| Len Wein | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 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. |
| 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 (c. 1972–1985) |
Leonard Norman Wein[1] (/wiːn/; June 12, 1948 – September 10, 2017) was an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creatingDC Comics'Swamp Thing andMarvel Comics'Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvelsuperhero team theX-Men (including the co-creation ofNightcrawler,Storm, andColossus). Additionally, he was the editor for writerAlan Moore and illustratorDave Gibbons' influential DCminiseriesWatchmen.
Wein was inducted into theWill Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2008.[2]
Wein was born on June 12, 1948, in New York City,[1] and was raised in aJewish household.[3] One of two children of Phillip and Rosalyn (née Bauman) Wein,[4] he lived inThe Bronx until age 7, when he moved with his family toLevittown, New York, onLong Island. There he graduated fromDivision Avenue High School in 1966, and went on to an art degree from nearbyFarmingdale State College.[5] Wein's younger brother, Michael, died in 2007.[4]
In a 2003 interview, Len Wein recalled having been "a very sickly kid. While I was in the hospital at age seven, my dad brought me a stack of comic books to keep me occupied. And I was hooked. When my eighth grade art teacher, Mr. Smedley, told me he thought I had actual art talent, I decided to devote all my efforts in that direction in the hope that I might someday get into the comics biz."[6]
Approximately once a month, as a teenager, Wein and his friendMarv Wolfman tookDC Comics' weekly Thursday afternoon tour of the company's offices.[6] Wolfman was active infanzine culture,[7] and together he and Wein produced sample superhero stories to show to the DC editorial staff. At that point, Wein was more interested in becoming an artist than a writer.[8] In a 2008 interview, Wein said his origins as an artist have helped him "describe art to an artist so that I can see it all in my own head", and claimed he "used to have artists, especially at DC, guys likeIrv Novick and a few of the others, who would come into the office waiting for their next assignment and ask [editor]Julie Schwartz, 'Do you have any Len Wein scripts lying around? He's always easy to draw.'"[8]
DC editorJoe Orlando hired both Wolfman and Wein as freelance writers.[8] Wein's first professional comics story was "Eye of the Beholder" in DC'sTeen Titans #18 (Dec. 1968), for which he co-created, with Wolfman,Red Star, the first official Russian superhero in the DC universe.Neal Adams was called upon to rewrite and redraw aTeen Titans story which had been written by Wein and Wolfman. The story, titled "Titans Fit the Battle of Jericho!", would have introduced DC's first African American superhero but was rejected by publisherCarmine Infantino.[9] The revised story appeared inTeen Titans #20 (April 1969).
Later that year, Wein was writinganthological mystery stories for DC'sThe House of Secrets andMarvel'sTower of Shadows andChamber of Darkness. He additionally began writing for DC'sromance comicSecret Hearts and the company's toyline tie-inHot Wheels;Skywald Publications'horror-comics magazinesNightmare andPsycho and its short-livedWestern comic booksThe Bravados andThe Sundance Kid; andGold Key Comics'Mod Wheels,Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery, the toyline tie-inMicrobots,[10] and theTV-series tie-insStar Trek andThe Twilight Zone.
Wein's firstsuperhero work for Marvel was a one-off story inDaredevil #71 (Dec. 1970) co-written with staff writer/editorRoy Thomas. Wein later began scripting sporadic issues of such DC superhero titles asAdventure Comics (featuringSupergirl andZatanna),The Flash, andSuperman, while continuing to write anthological mysteries, along with well-received stories for the semi-anthologicaloccult titleThePhantom Stranger #14–26 (Aug. 1971 – Sept. 1973).
Wein and artistBernie Wrightson created thehorror character theSwamp Thing inThe House of Secrets #92 (July 1971).[11] Over the next several decades, the Swamp Thing would star in DC series and miniseries – including an initial 1972–76 series begun by Wein and Wrightson,[12] and the early 1980sThe Saga of the Swamp Thing, edited by Wein and featuring early work by writerAlan Moore—as well as two theatrical films, and asyndicated television series.Abigail Arcane, a major supporting character in the character's mythos, was introduced by Wein and Wrightson inSwamp Thing #3 (March 1973).[13] Wein wrote the second story featuringMan-Thing (written circa May 1971, published in June 1972), introducingBarbara Morse and the concept that "Whatever Knows Fear Burns at the Man-Thing's Touch!", and later editedSteve Gerber's run on that title.
Wein wrote a well-regarded run ofJustice League of America (issues #100–114) wherein, together with artistDick Dillin, he re-introduced theSeven Soldiers of Victory in issues #100–102[14] and theFreedom Fighters in issues #107–108.[15]Libra, asupervillain created by Wein and Dillin inJustice League of America #111 (June 1974),[16] would play a leading role inGrant Morrison'sFinal Crisis storyline in 2008.
In the fall of 1972, Wein and writersGerry Conway andSteve Englehart crafted ametafictional unofficialcrossover spanning titles from both major comics companies. Each comic featured Englehart, Conway, and Wein, as well as Wein's first wifeGlynis,interacting with Marvel or DC characters at theRutland Halloween Parade inRutland, Vermont. Beginning in Marvel'sAmazing Adventures #16 (by Englehart with art byBob Brown andFrank McLaughlin), the story continued in DC'sJustice League of America #103 (by Wein, Dillin andDick Giordano), and concluded in Marvel'sThor #207 (by Conway and pencilerJohn Buscema).[17][18] As Englehart explained in 2010, "It certainly seemed like a radical concept and we knew that we had to be subtle (laughs) and each story had to stand on its own, but we really worked it out. It's really worthwhile to read those stories back to back to back – it didn't matter to us that one was at DC and two were at Marvel – I think it was us being creative, thinking what would be really cool to do."[19]
Wein co-created theHuman Target with artistCarmine Infantino[20] and wrote the character's appearances as a backup feature inAction Comics,Detective Comics, andThe Brave and the Bold. The character was adapted into a short-livedABCtelevision series starringRick Springfield which debuted in July 1992,[21] and was briefly revived in 2010 for atwo-season series onFox that starredMark Valley,Chi McBride, andJackie Earle Haley.
He briefly wrote the "Batman" feature inDetective Comics and produced a storyline with artistJim Aparo and in which Batman was framed for the murder ofTalia al Ghul[22] and battledSterling Silversmith for the first time.[23]
In the early 1970s, Wein began writing regularly for Marvel Comics. He succeededRoy Thomas as editor-in-chief of the color-comics line in 1974, staying a little over a year before handing the reins to Wolfman. Remaining at Marvel as a writer, Wein had lengthy runs onMarvel Team-Up,[24]The Amazing Spider-Man,[25]The Incredible Hulk,Thor, andFantastic Four, as well as shorter runs on such titles asThe Defenders[26] and "Brother Voodoo". Wein co-createdWolverine with artistJohn Romita Sr. during his run onThe Incredible Hulk.[27] Wein's story "Between Hammer and Anvil" fromThe Incredible Hulk vol. 2, #182 (Dec. 1974) was later cited inTony Isabella's book1,000 Comics You Must Read.[28]
In 1975, he and artistDave Cockrum revived theStan Lee /Jack Kirbymutant-superhero team theX-Men after a half-decade's hiatus, reformatting the membership inGiant-Size X-Men #1 (May 1975).[29] Among the characters the duo created for the series wereNightcrawler,Storm,Colossus, andThunderbird. Wein plotted the early "new X-Men" stories with artist Cockrum. These issues were then scripted asUncanny X-Men #94-95 byChris Claremont, who subsequently developed the title into one of Marvel's leading franchises. In 2009, Claremont said, "The history of modern comics would be incredibly different if you took [Wein's] contributions out of the mix. The fact he doesn't get credit for it half the time is disgraceful. We owe a lot of what we are – certainly on the X-Men – to Len and to Dave [Cockrum]".[30]
In 1977, following an offer to script the "Batman" feature inDetective Comics, Wein left Marvel to work exclusively at DC Comics as a scriptwriter and editor.
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He scriptedBatman and collaborated onGreen Lantern with artistsDave Gibbons andMark Farmer. On his first issue ofBatman, #307 (Jan. 1979), he created Wayne Foundation executiveLucius Fox,[31] later portrayed byMorgan Freeman in the moviesBatman Begins,The Dark Knight, andThe Dark Knight Rises. With artistMarshall Rogers, Wein co-created the third version of the supervillainClayface inDetective Comics #478 (Aug. 1978).[32] He wroteThe Untold Legend of the Batman, the first Batmanminiseries, in 1980[33] and the following year wrote aDC-Marvel crossover between Batman and theHulk inDC Special Series #27 (Fall 1981).[34]Pandora Pann was a proposed series by Wein and artistRoss Andru which was to have been published in 1982 but other commitments prevented Wein from writing it and theproject was cancelled.[35] As editor, he worked on the first twelve-issue limited seriesCamelot 3000, and such successful series asThe New Teen Titans,All-Star Squadron,Batman and the Outsiders,Who's Who in the DC Universe, andAlan Moore andDave Gibbons's acclaimed and highly influentialWatchmen.[36] In 1986, he wrote a revival of theBlue Beetle,[37] two issues of theDC Challenge limited series,[38] and dialogued the miniseriesLegends over the plots ofJohn Ostrander.[39] The following year, Wein scripted the rebootedWonder Woman series overpencillerGeorge Pérez's plots. With artistSteve Erwin, Wein co-created the superheroGunfire.
Following his second stint at DC and a move to the West Coast, Wein served as editor-in-chief ofDisney Comics for three years in the early 1990s. After leaving Disney, Wein began writing and story editing for such animated television series asX-Men,Batman,Spider-Man,Street Fighter,ExoSquad,Phantom 2040,Godzilla,Pocket Dragon Adventures,ReBoot andWar Planets: Shadow Raiders. In 2001, he and Wolfman wrote the screenplayGene Pool for the production company Helkon, and later wrote a prequel to the screenplay for a one-shot comic book forIDW Publishing.
Wein collaborated with writerKurt Busiek and artistKelley Jones on the four-issueminiseriesConan: The Book of Thoth forDark Horse Comics. He scripted the comics seriesThe Victorian for Penny-Farthing Press and wrote comic-book stories forBongo Comics' TV-series tie-insThe Simpsons andFuturama.
From 2005 to 2008, Wein appeared as a recurring panelist on the Los Angeles-based stage revival of the TV game showWhat's My Line? He wrote episodes of theCartoon Network animated seriesBen 10: Alien Force,Ben 10: Ultimate Alien,Ben 10: Omniverse[40] and theMarvel Super Hero Squad.[40]
Wein was interviewed for commentary tracks on comics-related DVDs, including the animatedJustice League: The New Frontier film, the live-actionSpider-Man,Fantastic Four andX-Men films, theX-Men Origins: Wolverine film, theWatchmen film, theSwamp Thing TV-series sets, theHuman Target first season TV series, and the July 2008History Channel specialsBatman Unmasked andBatman Tech.[41]
He wrote the storyline for theWatchmen video game,The End Is Nigh, which serves as a backstory to both the comic and the film adaptation.[42]
Wein returned to comics writing for DC in the late 2000s,[43] where he collaborated in the DC Comics nostalgic eventDC Retroactive writing stories for theone-shot specialsBatman – The '70s (September 2011) drawn byTom Mandrake[44] andGreen Lantern – The '80s (October 2011) drawn byJoe Staton. The hardcover collection of his 10-issueDC Universe: Legacies was published in August 2011.[45] In 2012, Wein worked on theBefore Watchmen project, writing the mini-seriesOzymandias with art byJae Lee and the serialized feature "Curse of the Crimson Corsair" with art byWatchmen coloristJohn Higgins.[46] The hardcover collection of theOzymandias storyline spent several weeks on theNew York Times Bestseller List in 2013.[47] In 2015, he andJosé Luis García-López producedBatman '66: The Lost Episode, a comics adaptation of aTwo-Face story pitch byHarlan Ellison originally intended for theBatman television series.[48] In 2016, DC published a six-issue limitedSwamp Thing series by Wein and artistKelley Jones.
Wein's first wife wasGlynis Oliver,[49] a comicscolorist who spent years on theX-Men titles; they were married some time prior to 1972. Following their 1985 divorce,[50] he married Christine Valada, a photographer and attorney, in 1991, and became stepfather to Michael Bieniewicz-Valada.[1]
On April 6, 2009, Wein's California home burned down with considerable loss of property and mementos, including hisShazam Awards. He and his wife also lost their dog, Sheba, to the fire.[51] Beginning October 26, 2009, Valada appeared on and won the television game showJeopardy!, becoming a four-time champion with winnings of over $60,000. She indicated on the show that she would use the money to recover or replace much of the artwork and books the couple lost in the fire.[52]
Wein underwent triple-bypass heart surgery on February 10, 2015.[53] He died on September 10, 2017.[1]
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Writer Harlan Ellison got as far as pitching a Two-Face-themed episode before the combination of the villain's gruesome appearance and Ellison's conflicts with ABC executives killed the idea. Decades later, that pitch has become the inspiration for this oversizedBatman '66 comic.
Spouse - Len Wein (b. 1948). Notes: Divorced in 1985.
Media from Commons
Quotations from Wikiquote
Data from Wikidata| Preceded by | Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief 1974–1975 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by n/a | Swamp Thing writer 1972–1974 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Justice League of America writer 1972–1974 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Gerry Conway and Roy Thomas | The Incredible Hulk writer 1974–1977 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Gerry Conway | The Amazing Spider-Man writer 1975–1978 | Succeeded by Marv Wolfman |
| Preceded by | Thor writer 1975–1978 (with Marv Wolfman in 1976) | Succeeded by Roy Thomas |
| Preceded by Mike Friedrich | Iron Man writer 1976 (withRoger Slifer in part of the run) | Succeeded by Bill Mantlo |
| Preceded by Gerry Conway | Fantastic Four writer 1977–1978 | Succeeded by Marv Wolfman |
| Preceded by | Detective Comics writer 1978 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Justice League of America editor 1979–1984 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Ross Andru | The Flash editor 1979–1982 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Ross Andru | Wonder Woman editor 1979–1982 | Succeeded by Marv Wolfman |
| Preceded by | World's Finest Comics editor 1981–1982 | Succeeded by Mike W. Barr |
| Preceded by n/a | The New Teen Titans editor 1980–1983 | Succeeded by Marv Wolfman andGeorge Pérez |
| Preceded by n/a | All-Star Squadron editor 1981–1982 | Succeeded by Roy Thomas |
| Preceded by n/a | Saga of the Swamp Thing editor 1982–1984 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by n/a | Watchmen editor 1986–1987 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Wonder Woman writer 1987–1988 | Succeeded by George Pérez |
| Preceded by | Justice League of America writer 2009–2009 | Succeeded by |
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