I’m sad to report that former Spider-Man writer Denny O’Neil passed away at the age of 81 years old last night. O’Neil notably co-created Hydro-Man and Madame Web during his run on the character. He also had notable runs on the characters Iron Man, the Question, Green Lantern/Green Arrow, and Batman, where he co-created such characters as Ra’ al Ghul, Azrael, Iron Monger, and dozens more. O’Neil was also very well-known known for his work as an editor, primarily on Daredevil and the Batman family titles over at DC Comics. He’s also credited with naming and developing the character Optimus Prime from the popular Transformers franchise. Denny will be sorely missed.
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One of the greats – Batman is my second favorite character because of this man; his tales are to this day just fabulous. He’s possibly the greatest Bat-authority in the planet, followed by just a few now.
And though just two Spidey-tales (drawn by Frank Miller) are the ones who stuck in my memory for life, it’s worth mentioning that his work on another Steve Ditko creation – The Question – still remains relevant and awesome to this day.
Thank you so much, Denny; may you have a great new adventure wherever you’re gone to now. Thank you so much for your great work.
As others have noted, his Spider-Man work was not his strength. But there is no denying his excellent contributions on Batman and his editorial guidance made the Frank Miller Daredevil run so good.
A true professional and his style will be sorely missed. Rest in Peace.
Rest in Power, the greatest Batman writer of all time
He will forever be remembered for creating one of the greatest mystery sub-plots in Spidey’s history – the identity of Lonesome Pinky!
I know his Spidey run gets a lot of grief, but his annuals (ASM# 14 and 15) are actually great yarns. #15 especially with Punisher and Doc Ock is as good as any Stern issue.
Boy, we’re losing a lot of Spidey talent the past couple years…. Len Wein, Tom Lyle, Stan and Steve of course, and now Denny. The march of time is cruel.
Quite possibly the single greatest Batman writer of all time. Rest in peace, Mr. O’Neil.
The architect of the modern Batman lore and a talent you want writing socially-conscious comics. RIP to an unparalleled contributor.
May he Rest In Peace, a true inspiration to many. I particularly admire his work on Batman and The Question, he really defined our modern perceptions on them in a lot of ways, and told incredible stories with so much depth in characterisation and themes. His run on Spider-Man was never my favourite, but no one has a perfect record, especially in the writing profession.