Todd Klein (born January 28, 1951) is an American

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

letterer A letterer is a member of a team of comic book creators responsible for drawing the comic book's text. The letterer's use of typefaces, calligraphy, letter size, and layout all contribute to the impact of the comic. The letterer crafts the comi ...

logo A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name it represents as in a wordma ...

designer A designer is a person who plans the form or structure of something before it is made, by preparing drawings or plans. In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, products, processes, laws, games, graphics, services, or exp ...

, and occasional writer, primarily for

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 ...

Biography

Early career

Todd Klein broke into comics in the summer of 1977, hired by

as a staff production worker. This job entailed pasting together text pages (such as letter columns), putting logos, display lettering, and type on covers, and doing art and lettering corrections on comics pages. Other staffers included

colorist In comics, a colorist is responsible for adding color to black-and-white line art. For most of the 20th century this was done using brushes and dyes which were then used as guides to produce the printing plates. Since the late 20th century it is ...

s Bob LeRose and

Anthony Tollin Anthony or Antony is a masculine given name, derived from the ''Antonii'', a ''gens'' ( Roman family name) to which Mark Antony (''Marcus Antonius'') belonged. According to Plutarch, the Antonii gens were Heracleidae, being descendants of Anton, ...

, writer

Bob Rozakis Robert "Bob" Rozakis (; born April 4, 1951) is an American comic book writer and editor known mainly for his work in the 1970s and 1980s at DC Comics, as the writer of Mazing Man'' and in his capacity as DC's "Answer Man". Career Bob Rozakis go ...

inker The inker (sometimes credited as the finisher or embellisher) is one of the two line artists in traditional comic book production. The penciller creates a drawing, the inker outlines, interprets, finalizes, retraces this drawing by using a pencil ...

Steve Mitchell, and letterer

John Workman John Workman (born June 20, 1950) is an American editor, writer, artist, designer, colorist and letterer in the comic book industry. He is known for his frequent partnerships with writer/artist Walter Simonson and also for lettering the entire ru ...

. Over the next months and years, Klein tried his hand at all those things, but found lettering suited him best. Workman helped Klein get started with the basic tools and techniques, and Klein studied the work of

Gaspar Saladino Gaspar Saladino (September 1, 1927 – August 4, 2016) was an American letterer and logo designer who worked for more than sixty years in the comic book industry, mostly for DC Comics. Eventually Saladino went by one name, "Gaspar," which he wrote ...

, Workman,

Ben Oda Ben Oda (December 21, 1915 – November 1984) was a Japanese-American letterer for comic books and comic strips. He graduated from Chouinard Art Institute and began his career as an apprentice at Walt Disney Studios.''DC Profiles Number 56: Ben ...

, and

John Costanza John Costanza (born August 14, 1943, in Dover, New Jersey) is an American comic book artist and letterer. He has worked for both DC Comics and Marvel Comics. He was the letterer during Alan Moore's acclaimed run on ''Swamp Thing''. The bulk of Co ...

; as well as

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

letterers

Tom Orzechowski Thomas Orzechowski (born March 1, 1953) Miller, John Jackson"Comics Industry Birthdays" ''Comics Buyer's Guide'', June 10, 2005. Accessed December 21, 2010WebCitation archive is a comic book letterer, primarily known for his work on ''Uncanny X-Me ...

Jim Novak James R. Novak (September 14, 1955 - April 2018) was a comic book creator, primarily working as a letterer for Marvel Comics, where he worked on almost every one of their ongoing series, and contributed to the development of the iconic Star Wars l ...

, and

Joe Rosen Joe Rosen (December 25, 1920 – October 12, 2009) was an American comic book artist, primarily known for his work as a letterer. Over the course of his career with Marvel Comics and DC Comics, Rosen lettered such titles as ''The Fantastic Four'', ...

. Klein landed his first freelance lettering job in the fall of 1977, and by late 1977 was entrusted with an entire issue: ''

Firestorm A firestorm is a conflagration which attains such intensity that it creates and sustains its own wind system. It is most commonly a natural phenomenon, created during some of the largest bushfires and wildfires. Although the term has been used ...

'' #1.Klein, Todd
"How I Began," Todd Klein: Lettering - Logos - Design.
Retrieved July 22, 2008.

Freelancer

In the 1980s, Klein mainly worked for DC, where in addition to lettering many of their titles, he also designed logos and title headers for various letter pages. As DC emerged from a late 1970s/early 1980s slump, new opportunities opened up for freelancers. Klein got more work as a letterer (and also a fair amount as a writer), keeping him very busy. Books he worked on during this period included

Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman:'' ''The Killing Joke'', and ''From Hell' ...

's ''

Swamp Thing The Swamp Thing is a superhero in American comic books published by DC Comics. A humanoid/plant elemental List of swamp monsters, creature, created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Thing has had several humanoid or mo ...

'', '' Batman: Year One'', and ''

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 ...

''; as well as his own scripts for ''

Omega Men The Omega Men are a fictional team of extraterrestrial superheroes who have appeared in various comic book series published by DC Comics. They first appeared in ''Green Lantern'' (vol. 2) #141 (June 1981), and were created by Marv Wolfman and Joe ...

''. As a freelancer, Klein also performed production work on such works as Moore and

Dave Gibbons David Chester Gibbons (born 14 April 1949) is an English comics artist, writer and sometimes letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries ''Watchmen'' and the Superman story "For the Man ...

' ''

Watchmen ''Watchmen'' is an American comic book Limited series (comics), maxiseries by the British creative team of writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons and colorist John Higgins (comics), John Higgins. It was published monthly by DC Comics in 1986 a ...

'',

Frank Miller Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957) is an American comic book writer, penciller and inker, novelist, screenwriter, film director, and producer known for his comic book stories and graphic novels such as his run on ''Daredevil'' and subsequen ...

's '' Ronin'', and '' Batman: The Dark Knight Returns''. In the 1990s, despite being a freelancer, Klein worked for long periods on a number of comics titles, including the entire runs of ''

Suicide Squad The Suicide Squad is an antihero/supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first version of the Suicide Squad debuted in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #25 (September 1959) and the second and modern version, cre ...

'' (1987–1992), ''

Sandman The Sandman is a mythical character in European folklore who puts people to sleep and encourages and inspires beautiful dreams by sprinkling magical sand onto their eyes. Representation in traditional folklore The Sandman is a traditional charact ...

'' (1989–1996), ''The Spectre'' (1992–1998), ''

The Dreaming The Dreaming, also referred to as Dreamtime, is a term devised by early anthropologists to refer to a religio-cultural worldview attributed to Australian Aboriginal beliefs. It was originally used by Francis Gillen, quickly adopted by his co ...

'' (1996–2001), and ''

The Invisibles ''The Invisibles'' is a comic book series published by the Vertigo imprint of DC Comics from 1994 to 2000. It was created and scripted by Scottish writer Grant Morrison, and drawn by various artists throughout its publication. The series loosel ...

'' (1997–2000) for DC/Vertigo; and ''Deathblow'' (1994–1996) for

Image Comics Image Comics is an American comic book publisher and is the third largest comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry in both unit and market share. It was founded in 1992 by several high-profile illustrators as a venue for creator-ow ...

). He also has long stints on DC's ''

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 ...

'' (1990–1992 and 1996–1999); '' The Demon'' (1990–1994); ''

Shade, the Changing Man Shade, the Changing Man is a comic book character created by Steve Ditko for DC Comics in 1977. The character was Shade, the Changing Man (Vertigo), later adapted by Peter Milligan and Chris Bachalo in one of the first Vertigo Comics, Vertigo ...

'' (1990–1994); and '' Batman: Shadow of the Bat'' (1992–1994); as well as Marvel's ''

Captain America Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...

'' (1998–2002) and ''

Earth X ''Earth X'' is a 1999 comic book limited series published by American company Marvel Comics. ''Earth X'' was written by Jim Krueger with art by John Paul Leon. Based on Alex Ross' notes, the series features a dystopian version of the Marvel Uni ...

'' (1999–2000). In the 2000s, Klein lettered all the Alan Moore

America's Best Comics America's Best Comics (ABC) is a comic book publishing brand. It was set up by Alan Moore in 1999 as an imprint of WildStorm, an idea proposed to Moore by WildStorm founder Jim Lee when it was still under Image Comics. History ''America's Best ...

titles, including ''

Promethea ''Promethea'' is a comic book series created by Alan Moore, J. H. Williams III and Mick Gray, published by America's Best Comics/WildStorm. It tells the story of Sophie Bangs, a college student from an alternate futuristic New York City in 1999 ...

'', ''

Tom Strong ''Tom Strong'' is a comic book created by writer Alan Moore and artist Chris Sprouse, initially published bi-monthly by America's Best Comics, an imprint of DC Comics' Wildstorm division. Tom Strong, the title character, is a "science hero", wi ...

'', and '' Top 10''. He also lettered the entire runs of Marvel's ''

Universe X The universe is all of space and time and their contents, including planets, stars, galaxies, and all other forms of matter and energy. The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological description of the development of the universe. Accor ...

'' (2000–2001); DC/Vertigo's ''

Fables Fable is a literary genre: a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are anthropomorphized, and that illustrates or leads to a particular moral ...

'' (2002–2015), '' Books of Magick: Life During Wartime'' (2005–2006), ''

Justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

'' (2005–2007), ''

Jack of Fables ''Jack of Fables'' is a spin-off comic book series of ''Fables'' written by Bill Willingham and Lilah Sturges and published by DC Comics' Vertigo imprint. The story focuses on the adventures of Jack Horner, a supporting character in the main ...

'' (2006–2011), and ''

Simon Dark ''Simon Dark'' is a fictional comic book character in the DC Comics universe, with an ongoing eponymous series beginning in October 2007 and ending in 2009. While ostensibly set in Gotham City, the comic focused exclusively on Simon Dark and hi ...

'' (2007–2009). Klein has also spent long periods on DC's ''Detective Comics'' (2000–2003); ''

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 ...

'' (2003–2006) and Vertigo's '' Testament'' (2006–2008).

''Sandman''

Klein is most known for his work on

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gr ...

's ''

'', where he developed very distinctive dialogue balloons and lettering for various characters, especially

Dream A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, althou ...

and his siblings. Klein discussed the process by which he came up with these distinctive styles on his website: "Each of them needed some sort of special lettering style, . . .to show that they are all equals in their iconic power.

Destiny Destiny, sometimes referred to as fate (from Latin ''fatum'' "decree, prediction, destiny, fate"), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual. Fate Although often ...

's speech was simply italic (really just slanted) ..Neil had a specific idea about

Delirium Delirium (also known as acute confusional state) is an organically caused decline from a previous baseline of mental function that develops over a short period of time, typically hours to days. Delirium is a syndrome encompassing disturbances in ...

's style, that it represent a sort of mad variety, getting louder and softer, like something going in and out of focus. This was fun to do in small amounts, but tedious in large ones. Despair just had a rough balloon edge to denote a ragged, rough voice. (

Destruction Destruction may refer to: Concepts * Destruktion, a term from the philosophy of Martin Heidegger * Destructive narcissism, a pathological form of narcissism * Self-destructive behaviour, a widely used phrase that ''conceptualises'' certain kind ...

, when we finally met him, had an extra bold border to denote a loud, booming voice.)""Klein, Todd
"Lettering: ''Sandman''/Neil Gaiman," Todd Klein: Lettering - Logos - Design.
Retrieved July 22, 2008. As comics critic Alan Donald notes i
this discussion
at ''Silver Bullet Comic Books'', "Klein's work on ''

'' was not simply distinctive but revolutionary, and showed a trend that should have been followed. The letterer’s art would have been forced to the fore and one could have seen ou(r) beautiful synergistic art form become further enriched by this new trend."

Technique

To read about Klein's technique one need look no further than ''The DC Comics Guide to Coloring and Lettering Comics'', published by

Watson-Guptill Publications Watson-Guptill is an American publisher of instructional books in the arts. The company was founded in 1937 by Ernest Watson, Ralph Reinhold, and Arthur L. Guptill. They also published the magazine ''American Artist''. Their headquarters are at 17 ...

. In this guide, Klein gives a thorough review of how he mentally approaches a page and then goes about doing the actual lettering, either by hand (pen and ink), or by use of the computer (

Adobe Illustrator Adobe Illustrator is a vector graphics editor and design program developed and marketed by Adobe Inc. Originally designed for the Apple Macintosh, development of Adobe Illustrator began in 1985. Along with Creative Cloud (Adobe's shift to month ...

Computer lettering

Klein saw the growing prevalence of computerized lettering in the early 1990s and quickly realized it was the wave of the future. He had met

Comicraft Comicraft is a company which provides graphic design and lettering services to various (primarily comic book) companies. History The company was founded by Richard Starkings in 1992. Starkings had been working for Marvel UK for five years, but ...

owners

Richard Starkings Richard Starkings (born 27 January 1962) is a British font designer and comic book letterer, editor and writer. He was one of the early pioneers of computer-based comic-book lettering, and is one of the most prolific creators in that industry. ...

and John Gaushell at the 1993

San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is co ...

, and in 1994, he asked them to help him get started with computer lettering by creating a few fonts based on Klein's hand lettering. Klein bought his first

Macintosh The Mac (known as Macintosh until 1999) is a family of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple Inc. Macs are known for their ease of use and minimalist designs, and are popular among students, creative professionals, and ...

computer in late 1994 and started learning how to make fonts himself. Since 1995, Klein has created a library of over 100 of his own fonts.Klein, Todd
"Computer lettering," Todd Klein: Lettering - Logos - Design.
Retrieved July 23, 2008. The first book that Klein fully computer lettered was Image Comics' '' Deathblow'' #20.

Logos

Klein began creating logos for DC when he started there in 1977. Most of his logos were for DC until he became a full-time freelancer in 1987, when he began creating logos for other companies as well.Klein, Todd
"Todd Klein Logos: Hand-Lettered Favorites," Todd Klein: Lettering - Logos - Design.
Accessed Oct. 15, 2008. Some of the notable logos he created during the period 1977–1995 include the ''Batman'' logo used for the '' Batman: Year One'' storyline, '' The New Teen Titans'' (including character logos for team members

Nightwing Nightwing is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character has appeared in various incarnations; the identity was adopted by Dick Grayson when he left his role as Batman's vigilante partner Robin. Although ...

, Starfire, Raven,

Cyborg A cyborg ()—a portmanteau of ''cybernetic'' and ''organism''—is a being with both organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline.

, the

Changeling A changeling, also historically referred to as an auf or oaf, is a human-like creature found in folklore throughout Europe. A changeling was believed to be a fairy that had been left in place of a human (typically a child) stolen by other fairi ...

, and

Jericho Jericho ( ; ar, أريحا ; he, יְרִיחוֹ ) is a Palestinian city in the West Bank. It is located in the Jordan Valley, with the Jordan River to the east and Jerusalem to the west. It is the administrative seat of the Jericho Gove ...

), '' Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld'', ''

Camelot 3000 ''Camelot 3000'' is an American twelve-issue comic book limited series written by Mike W. Barr and penciled by Brian Bolland. It was published by DC Comics from 1982 to 1985 as one of its first direct market projects, and as its first maxi-serie ...

'', ''

Doctor Strange Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as Sorce ...

'', ''

The Amazing Spider-Man ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its main protagonist. Being in the Earth 616, mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a bim ...

'', and ''

Magneto A magneto is an electrical generator that uses permanent magnets to produce periodic pulses of alternating current. Unlike a dynamo, a magneto does not contain a commutator to produce direct current. It is categorized as a form of alternator, ...

''. From 1995 to the present, most of Klein's logos have been done on the computer (although many began as hand-drawn sketches that were scanned and traced in Adobe Illustrator).Klein, Todd
"Todd Klein Logos: Computer-Created Favorites," Todd Klein: Lettering - Logos - Design.
Accessed Oct. 15, 2008. Notable logos from this period include ''

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 ...

'', ''

Silver Surfer The Silver Surfer is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character also appears in a number of movies, television, and video game adaptations. The character was created by Jack Kirby and first a ...

'', '' Legionnaires'', ''

Iron Man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The charact ...

'', the ''

Legion of Super-Heroes The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, the Legion is a group of superpowered beings living in the 30th and 31st c ...

'', ''

The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck ''The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck'' (''Lo'') is a serial of 12 comic book stories written and drawn by Don Rosa, lettered by Todd Klein (American editions), first published by the Danish publisher Egmont in the magazine ''Anders And & Co.'' ...

'', ''

Albion Albion is an alternative name for Great Britain. The oldest attestation of the toponym comes from the Greek language. It is sometimes used poetically and generally to refer to the island, but is less common than 'Britain' today. The name for Scot ...

'', ''

Witchblade ''Witchblade'' is a comic book series published by Top Cow Productions, an imprint of Image Comics, which ran from November 1995 to October 2015. The series was created by Top Cow founder and owner Marc Silvestri, editor David Wohl, writers ...

'', ''

Terra Obscura ''Terra Obscura'' is a 2003 comic book miniseries spin-off from Alan Moore's '' Tom Strong'' series. The stories are written by Peter Hogan, and drawn by Yanick Paquette and Karl Story with additional flashback sequences drawn by Eric Theriau ...

'', and ''

''.

Bibliography

Writing

In addition to being the main writer for '' The Omega Men'' from May 1985 to May 1986 (issue #s 26–38), Klein also penned a number of entries about the Omega Men and the

Green Lantern Corps Green Lantern Corps is the name of a fictional intergalactic law enforcement organization appearing in comics published by DC Comics. They patrol the farthest reaches of the DC Universe at the behest of the Guardians, a race of immortals residin ...

for ''

Who's Who in the DC Universe ''Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe'' (1985–87), usually referred to simply as ''Who's Who'', is the umbrella title for a number of comic book series which DC Comics published to catalogue the wide variety of fictional cha ...

'', as well as its '87 update. In addition, from 1978 to 1988, Klein wrote a number of (mostly) short pieces for other DC titles: * "The Grimble," ''

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 ...

'' #262 (Nov. 1978) * "The Man Who Cheated Destiny," ''

Secrets of Haunted House ''Secrets of Haunted House'' was a horror-suspense comics anthology series published by American company DC Comics from 1975 to 1978 and 1979 to 1982. Publication history The series began in April–May 1975. Like its predecessor ''Secrets of S ...

'' #25 (June 1980) * "As I Grow Pale and Thin," ''

'' #304 (May 1982) * "Through a Lens, Darkly," ''

'' #309 (Oct. 1982) * "Apprentice," ''

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, ...

'' #162 (March 1983) * "Green Magic," ''

'' #163 (April 1983) * "Hero" ''

'' #164 (May 1983) * "Green Magic: Test of Will, part 1," ''

'' #165 (June 1983) * "Green Magic: Test of Will, part 2" ''

'' #166 (July 1983) * "Successor," ''

'' #167 (Aug. 1983) * "Deeter and Dragons," ''

'' #171 (Dec. 1983) * "Scavenger," ''

'' #172 (Jan. 1984) * "Class of 2064: Class Trip," ''

New Talent Showcase ''Showcase'' is a comic anthology series published by DC Comics. The general theme of the series was to feature new and minor characters as a way to gauge reader interest in them, without the difficulty and risk of featuring untested characters i ...

'' #1 (Jan. 1984) * "Class of 2064: Between Earth and Sky," ''

'' #2 (Feb. 1984) * "Class of 2064: Dark Side of the Earth," ''

'' #3 (March 1984) * "Confessions", ''

'' #14 (May 1984) * "Under Siege," ''Omega Men'' #15 (June 1984) * "Class of 2064: Dragonfly part 1," ''

'' #7 (July 1984) * "Class of 2064: Dragonfly, part 2," ''

'' #8, (Aug. 1984) * "Green Magic: Enemy Lines, part 1," ''

'' #179 (Aug. 1984) * "Green Magic: Enemy Lines, part 2," ''

'' #180 (Sept. 1984) * "Arcana: The Dare," ''

'' #12 (Dec. 1984) * "70mm Dreams," '' Blue Devil'' #11 (April 1985) * "Insect Trust, part 1," ''

'' #189 (June 1985) * "Insect Trust, part 2", ''

'' #190 (July 1985) * "Metropolis Wasn't Built in a Day... or Was It?" (written with

) ''

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 back ...

'' #89 – Superman vs. The Omega Men (Jan. 1986) * "Leaving Home," '' Teen Titans Spotlight On'' #15 (Oct. 1987) * "The Secret Origin of the Guardians of the Universe," ''

Secret Origins ''Secret Origins'' is the title of several comic book series published by DC Comics which featured the origin stories of the publisher's various characters. Publication history ''Secret Origins'' was first published as a one-shot in 1961 and c ...

'' #23 (Feb. 1988)

Lettering (selected)

* ''Suicide Squad'' (DC): 1987–1992 – entire run * ''Detective Comics'' (DC): 1988–1990, 2000–2003 * ''Sandman'' (DC/Vertigo): 1989–1996 – entire run * ''Batman'' (DC): 1990–1992, 1996–1999 * ''The Demon'' (DC): 1990–1994 * ''Shade, the Changing Man'' (DC/Vertigo): 1990–1994 * ''Batman: Shadow of the Bat'' (DC): 1992–1994 * ''The Spectre'' (DC): 1992–1998 – entire run * ''Deathblow'' (Image): 1994–1996 – entire run * ''The Dreaming'' (Vertigo): 1996–2001 – entire run * ''The Invisibles'' (Vertigo): 1997–2000 – entire run * ''Captain America'' (Marvel): 1998–2002, #600 Timeline in 2009 * ''Earth X'' (Marvel): 1999–2000 – entire run * ''Top 10'' (America's Best Comics): 1999–2001 – entire run * ''Promethea'' (America's Best Comics): 1999–2005 – entire run * ''Tom Strong'' (America's Best Comics): 1999–2006 – entire run * ''Universe X'' (Marvel): 2000–2001 – entire run * ''Fables'' (Vertigo): 2002–2015 – entire run * ''Wonder Woman'' (DC): 2003–2006 * ''Books of Magick: Life During Wartime'' (Vertigo): 2005-2006 – entire run * ''Justice'' (DC): 2005–2007 – entire run * ''Testament'' (Vertigo): 2006–2008 * ''Jack of Fables'' (Vertigo): 2006–2011 – entire run * ''Simon Dark'' (DC): 2007–2009 – entire run * '' The Loxleys and the War of 1812'' (Renegade Arts Entertainment): 2012

Letter column headers

DC

Many of DC's lettercol headers were designed or redesigned in the 1980s by Klein.:Klein, Todd
"Klein Lettering Archives." Todd Klein - Lettering - Logos - Design.
Retrieved July 12, 2008. * ''

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 ...

'': "Re: Action," * ''

All-Star Squadron The All-Star Squadron is a DC Comics superhero team that debuted in ''Justice League, Justice League of America'' #193 (August 1981) and was created by Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler and Jerry Ordway. Although the team was introduced in the 1980s, its se ...

'': "All-Star Squadroom" * ''

Ambush Bug Ambush Bug is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. His real name is supposedly Irwin Schwab, but he has mental problems that prevent him from truly understanding reality around him, so even his true identity migh ...

'': "Letters to Me" * ''

Animal Man Animal Man (Bernhard "Buddy" Baker) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. As a result of being in proximity to an exploding extraterrestrial spaceship, Buddy Baker acquires the ability to temporarily "borrow" t ...

'': "Animal Writes" * '' Arion: Lord of Atlantis'': "Spellbound Scrolls" * ''

Blue Beetle Blue Beetle is the name of three fictional superheroes who appear in a number of American comic books published by a variety of companies since 1939. The most recent of the companies to own rights to Blue Beetle is DC Comics, which bought the ri ...

'': "Beetle's Nest" * '' Blue Devil'': "Circuits & Sorcery," "Speak of the Devil" * ''

Booster Gold Booster Gold (Michael Jon Carter) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Dan Jurgens, the character first appeared in ''Booster Gold'' #1 (February 1986) and has been a member of the Justice League. ...

'': "The Gold Exchange" * ''

Captain Atom Captain Atom is a superhero appearing in American comic books, first in the 1960s by Charlton Comics before being acquired in the 1980s by DC Comics. Captain Atom has existed in three basic incarnations. Publication history Captain Atom was crea ...

'': "Quantum Quotes" * '' Creeper'': "Crazy Talk" * ''

Demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, ani ...

'': "The Hell You Say" * ''

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 ...

'': "Fleet Sheet" * ''

Green Arrow Green Arrow is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and designed by George Papp, he first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' #73 in November 1941. His secret identity, real name is Olive ...

'' vol. 2: "Sherwood Forum" * ''

Hawkman Hawkman is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, the original Hawkman first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1, published by All-American ...

'': "Pinions" * '' L.E.G.I.O.N. '89'': "L.E.T.T.E.R.S. '89" * '' 'Mazing Man'': "'Mazing Mail" * ''

'': "Talk About Talent" * ''

New Teen Titans The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...

'': "Titan’s Tower" * ''

'': "Omega-Mail" * ''

'': "Letters in the Sand" * ''

'': "Secret Admirers" * ''

The Shadow The Shadow is a fictional character created by magazine publishers Street & Smith and writer Walter B. Gibson. Originally created to be a mysterious radio show narrator, and developed into a distinct literary character in 1931 by writer Walter ...

'': "Shadowmania" * '' The Spectre'': "Speculations" * ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...

'': "Hailing Frequencies Open" * ''

'': "Suicide Notes" * '' Thriller'': "Filler" * ''

Vigilante Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without Right, legal authority. A vigilante (from Spanish, Italian and Portuguese “vigilante”, which means "sentinel" or "watcher") is a pers ...

'': "Vigilante-grams," "You, the Jury" * '' The Wanderers'': "Homing Signals"

Marvel

In the 1990s, Klein designed or redesigned a number of Marvel's letter column headers: * ''

'': "The Spider’s Web" * ''

Marvel Team-Up ''Marvel Team-Up'' is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series featured two or more Marvel characters in one story. The series was originally published from March 1972 through February 1985, and featured Spider-Man as ...

'': "Web-Zingers"* * ''

Spider-Man Unlimited ''Spider-Man Unlimited'' is an American animated series by Saban Entertainment which features the Marvel comic book superhero Spider-Man, intended as a loose sequel series to the previous '' Spider-Man: The Animated Series'', which ran from 19 ...

'': "Spider-Readers Unlimited" * ''

Spider-Woman Spider-Woman is the code name of several fictional Character (arts), characters in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first and original version is Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew), Jessica Drew (later impersonated by Veranke), the second ve ...

'': "Venom Blasts" * ''

X-Men Unlimited ''X-Men Unlimited'' was the title of three comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The purpose of this title was to run stories that fit between the main X-Men comics. The stories included all characters (heroes and villains) from the X-tit ...

'': "Unlimited X-citement"

Awards

, Klein has won 17 " Best Letterer/Lettering"

Eisner Awards The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...

that have been given out since the category was established in 1993. He has won the Best Letterer

Harvey Award The Harvey Awards are given for achievement in comic books. Named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman, the Harvey Awards were founded by Gary Groth in 1988, president of the publisher Fantagraphics, to be the successor to the Kirby Awards that were ...

nine times, the first time in 1992 and the most recent one in 2013.

Notes

References

* Chiarello, Mark and Todd Klein. ''The DC Comics Guide to Coloring and Lettering Comics'' (Watson-Guptill Publishing, 2004). . *

External links

* , with many lettering resources, including a history, discussions of process, and Klein's lettering blog.
Creating "Go Freelance!"

A man of letters — Pádraig Ó Méalóid talks to Todd Klein

Forbidden Planet ''Forbidden Planet'' is a 1956 American science fiction film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, produced by Nicholas Nayfack, and directed by Fred M. Wilcox (director), Fred M. Wilcox from a script by Cyril Hume that was based on an original film story ...

, September 29, 2008 {{DEFAULTSORT:Klein, Todd 1951 births Eisner Award winners Eisner Award winners for Best Letterer/Lettering Harvey Award winners Living people People from New Jersey Comic book letterers American comics writers