Dennis O'Neil facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Dennis O'Neil
O'Neil in 2012
Born	Dennis Joseph O'Neil (1939-05-03)May 3, 1939 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Died	June 11, 2020(2020-06-11) (aged 81) Nyack, New York, U.S.
Nationality	American
Area(s)	Writer, Editor
Pseudonym(s)	Sergius O'Shaughnessy Jim Dennis Jeff Mundo
Notable works	Batman (comic book), Green Lantern/Green Arrow, The Question, Iron Man, The Amazing Spider-Man, Daredevil
Awards	Shazam Award (1970, 1971)

Dennis Joseph O'Neil (born May 3, 1939 – died June 11, 2020) was an American comic book writer and editor. He worked mainly for Marvel Comics and DC Comics from the 1960s to the 1990s. He was also a top editor for the Batman comic books until he retired.

O'Neil is best known for his work on Green Lantern/Green Arrow and Batman with artist Neal Adams. For Batman, they helped bring the character back to his dark, serious roots. This was a big change from the funny Batman TV show of the 1960s. As an editor, he was in charge of many Batman titles starting in 1986. He launched the Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight series in 1989. He also led the teams behind the big Batman: Knightfall story in the 1990s. O'Neil also helped create the hero Azrael, who even became Batman for a short time.

His other important works include creating Richard Dragon and writing for The Shadow and The Question. At Marvel, O'Neil wrote for The Amazing Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Daredevil. In the late 1990s, he taught a class on writing comics. He also helped a charity called The Hero Initiative.

Dennis O'Neil's Early Life

Dennis O'Neil was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on May 3, 1939. As a child, he sometimes went with his father or grandfather to the store and picked up a comic book. He went to Saint Louis University and studied English, creative writing, and philosophy. After college, he joined the U.S. Navy. He was part of the blockade of Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Dennis O'Neil's Career in Comics

How Dennis O'Neil Started Writing

After leaving the Navy, O'Neil worked for a newspaper in Missouri. He wrote columns for the youth page. One summer, he wrote about how the comic book industry was growing again. This caught the eye of Roy Thomas, who would become a famous comic book writer himself.

Working for Marvel Comics

Roy Thomas later moved to Marvel Comics to work with Stan Lee. Thomas suggested O'Neil take a writing test for Marvel. O'Neil had to add words to a four-page Fantastic Four comic without dialogue. He did it "kind of as a joke," but Stan Lee liked it and offered him a job.

When Stan Lee became too busy to write all of Marvel's comics, O'Neil started writing. He wrote six issues of Doctor Strange stories for Strange Tales. He also wrote dialogue for comics like Rawhide Kid and Millie the Model. O'Neil and artist Neal Adams also brought back the Professor X character in X-Men #65.

Writing for Charlton Comics

After a while, there wasn't as much writing work at Marvel. So, O'Neil took a job at Charlton Comics. He used the pen name Sergius O'Shaugnessy and worked there regularly for about a year and a half.

Dennis O'Neil at DC Comics

In 1968, Charlton's editor, Dick Giordano, moved to DC Comics and brought O'Neil with him.

At DC, O'Neil worked on new characters. He wrote several issues of Beware the Creeper, a series about a new hero called the Creeper. Then, DC moved O'Neil to Wonder Woman and Justice League of America. With artist Mike Sekowsky, he changed Wonder Woman's story. She lost her powers and went on adventures without her costume. Some older fans, especially feminists, did not like these changes. O'Neil later said he didn't mean to upset readers by changing DC's most famous female superhero.

In Justice League, O'Neil had more success. He started to include stories about social and political issues. This set the stage for his later work on Green Lantern/Green Arrow. O'Neil and artist Dick Dillin also changed the members of the Justice League.

O'Neil worked with Neal Adams to redefine Green Arrow. They made him an urban hero who had lost his wealth. This led to the Green Lantern/Green Arrow series, which often had Adams' art. This series featured Green Arrow as a socially aware, left-wing character. He would often debate with Green Lantern about political ideas. During this time, the most famous Green Arrow story, "Snowbirds Don't Fly", appeared. O'Neil and Adams also created the Green Lantern character John Stewart. He first appeared in Green Lantern vol. 2 #87 (December 1971/January 1972).

Dennis O'Neil's Impact on Batman

O'Neil's work on the Batman comics in the 1970s is perhaps his most famous. He helped bring Batman back to his darker, more serious roots. This was a big change from the funny 1960s TV show. Comics historian Les Daniels said that O'Neil's idea of Batman as a "vengeful obsessive-compulsive" helped shape every Batman story that came after.

O'Neil and Adams created the villain Ra's al Ghul. He was introduced in Batman #232 (June 1971). O'Neil and artist Bob Brown also created Talia al Ghul. O'Neil often worked with Adams and Dick Giordano on many memorable issues of Batman and Detective Comics. They brought back Two-Face in Batman #234 (August 1971) and made the Joker scary again in Batman #251 (September 1973). O'Neil and Giordano also created the Batman helper character Leslie Thompkins in Detective Comics #457 (March 1976).

O'Neil also wrote a short Christmas story for DC Special Series #21 (Spring 1980). This story featured the first Batman art by Frank Miller.

Other DC Comics Work

When Julius Schwartz became the editor of Superman in 1971, he asked O'Neil and artist Curt Swan to simplify Superman's story. They even removed kryptonite for a time. In 1973, O'Neil wrote new stories for characters DC had recently bought. He launched a new Captain Marvel series with the character's original artist, C. C. Beck. Later that year, O'Neil and artist Michael Kaluta created a new version of the 1930s hero in The Shadow series.

O'Neil also reunited with Adams to co-write the large comic book Superman vs. Muhammad Ali (1978). Adams called this one of his favorite projects with O'Neil.

Returning to Marvel Comics

O'Neil went back to Marvel Comics in 1980. He wrote The Amazing Spider-Man for a year. He also wrote two The Amazing Spider-Man Annual issues, both drawn by Frank Miller. O'Neil and artist John Romita Jr. introduced Madame Web in The Amazing Spider-Man #210 and Hydro-Man in #212.

O'Neil was the main writer for Iron Man from 1982 to 1986 and Daredevil from 1983 to 1985. In Iron Man, he introduced Obadiah Stane (who became Iron Monger). He also had Jim Rhodes become Iron Man and created the Silver Centurion armor. In Daredevil, he introduced Yuriko Oyama, who later became the X-Men villain Lady Deathstrike. While at Marvel, he helped create the original idea for The Transformers and named Optimus Prime.

Back to DC Comics Again

After returning to DC Comics in 1986, O'Neil became the editor for all the Batman comic books. He stayed in that role until 2000. In 1987, O'Neil started writing The Question series, mostly drawn by Denys Cowan.

The Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight series began in 1989 with O'Neil's "Shaman" storyline. This was the first new Batman comic title in almost 50 years, and the first issue sold nearly a million copies. O'Neil also co-wrote Armageddon 2001, a big crossover story in 1991. He and artist Joe Quesada created the character Azrael in 1992. That same year, O'Neil wrote the graphic novel Batman: Birth of the Demon.

O'Neil led the Batman creative teams for the Batman: Knightfall storyline (1993–1994). During this story, Azrael temporarily became the new Batman. After Knightfall, O'Neil wrote 100 issues of the Azrael comic series. This series followed Azrael's journey to learn about himself.

Other Writing Projects

O'Neil wrote several novels, short stories, and TV scripts. This included the novels based on the movies Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Using the name Jim Dennis with writer Jim Berry, O'Neil wrote novels about a kung fu character named Richard Dragon. He later turned these novels into comic books for DC.

O'Neil also wrote a column for ComicMix.

Dennis O'Neil as an Editor

When O'Neil joined Marvel's editing team in 1980, he edited Daredevil. He encouraged writer/artist Frank Miller to create a realistic fighting style for Daredevil. This led to Miller adding martial arts to Daredevil and later to his comic Ronin. In the early 1980s, O'Neil edited other Marvel titles like Alpha Flight, Power Man and Iron Fist, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, and Moon Knight.

In 1986, O'Neil moved to DC to become the group editor for the company's Batman titles. O'Neil believed that an editor's job should be to support the creators and be "invisible" to the reader.

Teaching Comics Writing

In the late 1990s, O'Neil spent several years teaching a "Writing for the Comics" class. He taught at Manhattan's School of Visual Arts, sometimes with fellow comic book writer John Ostrander.

Dennis O'Neil's Personal Life

Dennis O'Neil was married to Marifran O'Neil, who passed away before him. He was the father of writer, director, and producer Lawrence "Larry" O'Neil.

Dennis O'Neil died on June 11, 2020, at the age of 81. The animated movie Batman: Soul of the Dragon was dedicated to his memory. His son, Larry O'Neil, wrote a tribute comic story called "Tap Tap Tap" in 2021.

Awards and Recognition

Dennis O'Neil won many awards for his work in comics:

Shazam Award for Best Continuing Feature Green Lantern/Green Arrow (1970).
Shazam Award for Best Individual Story for "No Evil Shall Escape My Sight" in Green Lantern #76 (with Neal Adams) (1970).
Shazam Award for Best Writer (Dramatic Division) for his work on Green Lantern, Batman, Superman, and other titles (1970).
Shazam Award for Best Individual Story for "Snowbirds Don't Fly" in Green Lantern #85 (with Neal Adams) (1971).

He also received a Goethe Award in 1971 for "Favorite Pro Writer." He shared a 1971 Goethe Award with artist Neal Adams for "Favorite Comic-Book Story" for "No Evil Shall Escape My Sight."

O'Neil received an Inkpot Award in 1981. In 1985, DC Comics honored O'Neil in their 50th-anniversary book, Fifty Who Made DC Great.

Dennis O'Neil in Other Media

In The Batman Adventures comic, which was a spinoff of Batman: The Animated Series, a character named The Perfesser was a cartoon version of Dennis O'Neil. The Perfesser was a tall, pipe-smoking genius who sometimes got lost in his own thoughts.

Television Shows Dennis O'Neil Wrote For

Logan’s Run (1978)
- ”Stargate”
G.I Joe: A Real American Hero (1985)
- ”The Invaders”
Superboy (1989)
- ”Meet Mr. Mxyzptlk”
- ”Mr. and Mrs. Superboy”
Batman: The Animated Series (1993)
- ”The Demon’s Quest Part 1”
- ”The Demon’s Quest Part 2”

Animated Films Dennis O'Neil Worked On

Batman: Gotham Knight – audio commentary, 2008

Images for kids

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