Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} #241 by Dennis O'Neil Legendary Batman writer, Denny O'Neil dies at age 81. Dennis J. "Denny" O'Neil has died at age 81. As confirmed by his family, the legendary writer died at home of natural causes on the night of June 11. © Provided by GamesRadar (Image credit: DC) O’Neil was best known for his work on Batman, which included writing Batman, Detective , and Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, as well as editing DC’s Batman titles from 1986 to 2000. He, editor Julius Schwartz, and artist are credited for guiding the Dark Knight back to his darker roots after a period of campiness brought on by the success of the 1960s Batman TV series. During his time on Batman, he created/co-created Ra’s al Ghul, , Leslie Thompkins, Azrael, and Richard Dragon; he was also involved in the revitalization of the and Two-Face as modern DC villains, and oversaw the death of , the second . Alongside Adams, O’Neil also reinvigorated the characters of Green and by pairing them up as best friends and “hard- traveling heroes” who ventured the country righting wrongs while exploring complex issues of politics and social justice – one of the first comic book runs to do so in a nuanced way. Also at DC, he wrote the iconic vs. Muhammad Ali one-shot, the Armageddon 2001 event, as well as memorable runs on and the . Gallery: Return to Svetlana Chmakova's Nightschool with YA Series, The Weirn Books (GamesRadar) O’Neil also enjoyed a fruitful stint at Marvel, writing Amazing Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Daredevil, and was involved in the creation of Madame Web, Hydro-Man, Obadiah Stane, Lady Deathstrike, and the concept for the Transformers - including naming Optimus Prime. During his time editing at Marvel, he was the one who hired then-newcomer Frank Miller to take over the Daredevil title. The writer also branched out to TV, writing episodes of Logan’s Run, Superboy, Batman: The Animated Series, and G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. © Provided by GamesRadar (Image credit: Chris Klamer) In addition to writing and editing, O’Neil taught at Manhattan’s School of Visual Arts, was on the Hero Initiative’s Board of Directors, and wrote the instructional book The DC Guide to Writing Comics. Late in his career, O'Neil was recognized in a broad sense for his accomplishments. The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library honored him as the speaker at its "Comic Books and Social Justice" weekend in December 2018, and the city of Phoenix, AZ proclaimed May 25, 2019 "Dennis O'Neil Day" in recognition of his impact both in the comic industry and to American society in general. Denny O’Neil, Writer Who Left His Mark on Batman, Dies at 81. In a long career with both DC and Marvel, Mr. O’Neil became best known for writing comics that addressed social issues. By Richard Sandomir. Denny O’Neil, a leading comic-book writer who in the 1970s acquainted readers with Batman’s tougher, urban roots and injected social issues into the joint adventures of Green Lantern and , died on June 11 at his home in Nyack, N.Y. He was 81. His son, Lawrence, said the cause was cardiopulmonary arrest. Mr. O’Neil not only reinvigorated Batman and unified Green Lantern and Green Arrow; he also wrote comic books featuring Spider-Man, Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Daredevil and the Question in a 35-year career that included two stints at both DC Comics and . Jim Lee, DC’s chief creative officer and publisher, wrote on Twitter that Mr. O’Neil’s “focus on social issues pushed comics to wider respectability & acceptance as an art form,” adding, “Through his work & mentorship, he influenced generations of writers & artists.” In 1970, Mr. O’Neil and the artist Neal Adams created a series in which Green Lantern and Green Arrow traveled the United States in stories that took on issues like racism, drug addiction and the environment. In what has been called one of the most reprinted panels in comic-book history, an elderly black man confronts Green Lantern, in Green Lantern (Vol. 2, No. 76). “I been readin’ about you,” he says. “How you work for the blue skins … and how on a planet someplace you helped out the orange skins … and you done considerable for the purple skins ! Only there’s skins you never bothered with — the black skins . I want to know … how come ?! Answer me that , Mr. Green Lantern !” Without an excuse, Green Lantern says, “I … can’t.” That was a big moment, according to Abraham Riesman, author of a coming biography of , Marvel’s patriarch. When he examined the issue for the Vulture website in 2018, Mr. Reisman wrote, “No one had played with the dynamite sticks of black dissatisfaction and white guilt like this in the genre before.” He called the scene “the moment superheroes got woke.” Batman was another story. Mr. O’Neil and Mr. Adams (as well as other artists) rescued the Caped Crusader in the 1970s from the campy humor of the ’60s television series, which had infused DC’s storytelling. They recast Batman in the darker image his creators forged in 1939. “As with Superman, there’s a tragedy at the center of his character,” Mr. O’Neil told the website Flickering Myth last year. “He is human, and that’s what attracted me as a writer.” Using the social activist Dorothy Day as a model, Mr. O’Neil developed Leslie Thompkins as a confidante to Batman. Twice he got rid of Robin. He developed villains like Ra’s al Ghul and his daughter, Talia (who became the mother of Batman’s son); revived another, Two-Face; and turned the Joker from a clownish prankster into a homicidal psychopath. “He had been watered down, and it works if he is a maniac and is totally unpredictable,” Mr. O’Neil told 13th Dimension, a comics website, referring to the Joker. “It does not work if he … steals groceries !” Batman’s resurrection as the Dark Knight influenced the two Batman films directed by Tim Burton (“Batman,” in 1989, and “Batman Returns,” in 1992) and the three by Christopher Nolan (starting with “Batman Begins,” in 2005). “You can argue that the way Denny defined Batman drove all media incarnations,” , a former DC president and publisher, said in an interview. “We lured Christopher Nolan onto the project by presenting him with ‘The Man Who Falls’” — a comic book written by Mr. O’Neil — “which had an unrevealed piece of Batman’s origin: falling into a cave full of bats as a kid.” Mr. O’Neil was a mentor to Frank Miller, the writer and illustrator who further propelled the Batman franchise in the 1980s with his “Dark Knight Returns” series. At the time, Mr. O’Neil was a DC editor. Dennis Joseph O’Neil was born on May 3, 1939, in St. Louis. His father, Joseph, owned a grocery store; his mother, Ruth (Noonan) O’Neil, was a homemaker. As a child Denny was a fan of comic books, movies and radio shows like “The Adventures of Superman” and “Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy.” But comic books had faded in his life by the time he graduated, in 1961, from Saint Louis University, where he studied English literature, creative writing and philosophy. He went on to serve in the Navy and was aboard the aircraft carrier Champlain during the United States’ naval blockade of the Soviet Union during the Cuban missile crisis in 1962. After his discharge, Mr. O’Neil was hired as a reporter for The Southeast Missourian in Cape Girardeau, Mo., where he wrote two articles about comic books for the children’s page. They came to the attention of , a high school English teacher who edited a comic-book fanzine. In their first meeting, Mr. Thomas opened the world of comics culture to Mr. O’Neil, who was fascinated. When Mr. Thomas took a job at Marvel soon after they met, he urged Mr. O’Neil to take the company’s writer’s test. “The test was four copies of The Fantastic Four by Jack Kirby,” Mr. O’Neil told the podcast “Epic Marvel” in 2017, referring to the Marvel artist who collaborated with Stan Lee on the creation of the Fantastic Four, Thor, the Incredible Hulk and other characters. “And my task, should I accept it, was to add words to the pictures. Well, OK, who wouldn’t do that?” Mr. O’Neil passed the test and joined Marvel in Manhattan at its Madison Avenue offices in September 1965. But he was forced out after six months by Mr. Lee, although he continued to write for the company for a while as a freelancer. “Stan had been only marginally happy with what Denny had written on a couple of superhero stories,” Mr. Thomas wrote in an email. “And then one day he called me into his office and told me that he just didn’t think Denny had his mind on the job.” To make ends meet, Mr. O’Neil wrote a book on presidential elections and worked at Charlton Comics before moving to DC in 1968. He remained for 12 years. By then, his reputation secure, he was welcomed back to Marvel by Mr. Lee. As a writer and editor, Mr. O’Neil oversaw Mr. Miller’s work on Daredevil and took over writing Iron Man. He delved into the repercussions of the alcoholism of Tony Stark, the superhero’s alter ego, and the temporary transfer of the character’s armor from Stark to another character, James Rhodes. Mr. O’Neil gave Stark’s struggles a personal twist based on his own addiction; he considered himself a recovering alcoholic. Mr. O’Neil stayed at Marvel until 1986, when he moved back to DC, where he was an editor of the Batman franchise until he retired in 2001. He wrote for DC during that period as well, and he continued to contribute after his retirement; his last Green Lantern-Green Arrow story is being published this month. He also wrote “The Perils of Captain Mighty and the Redemption of Danny the Kid” (2017), an autobiographical novel set in the comic-book world of the 1960s. In addition to his son, Mr. O’Neil is survived by his stepdaughters, Beth Reuter and Meg Sczyrba, and his brothers, Thomas, Dave, Joseph and Terrence. His marriage to Anne Heaney ended in divorce. His second wife, Marifran (McFarland) O’Neil, died in 2017. One of Mr. O’Neil’s first assignments at Marvel in the 1960s was Millie the Model, a far cry from Batman. As he told the Comic Archive in 2010, writing about Millie helped him understand the basics of comic-book storytelling — and advanced his early ambition. “My job was to imitate Stan Lee,” he said. “It was very clear-cut. And I succeeded in that my work was indistinguishable from his.” Batman Vol 1 241. "At Dawn Dies Mary MacGuffin!": When some classified documents are stolen from a Government building, Batman is called to find the documents. The Dark Knight deduces that the documents were stolen by an employee at the building and when his theory turns out to be true. "At Dawn Dies Mary MacGuffin!" Batman Vol 1 #241. May, 1972. Executive Editor. Cover Artists. At Dawn Dies Mary MacGuffin! Writers. Pencilers. . Editors. Secret of the Psychic Siren! Writers. Pencilers. Inkers. Editors. The Case of the Honest Crook! Writers. Pencilers. Inkers. . Editors. Previous Issue Next Issue Batman # 240 Batman # 242 Batman #241 is an issue of the series Batman (Volume 1) with a cover date of May, 1972. It was published on March 14, 1972. Contents. Synopsis for "At Dawn Dies Mary MacGuffin!" When some classified documents are stolen from a Government building, Batman is called to find the documents. The Dark Knight deduces that the documents were stolen by an employee at the building and when his theory turns out to be true, he must find where spymaster Colonel Sulphur is hiding the government employee's kidnapped wife before he can kill her in vengeance for not being given the classified documents. Batman is stumped as he can't locate Sulphur, which means that the lady would be killed at dawn. When Batman finally deduces the location of Sulphur's hideout, he has only 45 minutes to prevent murder. Arthur Reeves tries to stop the Batman, but his efforts are futile and the Dark Knight arrives in time to save the lady from a certain death. In the final confrontation with Sulphur, Batman is stabbed in his arm, but he manages to defeat the criminal. Right after his victory, Commissioner Gordon informs Batman that the Government has decided that the stolen documents are not important and Batman is unable to express his anger with words. Appearing in "At Dawn Dies Mary MacGuffin!" Featured Characters: Supporting Characters: Antagonists: () Other Characters: Synopsis for "Secret of the Psychic Siren!" Terri Bergstrom contacts Robin using her mental abilities and she finally reveals to him that they are mentally connected and that he is her only connection to a "mental relative". Terri tells Robin that she must attempt to contact her and with his help, Terry and Lilith Clay are "reunited". Unfortunately, their reunion is short lived as they are confronted by a Cthulu-worshiping cult which wants to destroy them. The teens put up a fight and using their combined psychic powers, Terry and Lilith are able to defeat several members of the cult, leaving Robin to deal with their leader, the strongest man among them. Appearing in "Secret of the Psychic Siren!" Featured Characters: Supporting Characters: Other Characters: Synopsis for "The Case of the Honest Crook!" This story is reprinted from Batman #5. A thief is captured by Batman right after robbing a shop. It turns out that he stole only six dollars. To explain his strange action, the young man tells his story. He was engaged and was saving money for the wedding while working at a garage. One night mobsters stopped at this garage with a 'hot' car and promised him 200 dollars for silence. When his girl had discovered the source of the money, she insisted on not accepting it. So explaining the situation to the mobsters, he refused the money. That aroused their suspicions about him, and to play it safe, the crooks framed him with a drunk driving charge. Spending two years in custody gave him two things: a wife, who married him right after the release, and hate for the mobsters, who framed him. With a prison sentence behind him, he could not hold any job for a long time, and was running out of money, when his wife got ill. That's why he stole only six dollars to buy the medicine. Batman gives him money to save the wife and begins to work on revenge on the mobsters. Batman recognizes one of mobsters described, and pays a visit to Smiley Sikes' mob to find out who is responsible for the frame. That visit leaves mobsters shattered and the place shuttered. The recognized mobster, Matty Link, barely misses the Batman visit and plans to get away from the city. But to stop him from talking to Batman, Smiley orders his death. Bruce see this result in the morning pages and goes to Commissioner Gordon for information. Meanwhile, Robin must search Link's room for any clues. Concerned with Robin's absence, Batman arrives at Link's place and finds Robin badly injured. He even believes in his aide being dead for a moment, which causes a great rage in the Dark Knight. He delivers the boy to a doctor first, and then races to Smiley's hideout. There he overtakes the mobsters and force a confession out of Smiley, despite being shot three times. The doctor operates on Robin, and then on Batman without revealing their identities. The next day the 'thief' visits them at the doctor's place and he informs Batman that he got a job at the store he had tried to rob, and his wife is going to be all right. Appearing in "The Case of the Honest Crook!" Featured Characters: Supporting Characters: Antagonists: Smiley Sikes Matty Link (Flashback and main story) (Only appearance; dies) Other Characters: Joe Sands (Flashback and main story) Ann Davis (Flashback only) (Mentioned only) Trivia. This is the first Batman comic with a cover re-design featuring the enlarged Bat silhouette, with the Batman head. Batman #241 by Dennis O'Neil. Classic Joker Cover Neal Adams Art. Signature Notes: Neal Adams (Artist) @ Mohegan Sun Terrific Con 2018. Dennis O’Neil (Writer) @ Mohegan Sun Terrific Con 2018. Comes with a signed Certificate Of Authenticity C.O.A. Condition: Mid Grade Condition with cover wear. Has a small divit on back cover. NO Writing, NO Tears , NO Cut-outs. SEE PICS. Description Reviews (0) Returns & Delivery. Description. Batman #251 SIGNED Neal Adams & Dennis O’Neil. Classic Joker Cover Neal Adams Art. Signature Notes: Neal Adams (Artist) @ Mohegan Sun Terrific Con 2018. Dennis O’Neil (Writer) @ Mohegan Sun Terrific Con 2018. Comes with a signed Certificate Of Authenticity C.O.A. Condition: Mid Grade Condition with cover wear. Has a small divit on back cover. NO Writing, NO Tears , NO Cut-outs. SEE PICS.