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
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 ...
's first successor as editor-in-chief of
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 ...
and possibly best known for introducing the
pulp magazine
Pulp magazines (also referred to as "the pulps") were inexpensive fiction magazines that were published from 1896 until around 1955. The term "pulp" derives from the Pulp (paper), wood pulp paper on which the magazines were printed, due to their ...
hero
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 ...
to American comics. Thomas is also known for his championing of
Golden Age comic-book heroes – particularly the 1940s
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
Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America (JSA) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic Books. It first appeared in '' ...
– and for lengthy writing stints on Marvel's ''
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 ...
'' and ''
The Avengers'', and
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 ...
' ''
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 ...
'', among other titles.
Among the comics characters he co-created are
Vision
Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to:
Perception Optical perception
* Visual perception, the sense of sight
* Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight
* Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain und ...
,
Doc Samson
Doc Samson (Leonard Skivorski Jr.) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as a superhero and psychiatrist in the Marvel Universe, known as a supporting character in ...
,
Carol Danvers,
Luke Cage,
Iron Fist,
Ultron,
Yellowjacket,
Defenders,
Man-Thing,
Red Sonja,
Morbius,
Ghost Rider,
Squadron Supreme
The Squadron Supreme is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, of which there are several notable alternate versions. The original team was created by Roy Thomas and John Buscema, derived from the previous ...
,
Invaders,
Black Knight (Dane Whitman),
Nighthawk
The nighthawk is a nocturnal bird of the subfamily Chordeilinae, within the nightjar family, Caprimulgidae, which is a grouping of 92 species of medium-sized birds with long wings and short bills specialized for eating insects. The nighthawk's ...
,
Grandmaster,
Banshee,
Sunfire,
Thundra,
Arkon,
Killraven,
Wendell Vaughn,
Red Wolf,
Red Guardian,
Daimon Hellstrom, and
Valkyrie
In Norse mythology, a valkyrie ( or ; from ) is one of a host of female figures who guide souls of the dead to the god Odin's hall Valhalla. There, the deceased warriors become ('single fighters' or 'once fighters').Orchard (1997:36) and Li ...
.
Thomas was inducted into the
Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2011 and into the
Harvey Awards Hall of Fame in 2022.
Early life
Thomas was born in
Jackson, Missouri, United States.
[Thomas in ] As a child, he was a devoted comic book fan, and in grade school he wrote and drew his own comics for distribution to friends and family. The first of these was ''All-Giant Comics'', which he recalls as having featured such characters as Elephant Giant.
He was enrolled at a parochial
Lutheran
Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
school
and attended St. Paul Lutheran Church in Jackson. As an adult, Thomas is "not religious"
and has been described as a "lapsed Lutheran". He graduated from
Southeast Missouri State University in 1961 with a BS in education,
having majored in history and social science.
Thomas became an early and active member of
Silver Age comic book
fandom in the early 1960s. Enthusiasm for the rebirth of superhero comics during that period led
Jerry Bails to found the
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 ...
''
Alter Ego
An alter ego (Latin for "other I") means an alternate Self (psychology), self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original Personality psychology, personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other ...
'', and Thomas, then a high school English teacher, took over as editor in 1964. Letters from Thomas appeared regularly in the
letters pages of both DC and Marvel Comics, including ''
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, ...
'' #1 (August 1960), ''
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 ...
'' #116 (Nov. 1960), ''
Brave and the Bold'' #35 (May 1961), ''
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 ...
'' #5 (July 1962), ''Fantastic Four'' #15 (June 1963), ''Fantastic Four'' #22 (Jan. 1964), and ''
Blackhawk'' #211 (Aug. 1965).
Career
Marvel Comics
In 1965, Thomas moved to New York City to take a job at
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 ...
as assistant to
Mort Weisinger
Mortimer Weisinger (; April 25, 1915 – May 7, 1978) was an American magazine and comic book editor best known for editing DC Comics' ''Superman'' during the mid-1950s to 1960s, in the Silver Age of comic books. He also co-created such features ...
, then the editor of the
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 ...
titles. Thomas said he had just accepted a fellowship to study foreign relations at
George Washington University
The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...
when he received a letter from Weisinger, "with whom I had exchanged one or two letters, tops", asking Thomas to become "his assistant editor on a several-week trial basis."
Thomas had already written a ''
Jimmy Olsen'' script "a few months before, while still living and teaching in the
St. Louis area," he said in 2005. "I worked at DC for eight days in late June and very early July of 1965" before accepting a job at
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 ...
. The Marvel "
Bullpen Bulletins" in ''Fantastic Four'' #61 (April 1967) describes Thomas "admitting that he gave up a scholarship to George Washington University just to write for Marvel!"
This came after his chafing under the notoriously difficult Weisinger, to a point, Thomas said in 1981, that he would go "home to my dingy little room at, coincidentally, the George Washington Hotel in
Manhattan
Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
, during that second week, and actually feeling tears well into my eyes, at the ripe old age of 24."
Familiar with editor and chief writer
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 ...
's Marvel work, and feeling them "the most vital comics around",
Thomas "just sat down one night at the hotel and – I wrote him a letter! Not applying for a job or anything so mundane as that – I just said that I admired his work, and would like to buy him a drink some time. I figured he just might remember me from ''
Alter Ego
An alter ego (Latin for "other I") means an alternate Self (psychology), self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original Personality psychology, personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other ...
''."
Lee did, and phoned Thomas to offer him a Marvel writing test.
The writer's test, Thomas said in 1998, "was four
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 ...
pages from ''
Fantastic Four Annual'' #2 ...
tan Leehad Sol
rodskyor someone take out the dialogue. It was just black-and-white. Other people like
Denny O'Neil and
Gary Friedrich
Gary Friedrich (; August 21, 1943 – August 29, 2018) was an American comic book writer best known for his Silver Age stories for Marvel Comics' '' Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos'' and in the following era, the series '' The Monster of Fr ...
took it. But soon afterwards we stopped using it."
The day after taking the test, Thomas was at DC, proofreading a
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 ...
story, when Steinberg called asking Thomas to meet with Lee during lunch, where Thomas agreed to work for Marvel.
[Thomas, ''The Comics Journal'' #61, p. 80] He returned to DC to give "indefinite notice" to Weisinger, but Weisinger ordered him to leave immediately and "I was back at Marvel less than an hour after I first left, and had a ''
Modeling with Millie'' assignment to do over the weekend. It was a Friday."
His employment was announced in the "
Bullpen Bulletins" section of ''Fantastic Four'' #47 (Feb. 1966) under the heading "How About That! Department" ("Roy's a fan who's made it!"). Thomas later described his early days at Marvel:
To that point, editor-in-chief Lee had been the main writer of Marvel publications, with his brother,
Larry Lieber, often picking up the slack plotting of Lee-scripted stories. Thomas soon became the first new Marvel writer to sustain a presence at a time when comics veterans such as
Robert Bernstein,
Ernie Hart,
Leon Lazarus, and
Don Rico, and fellow newcomers
Steve Skeates (hired a couple of weeks earlier) and O'Neil (brought in at Thomas' recommendation a few months later) did not. His Marvel debut was the
romance-comics story "Whom Can I Turn To?" in the ''Millie the Model'' spin-off ''Modeling with Millie'' #44 (Dec. 1965) – for which the credits and the logo were inadvertently left off due to a production glitch, resulting in this being left off most credit lists. Thomas' first Marvel superhero scripting was "My Life for Yours", the "Iron Man" feature in ''
Tales of Suspense'' #73 (Jan. 1966), working from a Lee plot as well as a plot assist from secretary Steinberg. Thomas estimates that Lee rewrote approximately half of that fledgling attempt.
Thomas' earliest Marvel work also included the teen-romance title ''
Patsy and Hedy'' #104–105 (Feb.-April 1966), and two "
Doctor Strange
Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as ...
" stories, plotted by Lee and
Steve Ditko
Stephen John Ditko. Page contains two reproductions from school yearbooks. A 1943 Garfield Junior High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen Ditko". A 1945 Johnstown High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen J. Ditko" under extracurricular ac ...
, in ''
Strange Tales'' #143–144 (April–May 1966). Two previously written freelance stories for
Charlton Comics
Charlton Comics was an American comic-book publishing company that existed from 1945 to 1986, having begun under a different name: T. W. O. Charles Company, in 1940. It was based in Derby, Connecticut. The comic-book line (comics), line was a divi ...
also saw print: "The Second Trojan War" in ''
Son of Vulcan
Son of Vulcan is the name of two comic book characters, one created by Charlton Comics in 1965, the other by DC Comics in August 2005. Son of Vulcan was one of the characters DC Comics purchased from defunct Charlton Comics in 1983.
Publication ...
'' #50 (Jan. 1966) and "The Eye of Horus" in ''
Blue Beetle'' #54 (March 1966).
"When Stan saw the couple of Charlton stories I'd written earlier in more of a
Gardner Fox
Gardner Francis Cooper Fox (May 20, 1911 – December 24, 1986) was an American writer known best for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. He is estimated to have written more than 4,000 comics stories, including 1,500 for DC ...
style, he wasn't too impressed," Thomas recalled. "It's probably a good thing I already had my job at Marvel at that point! I think I was the right person in the right place at the right time, but there are other people who, had they been there, might have been just as right."
Thomas took on what would be his first long-term Marvel title, the
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
series ''
Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos'', starting with #29 (April 1966) and continuing through #41 (April 1967) and the series' 1966 annual, ''Sgt. Fury Special'' #2. He also began writing the
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 ...
-superteam title ''
X-Men">ncannyX-Men'' from #20–43 (May 1966 – April 1968), and, finally, took over ''
The Avengers'', starting with #35 (Dec. 1966), and continuing until 1972. That notable run was marked by a strong sense of
continuity, and stories that ranged from the personal to the cosmic – the latter most prominently with the "
Kree-Skrull War" in issues #89–97 (June 1971 – March 1972). Additional work included an occasional "
Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." and "Doctor Strange" story in ''Strange Tales''. When that title became the solo comic ''Doctor Strange'', he wrote the entire run of new stories, from #169–183 (June 1968 – Nov. 1969), mostly with the art team of
penciler Gene Colan
Eugene Jules Colan (; September 1, 1926 – June 23, 2011)[Eugene Colan]
at the Social Security Death Index via ...
and
inker
The inker (sometimes credited as the finisher or embellisher) is one of the two line artists in traditional comic book production.
After the penciller creates a drawing with pencil, the inker interprets this drawing by outlining and embellishing ...
Tom Palmer.
As Thomas self-evaluated in a 1981 interview, shortly after leaving Marvel for rival
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 ...
, "One of the reasons Stan liked my writing ... was that after a few issues he felt he could trust me enough that he virtually never again read anything I wrote – well, at least not more than a page or two in a row, just to keep me honest."
[Thomas, ''The Comics Journal'' #61, p. 78]
Thomas eloped in July 1968 to marry his first wife, Jean Maxey, returning to work a day late from a weekend
comic-book convention in
St. Louis, Missouri. Thomas said in 2000 that Brodsky, in the interim, had assigned ''Doctor Strange'' to the writer
Archie Goodwin, newly ensconced at Marvel and writing ''
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 ...
'', but Thomas convinced Brodsky to return it to him. "I got very possessive about ''Doctor Strange''," Thomas recalled. "It wasn't a huge seller, but
y the time it was canceled we were selling in the low 40 percent range of more than 400,000 print run, so it was actually selling a couple hundred thousand copies
utat the time you needed to sell even more." He eventually did have a
Caribbean
The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...
honeymoon, where he scripted the wedding of
Hank Pym
Dr. Henry Jonathan Pym is a character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by penciller Jack Kirby, editor-plotter Stan Lee and writer Larry Lieber, Pym debuted in ''Tales to Astonish'' #27 (Ja ...
and
Janet van Dyne in ''The Avengers'' #60 (Jan. 1969). Thomas, who had turned over ''X-Men'' to other writers, returned with issue #55 (April 1969) when the series was on the verge of cancellation.
[ Additional .] While efforts to save it failed – the title ended its initial run with #66 – Thomas' collaboration with artist
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 ...
through #63 (Dec. 1969) is regarded as a Silver Age creative highlight. Thomas won the
1969 Alley Award that year for Best Writer, while Adams and
inker
The inker (sometimes credited as the finisher or embellisher) is one of the two line artists in traditional comic book production.
After the penciller creates a drawing with pencil, the inker interprets this drawing by outlining and embellishing ...
Tom Palmer, netted 1969 Alley Awards for Best Pencil Artist and Best Inking Artist, respectively.
Thomas and artist
Barry Smith launched ''
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 ...
'' in October 1970, based on
Robert E. Howard's 1930s
pulp-fiction sword-and-sorcery character. Thomas, who stepped down from his editorship in August 1974, wrote hundreds of Conan stories in a host of Marvel comics and the black-and-white magazines ''
Savage Tales'' and ''
The Savage Sword of Conan''.
During that time, he and Smith also brought to comics Howard's little-known, sword-wielding woman-warrior
Red Sonja, initially as a Conan supporting character. Comics historian
Les Daniels noted that, "''Conan the Barbarian'' was something of a gamble for Marvel. The series contained the usual elements of action and fantasy, to be sure, but it was set in a past that had no relation to the Marvel Universe, and it featured a hero who possessed no magical powers, little humor and comparatively few moral principles."
In 1971, with
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 ...
,
Gerry Conway and
Gray Morrow, Thomas created
Man-Thing and wrote the first Man-Thing story in color comics, after Conway and
Len Wein
Leonard Norman Wein (; June 12, 1948 – September 10, 2017) was an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics' Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics' Wolverine (character), Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel sup ...
had introduced the character in the black-and-white comics magazine ''
Savage Tales''.
Later that year, Thomas wrote the "
Kree–Skrull War" storyline across multiple issues of ''The Avengers'' penciled variously by
Sal Buscema
Sal Buscema ( ; born Silvio Buscema, , on January 26, 1936) is an American comics artist, primarily for Marvel Comics, where he had a ten-year run as artist of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk'' and an eight-year run as art ...
, Neal Adams, and
John Buscema. Thomas was the first person other than Stan Lee to receive a writer's credit for ''The Amazing Spider-Man'',
and he 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 ...
launched the Spider-Man spin-off title ''
Marvel Team-Up'' in March 1972.
Thomas, with Marvel writers and artists, co-created many other characters, among them
Ultron (including the fictional metal
adamantium),
Carol Danvers,
Morbius the Living Vampire,
Luke Cage,
Iron Fist,
Ghost Rider,
Doc Samson
Doc Samson (Leonard Skivorski Jr.) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as a superhero and psychiatrist in the Marvel Universe, known as a supporting character in ...
,
Valkyrie
In Norse mythology, a valkyrie ( or ; from ) is one of a host of female figures who guide souls of the dead to the god Odin's hall Valhalla. There, the deceased warriors become ('single fighters' or 'once fighters').Orchard (1997:36) and Li ...
,
Werewolf by Night,
Banshee and
Killraven. Thomas also co-created several characters based on pre-existing characters, including the
Vision
Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to:
Perception Optical perception
* Visual perception, the sense of sight
* Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight
* Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain und ...
,
Yellowjacket, the
Black Knight, and
Adam Warlock.
Editor-in-chief
In 1972, when Lee became Marvel's publisher, Thomas succeeded him as editor-in-chief. Thomas also continued to script mainstream titles, including Marvel's flagship, ''
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 ...
''. He launched such new titles as the "non-team" ''
The Defenders'', as well as ''
What If
What If may refer to:
Film
* ''What If'', a 2006 TV film starring Niall Buggy
* What If... (2010 film), ''What If...'' (2010 film), an American film
* What If... (2012 film), ''What If...'' (2012 film), a Greek film
* What If (2013 film), ''What ...
'', a title that explored fictional
alternate histories of Marvel's existing characters and stories. In addition, he indulged his love of Golden Age comic-book heroes in the
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
-set superhero series ''
The Invaders''.
He was instrumental in engineering Marvel's
comic-book adaptation of the 1977 film ''
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...
'', without which, 1980s Marvel editor
Jim Shooter believed, "
would have gone out of business". In 1975, Thomas wrote the first joint publishing venture between Marvel and DC Comics – a 72-page ''
Wizard of Oz'' movie adaptation in an oversized "Treasury Edition" format with art by
John Buscema.
He and Buscema crafted a comics adaptation of
Tarzan
Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer.
Creat ...
for Marvel in June 1977.
DC Comics
In 1981, after several years of freelancing for Marvel and a dispute with then editor-in-chief
Jim Shooter, Thomas signed a three-year exclusive writing/editing contract with DC. He marked his return to that company with a two-part
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, ...
story in ''Green Lantern'' #138–139 (March–April 1981), and briefly wrote ''
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 ...
'', ''
DC Comics Presents'', 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 ...
''.
DC gave Thomas' work a promotional push by featuring several of his series in free, 16-page
insert previews.
Thomas married his second wife,
Danette Couto, in May 1981. Danette legally changed her first name to Dann
and would become Thomas' regular writing partner. He credits her with the original idea for the ''
Arak, Son of Thunder'' series drawn by
Ernie Colón. Writer
Gerry Conway would also be a frequent collaborator with Thomas; together they wrote a two-part Superman-
Shazam team-up in ''DC Comics Presents''; a series of ''
Atari Force'' and ''
Swordquest'' mini-comics packaged with
Atari
Atari () is a brand name that has been owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by French holding company Atari SA (formerly Infogrames) and its focus is on "video games, consumer hardware, licensing and bl ...
2600 video games; and three Justice League-Justice Society crossovers.
Conway also contributed ideas to the
talking animal comic ''
Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew!
''Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew!'' is a DC Comics series about a team of talking animals in fiction, talking animal superheroes called the Zoo Crew. The characters first appeared in a 16-page DC Comics insert previews, special insert ...
'', created by Thomas and
Scott Shaw.
Thomas and Conway were to be the co-writers of the ''
JLA/Avengers''
intercompany crossover but editorial disputes between DC and Marvel caused the project's cancellation. During that era, Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway collaborated on the screenplays for two movies: the
animated feature ''
Fire and Ice'' (1983) and ''
Conan the Destroyer'' (1984). The duo also worked on a live-action ''X-Men'' film for production company
Nelvana
Nelvana Limited (; also known as Nelvana Enterprises, Nelvana International or Nelvana Digital; commonly known as Nelvana; stylized as "nelvana") is a Canadian animation studio and entertainment production company owned by Corus Entertainment s ...
that never went into production.
As a solo writer, Roy Thomas wrote ''
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 ...
'' and, with artist
Gene Colan
Eugene Jules Colan (; September 1, 1926 – June 23, 2011)[Eugene Colan]
at the Social Security Death Index via ...
, updated the character's costume and introduced a new
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 ...
ess, the
Silver Swan.
His final work on the series, issue #300 (Feb. 1983), was co-written with his wife
Dann Thomas, who, as Roy Thomas noted in 1999 "became the first woman ever to receive scripting credit on the world's foremost super-heroine."
[Thomas, Roy "The Secret Origins of Infinity, Inc." ''Alter Ego'' vol. 3, #1 (Summer 1999) TwoMorrows Publishing p. 27]
Thomas realized a childhood dream in writing the
Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America (JSA) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic Books. It first appeared in '' ...
(JSA). Reviving the Golden Age group in ''
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 ...
'' #193 and continuing in ''
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 ...
'', he wrote retro adventures, like those of The Invaders, set in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. In addition to the JSA's high-profile heroes, Thomas revived such characters as
Liberty Belle,
Johnny Quick,
Robotman,
Firebrand, the
Tarantula
Tarantulas comprise a group of large and often hairy spiders of the family Theraphosidae. , 1,100 species have been identified, with 166 genera. The term "tarantula" is usually used to describe members of the family Theraphosidae, although ...
, and
Neptune Perkins.
He used the series to address the complicated and sometimes contradictory
continuity issues surrounding the JSA.
In 1983, Thomas and artist
Jerry Ordway
Jeremiah Joseph Ordway (born November 28, 1957) is an American writer, penciller, inker and painter of comic books.
He is known for his inking work on a wide variety of DC Comics titles, including the continuity-redefining ''Crisis on Infinite E ...
created ''
Infinity, Inc.'', a group composed of the JSA's children. The characters debuted in ''All-Star Squadron'' #25 (Sept. 1983) and were launched in their own series in March 1984. Thomas wrote several
limited series for DC including ''
America vs. the Justice Society'', ''
Jonni Thunder a.k.a. Thunderbolt'', ''
Shazam!: The New Beginning'', and ''
Crimson Avenger'' as well as two issues of ''
DC Challenge''. From 1986 to 1988, Thomas contributed to the ''
Secret Origins'' series and wrote most of the stories involving the Golden Age characters including
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 ...
and
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 ...
. In 1986, DC decided to write off the JSA from active
continuity. A one-shot issue titled ''
The Last Days of the Justice Society'' involved most of the JSA battling the forces of evil while merged with the
Norse gods in an ever-repeating
Ragnarok-like
Limbo
The unofficial term Limbo (, or , referring to the edge of Hell) is the afterlife condition in medieval Catholic theology, of those who die in original sin without being assigned to the Hell of the Damned. However, it has become the gene ...
was written by Thomas, with art by
David Ross. ''
Young All-Stars'' replaced ''All-Star Squadron'' following the changes to DC's continuity brought about by the ''
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 ...
'' limited series. Thomas' last major project for DC was an adaptation of
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...
's
''Ring'' cycle drawn by
Gil Kane
Gil Kane (; born Eli Katz , ; April 6, 1926 – January 31, 2000) was a Latvian-born American comics artist whose career spanned the 1940s to the 1990s and virtually every major comics company and character.
Kane co-created the modern-day vers ...
and published in 1989–1990. Since then, Thomas has written a trio of
Elseworlds
Elseworlds is the publication imprint (trade name), imprint for American comic books produced by DC Comics for stories that take place outside the DC Universe Canon (fictional), canon. Elseworlds publications are set in alternate realities that ...
one-shots combining DC characters with classic cinema and literature: ''Superman's
Metropolis
A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural area for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications.
A big city b ...
'' (1996), ''Superman:
War of the Worlds'' (1998), and ''
JLA:
The Island of Dr. Moreau'' (2002).
Return to Marvel and other comic work

In 1984, Thomas sent
Jim Shooter a letter in which he hoped ...
By 1986, Thomas wrote for Marvel's
New Universe line, beginning with ''
Spitfire and the Troubleshooters'' #5 (Feb. 1987), followed by a multi-issue run of ''
Nightmask'', co-scripted by his wife
Dann Thomas. He scripted titles starring
Doctor Strange
Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as ...
,
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 ...
, the
Avengers West Coast, and
Conan, often co-scripting with Dann Thomas or
Jean-Marc Lofficier.
Over the next ten years Thomas did less work for the mainstream comics press. For a series of independent publishers, he wrote issues of the
TV-series tie-ins ''
Xena: Warrior Princess'', ''
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'' and ''The X-Files (comics), The X-Files'' for Topps Comics.
He also wrote for television, and relaunched ''Alter Ego'' as a formal magazine published by TwoMorrows Publishing in 1999. In 2005, he earned a master's degree in humanities from California State University.
With Marvel's four-issue miniseries ''Stoker's Dracula'' (Oct. 2004 – May 2005), Thomas and artist Dick Giordano completed an adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel ''Dracula'', which the duo had begun 30 years earlier in 10- to 12-page installments, beginning with Marvel's black-and-white horror-comics magazine ''Dracula Lives!'' #5 (March 1974). They had completed 76 pages, comprising roughly one-third of the novel, through issues #6–8 and 10–11 and ''Marvel Preview'' #8 ("The Legion of Monsters"),
before Marvel canceled ''Dracula Lives'' and later many of its other black-and-whites.
''Anthem'', a comic book series by Thomas and artists Daniel Acuña, Jorge Santamaria Garcia and Benito Gallego, about World War II superheroes in an Parallel universe (fiction), alternate reality, was published by Heroic Publishing in January 2006. Thomas returned to Red Sonja in 2006, writing the one-shot ''Red Sonja: Monster Isle'' for Dynamite Entertainment. In 2007 Thomas wrote a Black Knight (Sir Percy), Black Knight story for Marvel's four-issue miniseries ''Mystic Arcana''.
From 2007 to 2010, Thomas wrote adaptations of classic literature for the Marvel imprint Marvel Illustrated, including ''The Last of the Mohicans'' (2007), ''The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later#Part Three: The Man in the Iron Mask (Chapters 181–269), The Man in the Iron Mask'' (2007–2008), ''Treasure Island'' (2007–2008), ''The Iliad'' (2008), ''Moby-Dick'' (2008), ''The Picture of Dorian Gray'' (2008), ''The Three Musketeers'' (2008–2009), and ''Kidnapped (novel), Kidnapped'' (2009). In 2010, Marvel Illustrated released a collection of all the ''Dracula (Marvel Comics), Dracula'' material adapted by Thomas and Giordano, originally published in the 1970s and mid-2000s.
Later career
In 2011, Roy Thomas wrote the one-shot ''DC Retroactive: Wonder Woman – The '80s'' with art by Rich Buckler. In 2012, Thomas teamed with artists Mike Hawthorne and Dan Panosian on Dark Horse Comics, Dark Horse's ''Conan (Dark Horse Comics), Conan: The Road of Kings'', which lasted 12 issues. In 2014, he wrote ''75 Years of Marvel: From the Golden Age to the Silver Screen'' for Taschen, a 700-page hardcover history of Marvel Comics. The following year, he compiled three volumes of World War II-era comics stories featuring Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman for The Quarto Group, Chartwell Books.
Thomas had a cameo appearance as a prison inmate on the third season of Daredevil (TV series), ''Marvel's Daredevil'', released in October 2018 on Netflix, and wrote a blog entry about this experience.
On November 10, 2018, Thomas visited
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 ...
at Lee's home in Beverly Hills to discuss Thomas' book ''The Stan Lee Story''. Lee told Thomas' manager, John Cimino, "Take care of my boy Roy" before Lee and Thomas were photographed together. Lee died less than 48 hours later.
On February 23, 2019,
Jackson, Missouri, declared Roy Thomas Day. In a ceremony, he was awarded the key to the city.
On March 23, 2019, the final The Amazing Spider-Man (comic strip), ''Amazing Spider-Man'' newspaper comic strip was published. Thomas had been the ghost writer for Stan Lee on the strip since 2000.
Thomas made a return to
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 ...
in 2019 with the release of the ''Captain America and The Invaders: Bahamas Triangle'' one-shot drawn by
Jerry Ordway
Jeremiah Joseph Ordway (born November 28, 1957) is an American writer, penciller, inker and painter of comic books.
He is known for his inking work on a wide variety of DC Comics titles, including the continuity-redefining ''Crisis on Infinite E ...
, wrote a Wolverine (character), Wolverine origin page for the ''Marvel 1000'' celebration issue and did a two-part ''Savage Sword of Conan'' story with artist Alan Davis. In 2020, Thomas wrote a 10-page story in the Marvel one-shot ''King-Size Conan'' #1.
On February 23, 2021, Thomas criticized Abraham Riesman's controversial
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 ...
biography ''True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee.'' In a guest column in ''The Hollywood Reporter'', Thomas took issue with Riesman's assessment of conflicting accounts of the work of Lee and
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 ...
, who is credited with co-creating many classic Marvel characters. Thomas stated, "Something like 95 percent of the time, [the book] is a very good biography. However, the remaining (and crucial) 5 percent of its content, scattered amid all that painstaking research and well-written prose, renders it often untrustworthy...i.e., a very bad biography. Because the author often insists, visibly and intrusively, on putting his verbal thumb on the scales, in a dispute he seems ill-equipped to judge."
In 2022, Thomas returned to write Wolverine, in the first two issues of a new
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 ...
ongoing series called ''X-Men: Legends'' which tells new in-continuity stories of early X-Men adventures. Thomas's two-part story takes place right after ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk'' #181 and right before ''Giant-Size X-Men'' #1 and reveals a missing link mystery about Wolverine's costume.
Thomas serves on the Disbursement Committee of the comic-book industry charity The Hero Initiative.
Awards
*1969:
Alley Award for Best Writer
*1971: Shazam Award for Best Writer (Dramatic Division)
* 1971: Goethe Award (comics), Goethe Award for Favorite Pro Writer
*1973: Shazam Award for Best Individual Story ("Song of Red Sonja", with artist
Barry Smith, in ''Conan the Barbarian'' #24)
* 1973: Goethe Award for Favorite Pro Writer
* 1973: Goethe Award for Favorite Pro Editor
*1974: Shazam for Superior Achievement by an Individual
*1974: Angoulême International Comics Festival Award for Former prizes of the Angoulême International Comics Festival, Best Foreign Author
*1974: Inkpot Award
* 1974: Comic Fan Art Award for Favorite Pro Editor
* 1975: Comic Fan Art Award for Favorite Pro Writer
* 1975: Comic Fan Art Award for Favorite Pro Editor
*1977: Favourite Comicbook Writer at the Eagle Award (comics), Eagle Awards
*1977: Nomination: Favourite Single Comicbook Story at the Eagle Awards for ''Fantastic Four'' #176: "Improbable as It May Seem the Impossible Man is Back in Town" with penciler George Pérez
*1978: Nomination: Favourite Writer at the Eagle Awards
*1978: Nomination: Favourite Continued Story at the Eagle Awards for ''Star Wars (1977 comic book), Star Wars'' #1–6 with George Lucas and Howard Chaykin
*1979: Nomination: Best Comic Book Writer (US) at the Eagle Awards
*1979: Nomination: Best Continued Story at the Eagle Awards for ''Thor'' #272–278 with
John Buscema
*1980: Roll of Honour at the Eagle Awards
*1985: Named as one of the honorees by DC Comics in the company's 50th anniversary publication ''Fifty Who Made DC Great''.
*1996: Author That We Loved at the Haxtur Awards
*2011:
Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame
*2017: Sergio Award from the Comic Art Professional Society (CAPS)
*2022:
Harvey Awards Hall of Fame
Bibliography
Charlton Comics
* ''
Blue Beetle'' #54 (1966)
* ''Charlton Premiere'' #1 (1967)
* ''Romantic Story'' #87 (1967)
* ''
Son of Vulcan
Son of Vulcan is the name of two comic book characters, one created by Charlton Comics in 1965, the other by DC Comics in August 2005. Son of Vulcan was one of the characters DC Comics purchased from defunct Charlton Comics in 1983.
Publication ...
'' #50 (1966)
Cross Plains Comics
* ''H. P. Lovecraft, H.P. Lovecraft's The Return of Cthulhu'' oneshot (2000)
* ''Red Sonja: A Death in Scarlet'' oneshot (1999)
* ''Robert E. Howard, Robert E. Howard's Myth Maker'' oneshot (1999)
* Wolfshead, ''Robert E. Howard's Wolfshead'' oneshot (1999)
Dark Horse Comics
* ''
Conan: Road of the Kings'' #1–12 (2010–2012)
* ''Cormac Mac Art'' #1–4 (1990)
* ''Creepy Archives'' #2 (text article) (2023)
* ''Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan of the Apes'' Vol. 1 HC (2022)
* ''Kings of the Night'' #1–2 (1989)
* ''Escapist (character), Michael Chabon Presents the Amazing Adventures of the Escapist'' #3, 5 (2004–2005)
* ''Robert E. Howard's Ironhand of Almuric'' #1–4 (1991)
DC Comics
* ''Action Comics Weekly'' #623–626 (1988)
* ''All Star Comics 80-Page Giant'' #1 (1999)
* ''
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 ...
'' #1–67, ''Annual'' #1–3 (1981–1987)
* ''
America vs. the Justice Society'' #1–4 (1985)
* ''
Arak, Son of Thunder'' #1–50, ''Annual'' #1 (1981–1985)
* ''
Atari Force'' #1–5 (promo) (1982–1983)
* ''
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 ...
'' #336–338, 340 (1981)
* ''
Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew!
''Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew!'' is a DC Comics series about a team of talking animals in fiction, talking animal superheroes called the Zoo Crew. The characters first appeared in a 16-page DC Comics insert previews, special insert ...
'' #1–11, 16, 18 (1982–1983)
* ''
Crimson Avenger'' #1–4 (1988)
* ''
DC Challenge'' #9, 12 (1986)
* ''
DC Comics Presents'' #31–34, 37, 41, 48–49, ''Annual'' #3 (1981–1984)
* ''DC Retroactive: Wonder Woman – The '80s'' #1 (2011)
* ''DC Special Series'' #26 (1981)
* ''Dragonlance Saga (graphic novel), The Dragonlance Saga'' GN vol. 1–5 (1987–1991)
* ''
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, ...
'' #138–139 (1981)
* ''Heroes Against Hunger'' #1 (1986)
* ''History of the DC Universe'' HC (text article) (1988)
* ''
Infinity, Inc.'' #1–53, ''Annual'' #1–2, ''Special'' #1 (1984–1988)
* ''
JLA:
The Island of Dr. Moreau'' #1 (2002)
* ''Johnny Thunder#Jonni Thunder, Jonni Thunder a.k.a. Thunderbolt'' #1–4 (1985)
* ''Justice League (comic book), Justice League of America'' #193 (''
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 ...
'' DC Comics insert previews, insert preview), 207–209, 219–220 (1981–1983)
* ''Last Days of the Justice Society Special'' #1 (1986)
* ''
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 ...
'' vol. 2, #277–283 (1981–1982)
* ''Teen Titans, The New Teen Titans'' #16 (''Captain Carrot'' DC Comics insert previews, insert preview) (1982)
* ''The New Teen Titans'' vol. 2, #38 (1987)
* ''The Ring of the Nibelung'' #1–4 (1989–1990)
* ''
Secret Origins'' vol. 2, #1, 3, 5–9, 11–13, 15–22, 24–26, 28–31, 42, ''Annual'' #1 (1986–1989)
* ''
Shazam!: The New Beginning'' #1–4 (1987)
* ''The Superman Family'' #207 (1981)
* ''
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 ...
's
Metropolis
A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural area for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications.
A big city b ...
'' #1 (1996)
* ''Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen'' #91 (1966)
* ''Superman:
War of the Worlds'' #1 (1998)
* ''
Swordquest'' #1–3 (1982)
* ''Warlord (DC Comics), The Warlord'' #48 (''Arak, Son of Thunder'' insert preview) (1981)
* ''Wonder Woman (comic book), Wonder Woman'' #288–296, 300 (1982–1983)
* ''World's Finest Comics'' #271 (1981)
* ''
Young All-Stars'' #1–31, ''Annual'' #1 (1987–1989)
Don Lawrence Collection
* ''Storm (Don Lawrence), Storm: De Kronieken van Roodhaar'' #1 (2014)
Dynamite Entertainment
* ''
Red Sonja'' #100, #1973, ''Giant Size'' #1 (2007, 2013)
* ''Red Sonja: Ballad of the Red Goddess'' OGN (2019)
* ''Red Sonja Holiday Special'' oneshot (2018)
* ''Red Sonja: Monster Isle'' oneshot (2006)
First Comics
* ''Alter Ego'' #1–4 (not to be confused with Alter Ego (magazine), the magazine of the same name) (1986)
* ''Elric: Sailor on the Seas of Fate'' #1–7 (1985–1986)
* ''Elric: The Bane of the Black Sword'' #1–6 (1988–1989)
* ''Elric: The Vanishing Tower'' #1–6 (1989–1988)
* ''Elric: The Weird of the White Wolf'' #1–5 (1986–1987)
Heroic Publishing
* ''Captain Thunder and Blue Bolt'' #1–10 (1987–1988)
* ''Heroic Spotlight'' #10–12, 15–16 (2013–2014)
* ''Liberty Comics'' #6 (2012)
* ''Roy Thomas' Anthem'' #1–5 (2006–2009)
Millenium Publications
* ''H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu: The Festival'' #1–3 (1993–1994)
Marvel Comics
* ''Amazing Adventures'' vol. 2, #5–6, 8, 18 (1971–1973)
* ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #101–104 (1971–1972)
* ''Astonishing Tales'' #1–2, 7–8, 10–13 (1970–1972)
* ''
The Avengers'' #35–104, 132; ''Annual'' #1–2, 19–20, 22–23; ''Giant-Size'' #1, 3, ''King-Size Special'' #1 (1966–1975, 1991–1994)
* ''Solo Avengers, Avengers Spotlight'' #37–39 (1990)
* ''
Avengers West Coast'' #60–63, 65–101, ''Annual'' #5–8 (1990–1993)
* ''Avengers: The
Ultron Imperative'' #1 (2001)
* ''
Black Knight'' #1–4 (1990)
* ''Captain America (comic book), Captain America'' #215, 217, 423, ''Annual'' #9, 11, 13 (1977–1994)
* ''Captain America: Medusa Effect'' #1 (1994)
* ''Captain America and The Invaders: Bahamas Triangle'' #1 (2019)
* ''Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell), Captain Marvel'' #1–4, 17–21 (1968–1970)
* ''Tigra, The Cat'' #1 (1972)
* ''Chamber of Chills'' #3 (1973)
* ''Chamber of Darkness'' #2–5, 7 (1969–1970)
* ''Conan the Adventurer (comics), Conan the Adventurer'' #1–14 (1994–1995)
* ''
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 ...
'' #1–115, 240–275; ''Annual'' #2, 4–7; ''Giant-Size'' #1–4 (1970–1982, 1991–1993)
* ''Conan the Savage'' #1–6, 10 (1995–1996)
* ''Conan: Death Covered in Gold'' #1–3 (1999)
* ''Conan: Flame and the Fiend'' #1–3 (2000)
* ''Conan: Scarlet Sword'' #1–3 (1998–1999)
* ''Conan: The Lord of the Spiders'' #1–3 (1998)
* ''Conan: The Ravagers Out of Time'' GN (1992)
* ''Tower of Shadows, Creatures on the Loose'' #10, 16–17 (1971–1972)
* ''Daredevil (Marvel Comics series), Daredevil'' #50–69, 71 (1969–1970)
* ''Doc Savage'' #1 (1972)
* ''
Doctor Strange
Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as ...
'' #169–178, 180–183 (1968–1969)
* ''Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme'' #5–24, 26–47, 52–56, ''Annual'' #2 (1989–1993)
* ''Dracula Lives'' #1–3, 5–8, 10–11 (1973–1975)
* ''Epic Illustrated'' #2–5, 14, 34 (1980–1986)
* ''Eternals (comics), Eternals: The Herod Factor'' #1 (1991)
* ''
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 ...
'' #119, 126–133, 136, 157–179, 181, 303, ''Annual'' #11, 22 (1972–1977, 1987–1989)
* ''Fantastic Four Unlimited'' #1–7, 9–12 (1993–1995)
* ''Giant-Size Super-Villain Team-Up'' #1–2 (1975)
* ''Haunt of Horror'' #1 (1974)
* ''Hulk: Broken Worlds'' #1 (2009)
* ''Impossible Man Summer Vacation Spectacular'' #1 (1990)
* ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk'' vol. 2, #105–106, 121–145, 147, 158, 172–178 (1968–1974)
* ''
Invaders'' #1–9, 11–23, 25–28, 32–36; ''Annual'' #1; ''Giant-Size'' #1 (1975–1979); ''Giant Size'' #2 (2005)
* ''Invaders'' vol. 2, #1–4 (1993)
* ''
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 ...
'' #44, 47; ''Annual'' #11–12 (1972, 1990–1991)
* ''Iron Man and Sub-Mariner'' #1 (1968)
* ''Journey into Mystery'' vol. 2, #1 (1972)
* ''Kid Colt Outlaw'' #127, 136 (1966–1967)
* ''King Conan'' #1–8 (1980–1981)
* ''King-Size Conan'' #1 (2020)
* ''Kull of Atlantis, Kull the Conqueror/Kull the Destroyer'' #1–3, 11, 16 (1972–1976)
* ''Legion of Monsters'' #1 (Dracula story) (1975)
* ''Marvel Comics Presents'' #44 (1990)
* ''Marvel Comics Super Special'' #2 (1978)
* ''Marvel Double Feature:Thunderstrike (Eric Masterson), Thunderstrike/Code: Blue'' (''Code: Blue'' segment) #13–16 (1994–1995)
* ''Marvel Feature'' #1–4 (1971–1972)
* ''Marvel Feature'' vol. 2, #1, 6–7 (1975–1976)
* ''Marvel Graphic Novel'' #2 (Elric) (1982)
* ''Marvel Graphic Novel: Conan of the Isles'' (1989)
* ''Marvel Graphic Novel: Conan the Rogue'' (1991)
* ''Marvel Graphic Novel: Conan: The Horn of Azoth'' (1990)
* ''Marvel Illustrated: The Iliad'' #1–8 (2008)
* ''Marvel Illustrated: Kidnapped'' #1–5 (2009)
* ''Marvel Illustrated: The Last of the Mohicans'' #1–6 (2007)
* ''Marvel Illustrated: The Man in the Iron Mask'' #1–6 (2007–2008)
* ''Marvel Illustrated: Moby-Dick'' #1–6 (2008)
* ''Marvel Illustrated: The Picture of Dorian Gray'' #1–6 (2008)
* ''Marvel Illustrated: The Three Musketeers'' #1–6 (2008–2009)
* ''Marvel Illustrated: Treasure Island'' #1–6 (2007–2008)
* ''Marvel Illustrated: The Trojan War'' #1–5 (2009)
* ''Marvel Premiere'' #1–2, 15, 29–30, 33–37 (1972–1977)
* ''Marvel Preview'' #1, 9, 19 (1975–1979)
* ''Marvel Spotlight'' #2 (1972)
* ''Marvel Super Special'' #9 (1979)
* ''Marvel Super-Heroes (comics), Marvel Super-Heroes'' #13, 17, 20 (1968–1969)
* ''Marvel Super-Heroes'' vol. 2, #6–7, 12, 14 (1991–1993)
* ''
Marvel Team-Up'' #1 (1972)
* ''Marvel Treasury Edition, Marvel Treasury of Oz Featuring the Marvelous Land of Oz'' #1 (1976)
* ''Marvel Treasury Edition'' #23 (Conan) (1979)
* ''Marvel Two-in-One'' #20; ''Annual'' #1 (1976)
* ''Millie the Model'' #135–136 (1966)
* ''Modeling with Millie'' #44–46 (1965–1966)
* ''Monsters on the Prowl'' #16 (1972)
* ''Monsters Unleashed (comics), Monsters Unleashed'' #1, 3 (1973)
* ''Mystic Arcana: Black Knight'' #1 (2007)
* ''Namor, the Sub-Mariner'' #42–43; ''Annual'' #1 (1991–1993)
* ''Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (comic book), Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' #4, 6 (1968)
* ''
Nightmask'' #6–7, 10–12 (1987)
* ''Not Brand Echh'' #1–5, 7–9, 11–13 (1967–1969)
* ''Patsy Walker, Patsy and Hedy'' #104–105 (1966)
* ''Pizzazz (magazine), Pizzazz'' (''Star Wars'' comic) #1–8 (1977–1978)
* ''Rawhide Kid'' #67, 91 (1968–1971)
* ''
Red Sonja'' #1–15 (1977–1979)
* ''Red Sonja'' vol. 2, #1–2 (1983)
* ''
Red Wolf'' #1 (1972)
* ''Human Torch (android), Saga of the Original Human Torch'' #1–4 (1990)
* ''Saga of the Sub-Mariner'' #1–12 (1988–1989)
* ''Savage Sword of Conan'' #1–79, 190–235 (1974–1984, 1991–1995)
* ''Savage Sword of Conan'' vol. 2, #10–11 (2019)
* ''
Savage Tales'' #1–5 (1971–1974)
* ''Secret Defenders'' #1–8 (1993)
* ''
Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos'' #29–41; ''Annual'' #2 (1966–1967)
* ''Spider-Man/Dr. Strange: The Way to Dusty Death'' #1 (1993)
* ''Julia Carpenter, Spider-Woman'' #1–4 (1993–1994)
* ''Spoof'' #1–2 (1970–1972)
* ''
Spitfire and the Troubleshooters'' #5 (1987)
* ''Stan Lee Meets Superheroes, Stan Lee Meets the Thing'' #1 (2006)
* ''Starbrand'' #7 (1987)
* ''Star Wars (1977 comic book), Star Wars'' #1–10 (1977–1978)
* ''Stoker's Dracula'' #1–4 (2004–2005)
* ''
Strange Tales'' #143–144, 150, 153–154, 158–159 (1966–1967)
* ''Namor, Sub-Mariner'' #1–40 (1968–1971)
* ''Submariner Comics 70th Anniversary Special'' #1 (2009)
* ''Supernatural Thrillers'' #1, 3 (1972–1973)
* ''
Tales of Suspense'' #87 (1967)
* ''Tales of the Zombie'' #1 (1973)
* ''Tales to Astonish'' #93–95, 97–98 (1967)
* ''
Tarzan
Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer.
Creat ...
'' #1–14; ''Annual'' #1 (1977–1978)
* ''Thor (comic book), Thor'' #239–240, 272–278, 280, 283–299, 472–489; ''Annual'' #7–8, 14–15, 17, 19 (1975–1995)
* ''Timely Comics Presents Human Torch (android), The Human Torch'' oneshot (afterword) (1999)
* ''Tower of Shadows'' #2–3, 5, 9 (1969–1971)
* ''Two Gun Kid (comic book), Two-Gun Kid'' #88 (1967)
* ''Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction'' #3, 5–6 (1975)
* ''Vampire Tales'' #1–2, 5 (1973–1974)
* ''Adam Warlock, Warlock'' #1–2, 6 (1972–1973)
* ''Western Gunfighters'' vol. 2, #1 (1970)
* ''What If (comics), What If ...?'' #1–2, 4, 6, 13 (1977–1979)
* ''What If ...?'' vol. 2, #1, 9, 15, 19, 24, 35–39 (1989–1992)
* ''What If ...?'' vol. 9, #200 (text article) (2011)
* ''Within Our Reach'' #1 (1992)
* ''Worlds Unknown'' #2–3, 5 (1973–1974)
* ''
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 ...
'' #20–43, 55–64, 66 (1966–1970)
* ''X-Men: Black Sun'' #3 (2000)
* ''X-Men: Gold'' #1 (2014)
* ''X-Men Legends'' #1–2 (2022)
Marvel Comics/DC Comics
* ''Adaptations of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz#Comics, MGM's Marvelous Wizard of Oz'' #1 (1975)
Topps Comics
* ''Bram Stoker's Dracula: Official Comics Adaptation of the Francis Ford Coppola Film'' #1—4 (1992–1993)
* ''Bombast'' #1 (1993)
* ''Captain Glory'' #1 (1993)
* Cadillacs and Dinosaurs (comics), ''Cadillacs and Dinosaurs'' #1–9 (1994)
* ''The Frankenstein / Dracula War'' #1–3 (1995)
* ''
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'' #1–5 (1996)
* ''Secret City Saga, Jack Kirby's Secret City Saga'' #0–4 (1993)
* ''Mary Shelley's Frankenstein'' #1–4 (1994–1995)
* ''Xena: Warrior Princess (comics), Xena: Warrior Princess'' #1–2 (1997)
* ''Xena: Warrior Princess – The Dragon's Teeth'' #1–3 (1997–1998)
* ''Xena: Warrior Princess Vs Callisto'' #1–3 (1998)
* ''Xena: Warrior Princess: Year One'' #1 (1997)
* ''The X-Files (comics), The X-Files: Season One'' Episodes "Pilot", "Squeeze", "Deep Throat", "Conduit", "Ice", "Space", "Fire", "Beyond the Sea", Shadows" (1997–1998)
TSR, Inc.
* ''Warhawks'' #1–3 (1990)
Screenwriting credits
Television
* ''The New Fantastic Four'' (1978)
* ''The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show'' (1979–1980)
* ''Thundarr the Barbarian'' (1980–1981)
* ''G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (1983 TV series), G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' (1985)
* ''Conan the Adventurer (1992 TV series), Conan the Adventurer'' (1992–1993)
* ''
Xena: Warrior Princess'' (1996)
* ''G.I. Joe Extreme'' (1997)
Films
* ''
Fire and Ice'' (1983)
* ''
Conan the Destroyer'' (1984)
References
External links
*
Roy Thomasat Mike's Amazing World of Comics
*
at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Roy
1940 births
20th-century American writers
21st-century American writers
American comics writers
American former Christians
American magazine editors
California State University alumni
American comic book editors
DC Comics people
Inkpot Award winners
Living people
Marvel Comics editors-in-chief
Marvel Comics writers
People from Jackson, Missouri
Silver Age comics creators
Southeast Missouri State University alumni
Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame inductees
Writers from Missouri