As you might expect the entire world of comics has paused to remember the legacy of Denny O’Neil, as a writer, editor and friend. O’Neil passed away on June 11th, and since then there have been many heartfelt tributes, and we’ve tried to capture as many as possible:
https://www.facebook.com/NealAdamsDotCom/photos/a.59731749143/10158333998949144/?type=3&xts%5B0%5D=68.ARAAtyioJUBgwldYOGFc0nt69xfZhmsDk3pGUbmyS2SHNRLUBQfdgsb2f-KADjjqBi7_yiOc7D0Vdu9nuwSisK22din8_jk707Fv5uOa1tjtYiYaexElo23sqoJoAbhaATOsJ6QAcNfEybvmMv5D9fvWbq_Q4PWgJLJsJ_OS3MDi8c8yGRhpd5blm3iKu4b9fKwGb8WPJTu-mBit9JoSIJm8kgbxryrTzxDxG-A0-YTzdESq6bybaSc8-F5OkOp8y0fDTcwnQq_15TkSVPBgz6h22XGmlglDiivZ7e6DIFlRltbF877-4v6zXEztJYzbPBEYiytutkSc04A6BQ&tn=-R
RIP Denny O’ Neil—one of visionary architects of DC Comics who helped revive Batman in the 1970’s 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 1/ pic.twitter.com/5zqmD4Wz7T
— Jim Lee (@JimLee) June 12, 2020
Denny O’Neil made timeless comics by making comics about his time. The revolutions of the 60s, the excesses of the 70s, the corruption of the 80s, the facades of the 90s—he used super hero tropes as brushstrokes to paint a picture of who we are and who we could be. RIP. pic.twitter.com/eWwI6tfnrp
— Tom King (@TomKingTK) June 12, 2020
Words cannot express what Denny meant to me and so many others. I learned more in the short span of time that I was fortunate enough to work with both He, and Archie Goodwin, than perhaps the entirety of my years in the biz. https://t.co/ESbFVOBMBk
— JoeQuesada (@JoeQuesada) June 12, 2020
an absolute king – his Green Lantern & Green Arrow w/ Neal Adams is one of my foundational influences https://t.co/8lq5p5eK0U
— Saladin Ahmed (@saladinahmed) June 12, 2020
https://twitter.com/DanSlott/status/1271483713952546822
These comics are indelible parts of my childhood, teen years, and adulthood. There's a short list of comic creators who have fueled my love of comics to the point where I knew– this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Denny O'Neil is one of those rare giants. pic.twitter.com/bnWcHgwVyr
— Dan Slott (@DanSlott) June 12, 2020
Denny O'Neil was an ALL TIME great comics writer. Here's @EvNarc on his run of The Question, probably my favorite book of his. (Which is saying something when he did such great work with Green Arrow, Green Lantern, and Batman).
Going inside now.
https://t.co/NW47xv9ZRP pic.twitter.com/as845E6So5— austin walker (@austin_walker) June 12, 2020
I'm heartbroken. Denny was my mentor, my big brother, and my friend during my earliest years in comics. His influence on my personal growth as a human being can't be overstated. Our field has lost a giant. https://t.co/2w4u8RZjM9
— Gerry Conway (@gerryconway) June 12, 2020
Just came out of a doctor’s appointment to learn that Denny O’Neil has passed. I can’t stop crying. He’s up there with Dwayne McDuffie for me, in terms of inspiration. Denny’s stories shaped my sense of self, my moral universe, how I approach writing and human interaction.
— Evan Narcisse (@EvNarc) June 12, 2020
And that story: Bruce Wayne on Drugs: One of the Best Batman Stories Ever
When I started in the business, there were certain editors who had my respect the instant I walked in the room, simply because of who they were, what they'd accomplished. Denny O'Neil was one of those editors. How fortunate I was to learn from one of the very best. pic.twitter.com/N1PV1at0Wz
— J.M. DeMatteis (@JMDeMatteis) June 12, 2020
Crushed to hear about Denny O'Neil. I met him for the 1st time in 2012 filming this extras reel for Batman Year One & I couldn't stop geeking out. He was so kind and encouraging tho, &I feel lucky to have gotten to know him over the years. True giant. Lights dim in Gotham tonight https://t.co/OUFleKcNbL
— Scott Snyder (@Ssnyder1835) June 12, 2020
RIP Denny O'Neil. Impossible to adequately cover all his work, or his significance to the field, in this space. Speaking personally, his work on the Question with Denys Cowan is something I come back to again and again. But that's a small fraction of the whole.
— Al Ewing Writes Comics (@Al_Ewing) June 12, 2020
https://twitter.com/ChaseMagnett/status/1271479927108493320
RIP Denny O'Neil.
He gave me my first regular inking gig (Master of Kung Fu) way before I had any idea what I was doing. Sorry to see him go.— Mike Mignola (@artofmmignola) June 12, 2020
Another comic book great heads off to Olympus. I had the pleasure of working @DCComics while Denny O'Neil was there and got to hear him speak about writing comics a dozen times. He leaves behind a helluva body of work at DC and Marvel. Thanks for the stories, Denny, rest in peace
— Peter J. Tomasi (@PeterJTomasi) June 12, 2020
For me as a young fan, Denny O'Neil's name became an unfailing sign of quality, a synonym for exciting, challenging, kick-ass comic books. And his landmark Batman & Question runs were most especially influential for me as a would-be writer. RIP to a true legend of comics. https://t.co/a1H7tsNsLz
— Jason Aaron (@jasonaaron) June 12, 2020
I later had the pleasure of working with Denny from the very beginnings of my career when he was my editor on my run with Daredevil and then The Dark Knight. Learned so much from him and will miss him greatly.
— Frank Miller (@FrankMillerInk) June 12, 2020
Denny O’Neil gave us the greatest moment in comics pic.twitter.com/TucqqhDqRZ
— John Suarez (@littlemac1183) June 12, 2020
RIP Denny O’Neil. You gave the Batman universe so much. Thank you for your amazing talent. https://t.co/7uW1Cqqne5
— Kevin Conroy (@RealKevinConroy) June 13, 2020
https://www.facebook.com/dan.didio/posts/10223515975308091?cft[0]=AZVVcS7xR3ilm80OMbbleMyaS7ErOeov2kNYKnmdy3gILB8uzXTwi9GN2NnJgQQY_vGqTsnDfOi36z_LK7rAbOX9XQyc-50EyevZvPokW-CAuQNq2U20S4ApiZyzv4xu4EA&tn=%2CO%2CP-R
a small list of Denny O’Neil co-creations
Ra’s Al Ghul
Talia Al Ghul
John Stewart Green Lantern
Azrael
Bronze Tiger
Lady Shiva
Leslie Tompkins
Maxie Zeus
Hydro-Man
Madame Web
Obidiah Stane / Iron Monger& many more pic.twitter.com/aeTqxQHKvk
— Cool Comic Art (@CoolComicArt) June 12, 2020
A longer tribute from Neal Adams
And from a FB comment by Chris Claremont, a tribute to O’Neil the editor.
Herein lies one of the happiest times of my creative non-X life at Marvel, working with an artist whose work was an ideal sync of character-storytelling-personality (oh yes, & humor!) under the watchful eyes of an editor par excellence. The thing about Deny was, like Stan & Roy, you couldn’t argue with him on writing or story-telling grounds, because he (likely) did it way better than you. The trick here was to pay-attention, swallow your ego, listen & learn. He didn’t speak much but when he did, it mattered. More than that, though, was his ability to trust his creators to let them work together—and if the final product wasn’t quite the way he’d have done the story, or the story he’d have written, that was okay with him. His way wasn’t the only way; what mattered was that it be good. He was a grown-up. Not many of that kind of ability in this industry, then or now. Thank you for setting standards, my friend, as editor, as writer, as person. That’s a helluva level to match. May your successors accept it with both joy & determination to make you proud.
