Over his thirty years with DC, Orlando became the company's Vice President & Editorial Director, and became the Associate Publisher of MAD Magazine when it came under DC's purview after William M. Gaines' death. He taught for many years at the School of Visual Arts; as an educator and an editor, developing new creative talents was one of his deepest passions.
Orlando continued to work and teach until his death, and had just completed the designs for the cover of MAD SUPER SPECIAL #139, a sign hanging on the White House reading "This Government Is Out Of Order."
DC Comics President & Editor-In-Chief, Jenette Kahn, said, "A Jack-of-all-trades and master of most, Joe Orlando embodied all that is best in comics. He loved a creative challenge, and there was none he didn't rise to, infecting all around him with his own pleasure and enthusiasm. A puckish and generous teacher, he shared his ultimate secret - that fun is as important as work."
DC Comics Executive Vice President & Publisher, Paul Levitz, said, "Joe Orlando was an artist who conjured human emotion with his brushstrokes. He loved to scare, to thrill, to inspire, and most of all, to make people laugh. He taught a generation of us how to do our best work, and his creativity will live on in his students."
Orlando is survived by his wife Karin, a teacher, his children, Susanne, Joanna, Paul, and a son by a previous marriage, Joseph Jr.
The wake will be held at Kirtle Funeral Home in Manhattan. The family requests donations be made to the Joe Orlando Scholarship Fund at the School of Visual Arts. A memorial service will be held by DC Comics at a later date.
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