As you’ve heard, comics creator Keith Giffen died this past week. He is not the first comics figure to pass in the tenure of this site, but this one is particularly affecting. Undoubtedly that’s due to Giffen’s distinct and distinctive voice; reading a Keith Giffen book, you never had any doubt you were reading a Keith Giffen book, with sudden swings from humor to pathos and back again. It’s also because Giffen was everywhere; from Legion of Super-Heroes in the early 1980s to Justice League International in the late 1980s, through to working in the New 52 relaunch and then DC Rebirth after that. The next Keith Giffen project always seemed only a matter of time.
What I wanted to do was link to a couple good pieces I’ve read online — Mike Sterling at Progressive Ruin on Giffen’s works I wasn’t familiar with, and Bleeding Cool with a roundup of comics creators' remembrances. Then I’ll link to some of this site’s reviews of Giffen’s work — a few that were meaningful to me, some perhaps off the beaten path.
Among my favorite work of Giffen’s was his 2011 take on Doom Patrol in the wake of Infinite Crisis and 52 — edgy, funny, weird, all the things a Doom Patrol series should be. We discussed at that time DC’s decision not to finish collecting those books when it was all swept away by Flashpoint. The best time for DC to have released a Doom Patrol by Keith Giffen volume was a long time ago; the second best time would be now.
Keith Giffen (1952–2023) (Progressive Ruin)
Over Fifty Comic Book Creators, Sharing Memories of Keith Giffen (Bleeding Cool)
Uncollected Editions: Vext (by Doug Glassman)
Review: Formerly Known As and I Can’t Believe It’s Not the Justice League trade paperbacks
Review: Doom Patrol: We Who Are About to Die trade paperback
I re-read all the issue end notes in the 52 four-volume collections yesterday - while there is a lot in there about the story and other creators, Keith Giffen's personality shows up the most - his creativity and energy as relayed by his collaborators seemed like an effective eulogy.
ReplyDeleteOne did get the sense Giffen was a creator that other creators liked. Comics politics aside, I saw that Giffen and Dan DiDio were out the other night playing DC Comics trivia, and that DiDio was eager to see more of Giffen since Giffen, I think, had just moved nearby. Simply sad on a human level that Giffen passed so unexpectedly.
DeleteI put Giffen in with the likes of Dan Jurgens -- reliable journeymen who never really missed but always brought a level of care and delight that belied the confidence in their craft. Only someone who loved the superhero genre could have crafted Ambush Bug; only a master could channel Kirby without feeling like a cheap imitation.
ReplyDeleteKeith Giffen signed my copy of The Great Darkness Saga, the deluxe edition HC with that great Giffen Darkseid looming over the cover. (It's just about the only Legion story I really love.) He was gruff but good-natured as he signed that book, plus my Ambush Bug #1 and OMAC #1 (DiDio was at the same convention, which is another story entirely!).
As he signed, I noticed he had spelled my name ZACK. Not an uncommon mistake; I should have specified. In that second, I agonized over whether to correct him. The man was a legend, after all. But this was a book I wanted to keep for the rest of my life. So I gently observed, "I'm sorry, but I spell my name with an H. Z-A-C-H." Giffen looked at the dedication, corrected the spelling, then chuckled and wrote another K and another H on top of each other, with a C for good measure. He slid the book back to me and wryly inquired, "Do you know where the smokers' lounge is?"
I only knew Giffen for about 90 seconds, but I think I got the definitive experience of the man. Earnest, yet impish. I got him to sign my favorite Legion story, making sure to get it dedicated because I wanted him to know I love the work, not that I'm eager to flip it on eBay. Only the book's not quite dedicated to me. Now it reads something like "To ZAC(#<" and it's better for it. Bwa-ha-ha.
You have such good creator-encounter stories! Thanks for sharing this one.
DeleteHe created Jamie Reyes the 3rd Blue Beetle and one of my favourite DC heroes. I did not know he passed away. That is tragic man. I really want to get my hands on his Doom Patrol run one day. RIP Keith. Thanks for making comics fun.
ReplyDeleteAn impressive thing, being synonymous with the second Blue Beetle and then helping create the third. I am glad the Blue Beetle movie was released before Giffen passed.
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