Dick Dillin was born on this date in 1928. Dillin was a rock-steady artist for decades. He worked in the Golden Age for Fawcett and Quality, but he's most famous for his long runs at DC. He worked on Blackhawk for years and later took on the Justice League of America, becoming only the second artist to work on that title. He stayed with the League for the rest of his life which came to an end in 1980. Guys like Dillin were loved by fans, but not so much the critics.
I know it's likely only dumb nostalgia, but I wish DC would collect up the
Blackhawk stories from near the end of the run which featured the team in their superhero identities. Golden Centurion, M'sieu Machine, Dr. Hands, Weapons Master, The Leaper, The Listener, as well as Blackhawk, the Big Eye himself were vibrant examples of the madhouse superhero craze. All the issues were written by Bob Haney and drawn by the team of Dick Dillin and Chuck Cuidera.
I latched on to the very last issue of Blackhawk from this time, and I enjoyed it thoroughly as a kid. I've since gotten hold of an issue or two from this ignominious run, and I find that I enjoy them all in spite of the bad press they get. I'd love to see it collected up. Will it happen? I doubt it, but it's something to yearn for.
I'm sure my affection for the heroes is because I had no history with them before coming into contact with these "New" versions. I like the old Blackhawks very well indeed, but I am fascinated by these gonzo Blackhawks as well.
Sorry, I can't talk about the Leaper without saying "Ze Leapair". Though not the best fit for JLA, I thought Dillin was great on the Silver Age Blackhawks (and those are great covers, no doubt many laid out by Infantino.) The final two issues of the run, drawn by Pat Boyette, also looked pretty good to me.
ReplyDeleteThe thing that amazed me about Dillin was how he was able to draw so many characters in stories that were often cramped by plot. It wasn't always as dynamic as the best comics, but the storytelling rarely flagged.
DeleteYeah, I think you could make the argument that even Dillin's interior art in New Blackhawks is much more kinetic than most of the workaday stuff he'd been doing on the title for, jeez, I don't even know how long. And he fell back into that workaday mode on JUSTICE LEAGUE. Was Dillin told to emulate Kirby to enhance the superhero 'Hawks? Or maybe it was his own idea, to try to save his meal ticket?
ReplyDeleteI think of Dillin as the ultimate professional, always on time with quality product. It might have lacked inspiration or even innovation, but it was handsome and rock-solid.
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