Dick Sprang

Richard W. Sprang (July 28, 1915 – May 10, 2000) was an American comic book artist and penciller, best known for his work on the superhero Batman during the period fans and historians call Golden Age of Comic Books. Sprang was responsible for the 1950 redesign of the Batmobile and the original design of the Riddler, who has appeared in film, television and other media adaptations. Sprang's Batman was notable for his square chin, expressive face and barrel chest. Sprang was also a notable explorer in Arizona, Utah, and Colorado, whose discoveries included "Defiance House", a previously unrecorded ancestral Puebloan structure. Sprang's voluminous correspondence, journals, and thousands of photographs are archived at Northern Arizona Universities Cline Library Special Collections in Flagstaff, Arizona. A small amount of material is at the Utah Historical Society in Salt Lake City, Utah. Biography Early life and career Dick Sprang was born in Fremont, Ohio, and became 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. He joined the staff of "the Scripps-Howard newspaper chain in Toledo, Ohio" shortly after graduating (circa 1934), continuing to produce magazine work concurrently. Sprang described his early career and work ethic, in 1987: