Dennis O'Neil

O'Neil was born into a Catholic household in St. Louis, Missouri on May 3, 1939.[4] On Sunday afternoons he would accompany his father or his grandfather to the store for some light groceries and an occasional comic book.[1] O'Neil graduated from Saint Louis University around the turn of the 1960s with a degree centered on English literature, creative writing, and philosophy. From there he joined the U.S. Navy just in time to participate in the blockade of Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis.[1]

After leaving the Navy, O'Neil moved on to a job with a newspaper in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. O'Neil wrote bi-weekly columns for the youth page, and during the slow summer months he filled the space with a series on the revival of the comics industry.[7] This attracted the attention of Roy Thomas, who would eventually himself become one of the great names in the history of the medium.[1]

When Roy Thomas left DC Comics to work for Stan Lee at Marvel Comics, he suggested that O'Neil take the Marvel writer's test, which involved adding dialogue to a wordless four-page excerpt of a Fantastic Four comic. O'Neil's entry resulted in Lee offering O'Neil a job.[1] O'Neil had never considered writing for comics, and later said he'd done the test "kind of as a joke. I had a couple of hours on a Tuesday afternoon, so instead of doing crossword puzzles, I did the writer's test."[7]

When Marvel's expansion made it impossible for Lee to continue writing the company's entire line of books, Lee passed as much on to Roy Thomas as he could, but still needed writers, so O'Neil took the reins for a short-term run of Doctor Strange stories in Strange Tales, penning six issues.[8] He also wrote dialog for such titles as Rawhide Kid and Millie the Model,[9] as well as scripting the final 13 pages of Daredevil #18 over a plot by Lee, when Lee went on vacation.[10]

O'Neil and artist Neal Adams revived the Professor X character in X-Men #65[11] in one of the creative team's earliest collaborations.[12]

The available jobs writing for Marvel petered out fairly quickly, and O'Neil took a job with Charlton Comics under the pseudonym of Sergius O'Shaugnessy.[1] There he received regular work for a year and a half from Charlton's editor Dick Giordano.[1]

In 1968, Dick Giordano was offered an editorial position at DC Comics and took a number of Charlton freelancers with him, including O'Neil.[13]

Speedy's habit revealed, artist Dick Dillin

O'Neil's first assignments involved two strategies for bolstering DC's sales. One approach centered on the creation of new characters, and O'Neil scripted several issues of Beware the Creeper, a series starring a new hero, the Creeper, created by artist Steve Ditko. From there, DC moved O'Neil to Wonder Woman and Justice League of America. With artist Mike Sekowsky, he took away Wonder Woman's powers,[14] exiled her from the Amazon community, and set her off, uncostumed, into international intrigues with her blind mentor, I Ching. These changes did not sit well with Wonder Woman's older fans, particularly feminists, and O'Neil later acknowledged that de-powering DC's most well-known superheroine had unintentionally alienated readers.[15] In Justice League, he had more success, introducing into that title the first socially and politically themed stories, setting the stage for later work on Green Lantern/Green Arrow.[1] He and artist Dick Dillin made several changes to the membership of the JLA by removing founding members the Martian Manhunter and Wonder Woman.[16]

Following the lead set by Bob Haney and Neal Adams in a Brave and the Bold story that visually redefined Green Arrow into the version that appeared in comics between 1969 and 1986, O'Neil stripped him of his wealth and playboy status, making him an urban hero. This redefinition would culminate in the character that appeared in Green Lantern/Green Arrow, with many stories also drawn by Adams, a socially conscious, left-wing creation that effectively took over Green Lantern's book to use him as a foil and straw man in sounding out the political concepts that would define that work.[1][17] It was during this period that the most famous Green Arrow story appeared, in Green Lantern #85–86, when it was revealed that Green Arrow's ward Speedy was addicted to heroin.[18][19] As a result of his work on Green Lantern and Green Arrow, O'Neil recounted, "I went from total obscurity to seeing my name featured in The New York Times and being invited to do talk shows. It's by no means an unmixed blessing. That messed up my head pretty thoroughly for a couple of years. ... Deteriorating marriage, bad habits, deteriorating relationships with human beings – with anything that wasn't a typewriter, in fact. It was a bad few years there."[7]

O'Neil's 1970s run on the Batman titles, under the direction of editor Julius Schwartz,[20] is perhaps his best-known endeavor, getting back to the character's darker roots after a period dominated by the campiness of the 1960s TV series.[21] Comics historian Les Daniels observed that "O'Neil's interpretation of Batman as a vengeful obsessive-compulsive, which he modestly describes as a return to the roots, was actually an act of creative imagination that has influenced every subsequent version of the Dark Knight."[22] O'Neil and Adams' creation Ra's al Ghul was introduced in the story "Daughter of the Demon" in Batman #232 (June 1971)[23] O'Neil and artist Bob Brown also created Talia al Ghul.[24] During this period, O'Neil frequently teamed up with his regular collaborator Adams (with Giordano often assisting on inks) on a number of memorable issues of both Batman and Detective Comics. The creative team would revive Two-Face in "Half an Evil" in Batman #234 (Aug. 1971)[25] and revitalize the Joker in "The Joker's Five-Way Revenge!" in Batman #251 (Sept. 1973), a landmark story bringing the character back to his roots as a homicidal maniac who murders people on a whim and delights in his mayhem.[26][27] O'Neil and Giordano created the Batman supporting character Leslie Thompkins in the story "There Is No Hope in Crime Alley" in Detective Comics #457 (March 1976).[28] O'Neil and artist Don Newton killed the original version of Batwoman in Detective Comics #485 (Aug.–Sept. 1979).[29] He wrote a short Christmas story, "Wanted: Santa Claus – Dead or Alive", for DC Special Series #21 (Spring 1980) which featured Frank Miller's first art on a Batman story.[30]

When Julius Schwartz became the editor of Superman with issue #233 (Jan. 1971), he had O'Neil and artist Curt Swan streamline the Superman mythos, starting with the elimination of kryptonite.[31] In 1973, O'Neil wrote revivals of two characters for which DC had recently acquired the publishing rights. A new series featuring the original Captain Marvel was launched with a February cover date and featured art by the character's original artist C. C. Beck.[32] Later that same year, O'Neil and artist Michael Kaluta produced an "atmospheric interpretation" of the 1930s pulp hero in The Shadow series.[33] In 1975, O'Neil wrote a comic book adaptation of the 1930s hero the Avenger.[34] A revival of the Green Lantern title in 1976 was launched by O'Neil and artist Mike Grell.[35] Reuniting with Adams, O'Neil co-wrote the oversize Superman vs. Muhammad Ali (1978) which Adams has called a personal favorite of their collaborations.[36]

Upon O'Neil's return to Marvel Comics in 1980, he took on the scripting chores for The Amazing Spider-Man, which he did for a year. O'Neil wrote two issues of The Amazing Spider-Man Annual which were both drawn by Frank Miller. The 1980 Annual featured a team-up with Doctor Strange[37] while the 1981 Annual showcased a meeting with the Punisher.[38] He and artist John Romita Jr. introduced Madame Web in The Amazing Spider-Man #210[39] and Hydro-Man in #212.[40] O'Neil was the regular scripter for Iron Man from 1982–1986 and Daredevil from 1983–1985. During his run on Iron Man, O'Neil introduced Obadiah Stane, later the Iron Monger, plunged Tony Stark back into alcoholism, turned Jim Rhodes into Iron Man,[41] and created the Silver Centurion armor. O'Neil's run on Daredevil bridged the gap between Frank Miller's two runs on the title, usually with David Mazzucchelli as artist. He introduced Yuriko Oyama during his stint, who would later become the popular X-Men villain Lady Deathstrike. While working for Marvel, he helped write the original character concept for the Transformers, and is credited as the person who named Optimus Prime.[42][43]

After returning to DC Comics in 1986, he became the editor of the various Batman titles and served in that capacity until 2000.[44] In February 1987, O'Neil began writing The Question ongoing series which was primarily drawn by Denys Cowan.[45] Between the years of 1988 and 1990, O'Neil would return to Green Arrow writing the Annuals alongside the main title. Because he was also in charge of The Question, he would appear in all three Annuals that he wrote. The Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight series began in 1989 with the five-part "Shaman" storyline by O'Neil and artist Ed Hannigan.[46] Armageddon 2001 was a 1991 crossover event storyline. It ran through a self-titled two-issue limited series and most of the Annuals DC published that year from May through October. Each participating annual explored potential possible futures for its main characters. The series was written by O'Neil and Archie Goodwin and drawn by Dan Jurgens.[47] He and artist Joe Quesada created the character Azrael, who was introduced in the four-issue miniseries Batman: Sword of Azrael in 1992.[48] That same year, O'Neil wrote the Batman: Birth of the Demon hardcover graphic novel.[49] Another DC one-shot issue that O'Neil wrote in 1992 was Batman/Green Arrow: The Poison Tomorrow.

O'Neil wrote several novels, comics, short stories, reviews and teleplays, including the novelizations of the films Batman Begins[50] and The Dark Knight.[51] Under the pseudonym Jim Dennis with writer Jim Berry,[2] O'Neil scripted a series of novels about a kung fu character named Richard Dragon, and later adapted those novels to comic book form for DC.[2][52]

O'Neil wrote a four-part column series for Marvel's 1978 The Hulk! magazine, under the pseudonym Jeff Mundo. "Jeff Mundo's Dark Corners" ran from issue #21 through issue #24 and covered various pop culture topics.[53]

O'Neil wrote a column for ComicMix.[54]

Joining Marvel's editorial staff in 1980, O'Neil edited Daredevil during Frank Miller's run as writer/artist.[1] He fired writer Roger McKenzie so that Miller could both write and pencil Daredevil, a decision which then-Marvel editor-in-chief Jim Shooter says saved the series from cancellation.[55] O'Neil encouraged Miller to develop a believable fighting style for Daredevil, and according to Miller, this directly led to his incorporating martial arts into Daredevil and later Ronin.[56] In the early to mid-1980s, O'Neil edited such Marvel titles as Alpha Flight, Power Man and Iron Fist, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, and Moon Knight.[57]

According to Bob Budiansky, O'Neil came up with the name for the Transformer Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots.[58]

In 1986, O'Neil moved over to DC as an editor, becoming group editor for the company's Batman titles. Speaking about his role in the death of character Jason Todd, O'Neil remarked:

It changed my mind about what I do for a living. Superman and Batman have been in continuous publication for over half a century, and it's never been true of any fictional construct before. These characters have a lot more weight than the hero of a popular sitcom that lasts maybe four years. They have become postindustrial folklore, and part of this job is to be the custodian of folk figures. Everybody on Earth knows Batman and Robin.[59]

O'Neil said that he saw editing as a support role which should be invisible to the reader, and that if it were his choice his name would not appear in the credits when working as an editor, only when working as a writer.[7]

O'Neil spent several years in the late 1990s teaching a Writing for the Comics course at Manhattan's School of Visual Arts, sometimes sharing duties with fellow comic book writer John Ostrander.[60]

• Abbott and Costello #1 (1968)
• Thunderbolt #58–60 (1967)
• Space Adventures #2 (1968)

• The Shadow "1941": Hitler's Astrologer – with Michael Kaluta and Russ Heath 1988
• Batman: Birth of the Demon – 1992
• Green Lantern/Green Arrow Vol. 1: Hard-Traveling Heroes – 1992
• Batman: Shaman – 1993
• Batman: Venom – 1993, 2012
• Green Lantern/Green Arrow Vol. 2: More Hard-Traveling Heroes – 1993
• Batman: Sword of Azrael – 1993
• Batman: Bloodstorm – 1995
• Batman: Death of Innocents: the Horror of Landmines – 1996
• Batman in the Seventies – 2000
• The Green Lantern/Green Arrow Collection – 2000
• The Deadman Collection – 2001
• Batman: The Ring, the Arrow, and the Bat – 2003
• Green Lantern/Green Arrow Collection Volume 1 – 2004
• Green Lantern/Green Arrow Collection Volume 2 – 2005
• Green Lantern: Hero's Quest – 2005
• Green Lantern/Green Arrow – 2012

• The Iconoclasts – Fantastic Stories, ed. Ted White, Ultimate Publishing, 1971
• "Report on a Broken Bridge" – Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, December 1971
• After They've Seen Paree – Generation, ed. David Gerrold, Dell, 1972
• "The Elseones" – The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, February 1972
• "Mister Cherubim" – Fantastic Stories, June 1972
• "Noonday Devil" – Saving Worlds, eds. Roger Elwood and Virginia Kidd, Doubleday, 1973
• "Devil Night" – Haunt of Horror, August 1973
• "Annie Mae: A Love Story" – The Far Side of Time, ed. Roger Elwood, Dodd Mead, 1974
• "There Are No Yesterdays!" – Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction March 1975
• "Sister Mary Talks to the Girls Sodality" – Harpoon Magazine, January 1975
• "The Killing of Mother Corn" – The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, February 1975
• "Father Flotsky" – Apple Pie Magazine, May 1975
• "Alias the Last Resort" – Best Detective Stories of the Year, ed. Hubin, 1975
• "Adam and No Eve" (with Alfred Bester) – Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction, March 1975
• "Wave By" – The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, September 1980
• "Bicycle Superhero"- Superheroes, ed. John Varley, Ace Fantasy, 1995

• The Bite of Monsters – Belmont, 1971
• Dragon's Fists – Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Master with Jim Berry, 1974
• Secret Origins of the Super DC Heroes – Crown Publishing Group, April 1976[76]
• The Super Comics – Scholastic Book Services 1981
• Batman: Knightfall – 1994[77]
• Green Lantern: Hero's Quest – 2005[78]
• Batman Begins – 2005[79]
• DC Universe: Helltown – 2006[80]
• The Dark Knight – 2008[81]

• The DC Comics Guide To Writing Comics, Watson-Guptill, May 2001[82] ISBN 0-823010-27-9
• Batman Unauthorized: Vigilantes, Jokers, and Heroes in Gotham City, SmartPop series, Benbella Books, March 2008 (editor)[83] ISBN 1-933771-30-5

• The Lurker in the Family Room – The Haunt of Horror, June 1973
• Review of Will Eisner's "A Contract With God" – Comics Journal #46, May 1979
• Interview w/ Samuel R. Delany – Comics Journal #48, Summer 1979
• The Super Comics – 1980
• Article on Garry Trudeau/Doonesbury – Comics Journal #63, Summer 1981
• Forum & Interview w/ Gil Kane – Comics Journal #64 July 1981
• The Man of Steel and Me – Superman at 50, 1987
• Martial Arts – Superman & Batman Magazine #1, with Marifran O'Neil, Summer 1993
• Comics 101/Classes 1 & 2 – Write Now! #3, March 2003
• Comics 101/Classes 3 & 4 – Write Now! #4, May 2003
• Comics 101/Classes 5 & 6 – Write Now! #5, August 2003
• "Introduction" to Superhero: The Secret Origin of a Genre by Peter Coogan (MonkeyBrain Books) (July 25, 2006)

• Batman: The Animated Series (1993)[75]
  • ”The Demon’s Quest Part 1” (ep. 60)[84]
  • ”The Demon’s Quest Part 2” (ep. 61, co-written with Len Wein)[84]
• G.I Joe: A Real American Hero (1985)[75]
  • ”The Invaders”[85] (ep. 60)
• Logan’s Run (1978)[75]
  • ”Stargate”[86] (ep. 14)
• Superboy (1989)[75]
  • ”Meet Mr. Mxyzptlk”[87] (ep. 16)
  • ”Mr. and Mrs. Superboy” (ep. 34)

• Batman: Gotham Knight – audio commentary, 2008[88]