Dwyer's first published comics work was the story "The Ghost of Masahiko Tahara" in Batman #413 (Nov. 1987)[1] and he was soon offered the pencilling duties on the monthly Captain America title at Marvel, which he drew for nearly two years during the storyline when John Walker (formerly Super-patriot) was given the mantle of Captain America while Steve Rogers took on the costume and identity of "The Captain." With Steve Rogers reinstated as the official Captain America in issue 350, Dwyer continued pencilling the title through "The Bloodstone Hunt" storyarc as well as the "Acts of Vengeance" crossover issues. Following his run on Captain America, Dwyer collaborated with writer Peter Milligan on the "Dark Knight, Dark City" storyarc in Batman #452–454 (Aug.–Sept. 1990).[2] Dwyer was one of the many artists who contributed to the Superman: The Wedding Album one-shot in 1996 wherein the title character married Lois Lane.[3]
Cover of first LCD issue, signed by the artists, featuring parody of the Starbucks logo that prompted legal actions from the corporation.
Starbucks sued Dwyer in 2000 for parodying their famous siren logo on the first cover of LCD, as well as selling the image on T-shirts and stickers. With assistance from the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund,[4] the two parties settled the case out of court. The settlement established that the image was protected speech, citing the "parody" exception in Constitutional law; however, Dwyer is no longer allowed to use the image for financial gain because of its "confusing similarity" to the original material.
LCD: Lowest Comic Denominator had two "ashcan" editions, #1 (1997) and #2 (1998), before coming out with full comic versions starting in 1999 later with #0 (a second printing was later issued with pieces removed due to the Starbucks legal action), 1, 2, and 3. A trade paperback collection of all 4 issues is being published by Image Comics, available July 2020.
As of July 2020, Dwyer has three new books published by Image Comics: Unpresidented, a collection of Dwyer's political cartoons (currently available); Last of the Independents, a hardcover reprint of the original graphic novel written by Matt Fraction (currently available); and the aforementioned LCD: Lowest Comic Denominator trade paperback collection (currently on hold).
Personal life
Kieron Dwyer was born in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. His father William M. Dwyer and mother Andrea Braun were both actors in Chicago theater and TV ads. Several years after his parents divorced, Dwyer's mother met and married comics creator John Byrne (with whom Dwyer collaborated on the "Torch of Liberty" backups in Danger Unlimited, as well as a one-shot special). Byrne became Dwyer's stepfather when Kieron was 13 and Byrne encouraged Dwyer's aspirations to be a cartoonist and assisted in landing Dwyer's first professional job drawing Batman #413 (Nov. 1987).[8] Braun and Byrne would go on to be divorced, but Dwyer's love of art would continue to grow and flourish.[9]
Dwyer and his wife, Birch, have one child, son Liam, who continues in his father's footsteps as he loves to draw[citation needed].
^Manning, Matthew K.; Dougall, Alastair, ed. (2014). "1990s". Batman: A Visual History. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 188. ISBN978-1465424563. Writer Peter Milligan penned this memorable three-issue storyline, illustrated by Kieron Dwyer and with cover art by Mike Mignola, in which the Riddler proved that he was still a serious threat to Batman.{{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Manning, Matthew K.; Dolan, Hannah, ed. (2010). "1990s". DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 275. ISBN978-0-7566-6742-9. The behind-the-scenes talent on the monumental issue appropriately spanned several generations of the Man of Tomorrow's career. Written by Dan Jurgens, Karl Kesel, David Michelinie, Louise Simonson, and Roger Stern, the one-shot featured the pencils of John Byrne, Gil Kane, Stuart Immonen, Paul Ryan, Jon Bogdanove, Kieron Dwyer, Tom Grummett, Dick Giordano, Jim Mooney, Curt Swan, Nick Cardy, Al Plastino, Barry Kitson, Ron Frenz, and Dan Jurgens.{{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^"Cartoonist Kieron Dwyer Sued By Starbucks". Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. November 30, 2000. Archived from the original on August 2, 2002. Retrieved October 4, 2012. At a meeting during Comic-Con International, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Board of Directors voted to support cartoonist Kieron Dwyer's defense of a suit brought against him by the Starbucks Corporation (Starbucks v. Dwyer, C00 1499).
