Dick Sprang

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Dick Sprang

Birth name Richard W. Sprang
Born July 28, 1915
Fremont, Ohio
Died May 17, 2000
Prescott, Arizona
Nationality American
Area(s) Comic book artist, penciller
Notable works Batman

Richard W. "Dick" Sprang was an American comic book artist and penciller, best known for his work on the Batman line of books during the Golden Age of Comic Books.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Dick Sprang was born on July 28, 1915[1] in Fremont, Ohio, andbecame a professional illustrator at an early age, painting signs and handbills for local advertisers. According to comics historian Jerry Bails, Sprang worked throughout the 1930s for Standard Magazines, "screening scripts" as an editor, as well as contributing artwork to Standard, Columbia Publications and Street and Smith, while still in High School.[2] He joined the staff of the Toledo News shortly after graduating (c.1934), continuing to produce magazine work concurrently, and left the News in 1936 to move to New York City.[3][2]

[edit] Pulps & syndicates

From the late 1930s to the early 1940s, Sprang continued to work as a freelance illustrator, primarily for pulp magazines including Popular Detective, Phantom Detective, G-Men, Detective Novels Magazine, Crack Detective and Black Hood Detective/Hooded Detective - for which last he also wrote some stories.[3][2] During the late 1930s and early 1940s, he shared a studio ("and assignments") with Norman Fallon and Ed Kressy, and between 1937 and 1938 provided assistence on the King Features Syndicate strips Secret Agent X-9 (layouts) and The Lone Ranger (pencil assists).[2] In 1938, he also wrote briefly for the Lone Ranger radio series.[2]

[edit] Comics

In the early 1940s, with work for the pulp magazines in a decline[4], Sprang gravitated towards comic book illustration, gaining limited exposure in this field working on Power Nelson for Feature Comics (1940).[2] His big break came when he submitted sample work to DC Comics editor Whitney Ellsworth, who was impressed with Sprang's work and assigned him his first Batman story in 1941.[3] Anticipating that Batman creator Bob Kane would be drafted to serve in World War II, Sprang's work was inventoried to safeguard against delays, so that his first work not seen until Batman #17 (1943).[3] Thereafter, Sprang worked almost entirely on Batman comics and covers - as well as on the Batman newspaper strip - becoming one of the main Batman artists of the next 20 years.[2] In 1955, Sprang got the chance to draw Superman, when he replaced Curt Swan as the primary artist for the Superman/Batman team-up stories in World's Finest, which he worked on until his retirement in 1963.[3] Sprang also worked on a couple of stories for the main Superman comic, "including the tale that introduced the first, prototype Supergirl."[5]

[edit] Laura Sprang

During the time that Dick Sprang began illustrating Batman, he taught his wife - Laura A. Sprang - to letter, and she subsequently lettered most (and colored some) of his subsequent work under the pen-name "Pat Gordon."[6] In addition to lettering (and coloring) her husband's artwork, Laura Sprang also worked freelance as a photographer for Film Fun magazine, "hand-lettered titles for industrial films," worked on the titles of Navy training films during World War II, and produced theatrical posters for 20th Century Fox.[6]

During the 1950s, "Gordon" continued to letter for DC on stories featuring Superman, Batman, Superboy and others, before leaving the company c.1961.[6]

[edit] Credit

Sprang's work was first reprinted in 1961, and, according to Batman expert Joe Desris, "nearly all subsequent Batman collections have contained at least one of his efforts."[3] However, his name never appeared on his Batman work during his career, due to stipulations in Bob Kane's contract. These stated that Kane's name would remain on the strip, regardless of whether he drew any particular story, and this restriction remained in place until the mid-1960s. It was subsequently revealed, however, that Sprang was Kane's favorite "ghost".[5]

Sprang was responsible for the original design of The Riddler, and the 1948 redesign of the Batmobile. Sprang's Batman was notable for its square chin and expressive face.

[edit] Recognition

Mostly unknown during his career, (uncredited on Batman and Superman, Sprang's name only appeared on the very few non-Batman/Superman stories he drew, such as Real Fact Comics[5]) Sprang finally began to receive notice from comic fandom in the 1970s. He was a regular attendee at comic conventions, and his reproductions of Golden Age comics covers were fan favorites, and highly sought collectables. In 1995-6, he produced two limited edition lithographs depicting the Batcave ("Secrets of the Batcave") and the Batman cast of characters ("Guardians of Gotham City").[2]

As one of the primary Batman artists of the 1940s-60s, Sprang's version of Batman is paid tribute to in the "Legends of the Dark Knight" episode of The New Adventures of Batman animated television series. The two stories in that episode center around Kane, Finger and Sprang's iconic take on the character and Frank Miller's Dark Knight version, thought to be (with Dennis O'Neil & Neal Adams' 1970s version) the most iconic representations of the character.[7]

[edit] Awards & honors

Sprang was awarded an Inkpot Award at the San Diego ComiCon in 1992, and inducted into the Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 1999.[2]

[edit] Later life

Sprang moved to Sedona, Arizona in 1946, where he became interested in western pioneer trails. He spent much of his spare time between 1946 and 1956 surveying the northern Arizona and southern Utah area, especially Glen Canyon (before it was flooded). He was interested in photography[2], and became a noted expert in the field of western pioneer trails; his voice can be heard on several National Park Service oral history tapes. In 1956, he moved to Wayne County, Utah, where he ran cattle on a 150-acre (0.6 km²) ranch.

In 1963, Sprang retired from full-time comics illustrating, and during the 1980s (c. 1984-87) he devoted some of his time to recreating comic-bok material for the burgeoning collector's market, before returning to comics in 1987 for "occasional assignments."[3][2]

Relocating from from Utah to Prescott, Arizona in 1972, Sprang remained in Arizona until his death, on May 17, 2000.

[edit] References

  1. ^ CBGXtra.com "Comics Industry Birthdays". Accessed May 9, 2008
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Who's Who in American Comics: Dick Sprang. Accessed May 9, 2008
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Biography by Joe Desris, in Batman Archives, Volume 3 (DC Comics, 1994), p. 223 ISBN 1-56389-099-2
  4. ^ "Dick Sprang" at Lambiek's Comiclopedia. Accessed May 9, 2008
  5. ^ a b c Memorial essay by Mark Evanier, June 9, 2000. Accessed May 9, 2008
  6. ^ a b c Biography by Joe Desris, in Batman Archives, Volume 3 (DC Comics, 1994), p. 222 ISBN 1-56389-099-2
  7. ^ Trivia for The New Batman Adventures: "Legends of the Dark Knight" (1998). Accessed May 9, 2008