Denny O'Neil dies at 81

[lordultimus]

Dennis J. "Denny" O'Neil has died at age 81. As confirmed by his family, the legendary comic book writer died at home of natural causes on the night of June 11.

He had a long and varied career, but is probably best known for his work on Batman. Not only did he head the transition from the Silver Age to the Bronze age, he brought the concept of mental illness and Batman's villains being reflections of himself into the mythos. Additionally he created both Arkham Asylum and Ra's Al Ghul as well as turning Two Face from a three shot Golden Age character into a prominent villain for Batman.

Sorry to dampen your day.

Comments

[icon_uk]

That is deeply sad news, he added a great deal to not only the Batman mythos, but the likes of Green Arrow and Green Lantern and the Question.

RIP Mr O'Neil

[mordalo]

One of my all-time favorite writers. He shall be missed.

[bruinsfan]

Really sorry to hear this. I admired his work on Green Lantern/Green Arrow, and he always impressed me as a very nice person. Rest in peace, Mr. O'Neil!

[zachbeacon]

Putting aside all his contributions as a writer and editor*, he always came across as a genuinely nice guy. The world is a lesser place without him.

*Which is a LOT even if we just focus on DC ... or even just Batman.

[astrakhan42]

Outside of DC, he also played a key role in getting the original Transformers comic book going and created the name "Optimus Prime".

And of course his Green Lantern/Green Arrow is one of the defining books of the Bronze Age.

RIP Denny. You were one of the greats.

[lbd_nytetrayn]

I was going to bring up the Transformers bit, but looks like you beat me to it.

[lego_joker]

Good lord...

And here I was just thinking how amazing it was he could still crank out a story for the Joker's 80th...

[mazway_75]

RIP to a legend.

[tripodeca113]

Another prominent figure gone...

[mister_terrific]

I had the pleasure of meeting Denny back around 1983-84; had to fetch him from the airport and take him to a comics convention. I also corresponded with him a few times back in the day. He was a very gracious and wise man to talk to...and generally very patient in dealing with idiot fanboys (such as myself back in the day).

[dragontail]

By the time I had access to brand new comics, rather than the black and white reprints that were common in Australia in the 1980s, Denny was already the editor of the Batman books. His "From The Den" opinion pieces were the first opinion pieces I'd read... anywhere. I'd discover newspaper op-eds and even Stan Lee's Soapbox afterwards, but Denny's words were the first to really pierce my mind and show me you could - and should - talk about serious issues within the sphere of comics. That had a huge impact on me, even as I came to value the opinions of others. Those columns are still the first thing that come to mind when I think of Denny.