An award-winning writer since 1973, Marv Wolfman succeeded mentor Roy Thomas as Marvel’s editor in chief. Well-remembered for his Tomb of Dracula scripts, he also enjoyed runs on Dr. Strange, Fantastic Four and Nova, among other titles. New Teen Titans, his 1980s collaboration with George Pérez, became DC Comics’ biggest hit in years. Wolfman and Pérez literally rewrote DC history with Crisis on Infinite Earths. He subsequently penned episodes for such animated TV series as G.I. Joe, Transformers and others.
Gerry Conway wrote Daredevil, Incredible Hulk, Iron Man and others. He was instrumental in Marvel’s 1970s horror boom with work on Man-Thing, Tomb of Dracula and Werewolf by Night. His years on Amazing Spider-Man yielded such historic highlights as the groundbreaking death of Gwen Stacy and the debut of the Punisher. He also wrote DC’s Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and Legion of Super-Heroes. For TV, he has written and produced episodes of Diagnosis: Murder, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Huntress and Matlock.
As both writer and artist, Archie Goodwin (d. 1998) got his start in comic strips and cartoons before moving to Warren Publishing’s Vampirella — and from there to Marvel, where he eventually succeeded Gerry Conway as editor in chief. He has been credited with saving Marvel from financial ruin, with Roy Thomas, by securing adaptation rights to the legendary Star Wars franchise, perceiving its potential long before later merchandisers. He also wrote comic-book adaptations of Alien, Blade Runner and other hit films. He created both Marvel’s Graphic Novel line and its Epic Comics imprint — where, as editor, he occasionally appeared in caricature as alien, elf or other. He also edited early English translations of the Akira series and the works of Moebius. At DC Comics, he guided the destinies of Batman and Starman; one of his most memorable bodies of work was his collaboration with Walter Simonson on the “Manhunter” backup feature in Detective Comics, which won five Shazam Awards.
The unique, shadowy style of Gene Colan (1926-2011) most memorably appeared in long stints on Captain America and Daredevil, and all 70 issues of Tomb of Dracula — among the dozens of other Marvel titles he has drawn. His DC work on Detective Comics and Night Force is equally well remembered. During the Golden Age, he drew multiple war stories for Marvel and DC alike. Colan has earned several Eagle Awards and had professional art showings in New York City. His work on Ed Brubaker’s Captain America at the age of 82 drew well-deserved raves.
His drawing style sometimes characterized as “cute-but-creepy,” Mike Ploog — former apprentice of industry legend Will Eisner — was a prominent force in Marvel’s 1970s horror titles, penciling Monster of Frankenstein, Ghost Rider, Man-Thing and Werewolf by Night. His art also appeared in licensed properties Kull the Destroyer and Planet of the Apes. He worked as layout artist on the 1978 version of Lord of the Rings and later became production illustrator and/or storyboard artist on Superman III, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Titan A.E. and X-Men, among other films. Ploog collaborated with J.M. DeMatteis on the children’s book series Abadazad.
Don Heck (1929-1995) worked for Harvey, Quality, Hillman and other publishers before arriving at Atlas Comics, later Marvel, where he penciled and inked stories for virtually every genre: crime, horror, jungle, romance, war, Western and more. With Stan Lee and others, he launched Iron Man, his supporting cast and his early rogues gallery — including the Black Widow, Hawkeye and the Mandarin. He also succeeded Jack Kirby on Avengers. At DC, his artwork appeared in Justice League of America, Flash, Wonder Woman and other titles.