Richard Allen Dillin (December 17, 1928 – March 1, 1980)Richard Dillin
at the United States

Social Security Death Index The Social Security Death Index (SSDI) was a database of death records created from the United States Social Security Administration's Death Master File until 2014. Since 2014, public access to the updated Death Master File has been via the Limit ...

via FamilySearch.org. Retrieved on February 23, 2013. Also
Richard Dillin
at the United States Social Security Death Index via GenealogyBank.com. Retrieved on January 8, 2016. was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

comics artist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and g ...

best known for a 12-year run as the penciler of the

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

-team series ''

Justice League of America The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceived ...

''. He drew 115 issues from 1968 until his death in 1980.

Early life and career

Dick Dillin was born in

Watertown, New York Watertown is a city in, and the county seat of, Jefferson County, New York, United States. It is approximately south of the Thousand Islands, along the Black River about east of where it flows into Lake Ontario. The city is bordered by the ...

. Note: Source erroneously gives birth year as 1929 Determined since childhood to draw for comics, Dillin graduated from Watertown High School to become an art student at

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

on the

G.I. Bill The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known as the G.I. Bill, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in 1956, bu ...

, following his

military service Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Some nations (e.g., Mexico) require a ...

with the 8th U.S. Army in Tokyo,

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

, and

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

. Dillin eventually did art for

Fawcett Comics Fawcett Comics, a division of Fawcett Publications, was one of several successful comic book publishers during the Golden Age of Comic Books in the 1940s. Its most popular character was Captain Marvel (DC Comics), Captain Marvel, the alter ego of ...

(on features including "Lance O'Casey" and "Ibis the Invincible" in ''

Whiz Comics ''Whiz Comics'' was an anthology comic book series published by former American comic book publishing company, Fawcett Publications between February 1940 until June 1953. It is widely known for being the comic run in which hugely popular superhero ...

'') and Fiction House ("Buzz Bennett", "Space Rangers") led to drawing for

Quality Comics Quality Comics was an American comic book publishing company which operated from 1937 to 1956 and was a creative, influential force in what historians and fans call the Golden Age of Comic Books. Notable, long-running titles published by Qualit ...

, beginning in 1952. He worked particularly on the popular title ''

Blackhawk Black Hawk and Blackhawk may refer to: Animals * Black Hawk (horse), a Morgan horse that lived from 1833 to 1856 * Common black hawk, ''Buteogallus anthracinus'' * Cuban black hawk, ''Buteogallus gundlachii'' * Great black hawk, ''Buteogallus uru ...

'' but also on ''

G.I. Combat ''G.I. Combat'' was an American comics anthology featuring war stories. It was published from 1952 until 1956 by Quality Comics, followed by DC Comics until its final issue in 1987. In 2012 it was briefly revived. Publication history The focu ...

'', ''Love Confessions'', and ''Love Secrets''. When Quality went out of business, Dillin, searching for new work, eventually tried

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."

DC Comics

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 ''World's Finest Comics'' was an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1941 to 1986. The series was initially titled ''World's Best Comics'' for its first issue; issue #2 (Summer 1941) switched to the more familiar name. Michael ...

'' before being assigned ''Justice League of America'', a superteam series featuring, at the time,

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...

, Batman,

Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...

, Green Arrow, and the

Atom Every atom is composed of a nucleus and one or more electrons bound to the nucleus. The nucleus is made of one or more protons and a number of neutrons. Only the most common variety of hydrogen has no neutrons. Every solid, liquid, gas, and ...

. 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 by

George Tuska George Tuska (; April 26, 1916 – October 16, 2009),George Tuska
at the Social Security Death Index via Fami ...

; and issue #157 where he provided the intro and epilogue pages while Juan Ortiz pencilled the main story. He had completed the first 2½ pages of #184 when he died; penciler

George Pérez George Pérez (; June 9, 1954 – May 6, 2022) was an American comic book artist and writer, who worked primarily as a penciller. He came to prominence in the 1970s penciling ''Fantastic Four'' and '' The Avengers'' for Marvel Comics. In the 198 ...

and inker Frank McLaughlin took over the title, starting that issue from scratch. Dillin's tenure on ''JLA'' included the reintroduction of

Red Tornado Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondary ...

. He and writer

Dennis O'Neil Dennis Joseph O'Neil (May 3, 1939 – June 11, 2020) was an American comic book writer and editor, principally for Marvel Comics and DC Comics from the 1960s through the 1990s, and Group Editor for the Batman family of titles until his retir ...

made several changes to the membership of the JLA by removing founding members Wonder Woman and the

Martian Manhunter The Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and designed by artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in the story "The Manhunter from Mars" ...

. They also oversaw the migration of the

Black Canary The Black Canary is the name of two superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics: Dinah Drake and her daughter Dinah Laurel Lance. The original version was created by the writer-artist team of Robert Kanigher and ...

from Earth-2 to Earth-1; and the introduction of the JLA satellite. Dillin and writer Len Wein produced the return of the

Seven Soldiers of Victory The Seven Soldiers of Victory (also known as Law's Legionnaires) is a team of fictional comic book superheroes in the DC Comics universe. They first appeared in ''Leading Comics'' #1 (Winter 1941), and were created by Mort Weisinger and Mort Mesk ...

in issues #100–102 and the introduction of the

characters to the DC continuity as the Freedom Fighters in issues #107–108. In late 1972, Dillin drew the DC chapter of a metafictional unofficial

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...

crafted by writers Wein,

Steve Englehart Steve Englehart (; born April 22, 1947) is an American writer of comic books and novels. He is best known for his work at Marvel Comics and DC Comics in the 1970s and 1980s. His pseudonyms have included John Harkness and Cliff Garnett. Early lif ...

, and

Gerry Conway Gerard Francis Conway Thomas, Roy. "Roy's Rostrum" ("Bullpen Bulletins") in '' Marvel Super-Heroes'' #43 and other Marvel Comics cover-dated May 1974. (born September 10, 1952) is an American comic book writer, comic book editor, screenwriter, t ...

spanning titles from both major comics companies. Each comic featured Englehart, Conway, and Wein, as well as Wein's first wife Glynis, interacting with Marvel or DC characters at the

Rutland Halloween Parade The Rutland Halloween Parade is an annual event held on (or around) Halloween in the city of Rutland, Vermont, since 1960. The parade has a strong superhero theme and has been the setting for a number of fictional comic book adventures. Local of ...

Rutland, Vermont Rutland, Vermont may refer to: *Rutland (city), Vermont * Rutland (town), Vermont *Rutland County, Vermont *West Rutland, Vermont West Rutland is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,214 at the 2020 census. The t ...

. Beginning in ''

Amazing Adventures ''Amazing Adventures'' is the name of several anthology comic book series, all but one published by Marvel Comics. The earliest Marvel series of that name introduced the company's first superhero of the late-1950s to early-1960s period fans and h ...

'' #16 (by Englehart with art by

Bob Brown Robert James Brown (born 27 December 1944) is a former Australian politician, medical doctor and environmentalist. He was a senator and the parliamentary leader of the Australian Greens. Brown was elected to the Australian Senate on the Tasma ...

and Frank McLaughlin), the story continued in ''Justice League of America'' #103 (by Wein, Dillin and

Dick Giordano Richard Joseph Giordano (; July 20, 1932 – March 27, 2010) was an American comics artist and editor whose career included introducing Charlton Comics' "Action Heroes" stable of superheroes and serving as executive editor of DC Comics. Early ...

), and concluded in ''

Thor Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, an ...

'' #207 (by Conway and penciler John Buscema). Wein and Dillin created the

supervillain A supervillain or supercriminal is a variant of the villainous stock character that is commonly found in American comic books, usually possessing superhuman abilities. A supervillain is the antithesis of a superhero. Supervillains are oft ...

Libra Libra generally refers to: * Libra (constellation), a constellation * Libra (astrology), an astrological sign based on the star constellation Libra may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Libra'' (novel), a 1988 novel by Don DeLillo Musi ...

in ''Justice League of America'' #111 (June 1974), who would play a leading role in

Grant Morrison Grant Morrison, MBE (born 31 January 1960) is a Scottish comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. Their work is known for its nonlinear narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, w ...

's '' Final Crisis'' storyline in 2008. Dillin drew the return of Wonder Woman to the team in issues #128–129 (March–April 1976). He and writer Steve Englehart crafted a new origin story for the JLA in issue #144 and inducted

Hawkgirl Hawkgirl is the name of several superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original Hawkgirl, Shiera Sanders Hall, was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, and first appeared in ''Flash Comics' ...

into the team two issue later. Other highlights of Dillin's tenure included the 1976 integration of the defunct and newly acquired

heroes in issues #135-137, and the murder of the original Mister Terrific in issue #171. Dillin and writer

Bob Haney Robert Gilbert Haney, Jr. (March 15, 1926 – November 25, 2004) was an American comic book writer, best known for his work for DC Comics. He co-created the Teen Titans as well as characters such as Metamorpho, Eclipso, Cain, and the Super-Sons. ...

created the Super-Sons, Superman Jr. and Batman Jr., in ''

'' #215 (Jan. 1973). He drew several

backup stories in ''

The Flash The Flash (or simply Flash) is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date ...

'' from 1974 to 1977. In 1975, Dillin drew the framing chapters for a 1940s

script in '' Adventure Comics'' #438 and 443. He was living in

Peekskill, New York Peekskill is a city in northwestern Westchester County, New York, United States, from New York City. Established as a village in 1816, it was incorporated as a city in 1940. It lies on a bay along the east side of the Hudson River, across fro ...

, at the time of his death. As per the letters page of ''Justice League of America'' #184, Dillin suffered a heart attack.

Animation

Dillin drew

animation Animation is a method by which image, still figures are manipulated to appear as Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent cel, celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited ...

storyboards A storyboard is a graphic organizer that consists of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence. The storyboarding process, in th ...

for the Trans-Lux/Joe Orolio syndicated TV series ''Johnny Zero'' (c. 1962), and ''

The Mighty Hercules ''The Mighty Hercules'' is an animated television series based loosely on the Greek mythology character of Heracles, under his Roman name Hercules. It debuted on television in 1963. The show ran until 1966, coinciding with the sword-and-sandal ge ...

'' (1963), among other shows.

Bibliography

Comics work (interior pencil art) includes:

DC Comics

*''

Action Comics ''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/Comic anthology, magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as National Allied Publications, and later as National Comics ...

'' ( Green Arrow) #424, 426, 431, 434, 436; (The

): #425, 427, 430, 433, 435, 438–439, 448; (Private Life of Clark Kent): #477 (1973–1977) *'' Adventure Comics'' (

): #438, 443 (1975–1976) *''

and Hawkman'' #40–45 (1968–1969) *''

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...

'' #246 (with

Irv Novick Irving Novick (; April 11, 1916 – October 15, 2004) was an American comics artist who worked almost continuously from 1939 until the 1990s. Career A graduate of the National Academy of Design, Irv Novick got his start in the workshop of Harry " ...

); ( Robin): #252, 254 (1972–1973) *''

'' #108–241 (1957–1968) *''

Challengers of the Unknown The Challengers of the Unknown is a fictional group of adventurers appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The quartet of adventurers explored paranormal occurrences while facing several fantastic menaces. The characters' provenance is ...

'' #72 (1970) *''

DC Comics Presents ''DC Comics Presents'' is a comic book series published by DC Comics from 1978 to 1986 which ran for 97 issues and four ''Annual''s. It featured team-ups between Superman and a wide variety of other characters in the DC Universe. A recurring bac ...

'' #7, 13–14, 18, 22, 25 (1979–1980) *''

DC Special Series ''DC Special Series'' was an umbrella title for one-shots and special issues published by DC Comics between 1977 and 1981. Each issue featured a different character and was often in a different format than the issue before it. ''DC Special Serie ...

'' (

Aquaman Aquaman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in ''More Fun Comics'' #73 (November 1941). The character is a pastiche of Namor. Initially ...

): #1 (1977) *'' DC Super-Stars'' #10 (1976) *''

Detective Comics ''Detective Comics'' is an American comic book series published by Detective Comics, later shortened to DC Comics. The first volume, published from 1937 to 2011 (and later continued in 2016), is best known for introducing the superhero Batman i ...

'' (

) #433, 483; (Hawkman): #428 (1972–1978) *''

'' (

Kid Flash Kid Flash is the name of several fictional superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, originally created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, as a junior counterpart to DC Comics superhero The Flash. The first version of the c ...

) #202, 204, 207, 209, 211, 216 (1970–72); (

): #227–228, 230–231, 233–234, 245–246 (1974–1977) *''

'' vol. 2 #67, 71 (1969) *'' Hawkman'' #22–27 (1967–1968) *''

House of Mystery ''The House of Mystery'' is the name of several horror, fantasy, and mystery Comics anthologies published by DC Comics. It had a companion series, ''The House of Secrets''. It is also the name of the titular setting of the series. First serie ...

'' #197 (1971) *'' House of Secrets'' #82, 84, 87–88, 92, 96 (1969–1972) *''

'' #64–66, 68–75, 77–84, 86–92, 94–152, 154–183 (1968–1980) *''

Spectre Spectre, specter or the spectre may refer to: Religion and spirituality * Vision (spirituality) * Apparitional experience * Ghost Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Spectre'' (1977 film), a made-for-television film produced and writ ...

'' (

Hourman Hourman or Hour-Man is the name of three different fictional superheroes appearing in comics published by DC Comics. The original Hourman was created by writer Ken Fitch and artist Bernard Baily in ''Adventure Comics'' #48 (March 1940), during t ...

) #7 (1968) *''

'' ( Terra-Man): #249; (Fabulous World of

Krypton Krypton (from grc, κρυπτός, translit=kryptos 'the hidden one') is a chemical element with the symbol Kr and atomic number 36. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless noble gas that occurs in trace amounts in the atmosphere and is often ...

): #257, 263, 266, 268 (1972–1973) *'' The Unexpected'' #121–123, 126, 131, 133, 163, 165 (1970–1975) *'' The Witching Hour'' #26 (1972) *''

'' #217 (1975)Pe
''The Amazing World of DC Comics'' #15
at the

Grand Comics Database The Grand Comics Database (GCD) is an Internet-based project to build a database of comic book information through user contributions. The GCD project catalogues information on creator credits, story details, reprints, and other information useful ...

, this issue was originally assigned to

John Rosenberger John Francis Rosenberger (November 30, 1918 in Richmond Hill, Queens – January 24, 1977), also occasionally credited as John Diehl, was an Americans, American comics artist and Painting, painter from after the World War II, Second World War unti ...

, 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 in ''The Amazing World of DC Comics'' #15 (Aug. 1977). *''

'' (

team-ups): #198–205, 207–228, 231–233, 235–236, 238, 240, 257; (Green Arrow): #256 (1970–1979)

Quality Comics

*''

'' #37, 40, 64–65, 67–107 (1951–1956) *''

Plastic Man Plastic Man (Patrick "Eel" O'Brian) is a superhero first appearing in ''Police Comics'' #1, originally published by Quality Comics and later acquired by DC Comics. Created by cartoonist Jack Cole (artist), Jack Cole, Plastic Man was one of the fi ...

'' #45 (1954)

Collected editions

* '' Justice League of America Archives'' ** Volume 8 collects ''Justice League of America'' #64–66, 68–70 ** Volume 9 collects ''Justice League of America'' #71–80 ** Volume 10 collects ''Justice League of America'' #81–93 * '' Showcase Presents Justice League of America'' ** Volume 4 collects ''Justice League of America'' #64–66, 68–75, 77–83 ** Volume 5 collects ''Justice League of America'' #84, 86–92, 94–106 ** Volume 6 collects ''Justice League of America'' #107–132 * ''Crisis on Multiple Earths'' ** Volume 2 collects ''Justice League of America'' #64–65, 73–74, and 82–83 ** Volume 3 collects ''Justice League of America'' #91–92, 100–102, 107–108, and 113 ** Volume 4 collects ''Justice League of America'' #123–124, 135–137, and 147–148 ** Volume 5 collects ''Justice League of America'' #159–160, 171–172, and 183 * ''Superman/Batman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told'' includes ''World’s Finest Comics'' #207 * ''Tales of the Batman: Len Wein'' includes ''World’s Finest Comics'' #207

References

External links

*
Dick Dillin
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics {{DEFAULTSORT:Dillin, Dick 1928 births 1980 deaths American comics artists American storyboard artists DC Comics people Golden Age comics creators People from Peekskill, New York Silver Age comics creators Syracuse University alumni United States Army soldiers