And doing a good job of it too? Gerry Conway.
No, not the drummer from Jethro Tull, Steeleye Span, and Fairport Convention. This one is the former EIC of Marvel Comics and onetime writer of Daredevil, Iron Man, Thor, Fantastic Four, Avengers, Justice League of America, Batman and Legion of Super-Heroes and apparently several hundred other comics I bought and read during the 1970s. Creator of Firestorm and Ms. Marvel. Author of Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man. The guy who killed Gwen Stacy. Also he's written some things for television. That Gerry Conway.
One of the strange benefits of the interwebs and this blogging stuff in particular has been encountering people who loomed large in my personal mythology many years -- decades! -- ago, and seeing them now in an entirely different light as regular folks instead of impossibly distant icons of comicdom. It's happened to me a number of times now and it never gets less strange. This particular guy was a major figure in my past, especially during the time he returned to DC Comics as a writer/editor and spawned new characters and series like mad, in what seemed at the time like a bid to make him the next Stan Lee. It didn't quite work out that way, but he was a huge part of the comics conversation of the era. Now, far removed from the hype of those days, he turns out to be a thoughtful and lucid commentator.
Well, unless this is another one of those Fake Stan Lee deals. In which case I look pretty stupid now.
Anyway, check his blog out.
Damn your eyes, Mr. RAB - I'm trying to read fewer blogs - quit pointing out more quality stuff, all right?
ReplyDeleteThe first time I was ever consciously reading a Conway comic (as opposed to all that Spider-Man of his I absorbed as a kid, in black and white, utterly unaware that anyone other than Stan Lee was writing it), was his run on JLA. It was absolutely loathed at the time, and I was pretty unhappy with it myself. But I did stick with it for longer than most (for the usual reasons - team books are always seen as value for money to impoverished children).
ReplyDeleteDon't beat yourself up, Rab! Since I no longer possess my own hair, teeth or knees... I'm not all that sure how real your Uncle Stanley actually is either. As real as prosaically and prosthetically possible, I suppose...
ReplyDeleteMy only complaint is the infrequency of your peerless posts, pilgrim!
Ersatzior!
Smiley
Walaka: I know just what you mean...but on the other hand, plugging other people's work is precisely what the weblog was invented for in the first place. No, really!
ReplyDeleteMark: Conway's team books always got more attention, but I think his work was better on titles with a single lead character. His Daredevil and Spider-Man and Batman are usually more fondly remembered than his Detroit League or his Legion stories. And oops, I might also have credited him as the creator of Power Girl (who's remained a significant if not always well-used character ever since) and Vixen (who keeps getting brought back for whatever reason) and Vibe (cripes, might as well blame him for that Aunt May meets the Punisher story).
Stan: You honor me, smiling one! Honestly, I could not be more flattered if the non-fake Stan Lee had said the same thing. Or even the one who wrote Dunn's Conundrum. Your blog is one of the best things going, so if you have a kind word for my humble but heartfelt efforts I can only resolve to try even harder in the future.
Thanks for the tip! I'm checking it out.
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