Dick Dillin
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Richard Allen "Dick" Dillin (born December 17, 1929, Watertown, New York, United States; died March 1, 1980) is an American comic book artist best known for an extraordinary 12-year run as the penciler of the DC Comics superhero-team series Justice League of America. He drew 115 consecutive issues from 1968 up until his death, bridging the venerable title's Mike Sekowsky and George Perez eras.
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[edit] Early life and career
Determined since childhood to draw for comics, Dillin graduated from Watertown High School to become an art student at Syracuse University on the GI Bill, following his military service with the 8th Army in Tokyo, Yokohama, and Okinawa. Sometime after marrying wife Estella in 1948, Dillin left his job at a Watertown manufacturer of air brakes for trains, and sought an art career in New York City. Six months later, after having done magazine illustration and other commercial art and gaining a foothold at Fawcett Comics and Fiction House, he relocated his family to suburban Peekskill, New York.
Dillin's art at Fawcett (on features including "Lance O'Casey" and "Ibis the Invincible" in Whiz Comics) and Fiction House ("Buzz Bennett", "Space Rangers") led to drawing for Quality Comics, beginning in 1952. He worked particularly on the popular title Blackhawk but also on G.I. Combat, Love Confessions, and Love Secrets. When Quality went out of business, Dillin, searching for new work, eventually tried DC Comics — where he saw one or more issues of Blackhawk on the desk as he was being interviewed, and to his relief was told, "We've been trying to get in touch with you." 1
[edit] The DC Years
Dillin returned to Blackhawk, now a DC property, and when the book's initial run ended, went on to draw issues of World's Finest Comics and Batman specials before being assigned Justice League of America, a superteam series featuring, at the time, Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, and the Atom. Dillin penciled the series from #64-183 (Aug. 1968 - Oct. 1980), except for the planned reprint issues #67, 76, 85 and 93 and issue #153 which was pencilled by George Tuska. He had completed the first 2 1/2 pages of #184 when he died; penciler George Perez and inker Frank McLaughlin took over the title, starting that issue from scratch.
Dillin's tenure on JLA included the reintroduction of Red Tornado; the migration of the Black Canary from Earth-2 to Earth-1; the introduction of the JLA satellite; the 1973 and 1976 integration of the defunct and newly acquired Quality Comics and Fawcett Comics heroes, respectively; and the murder of the first Mr. Terrific, Terry Sloane.
[edit] Other work
Dillin drew animation storyboards for the Trans-Lux/Joe Orolio syndicated TV series Johnny Zero (c. 1962), and The Mighty Hercules (1963), among other shows.
[edit] Footnotes
- Note 1: Alter Ego #30, Nov. 2003: Interview with the family of Dick Dillin
