Dustin Gebel
Renowned comic book artist and writer Keith Giffen has passed away at age 70. The creator, known for his work not only on comics but a variety of animated storyboards as well, reportedly experienced a stroke on Sunday, October 10 before passing away the next day. The announcement was made in the classic Giffen comedic delivery with a social media post arranged by his family, as the humorist departs with one final joke at the comic industry.
Giffen was born in Queens, New York on November 30, 1952, and broke into comics with a short story in Marvel Previews #4. Early in his comic career, Giffen would create Rocky Raccoon for another issue of Previews with writer Bill Mantlo. After these shorter works, Giffen would go on to make his name known through an extended run illustrating DC’s Legion of Superheroes, drawing some of the team’s most beloved stories like The Great Darkness Saga.
Continuing his work with DC, Giffen would go on to redefine the superhero genre with J. M. DeMatteis and Kevin Macguire in the seminal Justice League International. The book departed from the high concept superheroics to instead deliver a reading experience hueing closer to a sitcom, taking readers into the “locker room” of this second-rate Justice League. Giffen leveraged his comedic timing and joke-crafting skills to create a wholly unique comic experience with his collaborators that still serves as a foundational book for many creators today.
Throughout his time at DC, Giffen would create some of the most recognizable B and C list characters of the publisher, including Jamie Reyes’s Blue Beetle, Lobo, and Ambush Bug. Beyond his work writing for DC, Giffen also provided breakdowns later in his career for yet another seminal series, 52. The book, a critical and commercial success, would go on to define the publisher for decades, and Giffen’s breakdowns helped to create a cohesiveness that made the series stand out beyond its gimmick of a weekly release.
In between stints for both the Big 2 and his indie work, Giffen worked as a storyboard artist, providing boards for shows like The Real Ghostbusters and Ed, Ed, and Eddy.
Never too far from comics, Giffen would also return to Marvel as the lead writer of the cosmic crossover Annihilation. The event redefined the cosmic landscape of the Marvel Universe as it ran parallel to storylines like Civil War and Secret Invasion, and set off a chain of follow-ups. During the sequel event, Giffen brought characters like Star-Lord and Rocket Raccoon back into the fold and provided templates for their future adaption into the MCU.
Giffen would continue to work for publishers past this point, writing throughout the New 52 and returning to DC for the one-off project.
Our condolences go out to Giffen’s friends, family, and fans.