Dennis O'Neil

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This article is about the comic book writer. An unrelated Denny O'Neil is a Canadian radio personality under the professional name Bob Magee.

Dennis O'Neil, often credited as Denny O'Neil, is a comic book writer and editor, principally for Marvel Comics and DC Comics in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, and Group Editor for the Batman family of books until his retirement.

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Early Years 1.2 Marvel Comics 1.3 Charlton Comics 1.4 DC Comics 2 Highlights 3 Bibliography 3.1 Charlton Comics 3.2 DC Comics 3.3 Marvel Comics 3.4 Graphic Novels 3.5 Novellas 3.6 Novels 3.7 Essays, Reviews & Interviews 4 References

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early Years

Dennis O'Neil came from a Catholic household in St. Louis, Missouri. He still recalls from his youth the Sunday afternoon ritual where he would accompany his father or his grandfather to the store for some light groceries and an occasional comic book.[1]

By the time he had firmly entered adolescence, the superhero comic had become something of an anachronism. The loss of government contracts that came with the end of World War II killed off most of the Golden Age characters, and stores tended to shift space to paperback literature, which had a higher profit margin.[2]

He graduated from St. Louis University around the turn of the sixties and from there joined the navy just in time to participate in the blockade of Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis. His degree centered on English literature, creative writing, and philosophy.[3]

After leaving the navy, O'Neil moved on to a job with a newspaper in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. O'Neil wrote occasional columns on the subject for the newspaper, which attracted the attention of Roy Thomas, who would eventually himself become one of the Great Names of the Silver Age.[4]

[edit] Marvel Comics

Roy Thomas soon took work with DC in its Superman stable, but left before long to work for Stan Lee at Marvel. 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; and his entry impressed Lee enough to offer O'Neil a job.[5]

When Marvel's expansion made it impossible for Stan Lee to write the 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 Dr. Strange stories, penning six issues, as well as scripting an issue of Daredevil over a plot by Lee when Lee went on holiday.[6]

[edit] Charlton Comics

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. There he received regular work for a year and a half from Charlton's editor Dick Giordano.[7]

[edit] DC Comics

In 1968 Dick Giordano was offered an editorial position at DC and took a number of Charlton freelancers with him, including O'Neil. Charlton talent arrived at DC from a different culture of comics. At DC, the office seemed like a snapshot from 1950, with a crowd of short-haired men in white shirts and ties. The jeans-wearing, hippy trended Charlton crowd visibly represented a different generation.

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 The Creeper, a new hero 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, exiled her from the Amazon community, and set her off, uncostumed, into international intrigues with her blind mentor, the dubiously-named I Ching. These changes did not sit well with Wonder Woman's older fans, such as Gloria Steinem, and O'Neil later considered that removing DC's single super-powered female might have alienated readers. 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.[8]

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, 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.[9]

He's written several novels, comics, short stories, reviews and teleplays, including the novelization of the movie Batman Begins.[10] He scripted a series of novels about a kung fu character named Richard Dragon, and later adapted those novels to comic book form.

Dennis spent several years in the late nineties teaching Writing for the Comics at Manhattan's School of Visual Arts, sometimes sharing duties with fellow comic book writer John Ostrander.

[edit] Highlights

His best-known works include Green Lantern/Green Arrow and Batman with Neal Adams, The Shadow with Mike Kaluta and The Question with Denys Cowan, all of which were hailed for sophisticated (for the period, in the case of his 1970s work) stories that expanded the artistic potential of the mainstream portion of the medium. As an editor, he is principally known for editing the various Batman titles. Today, he sits on the board of directors of the charity A Commitment To Our Roots.

His 1970s run on Batman is perhaps his best-known endeavour, getting back to the character's darker roots after a period dominated by the campiness of the 1960s TV show, and emphasizing his detective skills. This grimmer and more sophisticated Dark Knight, as well as new villains such as O'Neil creation Ra's Al Ghul, brought Batman back from the verge of pop culture oblivion. His work would influence later incarnations of Batman, from the seminal comic "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns" by Frank Miller, to the movie Batman Begins in 2005.

His work has won him a great deal of recognition in the comics industry, including the Shazam Awards for Best Individual Story for "No Evil Shall Escape My Sight" in Green Lantern #76 (with Neal Adams), for Best Writer (Dramatic Division) in 1970 for Green Lantern, Batman, Superman, and other titles, and Best Individual Story for "Snowbirds Don't Fly" in Green Lantern #85 (with Neal Adams) in 1971.

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] Charlton Comics

• Charlton Premiere #2
• Thunderbolt #58 - 60

[edit] DC Comics

• Adventure Comics #418, 419, 449 - 451
• Armageddon 2001 special #2
• Atom and Hawkman #42 - 45
• Azrael #1 - 100
• Bat Lash #2 - 7
• Batman #224, 225, 227, 232, 234, 235, 237, 239-245, 247, 248, 251, 253, 256-264, 266, 268, 286. 303, 320
• Batman - Gordon of Gotham #1 - 4
• Batman - Sword of Azrael #1 - 4
• Beware The Creeper #1 - 4, 6, 8
• Brave and the Bold #93
• Challengers of the Unknown #68 - 74
• DC Comics Presents #19, 20, 23
• DC Special Series #1, 5, 18, 19
• Detective Comics #395, 397, 399 - 401, 404 - 406, 410, 411, 414, 418, 431, 451, 483 - 491
• Doc Savage #1 - 6
• Dragonslayer #1 - 2
• Flash, The #217 - 221, 223, 224, 226 - 228, 230, 231, 233, 234, 237, 238, 240 - 243, 245
• From Beyond the Unknown #7 - 8
• Green Lantern #63, 64, 68, 72, 76 - 87, 90 - 100, 102 - 129
• Hercules #3 - 5
• Isis #1
• Joker, The #1 - 3, 6
• Justice, Inc. #1 - 4
• Justice League Of America #66, 68-75, 77-83, 86, 115
• JLA #91 - 93
• Kamandi, The Last Boy on Earth! #45 - 48
• Legends Of The Dark Knight #1 - 5, 16 - 20, 50, 59 - 61, 63, 127-131
• Legends Of The DC Universe #7 - 9
• Nightwing (miniseries) #1 - 4
• Phantom Stranger #8
• Question, The #1 - 36
• Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter #1 - 10, 13 - 18
• Shazam! #1 - 7, 9, 14, 15, 17, 25
• Shadow, The #1 - 8, 10, 12
• Showcase #82 - 84
• Spectre, The #9
• Strange Sports Stories #4
• Super Friends #20, 22 , 24
• Superman #233 - 238, 240 - 242, 244, 247, 253, 254
• Super-Team Family #2
• Sword of Sorcery #1 - 5
• Tarzan #255, 256
• Weird Worlds #4 - 10
• Wonder Woman #178, 179, 180 - 182, 199 - 201
• World's Finest #198, 199, 201, 202, 204, 211, 212, 214, 244, 256-264

[edit] Marvel Comics

• Amazing Spider-Man, The #207 - 219, 221, 223
• Amazing Spider-Man Annual, The #14
• Billy the Kid #68, 69
• Chamber of Darkness #3 - 5
• Cheyenne Kid #66 - 69, 70 - 73
• Daredevil #18, 194 - 202, 204 - 207, 210 - 223, 226
• Deadly Hands of Kung Fu, The #6, 14
• Epic Illustrated #16 - 20
• Go-Go #7
• Ghost Rider #7
• Hercules #2
• Heroes For Hope Starring The X-Men #1
• Hulk #21 - 24
• Iron Man 1968 #158, 160 - 208
• Kid Colt Outlaw #134 - 136, 138, 139
• Moon Knight #26 - The Cabbie Killer
• Power Man and Iron Fist #85 - 89
• Rawhide Kid #56, 59, 60, 62, 66
• Savage Tales #5
• Team America #2
• Two-Gun Kid #90, 92
• X-Men #65

[edit] Graphic Novels

• Justice, Inc - 1975
• Shadow the Private Files - with Mark Waid 1989
• Batman: Bride of the Demon - 1990
• Batman: Birth of the Demon - 1992
• Green Lantern/Green Arrow: Hard-Traveling Heroes - 1992
• Green Lantern/Green Arrow: More Hard-Traveling Heroes - 1993
• Batman: Sword of Azrael - 1993
• Batman: Bloodstorm - 1995
• Batman: Death of Innocents : the Horror of Landmines - 1996
• Batman: I Joker - 1998
• Batman: Shaman - 1998
• Batman in the Seventies - 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

[edit] Novellas

• 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" – Fantasy & Science Fiction, February 1972
• "Mister Cherubim" – Fantastic Stories June, 1972
• "Noonday Devil" - Saving Worlds, eds. Roger Elwood & 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" – 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" – Fantasy & Science Fiction, September, 1980
• "Bicycle Superhero"- Superheroes, ed. John Varley Ace Fantasy, 1995

[edit] Novels

• 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
• The Super Comics - Scholastic Book Services 1981
• Batman Knightfall – 1994
• The DC Comics Guide to Writing Comics - 2001
• Green Lantern Hero’s Quest – 2005
• Batman Begins novelization – 2005
• DC Universe: Helltown - 2006

[edit] Essays, Reviews & Interviews

• 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. Delaney – Comics Journal #48, Summer 1979
• The Super Comics – 1980
• Article on Gary 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

[edit] References

• Denny O'Neil's Official Message Board
• Comic Geek Speak Podcast Interview (October 2005)
• Contento stories listed by author
• Scifan.com Denny O'Neil
• Denny O'Neil year by year
• Talent Pool Biography on Denny O'Neil

Preceded by Gardner Fox	Justice League writer 1968–1970	Succeeded by Robert Kanigher
Preceded by Len Wein	Justice League writer 1975	Succeeded by Cary Bates
Preceded by Marv Wolfman	Amazing Spider-Man writer 1980–1981	Succeeded by Roger Stern
Preceded by David Michelinie	Iron Man writer 1982–1986	Succeeded by Danny Fingeroth
Preceded by Frank Miller	Daredevil writer 1983–1984	Succeeded by Arthur Byron Cover & Harlan Ellison
Preceded by Arthur Byron Cover & Harlan Ellison	Daredevil writer 1984–1985	Succeeded by Frank Miller