Dick jumped
Richard W. “Dick” Sprang (born July 28, 1915 in Fremont , Ohio , † May 10, 2000 in Prescott , Arizona ) was an American comic artist.
Life and work
Sprang began drawing signs and advertising slips for local advertising agencies as a teenager, before starting to work as an illustrator for the Toledo News newspaper immediately after graduating from high school. After moving to New York City , he hired as a freelance illustrator for so-called pulp magazines . When the pulp magazine genre was on the decline in 1941, Sprang switched to the comic industry. After he had submitted some test drawings to the editor-in-chief of DC Comics , Sidney Ellsworth, Sprang hired him as a draftsman for the Batman series, in the 17th edition of which Sprang first published comic pages.
Sprang remained connected to the Batman character for almost 20 years: until 1955 he worked on the monthly Batman series, then from 1955 to 1963 on the series World's Finest , the joint adventures of Superman and Batman, the two most popular characters in DC's publishing program, told. During his time as a Batman draftsman, Sprang created the design for the Riddler , one of the most popular and enduring villains in the series, as well as the redesign of Batman's "emergency vehicle", the so-called "Batmobile", in 1948. Typical of Sprang's interpretation of the "dark Ritters “was the massive granite chin, as well as the expressive face that he gave his figure. Sprang's unmistakable, slightly angular style of drawing was extremely lasting and influential for the Batman series: Sprang was imitated by many later illustrators, and his designs of Gotham City and its residents formed the basis for the opening credits of the Batman television series of the 1960s .
In 1946 Sprang moved to Sedona, Arizona, and in 1956 to Utah, where he tried his hand at ranching, before moving to Prescott in 1972. In later years he again excelled by selling Batman lithographs, which today reach record values in collectors' circles.
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Jumped, Dick |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Sprang, Richard W. |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American comic artist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 28, 1915 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Fremont , Ohio |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 10, 2000 |
| Place of death | Prescott , Arizona |