RIP Dick Giordano
Sarge Steel Who's Who
Dick Giordano was an amazing comic book artist and editor who oversaw some of the richest periods in mainstream comics history. He passed away this morning at the age of 77.
You’ll read plenty at other sites about Dick’s work with Charlton, where he supervised greats like Steve Ditko and Joe Gill as they created heroes like Blue Beetle (the Ted Kord version), Captain Atom, The Question (my favorite comic hero ever), Thunderbolt, Peacemaker, and the rest of the Action Heroes that later became the inspiration for The Watchmen, which was published later during Dick’s era as editor-in-chief at DC Comics.
Comic writer / all-around-niceguy Mark Evanier writes of Giordano that, “He was good at finding talent, good at leaving it alone to do what it did best, good at stepping in when necessary. Writers and artists generally liked working with Dick. Most found him honest, helpful and willing to gamble on new things.”
When I first began Mister 8, I’d planned a series of theme weeks, and one of the first ideas I had was to cover one of my all-time favorite comic secret agents, Sarge Steel, whom Giordano had a (steel) hand in creating while at Charlton. I approached Dick about a potential interview, and he was kind to respond to a first round of questions, before, I suspect, being too busy with conventions and prior engagements to answer the rest. So, to get Mister 8 back on track, and to honor the memory of Dick Giordano, I hereby declare Sarge Steel Week in effect.
