Marvel Comics Legendary Author Gerry Conway Passes Away At 73
Image Source: JoBlo
Comic book and screenwriting legend Gerry Conway has passed away at the age 73. Born in Brooklyn in 1952, a second-generation Irish immigrant, he loved graphic novels from an early age and had one of his fan letters printed in a Fantastic Four comic at the age of 13. As he grew braver, he started sneaking into the local DC offices. Eventually, they decided to give him a shot. Gerry Conway’s first ever book was a horror anthology called House of Secrets in 1969, at just seventeen. But despite his determination to get into DC, Conway had always wanted to work for Marvel and after meeting Stan Lee’s protégé Roy Thomas (Conan the Barbarian comics) in 1970, he managed to get himself an interview.
“Roy offered me a shot at the Marvel 'writing test.' Stan wasn't impressed, but Roy liked what I did, and began throwing some short assignments my way.”
Stan Lee would ultimately change his mind, and Conway was writing on Daredevil a year later. He went on to pen some of the most formative issues of Spider-Man, including The Night that Gwen Stacey Died. Although the webslinger was his baby, he wrote for every superhero under the Marvel banner, from Ms Marvel to Ghost Rider. His last Marvel issue was in 2023, What If? Dark: Spider-Gwen.
RELATED:
Image Source: Worthpoint
By 1975 he was venturing back and forth between Marvel and DC. He wrote on some of the early Swamp Thing, Superman and Justice League of America books. However, he was of special importance to the caped crusader, as his Batman Detective Comics introduced Jason Todd (the second Robin) and Killer Croc to the franchise.
But Gerry Conway wrote for his favourite superheroes on screen as well as on the page. He contributed The Batman Animated Series (and pretty much most of the cartoon Batman series), Spider-Man (1994), as well as video games Marvel: Ultimate Alliance series and Superman/Batman Public Enemies. He also helped create the story for the Conan the Destroyer movie.
One of the all-time greats, his impact on the industry and his commitment to storytelling and keeping comics accessible for all ages cannot be understated and will be sorely missed. He is survived by his wife, Laura, two daughters, and a stepson.
CultureSlate: Made by humans, for humans.
Please consider supporting our AI-free content via our Patreon page.
READ NEXT:
Source(s): Slashfilm Deadline Hollywood Reporter Wiki
Latest News
Featured
