Len Wein facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Len Wein
Wein (right), with Swamp Thing cosplayer, at CONvergence 2005
Born	Leonard Norman Wein (1948-06-12)June 12, 1948 New York City, U.S.
Died	September 10, 2017(2017-09-10) (aged 69) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Area(s)	Writer, Editor
Notable works	Swamp Thing Wolverine X-Men The Human Target Justice League
Awards	Shazam Award, 1972, 1973 Inkpot Award, 1979 Comics Buyers Guide Award, 1982 Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame, 2008
Spouse(s)	Glynis (Oliver) Wein (?–?) Christine Valada

Leonard Norman Wein (born June 12, 1948 – died September 10, 2017) was a famous American comic book writer and editor. He is best known for creating some of the most popular characters in comics.

Len Wein helped create DC Comics' Swamp Thing. He also co-created Marvel Comics' Wolverine. He played a big part in bringing back the Marvel superhero team the X-Men. He even helped create new X-Men characters like Nightcrawler, Storm, and Colossus.

Besides writing, he was also an editor. He edited the very popular DC miniseries Watchmen. In 2008, Len Wein was honored by being added to the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame. This is a special place for people who have made a huge impact on comics.

Early Life and Becoming a Creator

Len Wein was born in New York City on June 12, 1948. He grew up in a Jewish family. When he was seven, he moved with his family to Levittown, New York.

As a child, Len was often sick. His dad brought him comic books to read in the hospital. This is how he fell in love with comics. Later, his art teacher told him he had a talent for art. This made him want to work in the comics world.

When he was a teenager, Len and his friend Marv Wolfman often visited the DC Comics offices. They wanted to show their superhero stories to the editors. At first, Len wanted to be an artist. But he became a writer instead. He said his art background helped him describe scenes to artists.

Starting His Comics Career

DC editor Joe Orlando hired both Len Wein and Marv Wolfman as writers. Len's first professional comic story was in Teen Titans #18 in 1968. In this story, he helped create Red Star. This character was the first official Russian superhero in the DC universe.

Len also wrote mystery stories for comics like The House of Secrets. He wrote for romance comics and even comics based on toys like Hot Wheels. He also wrote for horror and Western comics.

Working with DC and Marvel

Len Wein started writing superhero stories for Marvel Comics in 1970. He wrote for popular DC superhero titles like Adventure Comics (featuring Supergirl and Zatanna) and The Flash. He also wrote for the spooky series The Phantom Stranger.

Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson created the famous horror character Swamp Thing. This character first appeared in The House of Secrets #92 in 1971. Swamp Thing became very popular. It starred in many comic series, movies, and even a TV show. Len and Bernie also introduced Abigail Arcane, a key character in the Swamp Thing stories.

Len wrote a great series of Justice League of America comics. With artist Dick Dillin, he brought back old superhero teams. These included the Seven Soldiers of Victory and the Freedom Fighters.

Len Wein also co-created the Human Target with artist Carmine Infantino. This character could disguise himself as anyone. The Human Target later became a TV show.

In the early 1970s, Len started writing regularly for Marvel Comics. He became the editor-in-chief of Marvel's comics in 1974. He wrote for many popular Marvel titles. These included Marvel Team-Up, The Amazing Spider-Man, and The Incredible Hulk.

Len Wein co-created Wolverine during his time on The Incredible Hulk. He worked with Roy Thomas and artist John Romita Sr. to bring Wolverine to life.

In 1975, Len and artist Dave Cockrum brought back the X-Men. This superhero team had not been in comics for five years. They created new X-Men characters like Nightcrawler, Storm, Colossus, and Thunderbird. Len wrote the first stories for the new X-Men. These stories helped make the X-Men one of Marvel's most successful teams.

Returning to DC Comics

In 1977, Len Wein went back to work for DC Comics. He became a writer and editor there. He wrote for Batman and Green Lantern.

On his first Batman issue, he created Lucius Fox. This character later appeared in the Batman Begins movies, played by Morgan Freeman. With artist Marshall Rogers, Len also co-created a new version of the supervillain Clayface.

He wrote The Untold Legend of the Batman, which was the first Batman miniseries. As an editor, he worked on many successful series. These included The New Teen Titans and Watchmen. He also wrote a new Blue Beetle series.

Later Work and Legacy

After his time at DC, Len Wein worked as editor-in-chief for Disney Comics. Then, he started writing and editing for animated TV shows. He worked on shows like X-Men, Batman, Spider-Man, and ReBoot.

He also wrote comic book stories for The Simpsons and Futurama. From 2005 to 2008, he was a panelist on the TV game show What's My Line?. He wrote episodes for the Ben 10: Alien Force and Marvel Super Hero Squad animated series.

Len Wein also provided commentary for DVDs about comics and movies. He wrote the story for the Watchmen video game, The End Is Nigh.

He continued writing comics for DC in the late 2000s. He wrote for Batman and Green Lantern specials. In 2012, he worked on the Before Watchmen project. He wrote the Ozymandias miniseries. In 2015, he adapted an old Batman TV story into a comic. In 2016, he wrote a new Swamp Thing series.

Wein in 2011

Personal Life

Len Wein's first wife was Glynis Oliver. She was a comics colorist who worked on the X-Men comics. Later, he married Christine Valada in 1991. She is a photographer and lawyer.

In 2009, Len's home in California burned down. He lost many valuable items, including his awards. His wife, Christine, later appeared on and won the TV game show Jeopardy!. She said she would use her winnings to replace some of the things they lost in the fire.

Len Wein had heart surgery in 2015. He passed away on September 10, 2017.

Awards and Honors

Len Wein received many awards for his work in comics:

• He won Shazam Awards in 1972 and 1973 for his writing on Swamp Thing.
• He won an Inkpot Award in 1977.
• He won the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for Best Editor in 1982.
• He was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award in 1998 for his comic The Dreaming: Trial and Error.
• He was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2008.

Television Shows He Worked On

Len Wein worked on many animated TV shows, often as a writer or story editor. Here are some of them:

See also

In Spanish: Len Wein para niños