Dick Rockwell

Dick Rockwell was an American comic strip and comic book artist, best known for his long, uncredited tenure as Milt Caniff's art assistant on the adventure strip *Steve Canyon*. Born Richard Waring Rockwell on December 11, 1920, he was a nephew of the famed painter Norman Rockwell. He died on April 18, 2006.

Rockwell entered comics through the industry's mid-century boom, working steadily from the late 1940s into the 2020s. His credits as artist or inker span 48 issues, with notable work on *Black Diamond Western*, *Crime Does Not Pay*, *Crime and Punishment*, and the film adaptation *Destination Moon*. For 35 years, he labored in the background on *Steve Canyon*, handling backgrounds, figures, and finishes in Caniff's signature chiaroscuro style. Rockwell's own style, though shaped by Caniff's influence, carried a crisp, illustrative clarity suited to both adventure and crime genres.

Later in life, Rockwell contributed to archival reprints of *Steve Canyon*, ensuring the strip's legacy. Though he never achieved the fame of his uncle or his mentor, his quiet, reliable craftsmanship helped sustain one of the great adventure strips of the 20th century.