the return of DC's Seven Soldiers of Victory."
^McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 156 "The annual Justice League-Justice Society get-together resulted in scribe Len Wein and artist Dick Dillin transporting both teams to the alternate reality of Earth-X. There, Nazi Germany ruled after winning a prolonged World War II and only a group of champions called the Freedom Fighters remained to oppose the regime."
^McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 174: "Green Arrow thought he had learned the Justice League of America's origin back in issue #9...Now, he found inconsistencies in the story. Writer Steve Englehart and artist Dick Dillin revealed the truth as told by former JLA member J'onn J'onzz."
^Greenberger, Robert (May 2013). "Green Lantern The Emerald Backups".Back Issue! (64). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing:3–9.
^McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 162: "An unpublished Seven Soldiers of Victory story finally saw print as a backup feature inAdventure Comics #438 - three decades after it was written. Noted scientist and author Joseph Samachson had penned his last Soldiers story in 1945, when the super hero team were a regular feature inLeading Comics."
^Cronin, Brian (February 18, 2010)."Comic Book Legends Revealed #248". Comic Book Resources. Archived fromthe original on October 1, 2010. RetrievedJanuary 6, 2013.An unpublished script starring the Seven Soldiers of Victory was published within five issues ofAdventure Comics…Thirty years after the Seven Soldiers of Victory feature was canceled!
^Abramowitz, Jack (May 2013). "Seven Soldiers of Victory: Lost in Time Again".Back Issue! (64). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing:33–37.
^PerThe Amazing World of DC Comics #15 at theGrand Comics Database, this issue was originally assigned toJohn Rosenberger, who would pencil only the first four pages before he was stricken with the illness that was to claim his life. Subsequently, this issue was completely redrawn by Dillin. The Rosenberger pages were later published inThe Amazing World of DC Comics #15 (Aug. 1977).
