Gerard Francis Conway (September 10, 1952 – April 26, 2026) was an American comic book writer and editor, science fiction writer,[2] screenwriter, and television writer and producer. He co-created the Marvel Comics vigilante antihero the Punisher as well as Peter Parker's clone Ben Reilly, the super villain Jackal, and the first Ms. Marvel. He also wrote the death of the character Gwen Stacy during his long run on The Amazing Spider-Man in the story arc "The Night Gwen Stacy Died".

For DC Comics, he co-created the superheroes Firestorm, Power Girl, Jason Todd, and the villain Killer Croc, and wrote Justice League of America for eight years. Conway wrote the first major, modern-day intercompany crossover, Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man.

Early life

Gerard Francis Conway was born in Brooklyn, New York City, on September 10, 1952.[3][4] He was a fan of comics from a young age. A letter from him appears in Fantastic Four #50 (May 1966), written when Conway was 13.[5]

He attended New York University for a time.[4]

Career

Conway published his first professional comic book work at 16,[6] with the 61⁄2-page horror story "Aaron Philips' Photo Finish" in DC Comics' House of Secrets #81 (Sept. 1969). He continued selling such anthological stories for that series and for Marvel's Chamber of Darkness and Tower of Shadows through the end of 1970, by which time he had also published one-page text short stories in DC's All-Star Western #1 (Sept. 1970) and Super DC Giant #S-14 (Oct. 1970). He published his first continuing-character story in DC's semi-anthological occult comic The Phantom Stranger #10 (Dec. 1970).[7]

Conway recalled breaking into Marvel Comics through Marvel editor Roy Thomas:

Personal life and death

Conway's first wife was comic-book writer Carla Conway.[61][62] The couple had a daughter, Cara.[61] His second wife, Karen, is a psychologist who works with autistic children.[6] They married in 1992 and had a daughter, Rachel.[61] By 2015 Conway was married to Laura Conway, with whom he lived in Thousand Oaks, California.[6]

Conway's ancestral family background is Irish, as he described in his blog:

In my case, on my mother's side, I'm a second-generation immigrant. My grandparents were born in Ireland. They came to America in the late 'teens of the last century and lived a life not very different from the life my housekeeper and her husband live today. My grandfather was a day laborer in the Brooklyn ship yards. My (step)-grandmother washed floors at Hunter College in Manhattan. (My biological grandmother died when my mother was eight years old, so I've no idea what she did to earn a living, but I assume it was either piece work or domestic work of some kind.) Because they were lower-class Irish, they were the Hispanics of their day – tolerated, but not embraced, by the larger society, and viewed with scorn by the WASP upper class. ... Even my father felt that anti-Irish prejudice, real or imagined. In the 1950s he once spoke, rather bitterly, about being one of the two 'token Irishmen' working at his company.[63]

Conway was raised a Christian, but stated in a 2013 interview that he does not "have any religious belief at this point".[64]

In October 2022, Conway was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and underwent Whipple surgery to remove the tumor, resulting in several hospitalizations. In September 2023, he declared that he was cancer-free.[65][66]

Gerry Conway died on April 26, 2026, in Thousand Oaks, California, from pancreatic cancer.[67]

Awards and recognition

In 2026, Conway was selected for inclusion in the Eisner Hall of Fame.[68]

Comics bibliography

Atlas/Seaboard Comics

  • Destructor #4 (1975)
  • Targitt #3 (1975)
  • Tiger-Man #2–3 (1975)

DC Comics

DC Comics and Marvel Comics

Disney Comics

Eclipse Comics

First Comics

Marvel Comics

Papercutz

Skywald Publications

Topps Comics

Warren Publications

Screenwriting credits

Feature films

Television

  • G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (1985–1986)
    • Where the Reptiles Roam
    • Spell of the Siren
    • Cobra Claws Are Coming to Town
    • The Million Dollar Medic
    • Second Hand Emotions
  • The Transformers (1986)
    • Forever Is a Long Time Coming
    • Money Is Everything
  • The Centurions (1986)
    • Whalesong
    • Tornado of Terror
    • That Old Black Magic
    • Crack the World
    • The Mummy's Curse
    • Counterclock Crisis
    • Return of Cassandra
    • Ghost Warrior
    • Let the Lightning Fall
  • My Little Pony (1986–1987)
    • Pony Puppy
    • Would Be Dragonslayer
    • The Golden Horseshoes: Part 1
    • The Golden Horseshoes: Part 2
  • Dinosaucers (1987)
    • The Babysitter
  • Spiral Zone (1987)
    • Canal Zone
    • The Power of the Press
    • The Darkness Within
    • Brother's Keeper
  • Dino-Riders (1988)
    • The Adventure Begins
  • Monsters (1990)
    • The Hole
  • Father Dowling Mysteries (1990–1991)
    • The Confidence Mystery
    • The Legacy Mystery
    • The Royal Mystery
    • The Movie Mystery
    • The Murder Weekend Mystery
    • The Reasonable Doubt Mystery
    • The Substitute Sister Mystery
    • The Priest Killer Mystery
    • The Malibu Mystery
    • The Consulting Detective Mystery
  • Jake and the Fatman (1992)
    • Stormy Weather: Part 1
    • Stormy Weather: Part 2
    • I Can't Believe I'm Losing You
  • Perry Mason: The Case of the Heartbroken Bride (TV movie) (1992)
  • Matlock (1992–1993)
    • The Big Payoff
    • The Ghost
    • The Haunted
  • Batman: The Animated Series (1992, 1994)
    • Appointment in Crime Alley
    • Second Chance
  • Diagnosis: Murder (1993–1997)
    • Inheritance of Death
    • Murder with Mirrors
    • Flashdance with Death
    • Lily
    • Shaker
    • The Plague
    • A Very Fatal Funeral
    • Playing for Keeps
    • Misdiagnosis Murder
    • Mind Over Murder
    • FMurder
    • In Defense of Murder
    • A History of Murder
    • Murder, Country Style
    • Physician, Murder Thyself
    • Malibu Fire
  • Diagnosis: Murder - A Twist of the Knife (TV movie) (1993)
  • Perry Mason: The Case of the Killer Kiss (TV Movie) (1993)
  • Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1994)
    • Night of the Lizard
  • Under Supspicion (1994–1995)
    • The Retarted Witness
    • Holy Suspect
  • A Perry Mason Mystery: The Case of the Jealous Jokester (TV movie) (1995)
  • Two (1996)
    • Black Ops
  • Pacific Blue (1996)
    • Wheels of Fire
  • Silk Stalkings (1996, 1998)
    • Services Rendered
    • Dead Again... And Again
  • Players (1997)
    • Con Artist
    • Rashocon
    • Three of a Con
    • Conspiracy
    • Contamination
  • Baywatch Nights (1997)
    • The Servant
  • Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1998–1999)
    • Norse by Norsevest
    • Somewhere Over the Rainbow Bridge
    • Stranger and Stranger
    • Fade Out
    • My Best Girl's Wedding
  • Law & Order (1999–2000)
    • Hunters
    • Justice
    • Collision
    • High & Low
  • The Huntress (2000–2001)
    • Partners
    • The Two Mrs. Thorsons: Part 1
    • The Two Mrs. Thorsons: Part 2
    • Generations
    • Ah, Wilderness
    • Showdown
    • With Great Power
    • The Quest: Part 1
    • The Quest: Part 2
  • Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2003–2006)
    • Con-Text
    • Probability
    • Blink
    • But Not Forgotten
    • F.P.S.
    • Conscience
    • Semi-Detached
    • Collective
    • No Exit
    • Saving Face
    • Wrongful Life
    • The Good

References

  1. ↑ Inkpot Award
  2. ↑ https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ch.cgi?3287 Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  3. ↑ Thomas, Roy. "Roy's Rostrum" ("Bullpen Bulletins") in Marvel Super-Heroes #43 and other Marvel Comics cover-dated May 1974.
  4. 1 2 "Gerard Conway". FOOM. No. 1. Spring 1973. p. 4. Archived from the original on July 8, 2019 – via Best, Daniel, ed., 20th Century Danny Boy.
  5. ↑ "Global Comics Database: Fantastic Four (Marvel, 1961 series) #50".
  6. 1 2 3 Conway, Gerry. "Since You Asked, and Even If You Didn't". (biographical capsule) Gerry Conway. Archived from the original on April 23, 2011.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Gerry Conway at the Grand Comics Database and Gerard F. Conway at the Grand Comics Database
  8. ↑ Harvey, Allan (February 2008). "Black Widow: The Gloria Steinem of the Jump-Suit Set". Back Issue! (26). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 4.
  9. ↑ Sanderson, Peter (2008). "1970s". In Gilbert, Laura (ed.). Marvel Chronicle A Year by Year History. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 149. ISBN 978-0756641238. [Savage Tales #1 was] notable for the debut of Marvel's mindless swamp monster, the Man-Thing, in an origin story written by Gerry Conway and illustrated by Gray Morrow.
  10. ↑ Sanderson "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 154: "Roy Thomas came up with the idea for a series called 'I, Werewolf', narrated in the first person by a teenager who transformed into a werewolf. Stan Lee liked the concept but decided to name it 'Werewolf by Night'. The initial creative team on the series was scripter Gerry Conway and artist Mike Ploog."
  11. ↑ Sanderson "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 155: "Following the revision of the Comics Code, Stan Lee was eager to do a comics series about the archetypal vampire, novelist Bram Stoker's Dracula. Based on a few ideas from Lee, Roy Thomas plotted the first issue of The Tomb of Dracula, which Gerry Conway then scripted. The interior art was penciled by Gene Colan."
  12. ↑ Manning, Matthew K. (2012). "1970s". In Gilbert, Laura (ed.). Spider-Man Chronicle Celebrating 50 Years of Web-Slinging. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 62. ISBN 978-0756692360. [The Amazing Spider-Man #111] marked the dawning of a new era: writer Gerry Conway came on board as Stan Lee's replacement. Alongside artist John Romita, Conway started his run by picking up where Lee left off.
  13. ↑ Sanderson "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 159: "In June [1973], Marvel embarked on a story that would have far-reaching effects. The Amazing Spider-Man artist John Romita, Sr. suggested killing off Spider-Man's beloved Gwen Stacy in order to shake up the book's status quo."
  14. ↑ Manning "1970s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 68: "This story by writer Gerry Conway and penciler Gil Kane would go down in history as one of the most memorable events of Spider-Man's life."
  15. ↑ David, Peter; Greenberger, Robert (2010). The Spider-Man Vault: A Museum-in-a-Book with Rare Collectibles Spun from Marvel's Web. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Running Press. p. 49. ISBN 978-0762437726. The idea of beloved supporting characters meeting their deaths may be standard operating procedure now but in 1973 it was unprecedented...Gwen's death took villainy and victimhood to an entirely new level.
  16. ↑ Manning "1970s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 72: "Writer Gerry Conway and artist Ross Andru introduced two major new characters to Spider-Man's world and the Marvel Universe in this self-contained issue. Not only would the vigilante known as the Punisher go on to be one of the most important and iconic Marvel creations of the 1970s, but his instigator, the Jackal, would become the next big threat in Spider-Man's life."
  17. ↑ "Exclusive Gerry Conway Interview". fantasticfourheadquarters.co.uk. 2009. Archived from the original on February 18, 2017. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
  18. ↑ Larnick, Eric (October 30, 2010). "The Rutland Halloween Parade: Where Marvel and DC First Collided". ComicsAlliance.com. Archived from the original on January 11, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
  19. ↑ Cronin, Brian (October 1, 2010). "Comic Book Legends Revealed #280". ComicBookResources.com. Archived from the original on January 16, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
  20. ↑ Amazing Adventures #16 (Jan. 1973), Justice League of America #103 (Dec. 1972), and Thor #207 (Jan. 1973) at the Grand Comics Database
  21. ↑ Thomas, Roy (April 2002). "All The Stars There Are in (Super-hero) Heaven!". Alter Ego. 3 (14). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
  22. ↑ McAvennie, Michael; Dolan, Hannah, eds. (2010). "1970s". DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. London: Dorling Kindersley. p. 169. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9. Along with artist Ric Estrada, [Gerry] Conway also introduced the DC Universe to the cousin of Earth-2's Superman, Kara Zor-L a.k.a. Power Girl.
  23. ↑ Levitz, Paul (2010). "The Bronze Age 1970–1984". 75 Years of DC Comics The Art of Modern Mythmaking. Cologne, Germany: Taschen America. p. 527. ISBN 9783836519816. The revived All-Star introduced Power Girl, conceived as Supergirl's Earth-Two counterpart. With Wallace Wood and his renowned skill at 'cheesecake' determining the finished art, her breathtaking buxomness and 'peek-a-boo' décolletage were perhaps inevitable.
  24. ↑ McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 170 "The tale was written by Gerry Conway and drawn by Ross Andru, both among the few [at that time] to ever have worked on both Superman and Spider-Man...The result was a defining moment in Bronze Age comics."
  25. ↑ Abramowitz, Jack (April 2014). "1st Issue Special: It Was No Showcase (But It Was Never Meant To Be)". Back Issue! (71). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 45.
  26. ↑ Daniels, Les (1991). Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades of the World's Greatest Comics. New York, New York: Harry N. Abrams. p. 176. ISBN 0-8109-3821-9.
  27. ↑ "Gerry Conway on Englehart Leaving Marvel" (sidebar) in Riley, Shannon E. (September 2010). "The Man Who Saved the Justice League of America". Back Issue! (45). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 15.
  28. ↑ Sanderson "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 177: "Spider-Man already starred in two monthly series: The Amazing Spider-Man and Marvel Team-Up. Now Marvel added a third, Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man, initially written by Gerry Conway with art by Sal Buscema and Mike Esposito."
  29. ↑ Schweier, Philip (August 2012). "Justice League, Then and Now with Gerry Conway and Dan Jurgens". Back Issue! (58). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 65–70.
  30. ↑ Sanderson, Peter (September–October 1981). "Justice League #200 All-Star Affair". Comics Feature (12/13). New Media Publishing: 17.
  31. ↑ Mangels, Andy (December 2012). "Kryptonian and Amazonian Not Living in Perfect Harmony". Back Issue! (61). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 50–54.
  32. ↑ Hamerlinck, P.C. (December 2012). "When Worlds Collide The Colossal-Sized Confrontation Between Superman and Captain Marvel". Back Issue! (61). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 65–68.
  33. ↑ McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 177 "If inventiveness is the fusion of ideas, then Firestorm was one of the most original characters to emerge from a comic book in years. Penned by Gerry Conway and drawn by Al Milgrom, the Nuclear Man was a genuine sign of the times – the explosive embodiment of a nuclear world."
  34. ↑ McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 177 "Thanks to scripter Gerry Conway and artist Don Heck, the red, white, and blue shone like never before – on the steel-alloyed suit of the World War II cyborg, Steel."
  35. ↑ Wells, John (October 24, 1997). "'Lost' DC: The DC Implosion". Comics Buyer's Guide. No. 1249. p. 133. The Deserter...was given his own ongoing title at the 11th hour, only to perish amidst the other cancellations. The origin of tormented Civil War deserter Aaron Hope (by Gerry Conway, Dick Ayers, and Romeo Tanghal) appeared only in Cancelled Comic Cavalcade #1.
  36. ↑ Johnson, Dan (April 2014). "Showcase Presents Again". Back Issue! (71). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 54–55. Gerry Conway's the Deserter, a Western adventure that would have featured interior art by Dick Ayers and Romeo Tanghal and a cover by Joe Kubert, was originally going to be a three-issue run in Showcase #107–109. Even before Showcase's cancellation, it was greenlit as an ongoing series until the DC Implosion killed it altogether.
  37. ↑ Wells p. 134: "After being touted in house ads during the summer, details regarding The Vixen #1 appeared in a 'Daily Planet' text page in Batman #305 and The Flash #267. Ultimately, 'Who Is The Vixen?' was printed only in Cancelled Comic Cavalcade #2."
  38. ↑ Manning, Matthew K. "1980s" in Dolan, p. 209 "The prestigious Justice League of America got a bit easier to join, thanks to writer Gerry Conway and artist Chuck Patton. Marking the debut of camouflaging hero Gypsy, the shockwave-casting Vibe, and the second generation hero Steel, this landmark comic saw many of the more famous League members step down in order to make way for a younger roster to carry on their legacy."
  39. ↑ Manning, Matthew K. (2014). "1980s". In Dougall, Alastair (ed.). Batman: A Visual History. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 138. ISBN 978-1465424563. Gerry Conway and artist Don Newton had become the regular team on Detective Comics at the tail end of 1980. By the middle of [1981], Conway had also taken over the writing in Batman. With the same writer handling both main Batman books, easy crossovers between the two titles soon became possible.
  40. ↑ Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 200 "Killer Croc made his mysterious debut in the pages of Detective Comics #523, written by Gerry Conway, with art by Gene Colan." "Croc would soon become a major player in Gotham's underworld."
  41. ↑ Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 201 "Jason Todd first appeared in a circus scene in the pages of Batman #357, written by Gerry Conway and illustrated by Don Newton."
  42. ↑ Manning "1980s" in Dougall, p. 141
  43. ↑ Manning "1980s" in Dougall, p. 142
  44. ↑ In Justice League of America #207–209 (Oct.-Dec. 1982) and All-Star Squadron #14–15 (Oct.–Nov. 1982); and Justice League of America #219–220 (Oct.–Nov. 1983); and Infinity, Inc. #19 (Oct. 1985) and Justice League of America #244 (Nov. 1985). Per Thomas, Roy. "The Justice League-Justice Society Team-Ups", The All-Star Companion (TwoMorrows Publishing 2000) ISBN 1-893905-05-5 pp. 191–192
  45. ↑ Thomas, Roy. "Crisis on Finite Earths: The Justice League-Justice Society Team-Ups (1963–1985)", Alter Ego vol. 3, #7 (Winter 2001), pp. 31–34
  46. ↑ Shaw, Scott "Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew! Vol. 1, #1" Archived January 21, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, OddBallComics.com #1180, October 8, 2007
  47. ↑ George Pérez interview, David Anthony Kraft's Comics Interview #6 (Fictioneer, Aug. 1983).
  48. ↑ O'Neill, Patrick Daniel. "Career Moves" (Pérez interview), Wizard #35 (July 1994)
  49. ↑ Greenberger, Robert (August 2017). "It Sounded Like a Good Idea at the Time: A Look at the DC Challenge!". Back Issue! (98). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 41–43.
  50. ↑ Daniels p. 222
  51. ↑ DeFalco "1980s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 238: Created by writer Gerry Conway and artist Sal Buscema, Carlos and Eduardo Lobo possessed the mutant ability to transform into werewolves.
  52. ↑ Sources disagree on the spelling, sometimes even within the same source: The cover of the single issue itself appears to spell it "NightGlider". The cover of Victory #1 likewise spells it as one word, though in an all-caps typeface. The Grand Comics Database entry spells it as both "Nightglider" and "Night Glider".
  53. ↑ Rogers, Vaneta (March 13, 2009). "The End? Gerry Conway on The Last Days of Animal Man". Newsarama. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011.
  54. ↑ Campbell, Josie (April 1, 2011). "WC11: Exclusive – Legendary Creators Speak About Retro-Active". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on May 14, 2011. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
  55. ↑ Renaud, Jeffrey (March 17, 2016). "Conway Explains How "Legends of Tomorrow" Reignited His Passion for Firestorm". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  56. ↑ The Midnight Dancers (Ace, 1971, ISBN 0-441-52975-5; this is not the same-name book by Anne Maybury, nor Midnight Dancer by Emily Bradshaw)
  57. ↑ Mindship (DAW, 1974, ISBN 0-87997-095-2).
  58. ↑ Handley, Rich (2010). "Star Trek Los Angeles Times Syndicate newspaper comic strip". Star Trek Communicator #121 via Star Trek Comics Checklist. Archived from the original on June 19, 2010.
  59. ↑ Radulovic, Petrana (June 11, 2019). "The abandoned X-Men movie of the 1980s isn't missed by anyone involved". Polygon. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  60. ↑ Kendall, G. (August 11, 2019). "When Batman: The Animated Series Toured Crime Alley". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on August 12, 2019. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
  61. 1 2 3 "Gerry Conway Biography (1952-)". FilmReference.com. Archived from the original on December 2, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  62. ↑ Carla Conway at the Grand Comics Database
  63. ↑ Conway, Gerry (September 17, 2006). "Immigration, Part One". Conwayscorner.blogspot.com. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved October 10, 2009.
  64. ↑ Buttery, Jarrod (February 2014). "Hulk Smash!: The Incredible Hulk in the 1970s". Back Issue! (70). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 9.
  65. ↑ Dominguez, Noah (August 31, 2023). "Punisher Co-Creator Gerry Conway Reveals Triumph Over Cancer Diagnosis". Superhero Hype. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  66. ↑ Johnston, Rich (September 1, 2023). "The Punisher's Gerry Conway On His Cancer, Induced Coma And Surgery". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  67. ↑ George Gene Gustines (May 1, 2026). "Gerry Conway, a Creator of the Punisher in Spider-Man Comics, Dies at 73". The New York Times. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
  68. ↑ MacDonald, Heidi (January 23, 2026). "Eisner Awards Hall of Fame inducts 18 Judges Choice creators". Comics Beat.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerry_Conway