Posted in: Comics, DC Comics | Tagged: dc comics, dennis o'neil, Marvel Comics

Dennis O'Neil Tributes In This Week's Marvel and DC Comics

Published Thu, 23 Jul 2020 11:00:54 -0500

This week, Marvel and DC Comics published tributes to Dennis O'Neil, with a legendary career n comic books for both publishers and more. Here is how both publishers remember him as writer and editor, but at Bleeding Cool we will remember him most as an educator.

"Demonstrate for me possibilities I've never thought of and present me with heroes who will give me courage and hope. Ease my sorrows and increase my joy. Teach me compassion. Entertain and enchant and enlighten me. Tell me a story." -DENNIS O'NEIL 1939-2020

R.I.P. DENNY O' NEIL—one of the visionary architects of DC Comics who helped revive Batman in the 1970s and remains my favorite Green Lantern writer to date. Through his editing and writing, Denny was one of the earliest writers whose work and focus on social issues pushed comics to wider respectability and acceptance as an art form. Through his work and mentorship, he influenced generations of writers and artists. Our condolences to his family and many fans around the world. — JIM LEE

IN MEMORIAM: DENNY O'NEIL 1939-2020

Marvel Comics pauses to pay tribute to writer and editor Denny O'Neil. a true giant of the industry. Over his decades-long career, he set a tone of realism and relevancy in his storytelling that endures to this day. Growing up in St. Louis, Missouri, O'Neil first cut his writing teeth as a newspaper journalist and columnist. Thanks to encouragement from fellow Missourian Roy Thomas, O'Neil earned a place at Marvel and would end up scripting titles such as Strange Tales and X-Men. In 1968, he began editing and writing for DC Comics, most notably Green Lantern/Green Arrow. In a seminal arc that left a profound impact in the comics industry, O'Neil and Neal Adams tackled the taboo subject of drug addiction among the youth with the discovery that Green Arrow's ward Speedy was abusing heroin. After more than a decade, O'Neil returned to Marvel in 1980 as both writer and editor, jumping into Amazing Spider-Man, having memorable runs on Iron Man and Daredevil and forming new creative relationships with the likes of Frank Miller and John Romita Jr. During these trailblazing years, O'Neil mentored Frank Miller on Daredevil and Bill Sienkiewicz on Moon Knight. In 1986, O'Neil rejoined DC Comics and stayed with the company for several more years, working with old friends and new collaborators. He continued to write comics for the rest of his life, revisiting familiar characters and concepts, but always looking for ways to shepherd them into new landscapes and allow them to grow while still respecting their history. O'Neil impressed writers, artists and readers with his devotion to the craft of comics, his belief in the characters and his passionate drive to create stories that mattered. In addition to comics and graphic novels, he also wrote prose novels, nonfiction works, screenplays and reviews. Denny O'Neil was a singular talent and a man of principles and strong convictions, all of which can be seen in every word he ever wrote. The industry-will forever remember him, and he will be sorely missed.

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