Gerry Conway
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- This article is about the writer. For the drummer, see Gerry Conway (musician)
Gerard F. "Gerry" Conway (September 10, 1952 - ) is an American writer of comic books and television shows. He is best known for co-creating the Marvel Comics vigilante The Punisher (with artist Ross Andru) and scripting the death of the character Gwen Stacy during his long run on The Amazing Spider-Man. He is also known for co-creating the DC Comics superhero Firestorm (with artist Al Milgrom), and for scripting the first major, modern-day intercompany crossover, Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man. Image:Asm121.jpg
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Biography
Early career
Born in New York City, New York, United States, Conway published his first professional comic-book work while still in his mid-teensTemplate:Fn, with the 6 1/2-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).
His first continuing-character story for Marvel quickly followed, with his script for the Tarzanesque Ka-Zar in Astonishing Tales #3 (Dec. 1970). Conway's first superhero story, in Daredevil Vol. 1, #72 (Jan. 1971) quickly led to assignments on Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, and both "The Inhumans" and "The Black Widow" features in the split book Amazing Adventures. Conway would eventually script virtually every major Marvel title, as well as co-create (with writers Roy & Dann Thomas and artist Mike Ploog) the lycanthropic lead character of the feature "Werewolf by Night", in Marvel Spotlight #2 (Feb. 1972); and write the premiere issue of Marvel's Tomb of Dracula, introducing the longstanding literary vampire into the Marvel universe. Image:Superman-spiderman.jpg
Superman and Spider-Man
At 19, Conway began scripting The Amazing Spider-Man, one of Marvel's flagship titles. His run, from issues #111-149 (Aug. 1972 - Oct. 1975), included the landmark death of Gwen Stacy story in #121 (June 1973). Eight issues later, Conway and Andru introduced the Punisher as a conflicted antagonist for Spider-Man. The character went on to become a popular star of numerous comic books and to be adapted into two movies. Conway additionally scripted Marvel's other flagship, Fantastic Four, from #133-152 (April 1973 - Nov. 1974)
Conway succeeded Marv Wolfman as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics in mid-1976, but held the job only briefly, relinquishing the post before the year was out and succeeded in turn by Archie Goodwin.
Conway returned to DC Comics in mid-1975, beginning with three books cover-dated Nov. 1975: Hercules Unbound #1, Kong the Untamed #3, and Swamp Thing #19. Shortly afterward, he was chosen by Marvel and DC editors to script the historic intercompany crossover Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man #1, a 96-page, tabloid-sized, $2 one-shot, at a time when comic books sold for 25 cents.
He continued writing for DC, on titles including Superman, Detective Comics (starring Batman), Metal Men, Justice League of America, and that of the licensed character Tarzan, yet briefly returned to Marvel as editor in mid-1976. For a time, a confluence of publishing schedules resulted in Conway stories appearing in both Marvel and DC comics in the same month: The prolific Conway's comic books with January 1977 cover-dates alone, for example, are Marvel's The Avengers, The Defenders, Captain Marvel, Iron Man, The Spectacular Spider-Man and the premiere issues of Ms. Marvel and Logan's Run, and DC's flagships Superman and Action Comics (starring Superman). Image:Firestorm1.jpg
After leaving Marvel's editorship, he again wrote exclusively for DC, writing both major and lesser titles — from those featurng Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the Legion of Super-Heroes to such books as Weird Western Tales, Atari Force and Sun Devils — through mid-1986. His co-creation Firestorm, "the nuclear man", debuted in the eponymous Firestorm #1 (March 1978), which lasted five issues before being canceled during a 1978 DC retrenchment. The character then starred in a backup feature in The Flash before again receiving his own series, The Fury of Firestorm (later Firestorm the Nuclear Man), from June 1982 - Aug. 1990; Conway wrote most of the first half of the run, plus four of its five annuals.
Conway's last recorded comics credit is Topps Comics' "Kirbyverse" one-shot NightGlider Template:Fn #1 (April 1993), scripting from a Roy Thomas plot.
Books, comic strips, screenplays
In addition to comics, Conway published two science-fiction novels: The Midnight Dancers (Ace, 1971, ISBN 0441529755; this is not the same-name book by Anne Maybury, nor Midnight Dancer by Emily Bradshaw) and Mindship (DAW, 1974, ISBN 0879970952). He also wrote the Feb. 14 - Dec. 3, 1983 dailies of the syndicated newspaper comic strip Star Trek, based upon the 1960s TV series.
Conway as well moved into screenwriting in the 1980s, starting with the animated feature Fire and Ice (1983), co-written with Roy Thomas, based on characters created by Ralph Bakshi and Frank Frazetta. Image:Midnightdancers.jpg Conway went on to write, and eventually produce, for such TV series as Diagnosis Murder, Matlock, Jake and the Fatman, Father Dowling Mysteries, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Baywatch Nights, Pacific Blue, Silk Stalkings, Perry Mason telefilms, Law & Order, The Huntress, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Conway and Thomas wrote the story basis for Stanley Mann's screenplay for the film Conan the Destroyer (1984).
Personal
Conway married Karen Britten, a psychologist who works with autistic children, in 1992. The couple have a child, Rachel Conway (born 1995). As of 2006, they reside in the San Fernando Valley near Los Angeles, California. Conway is also the father of Cara Conway, born Nov. 30, 1979; her mother, Carla Conway, has a "story assist" credit in Ms. Marvel #1 (Jan. 1977; reprinted in the trade paperback The Superhero Women by Stan Lee, published by Fireside Books on Nov. 15, 1977, ISBN 0671229281).
Conway's ancestral family background is Irish, as he describes in his blog [1]:
"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".
Footnotes
- Template:Fnb Conway's autobiographical capsule on the Internet Movie Database [2] says he was 15; his blog says 16 [3]. Conway's earliest recorded credit bears a September 1969 cover date, meaning newsstand availability in summer 1969 and a typical deadline of two to three months earlier. This gives the age of 16 more credence; however, it is not unusual for a novice's story to be held indefinitely before being published (c.f. comics writer Mike Friedrich).
- Template:Fnb Sources disagree on its 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 Jack Kirby Museum site [4] spells it "Night Glider". The Grand Comics Database entry [5] spells it as both "Nightglider" and "Night Glider".