Len Wein, Co-Creator Of Swamp Thing And Wolverine, Passes Away At 69
He also co-created most of the X-Men.
Len Wein, the legendary co-creator of Swamp Thing, Wolverine, Nightcrawler and more, has passed away at the age of 69.
The writer/editor was revered for his stint as DC's Batman editor during the eighties, where he oversaw the creation of key characters like Jason Todd, the third Clayface and Lucius Fox. Wein also presided over the publication of Alan Moore's Watchmen, and orchestrated the return of the X-Men during his stint at Marvel during the seventies.
Born in 1948, Wein's career spanned decades, companies and universes. He left an indelible impact on both creators and fans alike.
Tributes to the writer have poured in across social media overnight, with Brian Michael Bendis, Neil Gaiman and more reflecting on Wein's legendary career on and off the page.
In a press release, President & Chief Creative Officer of DC Entertainment Geoff Johns remarked that, while "not every writer can be a good editor... Len deserves equal credit for both talents. He helped to revitalize the entire DC Universe."
Marvel also released a message last night, one that spoke of Wein's immense "contributions to the Marvel Universe as writer, editor, and member of the Marvel family... He will be missed."
Despite undergoing heart surgery in 2015, Wein continued to feature heavily throughout the industry, writing stories, appearing in documentaries, and attending conventions all the way through to the beginning of 2017. His presence - both on the page and off it - was massive.
Our thoughts and condolences go out to Wein's family at this time. If you have any particular memories, stories or tributes at hand, please feel free to share them in the comments below.