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Roy Thomas joined the Marvel Bullpen as a writer and editor under Stan Lee, scripting key runs of nearly every title of the time: Amazing Spider-Man, Avengers, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, Sub-Mariner, Thor, X-Men and more. He wrote the first 10 years of Marvel’s Conan the Barbarian and Savage Sword of Conan; and launched such series as Defenders, Iron Fist, Invaders and Warlock. At DC, he developed All-Star Squadron, Infinity Inc. and related titles, proving instrumental in reviving the Golden Age Justice Society of America. Thomas later became editor of Alter Ego, a magazine devoted to comic-book history, and co-scripted the sword-and-sorcery films Fire and Ice and Conan the Destroyer.
Known to many as “the great gentleman of comics,” Dick Giordano’s 58-year odyssey through the industry was truly a labor of love. In 1965, at only 33 years of age, Giordano became the editor in chief of Charlton Comics, where he revamped the company’s “action hero” line and brought in a wealth of fresh young talent — including Jim Aparo, Denny O’Neil and Steve Skeates. By 1968, Giordano had moved on to DC Comics, where he was both an editor and an artist, notably teaming with Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams on the legendary and “socially relevant” Green Lantern/Green Arrow. Giordano paired with Adams in 1971 to form Continuity Associates, an art studio that provided creative materials to the comics industry and many other fields. Giordano returned to DC full time in 1980 and by 1983 was promoted to vice president/executive editor, responsible for the editorial direction of the entire DC line. Giordano left DC in 1993, going into a semi-retirement in which he continued to work as an artist for at least a dozen different publishers. In 2000, Giordano helped found the Hero Initiative, a charity that helps older comic creators in medical or financial need. Dick Giordano died on March 27, 2010, having suffered from lymphoma and leukemia, but is remembered by all as a great mentor to the comics industry, a monumental artist and a great friend. |
