Rick2you2 Posted October 12, 2023 Share Posted October 12, 2023 Don’t have any details about it, but he was a good man who loved to play the sourpuss. A great artist and writer, as well as a mentor for other artists, he had his retirement cut short way too soon. tth2, Ecclectica and alxjhnsn 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buttock Posted October 12, 2023 Share Posted October 12, 2023 On 10/11/2023 at 8:01 PM, Rick2you2 said: Don’t have any details about it, but he was a good man who loved to play the sourpuss. A great artist and writer, as well as a mentor for other artists, he had his retirement cut short way too soon. His last post on Facebook was: "I told them I was sick... Anything not to go to New York Comic Con Thanx Keith Giffen 1952-2023 Bwah ha ha ha ha" Epic. newshane and Sideshow Bob 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick2you2 Posted October 12, 2023 Author Share Posted October 12, 2023 On 10/12/2023 at 11:01 AM, buttock said: His last post on Facebook was: "I told them I was sick... Anything not to go to New York Comic Con Thanx Keith Giffen 1952-2023 Bwah ha ha ha ha" Epic. I had seen that, and was planning to post it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjonahjameson11 Posted October 12, 2023 Share Posted October 12, 2023 Mr Giffen was awesome. wonderful writer, witty, and engaging. he absolutely hated the NYCC and only appeared at the show because his lovely late wife Ana ‘nudged’ him to attend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post alxjhnsn Posted October 12, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted October 12, 2023 (edited) As I said on my Facebook post: Quote I just want to say goodbye to a favorite comic artist and plotter/writer - Keith Giffen. His work across hundreds and hundreds of comics like the Legion of Super-Heroes, Omega Men, JLI, JLA 3000, Blue Beetle and more has entertained me for decades. Keith died today and I’m really sad. I got to meet him twice - both times at HeroesCon. On the second visit, Kathy took our picture with the Mon-El commission that he did for me - it replicates one of my favorite covers, one which graced one of my favorite stories. My sympathy to Keith’s family and friends. I really enjoyed him and his work. Thank you, Keith, for all the art and stories. A few pictures: One of my all time favorite covers Keith's recreation for me Keith with me at HeroesCon from one of my all-time favorite stories. 5YL was amazing. Something that I could not pass up on eBay. A memento of Keith's 5YL Legion run which appeared long before the iPad, I present the Omnicom (both UP and Dominator brands): Edited October 12, 2023 by alxjhnsn F For Fake, MagnusX, tth2 and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RBerman Posted October 12, 2023 Share Posted October 12, 2023 I loved his sleek work on LSH with Larry Mahlstedt. His sense of humor came through more in Ambush Bug and JLI. I met him at Dragon Con 2019. He was there to talk about writing. I asked him if he was doing any commission sketches. He said "Maybe Mon El, come by my table later" but ultimately decided not to do any art. Better that, than turning in a half-hearted effort. gumbydarnit 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick2you2 Posted October 12, 2023 Author Share Posted October 12, 2023 A Keith Giffen story. I had met Keith a number of times, and on one occasion he told me he wouldn't do a Phantom Stranger commission because he really disliked the character. Too cold and distant he said (some truth to that, no thanks to many writers). In any event, I learned that an artist I knew he had mentored had given birth. So, between shows (of a few months), I decided to pick her up a baby present and bring it to the next show. She wasn't there, which probably shouldn't have surprised me, but Keith was there. I told him I had a baby present for X, and he offered to bring it over to her later. He was also sitting around with empty time on his hands, and he decided to scribble some sketches. He was also aware of my interest in the Phantom Stranger, he knew me by then. All of a sudden, he started scribbling a sketch. You guessed it: the Phantom Stranger. And here it is. By the way, he signed it twice, at my request, because his penmanship was so bad it was illegible. He scowled, but did it anyway. alxjhnsn, davidtere, gumbydarnit and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilipB2k17 Posted October 13, 2023 Share Posted October 13, 2023 This saddens me. I need to find a good Legion of Superheroes page from his iconic run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drummy Posted October 13, 2023 Share Posted October 13, 2023 Agreed -- always sobering when a fine artist passes. I loved Giffen's inking on the 70's Defenders run, and REALLY need to find a splash page that shows off his style. So memorable. RIP to another wonderful artist, Dan tth2 and gumbydarnit 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tth2 Posted October 14, 2023 Share Posted October 14, 2023 On 10/14/2023 at 2:16 AM, PhilipB2k17 said: This saddens me. I need to find a good Legion of Superheroes page from his iconic run. A few have come up on Heritage recently, and I think there's at least one in the upcoming November Signature Auction, but they ain't cheap! alxjhnsn 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alxjhnsn Posted October 14, 2023 Share Posted October 14, 2023 On 10/12/2023 at 5:52 PM, Rick2you2 said: A Keith Giffen story. I had met Keith a number of times, and on one occasion he told me he wouldn't do a Phantom Stranger commission because he really disliked the character. Too cold and distant he said (some truth to that, no thanks to many writers). In any event, I learned that an artist I knew he had mentored had given birth. So, between shows (of a few months), I decided to pick her up a baby present and bring it to the next show. She wasn't there, which probably shouldn't have surprised me, but Keith was there. I told him I had a baby present for X, and he offered to bring it over to her later. He was also sitting around with empty time on his hands, and he decided to scribble some sketches. He was also aware of my interest in the Phantom Stranger, he knew me by then. All of a sudden, he started scribbling a sketch. You guessed it: the Phantom Stranger. And here it is. By the way, he signed it twice, at my request, because his penmanship was so bad it was illegible. He scowled, but did it anyway. Sounds like Kieth. Congrats Rick2you2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick2you2 Posted October 14, 2023 Author Share Posted October 14, 2023 On 10/14/2023 at 11:23 AM, alxjhnsn said: Sounds like Kieth. Congrats He also confirmed something which was unexpected: who the Phantom Stranger was supposed to be. No, not Judas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alxjhnsn Posted October 14, 2023 Share Posted October 14, 2023 On 10/14/2023 at 12:51 PM, Rick2you2 said: He also confirmed something which was unexpected: who the Phantom Stranger was supposed to be. No, not Judas. I have never liked the Judas solution to the mystery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick2you2 Posted October 14, 2023 Author Share Posted October 14, 2023 On 10/14/2023 at 5:31 PM, alxjhnsn said: I have never liked the Judas solution to the mystery. I’ll keep the correct answer a secret for now; someday I’ll write a tell-all. But I will give one hint. The key question is not who the Phantom Stranger is but what he is. There may not be a who. alxjhnsn 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will_K Posted October 15, 2023 Share Posted October 15, 2023 I don't get it. You say Giffen disliked the Phantom Stranger. Also, he didn't create the character. Why is he an authority on who or what is the Phantom Stranger ? Even in the 80's Secret Origins series, they had an issue with 4 different origins: https://www.comics.org/issue/42350/? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick2you2 Posted October 15, 2023 Author Share Posted October 15, 2023 (edited) On 10/14/2023 at 8:52 PM, Will_K said: I don't get it. You say Giffen disliked the Phantom Stranger. Also, he didn't create the character. Why is he an authority on who or what is the Phantom Stranger ? Even in the 80's Secret Origins series, they had an issue with 4 different origins: https://www.comics.org/issue/42350/? He was an insider who also wrote stories. He seemed to have a more formal status than that at DC, mentoring artists among other things, but I don’t actually know anything. Whatever it was, it gave him access to not-readily-available DC information. In my case, he just blurted it out after I told him what I had learned in prior decades. Kind of like an unexpected tip. About those 4 stories, I am fairly certain that none of them are true. If there was a “master plan” in place all those years, which may not be the case, they are red herrings intended to make the reader think something different than the truth. If you look at issue 42, which was added to the Second Series years after it ended, you will notice that Deadman found evidence of 3 of the 4 stories in the Phantom Stranger’s brain. That would make no sense unless they are planted stories. Edited October 15, 2023 by Rick2you2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F For Fake Posted October 18, 2023 Share Posted October 18, 2023 Keith Giffen, has been one of my creative heroes since I was a kid. His fingerprints are all over so many great books and characters, from the 70's to current day, but I was an 80's kid, so it will always be Legion (particularly 5YL) and JLI at the top of the list for me, though I also have great love for Ambush Bug, The Heckler. Dr. Fate, and so many others. He was on my bucket list of creators to meet, and finally, about four or five years ago, he came to a local show. Got to meet him and chat and he couldn't have been nicer and more genuine. Bought a print, got some sigs, and walked away feeling great about it. He returned the next year, and this time Spencer was also there, so I was able to pick up a couple of pieces of art. There's this Steppenwolf piece that is marked "trading card", though to me it looks like the artwork to the Super Powers figure, and I've not seen it repeated anywhere else. And on the other end of the spectrum, this terrific Trencher splash. I think I paid like $125 and $150 each, to me still the bargains of my life. I already treasured them, but now they seem even more precious, and also bittersweet. I'm glad that it seems like Keith is finally getting his roses in recent years. You have a new generation of artists like Michel Fiffe who are vocal about their Giffen appreciation, and it's about time. Well overdue, actually. RIP to one of the best to ever do it. (Forgive the cruddy pics) alxjhnsn 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
