Where does Dick Dillin's run on JLA rank among great DC creator runs?

[tib2d2]

He drew every issue of Justice League from like the late 60s until 1983. What an incredible run!

Where does it rank among the all time long DC writer or artist best long runs?

[tib2d2]

Dangit, *Dillin, sorry for the typo in his last name!

[caj]

Dillin drew every issue but #153 from issue #64 in 1968 to #183 in 1980. Dillin died on March 1, 1980.

He was very respected in the industry but unfortunately didn't have a huge fan following. I believe I read that sales actually went up after George Perez took over the book with #184.

But he has a very nice cult following. Personally, he's my favorite artist of all time. His artwork was so identified with Justice League of America, even though he drew other books at times.

I knew almost immediately that something was different when I began reading #184. When I got to the letter column, that's when I saw where he had died. Several people in the industry wrote about their experiences with him and how much they respected him.

As far as lengths of runs on a book, I'm not sure where he stands. I'm sure he's way up there but not sure if he holds the record. But what an artist he was. He drew the World's Greatest Super Heroes and made them look like they should look with every page for twelve years.

[marshal88]

his final jla issue. - beautiful spread page.

[tib2d2]

oh man what an amazing spread!

[Jon-El]

I’ve said the same thing anytime Dillin gets mentioned. For me, he drew every character “right”. His Superman looked like Superman. He drew a great Batman. He drew a really good Flash. Hawkman, Wonder Woman, Green Arrow...everyone looked right to me. Not many artists are like that in my opinion. One of my favorites from that era.

[caj]

I’ve said the same thing anytime Dillin gets mentioned. For me, he drew every character “right”. His Superman looked like Superman. He drew a great Batman. He drew a really good Flash. Hawkman, Wonder Woman, Green Arrow...everyone looked right to me. Not many artists are like that in my opinion. One of my favorites from that era.

Agree with this. A great way to describe his art. I loved his group shots as well.

[tib2d2]

Honestly I don't even know how many DC writers or artists had that long of a run?

[Jim Kelly]

Alex Ross has been very free with his praise of Dick Dillin, who seemed to be a big influence on him when he was a kid. So I think there's a strong fanbase for Dick Dillin. Before the J.L.A., he also had a long run on the Blackhawks.

It takes a special skill to lay out group scenes. And I would say that Mike Sekowsky had a distinguished run before Dillin on the World's Greatest Super-Heroes. I know that Sekowsky doesn't get many fans--I might be in a minority of one. But his page layouts were just as inspired. What probably bothered fans back then and now is that he didn't draw the characters the way they looked in the other comics--he had his own distinctive approach to them.

The perfect team comic would have someone like Sekowsky or Keith Giffen doing the page layouts and then someone like Jose Luis G. Lopez doing the finishes. (the censor doesn't like Zorro's stout military adversary).

[Mike]

He was the artist on the JLA when I started reading the book with issue #127.
One of my all time favorite artist.
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[kcekada]

He was a good, solid artist, but his art didn't stand out enough to make him a fan favorite. I really loved the period in the early 70s when Nick Cardy drew the JLA covers.

[Jim Kelly]

It's so interesting when you look at the pencil pages that these artists did. I remember that Dillin's pencils were really good. And I don't blame the inkers entirely for why the art doesn't look as good--there were some difficulties in the 1970s with the printers and the inks didn't always come out so well. But with the best inkers and a good printing, Dillin's art could really shine.

[Jon-El]

I enjoyed inker Frank McLaughlin’s work with Dillin but he was just about the only inker he had in the 70’s. Giordano inked him in the early 70’s and I really liked that combo. It would’ve been nice to see Dillin inked by someone with a different style like Terry Austin, Joe Rubinstein, or Murphy Anderson. An inker with a more fluid style might’ve really made Dillin’s work shine more. I remember a backup Green Lantern story Dillin did in an issue of Flash that was inked by Terry Austin. Really gave the art a nice look.


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[Jim Kelly]

Dillin started out his JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA run with Sid Greene as his inker--my favourite embellisher. After that Joe Giella was the inkmeister. At the time I thought Giella's inks looked too flat--but now I really admire his work and I think his inks actually look better in the Archives (something that I can't say about most inkers). Then it was Giordano and later McLaughlin. However, over in other books like WORLD'S FINEST COMICS you could see Murphy Anderson and others inking Dillin. Even though Giordano was a great inker, I think the slick style of a Greene or an Anderson better suited Dick's pencils.

On BLACKHAWK (at Quality and D.C.), Chuck Cuidera was Dillin's delineator for almost his entire run (1953 - 1968).

[Englehart Humperdinck]

Dillin drew every issue but #153 from issue #64 in 1968 to #183 in 1980.

He didn't draw JLA #67, 76, 85 or 93, wbhich were all reprints.