A trio of passings to report.
Comics writer-artist Keith Giffen, 70, made his first inroads at Marvel in the 70's, with a short stint on the original The Defenders, utilizing an art style resembling that of industry legend Jack Kirby. Giffen could also adapt to whatever the story called for, as demonstrated with other works at Marvel and, later, at DC, where he won acclaim with writer Paul Levitz on "The Great Darkness Saga" in Legion of Super-Heroes. While at DC, Giffen also developed fan favorites Lobo (who debuted in the 1st Omega Men series) and Ambush Bug, the latter of which morphed from a villain in his initial appearances to a comedy character poking fun at pop culture and comics norms.
Phyllis Coates, 96, was cast as Lois Lane in the 1st season of The Adventures of Superman, but left after 1 season for a project that never saw fruitition. Coates' other credits included the serial, "Panther Girl of The Kongos", and the Joe McDoakes series of shorts opposite future toon icon George O'Hanlon (later of The Jetsons). When Coates left Superman, Noel Neill, who had played Lois in a pair of serials, stepped back into the role. Coates also made guest appearances on shows such as The Lone Ranger (we have that over at Saturday Morning Archives), which reunited her with star Clayton Moore, as they had made a movie a few years prior, and Death Valley Days, during the Ronald Reagan era of the series.
Finally, Rudolph Isley, 84, of the Isley Brothers, passed away Tuesday in suburban Illinois. Isley co-founded the singing group in the 50's, leading to a string of hits, including "Who's That Lady?", "Fight The Power" (which may or may not have been the inspiration for Public Enemy's 1989 hit of the same name), "Twist & Shout" (covered by the Beatles and Rodney Dangerfield, among others), and, of course, 1959's "Shout", which became a sports anthem here in the 518 during Albany Patroons games in the 80's.
Here's the Isleys and "Shout", from Dick Clark's Saturday Beech-Nut Show:
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