Born in
Dayton, Ohio, Grady Lyda's family moved to
San Diego while he was still an infant. They later moved to
Newport Beach, California, where Grady attended
Newport Harbor High School. His first professional illustration was published in the April 1975 issue of
Galaxy Magazine, and his first comic book story,
Out of Space - Out of Time, appeared in
Star*Reach issue # 6 (October 1976). This was followed by his
Tempus Fugit series in
Star*Reach issues 11, 13, 14, and 15. During and after the publication of these stories, Lyda continued as a
freelance artist for various companies. From 1978 to 1981, he worked for
Hi-Point Enterprises/Spirit Accessories, a fashion accessory wholesaler in
Hollywood, producing advertising, illustrations, catalogs and logos. The president of this company, Jerry Hasson, went on to create the
Magic Pizza Family Entertainment Center on Sepulveda Boulevard in
Manhattan Beach, California, a novelty restaurant with a fantasy/magic-themed environment. From 1982 to 1984, Lyda served as principal artist for
Magic Pizza during the development and construction of the restaurant, designing its business identity as well as advertisements, brochures, business cards, logos, interior signage and posters. Lyda also became a technical illustrator and graphic designer in the Defense/Aerospace industry. In 1978, he joined
Mercury Consolidated, Inc., a busy
job shop in
Tustin, California, where he became an Art Department Supervisor and was granted a Secret Clearance in 1979. There, he made pick-ups and bids for out-sourced graphic-design jobs from prime contractors such as
McDonnell Douglas,
Lockheed,
Hughes Aircraft,
Rockwell International, and the
Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In 1993, Lyda was hired by the
Rockwell International Autonetics Electronic Systems Division in
Anaheim where he worked in the Central Graphics Department generating manuals, proposals, ads, posters, schematics, vugraphs, slides, and government proposals. He was laid-off prior to the company's acquisition by
Boeing in 1996. He went on to work in the Creative Services Department of
semiconductor manufacturer
Conexant Systems Inc., formerly
Rockwell Semiconductor Systems. Later, he was employed by ''Conexant's
spin-off, Jazz Semiconductor (now TowerJazz''), a wafer foundry in Newport Beach. Beginning in July 2009, he also worked as a Cast Member at the
Disneyland Resort in Anaheim. ==Bibliography==