Dennis O'Neil

Dennis O'Neil
O'Neil at the 2009 Brooklyn Book Festival.
Born	Dennis J. O'Neil (1939-05-03) May 3, 1939 (age 77) St. Louis, Missouri
Nationality	American
Area(s)	Writer, Editor
Pseudonym(s)	Sergius O'Shaughnessy Jim Dennis
Notable works	Batman (comic book), Green Lantern/Green Arrow, The Question, Iron Man, The Amazing Spider-Man, Daredevil
Awards	Shazam Award, 1970, 1971

Dennis J. "Denny" O'Neil (born May 3, 1939 in St. Louis, Missouri) is an American comic book writer and editor, principally for Marvel Comics and DC Comics from the 1960s through the 1990s, and Group Editor for the Batman family of titles until his retirement.

His best-known works include Green Lantern/Green Arrow and Batman with Neal Adams, The Shadow with Michael Kaluta and The Question with Denys Cowan, all of which were hailed for their sophisticated stories that expanded the artistic potential of the mainstream portion of the medium. As an editor, he is principally known for editing the various Batman titles. As of 2013^[update], he sits on the board of directors of the charity The Hero Initiative and serves on its Disbursement Committee.

O'Neil was born into a Catholic household in St. Louis, Missouri. On Sunday afternoons he would accompany his father or his grandfather to the store for some light groceries and an occasional comic book. O'Neil graduated from St. Louis University around the turn of the 1960s with a degree centered on English literature, creative writing, and philosophy. From there he joined the U.S. Navy just in time to participate in the blockade of Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

After leaving the Navy, O'Neil moved on to a job with a newspaper in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. O'Neil wrote bi-weekly columns for the youth page, and during the slow summer months he filled the space with a series on the revival of the comics industry. This attracted the attention of Roy Thomas, who would eventually himself become one of the great names in the history of the medium.