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Comic Books Comic Strips Obituary

Gerry Conway – RIP

Published: April 27, 2026 1 minute 2 comments

Comic book writer and editor, author, TV writer and producer Gerry Conway has passed away.

Gerard Francis (Gerry) Conway

September 10, 1952 – April 26, 2026

Gerry Conway’s family requested Marvel Comics to release the news that Gerry Conway has died.

On behalf of his family, we are sad to share that writer and former editor-in-chief Gerry Conway has passed away.

At age 16 Gerry was writing short stories for DC Comics and was soon full-time at Marvel.

By 1971, Conway began writing full Super Hero stories for Marvel, adding to the mythos he loved. He took the reins of DAREDEVIL (1964) #72 and also wrote several issues of IRON MAN (1968) and THE INCREDIBLE HULK (1962). The prolific writer expanded his repertoire by later bringing more overt horror elements into the Marvel Universe, scripting darker stories with the debut issues of both SAVAGE TALES (1971) #1 and TOMB OF DRACULA (1972) #1. With SAVAGE TALES (1971), Conway co-created the monstrous Man-Thing, while in TOMB OF DRACULA (1972), he helped bring Marvel’s own distinct iteration of the classic vampire, Dracula, to life. Over in MARVEL SPOTLIGHT (1971) #2, which Conway penned, he introduced the Marvel Universe’s most prolific lycanthrope with Werewolf by Night.

It was Spider-Man that became Gerry’s early claim to fame with The Death of Gwen Stacy and the introduction of The Punisher. Gerry spent many years writing various Spider-Man titles. My favorite Conway comic of that time was his years-long partnership with John Buscema on Thor, which is only mentioned in passing by Marvel.

In the mid-1970s moved over to DC Comics, Christopher Chiu-Tabet at Comics Beat takes over Gerry’s profile:

Over at DC, he co-created Power Girl for 1976’s All Star Comics #58, and Firestorm, Steel/Hank Heywood, and Vixen for their own series in the years that followed. He wrote Justice League of America from 1978 to 1986, during which time he introduced Vibe and Gypsy, and also penned Superman, Batman, Action Comics, Detective Comics, Wonder Woman, New Gods, and Metal Men. Jason Todd, the second Robin, was introduced in 1983’s Batman #357, while Killer Croc debuted that same year in Detective Comics #523. Later work for the company included 2009’s The Last Days of Animal Man, and 2016’s Legends of Tomorrow tie-in comic.

The Grand Comics Database has a lengthy list of Gerry’s comic book credits.

From 2009 is Brian Stroud interviewing Gerry about his comics career and the dynamics at DC and Marvel.

Here we note that Gerry wrote The World’s Greatest Superheroes comic strip in 1981 and Star Trek in 1983.

Gerry will be inducted into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame this Summer at the San Diego Comic Con.

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Comments 2

  1. Jerry
    An amazing writer and fantastic person.
    Rest in peace my friend.
    Steve Schanes

  2. Gail Simone had a loving tribute on her Facebook/Bluesky earlier this week.
    ”
    I have just been told that legendary writer Gerry Conway has passed.
    This is a hard day.
    I was a lifelong fan, the characters he created, the stories he told, have been such a part of my love of comics (and this career I adore) at a molecular level.
    A couple months ago, he sent a letter to a lot of us, that he was in his last days, and the end of his life due to pancreatic cancer.
    He was gracious and straightforward. It was hard to hear, he’s one of those creators whose work meant so much to me that I have a hard time quantifying it properly.
    I did two tributes to him recently in my comics, and it was a bit of a race, my hope that he would get to see them and perhaps enjoy them a little bit, before he passed. Just to know that his creations live on, and people are still walking in his shadow.
    His good friend Timmy Heague connected us a bit better, and I got to tell him a little bit about how much his work had meant to me. I believe we were past the point of hoping for a miracle recovery, that was just not in the cards.
    I told him of the Punisher/Power Girl story, both of which he co-created, and he asked if it was possible to see the script, which I got permission to do, and then the art by the wonderful Belén Ortega. He was gracious and very happy, he praised her wonderful art and the sense of fun in the story.
    I told him also that I had taken a one-time character he had in a very obscure book, a Werewolf By Night story, and turned her into the main villain in an Uncanny X-Men, and again, he was gracious and generous and just every bit the writer you hoped he would be.
    We passed a few more letters back and forth. I am still in that stage where when someone like George Perez, Jenny Isabella, or Dwayne McDuffie, or Steve Gerber, or Marv Wolfman, or Gerry Conway even knows my NAME, I find it astounding, but to have them all be so kind and so generous, it just feels like I chose my heroes welll.
    It’s a sad day. But I am glad he and Timmy reached out, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have had this brief but beautiful exchange.
    I hope I can talk a bit more about Gerry but right now, my heart is a little too heavy.
    Thank you for everything, Gerry Conway.”

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