Comic writer and editor Dennis O’Neil is one of the most celebrated comic writers, whose talents were integral to dramatic, realistic stories. Entrusted with little editorial oversight on his most popular work, O’Neil filled stories with social challenges rather than standard superhero fodder. His passion for causes and accomplished writing skills made him a favorite among readers.

Dennis J. “Denny” O’Neil was born on May 3, 1939, in St. Louis, Missouri. After graduating from St. Louis University with a degree in English literature, along with focuses in creative writing and philosophy, O’Neil enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Following his service, O’Neil began working for a newspaper writing biweekly columns for the youth page. During the slower summer months he would fill space with a series on the revival of the comics industry, which attracted the attention of Silver Age creator Roy Thomas. When Thomas left DC to become Stan Lee’s first successor at Marvel, he recommended O’Neil take the Marvel writer’s test. This test involved adding dialogue to a wordless four-page excerpt of a Fantastic Four comic. 

O’Neil initially had no desire to write for comics and said he took the test “kind of as a joke. I had a couple of hours on a Tuesday afternoon, so instead of doing crossword puzzles, I did the writer’s test.” Joke or not, O’Neil’s entry led to him being hired by the mammoth publisher. When Lee became too busy to continue working on the company’s entire line of books, he tasked O’Neil with working on Strange Tales, Rawhide Kid, Millie the Model, and Daredevil. In one of their earliest collaborations, O’Neil partnered with Neal Adams to revive Professor X in X-Men #65. Around this time, O’Neil began writing for Charlton Comics under the pseudonym of Sergius O’Shaugnessy.

He later transitioned over to DC, working on such titles as Beware the Creeper, Justice League of America, and Wonder Woman. His work on Justice League helped introduce some of the first socially and politically themed stories. He continued these themes in Green Lantern/Green Arrow, in which he stripped Green Arrow of his wealth and playboy status turning him into an urban hero. Along with redefining Green Arrow, O’Neil’s work on Batman helped get away from the 1960s campiness and return the character back to his darker roots. Throughout his time on Batman, O’Neil co-created Ra’s al Ghul, Talia al Ghul, and Leslie Thompkins, along with reviving Two-Face and killing off the original Batwoman. 

In addition to serving as the Group Editor for the Batman family of titles until his retirement, O’Neil spent his later career working on such titles as The Shadow, Green Lantern, Superman vs. Muhammad Ali, The Question, Armageddon 2001, Batman: Birth of the Demon, Batman/Green Arrow: The Poison Tomorrow, Alpha Flight, Power Man and Iron Fist, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, and Moon Knight. Starting in 2013, O’Neil sat on the board of directors for The Hero Initiative and served on its Disbursement Committee. DC Comics aptly named O’Neil as one of the honorees in the company’s 50th anniversary publication Fifty Who Made DC Great. O’Neil passed away on June 11, 2020