Len Wein
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Leonard Norman Wein (; June 12, 1948 – September 10, 2017) was an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating
DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
' Swamp Thing and
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
'
Wolverine The wolverine ( , ; ''Gulo gulo''), also called the carcajou or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species, member of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscular carnivore and a solitary animal. The w ...
, and for helping revive the Marvel
superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...
team the
X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 (September 1963). Although initial ...
(including the co-creation of Nightcrawler,
Storm A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere of an astronomical body. It may be marked by significant disruptions to normal conditions such as strong wind, tornadoes, hail, thunder and lightning (a thunderstor ...
, and Colossus). Additionally, he was the editor for writer
Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', Swamp Thing (comic book), ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman: The Killing Joke' ...
and illustrator
Dave Gibbons David Chester Gibbons (born 14 April 1949) is an English comics artist, writer and sometimes letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries ''Watchmen'' and the Superman story " For the M ...
' influential DC
miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...
''
Watchmen ''Watchmen'' is a comic book Limited series (comics), limited series by the British creative team of writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colorist John Higgins (comics), John Higgins. It was published monthly by DC Comics in 1986 and 19 ...
''. Wein was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2008.


Early life and education

Wein was born on June 12, 1948, in New York City, and was raised in a
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
household. One of two children of Phillip and Rosalyn (née Bauman) Wein, he lived in
The Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
until age 7, when he moved with his family to
Levittown, New York Levittown is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Hempstead (town), New York, Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York (state), New York. It is a suburb of New York C ...
, on
Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
. There he graduated from Division Avenue High School in 1966, and went on to an art degree from nearby Farmingdale State College. Wein's younger brother, Michael, died in 2007. 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." Approximately once a month, as a teenager, Wein and his friend
Marv Wolfman Marvin Arthur Wolfman (born May 13, 1946) is an American comic book and novelization writer. He worked on Marvel Comics's ''The Tomb of Dracula'', for which he and artist Gene Colan created the vampire-slayer Blade (character), Blade, and DC Comi ...
took
DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
' weekly Thursday afternoon tour of the company's offices. Wolfman was active in
fanzine A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) for the pleas ...
culture, 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. 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 like
Irv Novick Irving Novick (; April 11, 1916 – October 15, 2004) was an American comics artist who worked almost continuously from 1939 until the 1990s. Career A graduate of the National Academy of Design, Irv Novick got his start in the workshop of Harr ...
and a few of the others, who would come into the office waiting for their next assignment and ask ditor Julie Schwartz, 'Do you have any Len Wein scripts lying around? He's always easy to draw.'"


Career

DC editor
Joe Orlando Joseph Orlando (April 4, 1927 – December 23, 1998) was an Italian Americans, Italian-American illustrator, writer, editor and cartoonist during a lengthy career spanning six decades. He was the associate publisher of ''Mad (magazine), Mad'' and ...
hired both Wolfman and Wein as freelance writers. Wein's first professional comic story was 'Eye of the Beholder' in DC's Teen Titans #18 (Dec. 1968), in which he co-created, alongside Wolfman, Red Star—the first official Russian superhero in the DC Universe.
Neal Adams Neal Adams (June 15, 1941 – April 28, 2022) was an American comic book artist. He was the co-founder of the graphic design studio Continuity Associates, and was a Creator ownership, creators-rights advocate who helped secure a pension and re ...
was called upon to rewrite and redraw a ''Teen 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 publisher
Carmine Infantino Carmine Infantino (; May 24, 1925 – April 4, 2013) was an American comics artist and editing, editor, primarily for DC Comics, during the late 1950s and early 1960s period known as the Silver Age of Comic Books. Among his character creations are ...
. The revised story appeared in ''Teen Titans'' #20 (April 1969). Later that year, Wein was writing anthological mystery stories for DC's '' The House of Secrets'' and
Marvel Marvel may refer to: Business * Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company ** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment ** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe ** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics ...
's ''Tower of Shadows'' and ''Chamber of Darkness''. He additionally began writing for DC's romance comic '' Secret Hearts'' and the company's toyline tie-in ''
Hot Wheels Hot Wheels is an American media franchise and brand of scale model model car, cars invented by Elliot Handler and introduced by his company Mattel on May 18, 1968. It was the primary competitor of Matchbox (brand), Matchbox until Mattel bought ...
''; Skywald Publications' horror-comics magazines ''Nightmare'' and ''Psycho'' and its short-lived
Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...
comic books ''The Bravados'' and ''The Sundance Kid''; and Gold Key Comics' '' Mod Wheels'', ''
Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), known professionally as Boris Karloff () and occasionally billed as Karloff the Uncanny, was a British actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstei ...
Tales of Mystery'', the toyline tie-in ''Microbots'', and the TV-series tie-ins ''
Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...
'' and ''
The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology series, anthology television series created by Rod Serling in which characters find themselves dealing with often disturbing or unusual events, an experience described ...
''.


DC and Marvel Comics

Wein's first
superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...
work for Marvel was a one-off story in '' Daredevil'' #71 (Dec. 1970) co-written with staff writer/editor
Roy Thomas Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor. He was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics and possibly bes ...
. Wein later began scripting sporadic issues of such DC superhero titles as ''
Adventure Comics ''Adventure Comics'' is an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1938 to 1983 and revived from 2009 to 2011. In its first era, the series ran for 503 issues (472 of those after the title changed from ''New Adventure Comics''), ...
'' (featuring
Supergirl Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Supergirl (Kara Zor-El), Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. Th ...
and
Zatanna Zatanna Zatara (), known mononymously as Zatanna, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson, and first appeared in ''Hawkman (comic book), Hawkman'' #4 (N ...
), ''
The Flash The Flash is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date, cover-dated Jan ...
'', and ''
Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
'', while continuing to write anthological mysteries, along with well-received stories for the semi-anthological
occult The occult () is a category of esoteric or supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of organized religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving a 'hidden' or 'secret' agency, such as magic and mysti ...
title ''The
Phantom Stranger The Phantom Stranger is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, of unspecified paranormal origins, who battles mysterious and occult forces, sometimes under their Vertigo (DC Comics), Vertigo imprint. The character ...
'' #14–26 (Aug. 1971 – Sept. 1973). Wein and artist
Bernie Wrightson Bernard Albert Wrightson (October 27, 1948 – March 18, 2017) was an American artist, known for co-creating the Swamp Thing, his Bernie Wrightson's Frankenstein, adaptation of the novel ''Frankenstein'' illustration work, and for his other ho ...
created the horror character the Swamp Thing in ''The House of Secrets'' #92 (July 1971). 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, and the early 1980s ''The Saga of the Swamp Thing'', edited by Wein and featuring early work by writer
Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', Swamp Thing (comic book), ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman: The Killing Joke' ...
—as well as two theatrical films, and a syndicated television series. Abigail Arcane, a major supporting character in the character's mythos, was introduced by Wein and Wrightson in ''Swamp Thing'' #3 (March 1973). Wein wrote the second story featuring Man-Thing (written circa May 1971, published in June 1972), introducing Barbara Morse and the concept that "Whatever Knows Fear Burns at the Man-Thing's Touch!", and later edited
Steve Gerber Stephen Ross Gerber (; September 20, 1947 – February 10, 2008) was an American comic book writer and creator of the satiric Marvel Comics character Howard the Duck. Other works include '' Man-Thing'', ''Omega the Unknown,'' ''Marvel Spotlight ...
's run on that title. Wein wrote a well-regarded run of ''
Justice League of America The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in '' The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived t ...
'' (issues #100–114) wherein, together with artist Dick Dillin, he re-introduced the Seven Soldiers of Victory in issues #100–102 and the Freedom Fighters in issues #107–108.
Libra Libra generally refers to: * Libra (constellation), a constellation * Libra (astrology), an astrological sign based on the star constellation Libra may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Libra'' (novel), a 1988 novel by Don DeLillo Musi ...
, a
supervillain A supervillain, supervillainess or supercriminal is a major antagonist and variant of the villainous stock character who possesses Superpower (ability), superpowers. The character type is sometimes found in comic books and is often the primary ...
created by Wein and Dillin in ''Justice League of America'' #111 (June 1974), would play a leading role in
Grant Morrison Grant Morrison (born 31 January 1960) is a Scottish comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. Their work is known for its nonlinear narratives, Humanism, humanist philosophy and counterculture, countercultural leanings. Morrison has writt ...
's ''
Final Crisis "Final Crisis" is a crossover storyline that appeared in comic books published by DC Comics in 2008, primarily the seven-issue miniseries of the same name written by Grant Morrison. Originally DC announced the project as being illustrated solely ...
'' storyline in 2008. In the fall of 1972, Wein and writers
Gerry Conway Gerard Francis Conway Thomas, Roy. "Roy's Rostrum" (" Bullpen Bulletins") in '' Marvel Super-Heroes'' #43 and other Marvel Comics cover-dated May 1974. (born September 10, 1952) is an American comic book writer, comic book editor, science ficti ...
and
Steve Englehart Steve Englehart (; born April 22, 1947) is an American writer of comic books and novels. He is best known for his work at Marvel Comics and DC Comics in the 1970s and 1980s. His pseudonyms have included John Harkness and Cliff Garnett. Early li ...
crafted a
metafiction Metafiction is a form of fiction that emphasizes its own narrative structure in a way that inherently reminds the audience that they are reading or viewing a fictional work. Metafiction is self-conscious about language, literary form, and story ...
al unofficial crossover spanning titles from both major comics companies. Each comic featured Englehart, Conway, and Wein, as well as Wein's first wife Glynis, interacting with Marvel or DC characters at the Rutland Halloween Parade in Rutland, Vermont. Beginning in Marvel's ''
Amazing Adventures ''Amazing Adventures'' is the name of several anthology comic book series, all but one published by Marvel Comics. The earliest Marvel series of that name introduced the company's first superhero of the late-1950s to early-1960s period fans and h ...
'' #16 (by Englehart with art by Bob Brown and Frank McLaughlin), the story continued in DC's ''Justice League of America'' #103 (by Wein, Dillin and
Dick Giordano Richard Joseph Giordano (; July 20, 1932 – March 27, 2010) was an American comics artist and editor whose career included introducing Charlton Comics' "Action Heroes" stable of superheroes and serving as executive editor of DC Comics. Ear ...
), and concluded in Marvel's ''
Thor Thor (from ) is a prominent list of thunder gods, god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred g ...
'' #207 (by Conway and penciler
John Buscema John Buscema ( ; born Giovanni Natale Buscema, ; December 11, 1927 – January 10, 2002)Social Se ...
). 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." Wein co-created the Human Target with artist
Carmine Infantino Carmine Infantino (; May 24, 1925 – April 4, 2013) was an American comics artist and editing, editor, primarily for DC Comics, during the late 1950s and early 1960s period known as the Silver Age of Comic Books. Among his character creations are ...
and wrote the character's appearances as a backup feature in ''
Action Comics ''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/Comic anthology, magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as Detective Comics Inc., which later merged into National ...
'', ''
Detective Comics ''Detective Comics'' (later retitled as ''Batman Detective Comics'') is an American comic book series published by Detective Comics, later shortened to DC Comics. The first volume, published from 1937 to 2011 (and later continued in 2016), is ...
'', and ''
The Brave and the Bold ''The Brave and the Bold'' is a comic book series published by DC Comics as an ongoing series from 1955 to 1983. It was followed by a reprint miniseries in 1988, two original miniseries in 1991 and 1999, and was revived as an ongoing anthology ...
''. The character was adapted into a short-lived ABC
television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...
starring
Rick Springfield Richard Lewis Springthorpe (born 23 August 1949), known professionally as Rick Springfield, is an Australian-American musician and actor. He was a member of the pop rock group Zoot from 1969 to 1971, then started his solo career with his debut ...
which debuted in July 1992, and was briefly revived in 2010 for a two-season series on Fox that starred Mark Valley,
Chi McBride Kenneth "Chi" McBride ( ; born September 23, 1961) is an American actor. He has appeared in films, where he is known primarily as a character actor, and in television, where he has had numerous starring roles. In film, he has played prominent ro ...
, and Jackie Earle Haley. He briefly wrote the "
Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
" feature in ''Detective Comics'' and produced a storyline with artist
Jim Aparo James N. Aparo (; August 24, 1932 – July 19, 2005) was an American comic book artist, best known for his DC Comics work from the late 1960s through the 1990s, including on the characters Batman, Aquaman, and the Spectre (DC Comics character), Sp ...
and in which Batman was framed for the murder of Talia al Ghul and battled Sterling Silversmith for the first time. In the early 1970s, Wein began writing regularly for Marvel Comics. He succeeded
Roy Thomas Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) is an American comic book writer and editor. He was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics and possibly bes ...
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 on '' Marvel Team-Up'', ''
The Amazing Spider-Man ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American superhero American comic book, comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its title character and main protagonist. Being in the Earth 616, mainstream continuity of t ...
'', '' The Incredible Hulk'', ''
Thor Thor (from ) is a prominent list of thunder gods, god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred g ...
'', and ''
Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four, often abbreviated as FF, is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in '' The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover-dated November 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism i ...
'', as well as shorter runs on such titles as '' The Defenders'' and " Brother Voodoo". Wein co-created
Wolverine The wolverine ( , ; ''Gulo gulo''), also called the carcajou or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species, member of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscular carnivore and a solitary animal. The w ...
with artist John Romita Sr. during his run on ''The Incredible Hulk''. Wein's story "Between Hammer and Anvil" from ''The Incredible Hulk'' vol. 2, #182 (Dec. 1974) was later cited in
Tony Isabella Jenny Blake Isabella (born December 22, 1951), who writes under the names Tony Isabella and Jenny Blake, is an Americans, American comic book writer, editor, actor, artist and critic. She is the creator of Marvel Comics superhero Bill Foster (com ...
's book ''1,000 Comics You Must Read''. In 1975, he and artist
Dave Cockrum David Emmett Cockrum (; November 11, 1943 – November 26, 2006) was an American comics artist known for his co-creation of the new X-Men characters Nightcrawler (character), Nightcrawler, Storm (Marvel Comics), Storm, Colossus (character), Colos ...
revived the
Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...
/
Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (; born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comics artist, comic book artist, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He grew ...
mutant In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It i ...
-superhero team the
X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 (September 1963). Although initial ...
after a half-decade's hiatus, reformatting the membership in ''
Giant-Size X-Men ''Giant-Size X-Men'' #1 is a special issue of the ''X-Men'' comic book series, published by Marvel Comics in 1975. It was written by Len Wein and illustrated by Dave Cockrum. Chris Claremont contributed to the plot, having conceived the idea of P ...
'' #1 (May 1975). Among the characters the duo created for the series were Nightcrawler,
Storm A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere of an astronomical body. It may be marked by significant disruptions to normal conditions such as strong wind, tornadoes, hail, thunder and lightning (a thunderstor ...
, Colossus, and Thunderbird. Wein plotted the early "new X-Men" stories with artist Cockrum. These issues were then scripted as ''
Uncanny X-Men ''Uncanny X-Men'', originally published as ''The X-Men'', is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics since 1963, and is the longest-running series in the List of X-Men comics, X-Men comics franchise. It features a team of super ...
'' #94-95 by
Chris Claremont Christopher S. Claremont (; born November 25, 1950) is an English-born American comic book writer and novelist. Claremont is best known for his 16-year stint on ''Uncanny X-Men'' from 1975 to 1991, far longer than that of any other writer,Clarem ...
, 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 ein'scontributions 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 ockrum.


Return to DC

In 1977, following an offer to script the "
Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
" feature in ''
Detective Comics ''Detective Comics'' (later retitled as ''Batman Detective Comics'') is an American comic book series published by Detective Comics, later shortened to DC Comics. The first volume, published from 1937 to 2011 (and later continued in 2016), is ...
'', Wein left Marvel to work exclusively at DC Comics as a scriptwriter and editor. He scripted ''
Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
'' and collaborated on ''
Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...
'' with artists
Dave Gibbons David Chester Gibbons (born 14 April 1949) is an English comics artist, writer and sometimes letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries ''Watchmen'' and the Superman story " For the M ...
and Mark Farmer. On his first issue of ''Batman'', #307 (Jan. 1979), he created Wayne Foundation executive Lucius Fox, later portrayed by
Morgan Freeman Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, producer, and narrator. In a career spanning six decades, he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as a nomination for a Tony ...
in the movies ''
Batman Begins ''Batman Begins'' is a 2005 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay with David S. Goyer. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, it stars Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne (Dark Knight trilogy), Bruce Wayne / B ...
'', ''
The Dark Knight ''The Dark Knight'' is a 2008 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, from a screenplay co-written with his brother Jonathan. Based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, it is the sequel to ''Batman Begins'' (2005), and the second inst ...
'', and ''
The Dark Knight Rises ''The Dark Knight Rises'' is a 2012 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Jonathan Nolan, and the story with David S. Goyer. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, it is the final instal ...
''. With artist Marshall Rogers, Wein co-created the third version of the supervillain
Clayface Clayface is an alias used by several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Most incarnations of the character possess clay-like bodies and shapeshifting abilities, and all of them are List of Batman family enemies ...
in ''Detective Comics'' #478 (Aug. 1978). He wrote '' The Untold Legend of the Batman'', the first Batman
miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...
, in 1980 and the following year wrote a DC-Marvel crossover between Batman and the
Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk ...
in '' DC Special Series'' #27 (Fall 1981). '' Pandora Pann'' was a proposed series by Wein and artist
Ross Andru Ross Andru (; born Rostislav Androuchkevitch, June 15, 1927 – November 9, 1993) Part 1: Animation: We Leave the Army", p. 21. In 1948, Andru's first professional work as a comic strip illustrator was drawing layouts for the ''Tarzan (comics), T ...
which was to have been published in 1982 but other commitments prevented Wein from writing it and the project was cancelled. As editor, he worked on the first twelve-issue limited series ''
Camelot 3000 ''Camelot 3000'' is an American twelve-issue comic book limited series written by Mike W. Barr and penciled by Brian Bolland. It was published by DC Comics from 1982 to 1985 as one of its first direct market projects, and as its first maxi-s ...
'', and such successful series as '' The New Teen Titans'', ''
All-Star Squadron The All-Star Squadron is a DC Comics superhero team that debuted in ''Justice League, Justice League of America'' #193 (August 1981) and was created by Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler and Jerry Ordway. Although the team was introduced in the 1980s, its s ...
'', '' Batman and the Outsiders'', ''
Who's Who in the DC Universe ''Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe'' (1985–87), usually referred to simply as ''Who's Who'', is the umbrella title for a number of comic book series which DC Comics published to catalogue the wide variety of fictional ch ...
'', and
Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', Swamp Thing (comic book), ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman: The Killing Joke' ...
and
Dave Gibbons David Chester Gibbons (born 14 April 1949) is an English comics artist, writer and sometimes letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries ''Watchmen'' and the Superman story " For the M ...
's acclaimed and highly influential ''
Watchmen ''Watchmen'' is a comic book Limited series (comics), limited series by the British creative team of writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colorist John Higgins (comics), John Higgins. It was published monthly by DC Comics in 1986 and 19 ...
''. In 1986, he wrote a revival of the '' Blue Beetle'', two issues of the '' DC Challenge'' limited series, and dialogued the miniseries '' Legends'' over the plots of John Ostrander. The following year, Wein scripted the rebooted ''
Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...
'' series over
penciller A penciller (or penciler) is an artist who works on the creation of comic books, graphic novels, and similar visual art forms, with a focus on the initial pencil illustrations. In the American comic book industry, the penciller is the first step ...
George Pérez George Pérez (; June 9, 1954 – May 6, 2022) was an American comic book artist and writer, who worked primarily as a penciller. He came to prominence in the 1970s penciling ''Fantastic Four (comic book), Fantastic Four'' and ''The Avengers (c ...
's plots. With artist Steve Erwin, Wein co-created the superhero
Gunfire A gunshot is a single discharge of a gun, typically a man-portable firearm, producing a visible flash, a powerful and loud shockwave and often chemical gunshot residue. The term can also refer to a ballistic wound caused by such a discharg ...
.


Later career

Following his second stint at DC and a move to the West Coast, Wein served as editor-in-chief of ''
Disney Comics Disney comics are comic books and comic strips featuring characters created by the Walt Disney Company, including Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Scrooge McDuck. The first Disney comics were newspaper strips appearing from 1930 on, starting with t ...
'' for three years in the early 1990s. After leaving Disney, Wein began writing and story editing for such animated television series as ''X-Men'', ''Batman'', ''Spider-Man'', ''Street Fighter'', '' ExoSquad'', '' Phantom 2040'', ''
Godzilla is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films p ...
'', ''
Pocket Dragon Adventures ''Pocket Dragon Adventures'' (Spanish: ''Pocket Dragons'') is an animated series produced by the Spanish animation studio D'Ocon Films Productions, in co-production with Televisión Española, Bohbot Entertainment, and DIC Productions. The seri ...
'', ''
ReBoot In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...
'' and '' War Planets: Shadow Raiders''. In 2001, he and Wolfman wrote the screenplay ''Gene Pool'' for the production company Helkon, and later wrote a prequel to the screenplay for a one-shot comic book for
IDW Publishing IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW) and is recognized as the fifth-largest comic ...
. Wein collaborated with writer Kurt Busiek and artist Kelley Jones on the four-issue
miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...
'' Conan: The Book of Thoth'' for
Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...
. He scripted the comics series ''The Victorian'' for Penny-Farthing Press and wrote comic-book stories for
Bongo Comics Bongo Comics Group was a comic book publishing company founded in 1993 by Matt Groening along with Steve & Cindy Vance and Bill Morrison. It published comics related to the animated television series ''The Simpsons'' and ''Futurama'', as well a ...
' TV-series tie-ins ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...
'' and ''
Futurama ''Futurama'' is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company and later revived by Comedy Central, and then Hulu. The series follows Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically preserved for 1 ...
''. From 2005 to 2008, Wein appeared as a recurring panelist on the Los Angeles-based stage revival of the TV game show ''
What's My Line? ''What's My Line?'' is a Panel show, panel game show that originally ran in the United States, between 1950 and 1967, on CBS, originally in black and white and later in color, with subsequent American revivals. The game uses celebrity panelists ...
'' He wrote episodes of the
Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...
animated series '' Ben 10: Alien Force'', '' Ben 10: Ultimate Alien'', '' Ben 10: Omniverse'' and the '' Marvel Super Hero Squad.'' Wein was interviewed for commentary tracks on comics-related DVDs, including the animated '' Justice League: The New Frontier'' film, the live-action ''
Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
,
Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four, often abbreviated as FF, is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in '' The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover-dated November 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism i ...
'' and ''
X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 (September 1963). Although initial ...
'' films, the '' X-Men Origins: Wolverine'' film, the ''
Watchmen ''Watchmen'' is a comic book Limited series (comics), limited series by the British creative team of writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colorist John Higgins (comics), John Higgins. It was published monthly by DC Comics in 1986 and 19 ...
'' film, the '' Swamp Thing'' TV-series sets, the ''Human Target'' first season TV series, and the July 2008
History Channel History (formerly and commonly known as the History Channel) is an American pay television television broadcaster, network and the flagship channel of A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney General Entertainme ...
specials ''Batman Unmasked'' and ''Batman Tech''. He wrote the storyline for the ''Watchmen'' video game, '' The End Is Nigh'', which serves as a backstory to both the comic and the film adaptation. Wein returned to comics writing for DC in the late 2000s, where he collaborated in the DC Comics nostalgic event '' DC Retroactive'' writing stories for the one-shot specials ''Batman – The '70s'' (September 2011) drawn by
Tom Mandrake Tom Mandrake (born 1956) is an American comics artist, perhaps best known for his collaborations with writer John Ostrander on several series, including ''Grimjack'' (from First Comics) and ''Firestorm (comics), Firestorm'', ''The Spectre (DC Comi ...
and ''Green Lantern – The '80s'' (October 2011) drawn by Joe Staton. The hardcover collection of his 10-issue '' DC Universe: Legacies'' was published in August 2011. In 2012, Wein worked on the ''
Before Watchmen ''Before Watchmen'' is a series of comic books published by DC Comics in 2012. Acting as a prequel to the 1986 12-issue ''Watchmen'' limited series by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons, the project consists of eight limited series and on ...
'' project, writing the mini-series '' Ozymandias'' with art by
Jae Lee Jae Lee (born 1972) is an American comics artist known for his interior illustration and cover work for various publishers, including Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Image Comics, and Dynamite Entertainment. Career Jae Lee's first work for Marvel Com ...
and the serialized feature " Curse of the Crimson Corsair" with art by ''Watchmen'' colorist John Higgins. The hardcover collection of the ''Ozymandias'' storyline spent several weeks on the ''New York Times'' Bestseller List in 2013. In 2015, he and
José Luis García-López José Luis García-López (born March 26, 1948) is a Spanish people, Spanish-Argentines, Argentine comics artist who works in the United States, particularly in a long-running relationship with DC Comics. In addition to his storytelling art, he pr ...
produced '' Batman '66: The Lost Episode'', a comics adaptation of a
Two-Face Two-Face is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bob Kane, and first appeared in ''Detective Comics'' #66 (August 1942). He has become one of the superhero Batman's most enduring e ...
story pitch by
Harlan Ellison Harlan Jay Ellison (May 27, 1934 – June 28, 2018) was an American writer, known for his prolific and influential work in New Wave science fiction, New Wave speculative fiction and for his outspoken, combative personality. His published wo ...
originally intended for the ''Batman'' television series. In 2016, DC published a six-issue limited ''Swamp Thing'' series by Wein and artist Kelley Jones.


Personal life

Wein's first wife was
Glynis Oliver Glynis Oliver, also credited as Glynis Wein (), is an artist who has worked as a colorist in the comics industry. For several years, she was married to Len Wein. She returned to her maiden name in 1985. Work In the fall of 1972, Len Wein and wri ...
, a comics
colorist In comics, a colorist is responsible for adding color to black-and-white line art. For most of the 20th century this was done using brushes and dyes which were then used as guides to produce the printing plates. Since the late 20th century it is ...
who spent years on the ''X-Men'' titles; they were married some time prior to 1972. Following their 1985 divorce, he married Christine Valada, a photographer and attorney, in 1991, and became stepfather to Michael Bieniewicz-Valada. On April 6, 2009, Wein's California home burned down with considerable loss of property and mementos, including his Shazam Awards. He and his wife also lost their dog, Sheba, to the fire. Beginning October 26, 2009, Valada appeared on and won the television game show ''
Jeopardy! ''Jeopardy!'' is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin. The show is a quiz competition that reverses the traditional question-and-answer format of many quiz shows. Rather than being given questions, contestants are instead g ...
'', 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. Wein underwent triple-bypass heart surgery on February 10, 2015. He died on September 10, 2017.


Awards

* 1972: ** Shazam Award for Best Writer (Dramatic) for '' Swamp Thing'' ** Shazam Award (with
Bernie Wrightson Bernard Albert Wrightson (October 27, 1948 – March 18, 2017) was an American artist, known for co-creating the Swamp Thing, his Bernie Wrightson's Frankenstein, adaptation of the novel ''Frankenstein'' illustration work, and for his other ho ...
) for Best Individual Story (Dramatic), for "Dark Genesis" in ''Swamp Thing ''#1 * 1973: ** Shazam Award (with Bernie Wrightson) for Best Continuing Feature for ''Swamp Thing'' ** (nomination) Shazam Award for Best Writer (Dramatic) for ''Swamp Thing'' ** (nomination) Shazam Award (with Bernie Wrighton) for Best Individual Story (Dramatic) for "A Clockwork Horror" in ''Swamp Thing'' #6 ** Comic Fan Art Award (nomination) for Favorite Pro Writer * 1974: ** Comic Fan Art Award for Favorite Pro Writer ** Comic Fan Art Award (with Bernie Wrightson and
Joe Orlando Joseph Orlando (April 4, 1927 – December 23, 1998) was an Italian Americans, Italian-American illustrator, writer, editor and cartoonist during a lengthy career spanning six decades. He was the associate publisher of ''Mad (magazine), Mad'' and ...
) for Favorite Comic-Book Story for "Night of the Bat" in ''Swamp Thing'' #7 * 1977
Inkpot Award The Inkpot Award is an honor bestowed annually since 1974 by Comic-Con International. It is given to professionals in the fields of comic books, comic strips, animation, science fiction, and related areas of popular culture, at Comic-Con Internati ...
* 1982 '' Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award'' for Best Editor * 1998 (nomination)
Bram Stoker Award The Bram Stoker Award is a recognition presented annually by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in dark fantasy and horror writing. History The Awards were established in 1987 and have been presented annually since ...
, given by the Horror Writers Association, for the one-shot '' The Dreaming: Trial and Error'', from DC's
Vertigo Vertigo is a condition in which a person has the sensation that they are moving, or that objects around them are moving, when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. It may be associated with nausea, vomiting, perspira ...
imprint * 2008 Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame


Bibliography


Bongo Comics

* '' Futurama Comics'' #30 (2007) * ''
Simpsons Comics The following is a list of comic book series published by Bongo Comics based on the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. The first comic strips based on ''The Simpsons'' appeared in 1991 in the magazine ''Simpsons Illustrated'' (n ...
'' #129, 138 (2007, 2008) * '' Treehouse of Horror'' #11, 19 (2005, 2013)


Comico

*'' Justice Machine'' #27–29, ''Annual'' #1 (1989)


DC Comics

*''
Action Comics ''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/Comic anthology, magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as Detective Comics Inc., which later merged into National ...
'' #419–420, 422–423, 425–426, 429, 432 ( Human Target); #515 (
Atom Atoms are the basic particles of the chemical elements. An atom consists of a atomic nucleus, nucleus of protons and generally neutrons, surrounded by an electromagnetically bound swarm of electrons. The chemical elements are distinguished fr ...
); #519 (
Aquaman Aquaman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in ''More Fun Comics'' #73 (November 1941). Initially a backup feature in DC's anthology titles ...
) (1972–1981) *''
Adventure Comics ''Adventure Comics'' is an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1938 to 1983 and revived from 2009 to 2011. In its first era, the series ran for 503 issues (472 of those after the title changed from ''New Adventure Comics''), ...
'' #413–415, 418–420 (
Supergirl Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Supergirl (Kara Zor-El), Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. Th ...
and
Zatanna Zatanna Zatara (), known mononymously as Zatanna, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson, and first appeared in ''Hawkman (comic book), Hawkman'' #4 (N ...
features); #457–458 ( Eclipso; #459
Deadman Deadman or Deadman's may refer to: * "Deadman" or "dead man", are alternative terms for a dead man's switch * "Deadman's foot" is another name for a Salamander (metallurgy), Salamander in metallurgy * "Deadman anchor" is a buried object (log, con ...
, and Elongated Man features); #460–466 (Deadman), #467–468 (
Plastic Man Plastic Man (Patrick "Eel" O'Brian) is a superhero featured in American comic books first appearing in ''Police Comics'' #1, originally published by Quality Comics and later acquired by DC Comics. Created by cartoonist Jack Cole (artist), Jack Co ...
) (1971–1980) *'' The Adventures of Jerry Lewis'' #109 (1968) *''
All-Star Western ''All-Star Western'' is the name of three American comic book series published by DC Comics, each a Western fiction omnibus featuring both continuing characters and anthological stories. The first ran from 1951 to 1961, the second from 1970 t ...
'' #11 ( El Diablo) (1972) *''
Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
'' #255, 307–310, 312–319, 321—324, 326–327 (1974–1980) *'' Batman '66: The Lost Episode'' #1 (2015) *''Batman: A Word to the Wise'' #1 (promo) (1992) *'' Batman Black and White'' vol. 2 #5 (2014) *''Batman: Hidden Treasures'' #1 (afterword) (2010) *''Batman: Nevermore'' #1–5 (2003) *''
Before Watchmen ''Before Watchmen'' is a series of comic books published by DC Comics in 2012. Acting as a prequel to the 1986 12-issue ''Watchmen'' limited series by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons, the project consists of eight limited series and on ...
: Comedian'' #1–2 (2012) *''Before Watchmen: Dollar Bill'' #1 (2013) *''Before Watchmen: Minutemen'' #1–2 (2012) *''Before Watchmen: Nite Owl'' #1–2 (2012) *''Before Watchmen: Ozymandias'' #1–6 (2012–2013) *''Before Watchmen: Rorschach'' #1 (2012) *''Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre'' #1–2 (2012) *'' Blue Beetle'' #1–24 (1986–1988) *''
The Brave and the Bold ''The Brave and the Bold'' is a comic book series published by DC Comics as an ongoing series from 1955 to 1983. It was followed by a reprint miniseries in 1988, two original miniseries in 1991 and 1999, and was revived as an ongoing anthology ...
'' #143–144 (Human Target) (1978) *''
Cancelled Comic Cavalcade The "DC Explosion" and "DC Implosion" were two events in 1978 – the first an official marketing campaign, the second a sardonic reference to it – in which American comics company DC Comics expanded their roster of publications, then abruptly cu ...
'' #2 (Deadman) (1978) *'' Convergence: Detective Comics'' #1–2 (2015) *''Convergence: Swamp Thing'' #1–2 (2015) *''
Crisis on Infinite Earths ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' is a 1985 to 1986 American comic book fictional crossover, crossover series published by DC Comics. Written by Marv Wolfman and penciller, pencilled by George Pérez, it was first released as a 12-issue limited ser ...
'' #1 (1985) *'' Danger Trail'' #1–4 (1993) *'' DC Challenge'' #2, 12 (1985–1986) *''
DC Comics Presents ''DC Comics Presents'' is a comic book series published by DC Comics from 1978 to 1986 which ran for 97 issues and four ''Annual''s. It featured team-ups between Superman and a wide variety of other characters in the DC Universe. A recurring bac ...
'' #4–5, 24, 27–29, 38, 61, 66–67 (1978–1984) *''DC Comics Presents: Batman'' #1 (2004) *'' DC Retroactive: Batman – The '70s'' #1 (2011) *''DC Retroactive: Green Lantern – The '80s'' #1 (2011) *'' DC Special Series'' #27 (Batman/
Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk ...
intercompany crossover A crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders (known as intercompany ...
) (1981) *'' DC Universe: Legacies'' #1–10 (2010–2011) *''
Deathstroke Deathstroke is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, the character first appeared in ''The New Teen Titans'' #2 (December 1980) as Deathstroke the Terminator. In his co ...
, the Terminator'' #18, ''Annual'' #2 (1993) *''
Detective Comics ''Detective Comics'' (later retitled as ''Batman Detective Comics'') is an American comic book series published by Detective Comics, later shortened to DC Comics. The first volume, published from 1937 to 2011 (and later continued in 2016), is ...
'' #408, 444–448, 466, 478–479, 500, 514 (Batman); #426 (Elongated Man); #479–480 (Hawkman); #482–485 ( Etrigan the Demon); #483–484, 486, 493 (Human Target); #500 (Slam Bradley) (1971–1982) *'' The Dreaming Special'' #1 (1998) *''
Final Crisis "Final Crisis" is a crossover storyline that appeared in comic books published by DC Comics in 2008, primarily the seven-issue miniseries of the same name written by Grant Morrison. Originally DC announced the project as being illustrated solely ...
: Secret Files'' #1 (2009) *''
The Flash The Flash is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date, cover-dated Jan ...
'' #208, 212, 215, 217 (1971–1972) *''
Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...
'' vol. 2 #128, 172–183, 185–186 (1980–1985) *''Green Lantern Annual'' #5 (1996) *''
Gunfire A gunshot is a single discharge of a gun, typically a man-portable firearm, producing a visible flash, a powerful and loud shockwave and often chemical gunshot residue. The term can also refer to a ballistic wound caused by such a discharg ...
'' #1–13 (1994–1995) *'' Heroes Against Hunger'' #1 (1986) *''Hot Wheels'' #4–6 (1970–1971) *'' House of Mystery'' #191, 197, 199, 221, 223, 276, 300, 303 (1971–1982) *'' House of Secrets'' #84–85, 92, 94–98, 127 (1970–1975) *'' Human Target'' #1–6 (2010) *'' JLA 80-Page Giant'' #2 (1999) *''
Jonah Hex Jonah Woodson Hex is a fictional antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer John Albano and artist Tony DeZuniga. Hex is a surly and cynical bounty hunter whose face is scarred on the r ...
'' #49, 51–52 (1981) *'' Justice League Dark: Futures End'' #1 (2014) *''
Justice League of America The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in '' The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived t ...
'' #100–114, ''Annual'' #1 (1972–1983) *''Justice League of America'' vol. 2 #29–30, 35–37 (2009) *''Justice League Special'' #1 (1990) *'' Justice League: Cry for Justice'' #1–2, 4–6 (backup stories) (2009–2010) *'' Korak, Son of Tarzan'' #46–51 (1972–1973) *'' Legends'' #1–6 (1986–1987) *''
Legends of Tomorrow ''DC's Legends of Tomorrow'', or simply ''Legends of Tomorrow'', is an American Time travel in fiction, time travel superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, and Phil Klemmer, ...
'' (Metal Men feature) #1–6 (2016) *''
Mister Miracle Mister Miracle is the name of three fictional superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first and third are humans Thaddeus Brown and Shilo Norman, while the second is New God Scott Free. The Scott Free incarnat ...
'' vol. 2 #7–13 (1989–1990) *''
Mystery in Space ''Mystery in Space'' is the name of two science fiction American comic book series published by DC Comics, and of a standalone Vertigo anthology released in 2012. The first series ran for 110 issues from 1951 to 1966, with a further seven issues ...
'' #113 (1980) *'' The New Titans'' #88 (1992) *''
Phantom Stranger The Phantom Stranger is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, of unspecified paranormal origins, who battles mysterious and occult forces, sometimes under their Vertigo (DC Comics), Vertigo imprint. The character ...
'' vol. 2 #14–26 (1971–1973) *''Secret Hearts'' #149 (1971) *''
Secret Origins ''Secret Origins'' is the title of several comic book series published by DC Comics which featured the origin stories of the publisher's various characters. Publication history ''Secret Origins'' was first published as a one-shot in 1961 and c ...
'' vol. 2 #2, 19, 44 (1986–1989) *''
The Shadow The Shadow is a fictional character created by American magazine publishers Street & Smith and writer Walter B. Gibson. Originally created to be a mysterious radio show narrator and developed into a distinct literary character in 1931 by Gibs ...
'' #4 (1974) *'' Showcase '93'' #1–2, 10 (1993) *''Showcase '94'' #1–2 (1994) *'' Sinister House of Secret Love'' #2 (1971) *''
Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...
'' #31–37, 39–40 (1986–1987) *''
Superboy Superboy is an identity used by several fictional superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. These characters have been featured in several eponymous comic series, in addition to ''Adventure Comics'' and other series ...
and the
Legion of Super-Heroes The Legion of Super-Heroes is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, the Legion is a group of superpowered beings living in the 30th and 31st centuries of t ...
'' #246–247 (1978–1979) *''
Supergirl Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Supergirl (Kara Zor-El), Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. Th ...
'' #1–2 (Zatanna backup stories) (1972–1973) *''
Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
'' #246, 248, 251, 254, 258, 336–342, 344, 370–371, ''Special'' #3 (1971–1985) *''
Superman/Batman ''Superman/Batman'' is a monthly American comic book series published by DC Comics that features the publisher's two most popular superheroes: Superman and Batman. ''Superman/Batman'' premiered in August 2003, an update of the previous series, ' ...
Annual'' #3 (2009) *'' Swamp Thing'' #1–13 (1972–1974) *''Swamp Thing'' miniseries #1–6 (2016) *''Swamp Thing Winter Special'' #1 (2018) (Posthumous release) *''Tales of the
Green Lantern Corps The Green Lantern Corps is a intergalactic Peacekeeping, peace keeping agency appearing in comics published by DC Comics. They patrol the farthest reaches of the DC Universe at the behest of the Guardians, a race of immortals residing on the plan ...
'' #1–3 (1981) *''Tales of the Green Lantern Corps Annual'' #1 (1985) *''
Teen Titans The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...
'' #18 (1968) *''Trinity of Sin: The Phantom Stranger'' #19 (2014) *'' The Untold Legend of the Batman'' #1–3 (1980) *'' Weird War Tales'' #3, 10, 22–23, 30, 36, 40, 108 (1972–1982) *'' Weird Worlds'' #1–3 (1972) *'' The Witching Hour'' #13 (1971) *''
Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...
'' #212 (1974) *''Wonder Woman'' vol. 2 #3–16 (1987–1988) *''
World's Finest Comics ''World's Finest Comics'' is an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1941 to 1986. The series was initially titled ''World's Best Comics'' for its first issue; issue #2 (Summer 1941) switched to the more familiar name. Michael ...
'' #207–208 (1971)


Dark Horse

* '' Conan: The Book of Thoth'' #1–4 (with Kurt Busiek) (2006)


Defiant Comics

*'' Dark Dominion'' #1–3, 5–7, 10 (1993–1994) *'' The Good Guys'' #8 (1994) *'' Warriors of Plasm'' #5–7 (1993–1994) *''Warriors of Plasm Graphic Novel'' #1 (1993)


Disney Comics

* '' Dick Tracy'' #3 (1990)


Eclipse Comics

*''
Airboy Airboy is a fictional Golden Age of comic books, Golden Age aviator hero of an American comic book series initially published by Hillman Periodicals during the World War II, before ending his initial run in 1953. The hero was the costumed identi ...
'' #38–40 (1988)


Gold Key

* '' The Twillight Zone'' #35–37, 39–41, 47, 73, 79 (1973–1979)


IDW Publishing

* ''Gene Pool'' OGN (with Marv Wolfman) (2003)


Image Comics

* ''21'' #1–3 (1996) *'' Cyberforce/ Strykeforce: Opposing Forces'' #2 (with Steve Gerber) (1995) *''Outlaw Territory'' (anthology) Volume 2 (2011) *'' Supreme Annual'' #1 (1995)


Marvel Comics

*'' 2099 Unlimited'' #10 (1995) *''
The Amazing Spider-Man ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American superhero American comic book, comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its title character and main protagonist. Being in the Earth 616, mainstream continuity of t ...
'' #151–180, ''Annual'' #10 (1975–1978) *'' Astonishing Tales'' #8 (1971) *''
Chamber of Darkness Chamber or The Chamber may refer to: Organizations and government *Chamber of commerce, a form of business network *Legislative chamber, a deliberative assembly within a legislature *Debate chamber, a room for people to discuss and debate Arts ...
'' #6 (1970) *''
Conan the Barbarian Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian) is a fictional sword and sorcery hero created by American author Robert E. Howard (1906–1936) and who debuted in 1932 and went on to appear in a series of fantasy stories published in ''We ...
'' #116 (1980) *'' Creatures on the Loose'' #11, 13 (1971) *'' Daredevil'' #124 (1975) *'' The Defenders'' #7, #12–19 (1973–1975) *'' Dracula Lives'' #8 (1974) *''
Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four, often abbreviated as FF, is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in '' The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover-dated November 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism i ...
'' #154–156, 182, 184–188, 191–194 (1975–1978) *''Giant-Size Chillers'' #1, 3 (1975) *''Giant-Size Defenders'' #2 (1974) *''Giant-Size Man-Thing'' #5 (1975) *''Giant-Size Spider-Man'' #1–2 (1974) *''
Giant-Size X-Men ''Giant-Size X-Men'' #1 is a special issue of the ''X-Men'' comic book series, published by Marvel Comics in 1975. It was written by Len Wein and illustrated by Dave Cockrum. Chris Claremont contributed to the plot, having conceived the idea of P ...
'' #1 (1975) *'' The Incredible Hulk'' #145, 179–220, 222, ''Annual'' #5–6 (1971, 1974–1978) *''
Iron Man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...
'' #82–85 (1976) *'' Kull the Conqueror'' #8 (1973) *''
Marvel Comics Presents ''Marvel Comics Presents'' is an American comic book anthology title that was published in three series by Marvel Comics: from 1988 to 1995; 2007 to 2008; and in 2019. Volume 1 The first volume was released on a bi-weekly basis and lasted for ...
'' #11, 47, 53–56, 67, 69 (1989–1991) *''
Marvel Feature ''Marvel Feature'' was a comic book showcase series published by Marvel Comics in the 1970s. It was a tryout book, intended to test the popularity of characters and concepts being considered for their own series. The first volume led to the launc ...
'' #11 (1973) *'' Marvel Premiere'' #16 (1974) *'' Marvel Preview'' #2, 10 (1975–1977) *''
Marvel Spotlight ''Marvel Spotlight'' is a comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics as a try-out book. It stood out from Marvel's other try-out books in that most of the featured characters made their first appearance in the series. The series or ...
'' #30 (1976) *'' Marvel Team-Up'' #12–27 (1973–1974) *'' Midnight Sons Unlimited'' #1 (1993) *''
Power Man Power Man may refer to: * Luke Cage, a Marvel Comics superhero, originally called Power Man * Erik Josten, a Marvel supervillain later known as Smuggler, Goliath and Atlas * Victor Alvarez, the current Power Man introduced in the mini-series ''Sh ...
'' #17–19, 21 (1974) *'' Savage Tales'' #6 (1974) *''Shadows and Light'' #1 (1998) *''Spoof'' #1 (1970) *'' Strange Tales'' #169–174 (1973–1974) *'' Tales of the Zombie'' #6 (1973) *''
Thor Thor (from ) is a prominent list of thunder gods, god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred g ...
'' #213, 242–253, 255–271, ''Annual'' #6 (1973–1978) *'' Tower of Shadows'' #3 (1970) *'' Ultraforce'' vol. 2 #10–15 (1996) *''Ultraverse Unlimited'' #2 (1996) *''Uncanny Origins'' #12, 14 (1997) *''
Werewolf by Night The Werewolf by Night (also known as the Werewolf) is the name of two Werewolf, werewolves appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first incarnation of Werewolf by Night, Jack Russell, first appeared in ''Marvel Spotlig ...
'' #5–8 (1973) *'' Western Gunfighters'' #5–7 (1971–1972) *'' Worlds Unknown'' #7–8 (1974) *''
X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 (September 1963). Although initial ...
'' #94–95 (1975) *''X-Men: Black Sun'' #2 (2000) *''X-Men: Gold'' #1 (2014)


Skywald Publications

* ''Blazing Six-Guns'' #1–2 (1971) * ''Bravados'' #1 (1971) * ''Nightmare'' #1 (1970) * ''Sundance Kid'' #1 (1971)


Warren Publishing

* '' Vampirella'' #10 (1971)


Television

*'' The Transformers'' (1986) *'' Batman: The Animated Series'' (1992) *'' X-Men: The Animated Series'' (1993-1994, 1997) *''
Conan and the Young Warriors ''Conan and the Young Warriors'' is a 1994 American television animated series produced by Sunbow Entertainment and aired by CBS as a sequel to the animated series '' Conan the Adventurer'', but featuring a different set of characters (besides C ...
'' (1994) *'' Exosquad'' (1994) *'' Phantom 2040'' (1994-1995) *'' G.I. Joe Extreme'' (1995) *''
Iron Man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...
'' (1995) *'' Ultraforce'' (1995) *''
Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
'' (1995-1996) *'' Gargoyles'' (1996) *'' Hypernauts'' (1996) *''
Street Fighter is a Media mix, Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting games developed and published by Capcom. Street Fighter 1, The first game in the series was released in 1987, followed by List of Street Fighter video games, six other ma ...
'' (1996) *'' The Incredible Hulk'' (1996) *'' Beast Wars: Transformers'' (1997) *'' Mummies Alive!'' (1997) *''
ReBoot In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...
'' (1997-1999) *'' Godzilla: The Series'' (1998) *''
Pocket Dragon Adventures ''Pocket Dragon Adventures'' (Spanish: ''Pocket Dragons'') is an animated series produced by the Spanish animation studio D'Ocon Films Productions, in co-production with Televisión Española, Bohbot Entertainment, and DIC Productions. The seri ...
'' (1998) *'' RoboCop: Alpha Commando'' (1998-1999) *'' Shadow Raiders'' (1998-1999) *'' Avengers: United They Stand'' (1999) *'' Beast Machines: Transformers'' (2000) *'' Kong: The Animated Series'' (2000) *''
Action Man Action Man is an action figure launched in Britain in 1966 by Palitoy as a licensed copy of Hasbro's American "movable fighting man", G.I. Joe. Action Man was originally produced and sold in the United Kingdom and Australia by Palitoy Ltd of ...
'' (2001) *''
Kappa Mikey ''Kappa Mikey'' is an American animated comedy television series created by Larry Schwarz for Nicktoons Network. Despite airing on the channel, it was not a Nicktoon, being produced by Schwarz's production company Animation Collective. The ser ...
'' (2006) *'' Ben 10: Alien Force'' (2009-2010) *'' Ben 10: Ultimate Alien'' (2010) *''
The Super Hero Squad Show ''The Super Hero Squad Show'' is an American superhero animated series produced by Marvel Animation that aired from 2009 to 2011. It is based on the Hasbro toyline " Marvel Super Hero Squad", which portrays the Avengers, the X-Men, and various ...
'' (2011) *'' Ben 10: Omniverse'' (2012-2014) *'' Beware the Batman'' (2014) *'' Avengers Assemble'' (2015) *'' Transformers: Robots in Disguise'' (2016-2017)


References


Citations


Sources

* ** ** * * *


External links

* * *
Len Wein
at Mike's Amazing World of Comics *

at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wein, Len 1948 births 2017 deaths 20th-century American Jews 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American male writers American comics writers American comic book editors Farmingdale State College alumni Inkpot Award winners Jewish American comics artists Jewish American comics writers Marvel Comics editors-in-chief Marvel Comics writers Swamp Thing Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame inductees Writers from New York City