Deaths of creators in the comic book community can hit pretty hard, especially the ones I followed from youth. And this one hit pretty damn hard.
Keith Giffen died last week at the age of 70.
As is my usual pattern, I will rail against the dying of the light and complain that the wrong people keep dying.
I first encountered Keith Giffen's work as a penciller in the pages of the 1970's revival of All Star Comics drawing the adventures of the Justice Society, paired up with scripter Paul Levitz for the first time. Here he was inked by the legendary Wally Wood.
This sequence by Giffen and Wood is burned in my memory. The Superman of Earth-2 (the Golden Age version of the character), Clark Kent is now editor of the Daily Star (not Planet) and makes a classic change to the Man of Steel, leaping tall buildings with a single bound.
Keith Giffen was reunited with Paul Levitz in the early 1980's as the creative team on Legion of Super Heroes where the eventually delivered the most exciting, ground breaking storyline ever for the Legion, The Great Darkness Saga.
I remember pulling this title from the spinner rack at the old Pantry Convenience Store and devouring each issue with boundless excitement. This is what good comics should be like: a great story with action, adventure, tragedy and dramatic discoveries.
The following 3 pages were a big deal in this saga.
Introducing Darkseid from Jack Kirby's New Gods was a big game changer not just for the Legion but for DC Comics as well.
Also, I guessed beforehand that the big bad was Darkseid and I was the happiest fanboy when I was proven to be right. Yay, me!
A year or so after the epic conclusion of the Great Darkness Saga, Keith Giffen abruptly and significantly changed his art style.
Perhaps the one place where Keith Giffen's new style actually worked for me was on Ambush Bug, a 4th wall breaking character Giffen created.
In recent years, Keith Giffen's art took on a tighter look that embraced his inner Jack Kirby. Such as this page from a Legion of Super Heroes annual that Keith drew with Scott Koblish.
Or his version of Kirby's OMAC again with Giffen working with Koblish.
For all his work as an artist, Keith Giffen was as much known as a writer. It was his turn as the co-writer (with J M DeMatteis) on Justice League that made his reputation in his area.
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| art by Kevin Maguire |
This was the era that introduced humor and humanity into the otherwise staid DC super hero team. This was the series where Batman shut up the mouthy jerk Green Lantern Guy Gardner with one punch.
And gave us the buddy comedy duo of Blue Beetle and Booster Gold who spent as much time on schemes to attract women, money and attention as they did fighting bad guys.
And where the grimly serious Martian Manhunter developed an obsession with Oreos.
This series also gave us G'Nort, the only Green Lantern to get his ring through nepotism.
From interjecting humor into Justice League, Keith Giffen introduced Earth ending tragedy to Scooby Doo in the form of Scooby Apocalypse.
Giffen was the brains behind the DC crossover event Invasion that introduced the term still used to described super powered humans in the DC universe in comics, TV and film: meta-human.
Keith Giffen was a remarkably prolific and versatile talent, mining for comedy where one would expect drama and creating drama out of comedy. And as much as I did not like his change of art style, give the man this, he did not rest on his laurels, always seeking new ways to tell a story.
And for all his reputation as a cantankerous curmudgeon who could always be counted on to find something to complain about, he was a good guy who looked out for his fellow creators.
Keith Giffen was a true one of a kind talent and human being who will be missed.
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