Len Wein (IPA: [wiːn]) (born June 12, 1948, in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comic bookA comic book is a magazine made up of narrative artwork, often accompanied by dialog and often including brief descriptive prose...
writerA writer is anyone who creates a written work, though the word usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, as well as those who have written in many different forms.-Profession:...
and
editorEditing is the process of selecting and preparing language, images, sound, video, or film through processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications in various media...
best known for co-creating
DC ComicsDC Comics is one of the largest and most popular American comic book and related media companies, along with Marvel Comics. It is the publishing division of DC Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary company of Warner Bros. Entertainment...
'
Swamp ThingSwamp Thing is a fictional character, a plant elemental in the . He first appeared in House of Secrets #92 , and was created by Len Wein and Berni Wrightson...
and
Marvel ComicsMarvel Publishing, Inc., a company doing business as Marvel Comics, produces American comic books and related media. It forms a subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment, Inc....
'
WolverineWolverine is a fictional Canadian superhero who appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Incredible Hulk #180 and was created by writer Len Wein and Marvel art director John Romita Sr., who designed the character, and was first drawn for publication by...
, and for helping revive the Marvel
superheroA superhero is "a fictional character of unprecedented powers dedicated to acts of derring-do in the public interest"...
team the
X-MenX-Men is a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1 . Under a cloud of increasing anti-mutant sentiment, Professor Xavier creates a haven at his Westchester mansion to train young mutants to use their powers for the...
(including the co-creation of
NightcrawlerNightcrawler is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Universe. He has been associated with both the X-Men and Excalibur, originally appearing in graphic novels published by Marvel Comics...
, Storm, and
ColossusColossus is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Len Wein and illustrator Dave Cockrum, he first appeared in Giant-Size X-Men #1 . A Russian mutant, the character is a member of the X-Men, and is by far the physically strongest X-Man...
). Additionally, he was the editor for writer
Alan MooreAlan Oswald Moore is an English writer known for work in comics, including the acclaimed comic book series Watchmen, V for Vendetta and From Hell...
and illustrator
Dave GibbonsDave Gibbons is a British comic book artist, writer and sometime letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries Watchmen and the Superman story "For the Man Who Has Everything"...
' influential DC
miniseriesA miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a production which tells a story in a pre-planned limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
WatchmenWatchmen is a twelve-issue comic book limited series created by writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colorist John Higgins. The series was published by DC Comics during 1986 and 1987, and has been subsequently reprinted into a collected graphic novel...
.
Wein was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2008.
Early career
As a teenager, Wein and his friend
Marv WolfmanMarvin A. "Marv" Wolfman is an award-winning American comic book writer. He is best known for lengthy runs on The Tomb of Dracula, creating Blade for Marvel Comics, and The New Teen Titans for DC Comics.-1960s:...
regularly took the Thursday afternoon tour of the
DC ComicsDC Comics is one of the largest and most popular American comic book and related media companies, along with Marvel Comics. It is the publishing division of DC Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary company of Warner Bros. Entertainment...
offices. Wolfman was active in
fanzineA fanzine is a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon for the pleasure of others who share their interest...
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. (Wein claims that his origins as an artist have long helped him "describe art to an artist so that I can see it all in my own head." And that he ". . . used to have artists, especially at DC, guys like
Irv NovickIrv Novick was an American comic book artist who worked almost continuously from 1939 until the late 1990s.-Biography:...
and a few of the others who would come into the office waiting for their next assignment and ask [editor] Julie Schwartz, "Do you have any Len Wein scripts lying around? He's always easy to draw.")
Eventually, DC editor
Joe OrlandoJoseph Orlando was an illustrator, writer, editor and cartoonist. He was the vice president of DC Comics for many years and also the associate publisher of Mad.-Early life:...
hired both Wolfman and Wein as freelance writers. Wein's first professional comics story was "Eye of the Beholder" in DC's
Teen Titans #18 (Dec. 1968), for which he created
Red StarRed Star is a fictional Russian superhero in the DC universe. A former member of the Teen Titans, he first appeared under the name Starfire in Teen Titans #18...
, the first official Russian superhero in the DC universe. Late the following year, Wein was publishing
anthologicalAn anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
mystery stories for DC's
The House of Secrets and Marvel's
Tower of Shadows and
Chamber of Darkness. He additionally began writing for DC's romance comic
Secret Hearts and the company's
toy-lineA toy is an object used in play. Toys are usually associated with children and pets, but it is not unusual for adult humans and some non-domesticated animals to play with toys. Many items are manufactured to serve as toys, but goods, or services produced for other purposes can also be used as toys...
tie-in
Hot WheelsHot Wheels is a brand of die cast toy car, introduced by American toymaker Mattel on September 7, 1968. It was the primary competitor of Johnny Lightning and Matchbox until 1996, when Mattel acquired rights to the Matchbox brand from Tyco.-Models:...
;
Skywald PublicationsSkywald Publications is a 1970s publisher of black-and-white comics magazines, primarily the horror anthologies Nightmare, Psycho, and Scream. It also published a small line of comic books and other magazines....
'
horrorHorror fiction is a genre of fiction in any medium intended to scare, unsettle and horrify the audience. Historically, the cause of the "horror" experience has often been the intrusion of a disturbing supernatural element into everyday human experience...
-comics
magazineMagazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles, generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
s
Nightmare and
Psycho and its short-lived
WesternWestern fiction is a genre of literature set in the American Old West frontier and typically set during the late nineteenth century. Well-known writers of Western fiction include Zane Grey from the early 1900s and Louis L'Amour from the mid 20th century...
comic books
The Bravados and
The Sundance Kid; and
Gold KeyIn fiction, a gold key is a special token granting access to and control of a mythical or ultra-private or secret bank account or vault, such as a Swiss bank account. In reality, the key is often a code word and accounts are not completely anonymous....
's
Mod Wheels,
Boris KarloffBoris Karloff was a British actor who emigrated to Canada in the 1910s. He is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the 1931 film Frankenstein, 1935 film Bride of Frankenstein, and 1939 film Son of Frankenstein...
Tales of Mystery, the toyline tie-in
Microbots, and the TV-series tie-ins
Star TrekStar Trek is a science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry that aired from September 8, 1966 to September 2, 1969. Though the original series was titled simply Star Trek, it has acquired the retronym Star Trek: The Original Series to distinguish it from the spinoffs that...
and
The Twilight ZoneThe Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964 and remains syndicated to this day. The show consisted of unrelated vignettes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events, usually...
.
DC and Marvel Comics
Wein's first
superheroA superhero is "a fictional character of unprecedented powers dedicated to acts of derring-do in the public interest"...
work for Marvel was a one-off story in
DaredevilDaredevil is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby and first appeared in Daredevil #1 .Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City, Matt Murdock is...
#71 (Dec. 1970) co-written with staff writer/editor
Roy ThomasRoy Thomas is a comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly best known for introducing the pulp magazine hero Conan the Barbarian to American comics, with a series that added to the storyline of Robert E...
. Wein later began scripting sporadic issues of such DC superhero titles as
Adventure ComicsAdventure Comics is a comic book series published by DC Comics from 1935 to 1983. It ran for 503 issues , making it the fifth-longest-running DC series, behind Detective Comics, Action Comics, Superman and Batman...
(featuring
SupergirlSupergirl is a fictional comic book Superhero that is depicted as a female counterpart to the DC Comics iconic superhero Superman. Created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino in 1959 and appearing in Action Comics...
and
ZatannaZatanna Zatara is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Murphy Anderson, Zatanna first appeared in Hawkman vol. 1 #4 . She appeared in vol...
),
The Flash, and
SupermanSuperman is a fictional character, a comic book superhero widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective Comics, Inc...
, while continuing to write anthological mysteries, along with well-received stories for the semi-anthological
occultThe word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
title
The Phantom StrangerThe Phantom Stranger is a fictional character of unspecified paranormal origins who battles mysterious and occult forces in various titles published by DC Comics, sometimes under their Vertigo imprint.-Publication history:...
#14–26 (Aug. 1971 – Sept. 1973).
Wein and artist
Bernie WrightsonBernie "Berni" Wrightson is an American artist known for his horror illustrations and comic books.-Biography:...
created the
horrorHorror fiction is a genre of fiction in any medium intended to scare, unsettle and horrify the audience. Historically, the cause of the "horror" experience has often been the intrusion of a disturbing supernatural element into everyday human experience...
character
Swamp ThingSwamp Thing is a fictional character, a plant elemental in the . He first appeared in House of Secrets #92 , and was created by Len Wein and Berni Wrightson...
in
The House of Secrets #92 (July 1971). Over the next several decades, Swamp Thing would star in DC series and miniseries — including an initial 1972–76 series begun by Wein and Wrightson, and the mid-1980s
Saga of the Swamp Thing, edited by Wein and featuring early work by writer
Alan MooreAlan Oswald Moore is an English writer known for work in comics, including the acclaimed comic book series Watchmen, V for Vendetta and From Hell...
— as well as two theatrical films, and a
syndicatedIn broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows to multiple individual stations, without going through a broadcast network. It is common in countries where television is scheduled by networks with local affiliates, particularly in the United States...
television series. He wrote the second story featuring
Man-ThingThe Man-Thing is a fictional character, a monster in publications from Marvel Comics. Created by writers Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, and Gerry Conway and artist Gray Morrow, the character first appeared in Savage Tales #1 , and went on to be featured in various titles and in his own series, including...
(written circa May 1971, published in June 1972), introducing
Barbara MorseMockingbird, in comics, may refer to:* Mockingbird , a fictional superheroine in the Marvel Comics universe* Mockingbird , a fictional villain in the DC Comics universe...
, and later edited
Steve GerberStephen Ross "Steve" Gerber was an American comic book writer best known as co-creator of the satiric Marvel Comics character Howard the Duck....
's run on that title. He wrote a well-regarded run of
Justice League of America (issues #100–114) with artist
Dick DillinRichard Allen "Dick" Dillin was an American comic book artist best known for an extraordinary 12-year run as the penciler of the DC Comics superhero-team series Justice League of America. He drew 115 consecutive issues from 1968 up until his death, bridging the venerable title's Mike Sekowsky and...
. He co-created, with artist
Carmine InfantinoCarmine Infantino is an American comic book artist and editor who was a major force in the Silver Age of Comic Books. He was inducted into the Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2000.-Early life and career:...
, and wrote the backup feature "The Human Target" in
Action ComicsAction Comics is an American comic book series which introduced Superman, the first major superhero character as the term is popularly defined...
,
Detective ComicsDetective Comics is an American comic book published monthly by DC Comics since 1937, best-known for introducing the iconic superhero Batman. It is, along with Action Comics, the book that launched with the debut of Superman, one of the medium's signature series, and the source of its company's name...
and
The Brave and the BoldThe Brave and the Bold is the title shared by many comic book series published by DC Comics. The first of these was published as an ongoing series from 1955 to 1983...
, which became a short-lived ABC television series starring
Rick SpringfieldRick Springfield is an Australian-American songwriter, musician and actor. As a musician, he is most famous for the 1981 #1 single "Jessie's Girl", which became a Grammy Award-winning landmark of 1980s pop-rock and helped establish the emerging music video age...
that appeared in the summer of 1992, and is currently slated to premiere as a Fox television series starring
Mark ValleyMark Thomas Valley is an American actor.- Personal life :Born in Ogdensburg, New York, Valley is a 1987 graduate of the United States Military Academy with a degree in math and engineering and served in the Gulf War He has a daughter, Sherri, born in 1987, from a previous relationship...
,
Chi McBrideKenneth "Chi" McBride is an American actor. He recently starred as Emerson Cod on the cancelled ABC series Pushing Daisies, a role which earned him a Ewwy nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2009.-Early life:Born Kenneth McBride in Chicago, Illinois, "Chi" is a nickname for...
and
Jackie Earle HaleyJackie Earle Haley is an Academy Award-nominated Americanfilm actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Kelly Leak in The Bad News Bears , pedophile Ronnie McGorvey in Little Children and most recently as vigilante Rorschach in Zack Snyder's Watchmen...
in January of 2010.
In the early 1970s, Len began writing regularly for
Marvel ComicsMarvel Publishing, Inc., a company doing business as Marvel Comics, produces American comic books and related media. It forms a subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment, Inc....
. He succeeded Roy Thomas 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-UpMarvel Team-Up is the name of several American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series featured two or more Marvel characters in one story. The original series consisted of 150 issues, published from March 1972 through February 1985. The series featured Spider-Man in most of its...
,
The Amazing Spider-ManThe Amazing Spider-Man is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics, featuring the adventures of the superhero Spider-Man.-Publication history:Spider-Man first appeared in the comic book Amazing Fantasy #15...
,
The Incredible Hulk,
The Mighty ThorThor is a fictional character that appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by writer-editor Stan Lee; scripter Larry Lieber and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby....
and
Fantastic FourThe Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new naturalism in the medium...
, as well as shorter runs on such titles as
The DefendersThe Defenders is a name of a number of Marvel Comics superhero groups — usually presented as a "non-team" of individualistic "outsiders" each known for following their own agendas — that usually battles mystic and supernatural threats....
and
Brother VoodooBrother Voodoo , later Doctor Voodoo, is a fictional character, a supernatural superhero in the Marvel Universe. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Gene Colan, he first appears in Strange Tales #169...
.
In 1975, he and artist
Dave CockrumDavid Emmett Cockrum was an American comic book artist known for his co-creation of the new X-Men characters Nightcrawler, Storm, and Colossus...
revived the
Stan LeeStan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
/
Jack KirbyJacob Kurtzberg , better known by the pen name Jack Kirby, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor. Growing up poor in New York City, Kurtzberg entered the nascent comics industry in the 1930s. He drew various comic strips under different pseudonyms, ultimately settling on Jack Kirby...
mutantA mutant is a type of fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Primarily featured in comics featuring the X-Men, a mutant is an individual who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows them to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
-
superheroA superhero is "a fictional character of unprecedented powers dedicated to acts of derring-do in the public interest"...
team the
X-MenX-Men is a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1 . Under a cloud of increasing anti-mutant sentiment, Professor Xavier creates a haven at his Westchester mansion to train young mutants to use their powers for the...
after a half-decade's hiatus, reformatting the membership. Among the characters the duo created for the series were
NightcrawlerNightcrawler is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Universe. He has been associated with both the X-Men and Excalibur, originally appearing in graphic novels published by Marvel Comics...
, Storm,
ColossusColossus is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Len Wein and illustrator Dave Cockrum, he first appeared in Giant-Size X-Men #1 . A Russian mutant, the character is a member of the X-Men, and is by far the physically strongest X-Man...
, and
ThunderbirdThunderbird is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero who was briefly a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Dave Cockrum, he first appeared in Giant-Size X-Men #1 ....
. Wein had previously created
WolverineWolverine is a fictional Canadian superhero who appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Incredible Hulk #180 and was created by writer Len Wein and Marvel art director John Romita Sr., who designed the character, and was first drawn for publication by...
, with artists John Romita Sr. and
Herb TrimpeHerbert W. "Herb" Trimpe is an American comic book artist and occasional writer, best known for his work on The Incredible Hulk and as the first artist to draw for publication the character Wolverine, who later became a breakout star of The X-Men.-Early life and career:Herb Trimpe was raised in...
, for
The Incredible Hulk. Wein plotted the early "new X-Men" stories with artist Cockrum. These issues were then scripted by
Chris ClaremontChris Claremont is an award-winning American comic book writer and novelist, known for his 17-year stint on Uncanny X-Men, far longer than any other writer...
, 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 [Wein's] contributions 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 [Cockrum]".
Return to DC
At the end of the 1970s, following a dispute with Marvel management, Wein returned to DC as a writer and then eventually an editor.
He scripted a long run of
BatmanThe Batman, originally referred to as the Bat-Man, is a fictional character, a comic book superhero co-created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger , appearing in publications by DC Comics...
and collaborated on
Green LanternGreen Lantern is the name of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 ....
with artists
Dave GibbonsDave Gibbons is a British comic book artist, writer and sometime letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries Watchmen and the Superman story "For the Man Who Has Everything"...
and
Mark FarmerMark Farmer is a British comic book artist. He is best known as an inker, often working with Alan Davis.-Biography:Farmer got his start in the UK comics industry before becoming part of the British Invasion, the wave of UK creators that were an integral part of the DC Comics "new look" of the...
. On his first issue of
BatmanThe Batman, originally referred to as the Bat-Man, is a fictional character, a comic book superhero co-created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger , appearing in publications by DC Comics...
, #307, he created Wayne Foundation executive
Lucius FoxLucius Fox is a fictional character appearing in Batman comic books by DC Comics. He was created by Len Wein and John Calnan, and first appeared in Batman #307...
later portrayed by
Morgan FreemanMorgan Porterfield Freeman, Jr. is an American actor, film director, and narrator. He is noted for his reserved demeanor and authoritative speaking voice....
in the movies
Batman BeginsBatman Begins is a superhero film based on the fictional DC Comics character Batman, directed by Christopher Nolan. It stars Christian Bale as Batman, along with Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Ken Watanabe, Tom Wilkinson, and Rutger Hauer...
and
The Dark KnightThe Dark Knight is a superhero crime thriller film directed and co-written by Christopher Nolan. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is part of Nolan's Batman film series and a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins. Christian Bale reprises the lead role...
. He also dialogued the mini-series
LegendsLegends may refer to:* Legend, an historical narrativeIn music:*Legends , a 1998 album*Legends , a 1999 album*Legends , a 2005 album...
over the plots of
John OstranderJohn Ostrander is an American writer of comic books. Originally an actor in a Chicago theatre company, he moved into writing comics in 1983. His first published works were stories about the character "Sargon, Mistress of War", who appeared the First Comics series Warp!, based on a series of plays...
and the artwork of
John ByrneJohn Lindley Byrne is a British-born Canadian-American author and artist of comic books. Since the mid-1970s, Byrne has worked on nearly every major American superhero....
and
Karl KeselKarl Kesel is an American comics writer and inker whose works have primarily been under contract for DC Comics...
.
As editor, he worked on the first mini-series
Camelot 3000Camelot 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-series.-Plot:...
, and such successful series as
The New Teen Titans,
Batman and the Outsiders,
Crisis on Infinite EarthsCrisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify their then-50-year-old continuity...
,
All-Star SquadronThe All-Star Squadron is a DC Comics fictional superhero team that debuted in Justice League of America #193 . Created by Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler and Jerry Ordway.-The concept:...
, and
Alan MooreAlan Oswald Moore is an English writer known for work in comics, including the acclaimed comic book series Watchmen, V for Vendetta and From Hell...
and artist
Dave GibbonsDave Gibbons is a British comic book artist, writer and sometime letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries Watchmen and the Superman story "For the Man Who Has Everything"...
's acclaimed and highly influential
WatchmenWatchmen is a twelve-issue comic book limited series created by writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colorist John Higgins. The series was published by DC Comics during 1986 and 1987, and has been subsequently reprinted into a collected graphic novel...
miniseriesA miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a production which tells a story in a pre-planned limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
. Wein later wrote a
Blue BeetleBlue Beetle is the name of three fictional American comic book superheroes published by a variety of companies since 1939.-Publication history:...
revival, scripted a revamped
Wonder WomanWonder Woman is a DC Comics superhero created by William Moulton Marston. First appearing in All Star Comics #8 , she is one of three characters to have been continuously published by DC Comics since the company's 1944 inception .Wonder Woman is a member of an all-female tribe of Amazons...
over
pencillerA penciller is one of a number of types of artists working within the comic book industry. The role of penciller formed from the studio habits of early comic book production. To achieve a fast turn-around time in the production of comic strips and comic books, the production of the art was split...
George PérezGeorge Pérez is an illustrator and writer of comic books born of Latin-American descent. He was one of the most popular and influential artists in American superhero comic books in the 1980s. He primarily illustrates superhero comics, mainly published by DC Comics and Marvel Comics, and is known...
's plots, and created the superhero
GunfireGunfire is a fictional DC Comics superhero and freelance anti-terrorist operative. He first appeared in Deathstroke annual #2 October 1993, he was created by Len Wein and Steve Erwin.-Fictional character biography:...
with artist
Steve ErwinAbout Steve Erwin,the designer of Animal Crossing;Wild World.Steve Erwin is a comic book artist. During the 1980s and 1990s, he worked primarily for DC Comics, co-creating the titles Checkmate! and Gunfire...
.
Later career
Following his second stint at DC and a move to the West Coast, Wein served as editor-in-chief of
Disney ComicsDisney Comics was a comic book publishing company operated by The Walt Disney Company which ran from 1990 to 1993. In the USA, Disney only licensed their comic books to other publishers prior to 1990, and since 1994 the only publication containing comics and published by Disney themselves in the...
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,
ExoSquadExosquad is an American animated television series created Universal Cartoon Studios as a response to Japanese anime. The show is set in the beginning of the 22nd century and covers the interplanetary war between humanity and Neosapiens, a fictional race artificially created as workers/slaves for...
,
Phantom 2040Phantom 2040 is an animated science fiction television series loosely based on the comic strip hero The Phantom, created by Lee Falk. The central character of the series is said to be the 24th Phantom...
,
Godzillais a daikaijū, a fictional Japanese giant monster. His first film was Ishiro Honda's 1954 film Gojira, and since then, he has made many more appearances, and has become a pop-culture icon. In total, Godzilla has appeared in 28 films, all of which were produced by Toho Company Ltd...
,
Pocket Dragon AdventuresPocket Dragon Adventures was a short-lived 1998 syndicated cartoon series, based on the Pocket Dragon character created by artist Real Musgrave, best known from Pocket Dragons figurines also based on his work. The cartoon was about the Pocket Dragons who live with a kindly old wizard, and their...
,
RebootReboot usually refers to:* Booting, an event sequence when starting a computerIt may also refer to:* ReBoot, a Canadian CGI-animated television series* Reboot , to discard all previous continuity in a fiction series and start anew...
and
War Planets: Shadow RaidersShadow Raiders was an animated television series produced by Mainframe Entertainment that aired from 1998 to 1999. The show was loosely based on the Trendmasters toy line, War Planets. The original character designs were created by ReBoot designer, Brendan McCarthy...
. In 2001, he and Wolfman wrote the screenplay
Gene Pool for the production company Helkon, and later adapted it for a one-shot comic book for
IDW PublishingIDW Publishing, also known as Idea + Design Works, LLC and IDW, is an American comic book company owned by IDT Corp.. The company was founded in 1999 and has been awarded the title "Publisher of the Year Under 5% Market Share" for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 by Diamond Comic Distributors...
.
Wein also collaborated with writer
Kurt BusiekKurt Busiek is a comic book writer notable for his work on the Marvels limited series, his own title Astro City, and his four-year run on Avengers.-Biography and early career:...
and artist
Kelley JonesKelley Jones is an American comic book artist best known for his runs on Batman with writer Doug Moench and on Sandman with writer Neil Gaiman.-Biography:...
on the four-issue
miniseriesA miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a production which tells a story in a pre-planned limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
Conan: The Book of ThothConan, the sword-and-sorcery character created by Robert E. Howard, is the protagonist of two major comic series published by Dark Horse Comics. The first series, entitled simply Conan ran for 50 issues from 2004 to 2008; the second, entitled Conan the Cimmerian, began publication in 2008...
for
Dark Horse ComicsDark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book publisher.Mike Richardson, the owner of several comic book shops in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area, began to publish in 1986 with an anthology series called Dark Horse Presents, investing profits from his stores into Dark...
. He has also scripted the comics series
The VictorianThe Victorian is a 25-issue comic book series published by Penny-Farthing Press and starting in 1999. The brainchild of creator Trainor Houghton, the series included a number of notable script writers and illustrators, including Len Wein, Glen Orbik and Howard Chaykin.-Plot:The story deals with two...
for
Penny-Farthing PressPenny-Farthing Press is a comic book publishing company located in Houston, Texas, in the United States. Started in 1998 with "a plan to create comic books and children's books that exemplified quality storytelling, artwork, and printing," Penny-Farthing has expanded from its single original title,...
and has written comic-book stories for
Bongo ComicsBongo Comics is a comic book publishing company founded in 1993 by Steve and Cindy Vance, Bill Morrison, Mike Rote and Simpsons and Futurama creator Matt Groening. It publishes comics related to the animated television series The Simpsons and Futurama, along with original material...
' TV-series tie-ins
The SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated television sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its eponymous family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie...
and
FuturamaFuturama is an animated American sci-fi sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox network. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
.
From 2005 to 2008, Wein appeared as a recurring panelist on the Los Angeles-based revival of the TV
game showA game show is a type of television program in which members of the public or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving problems usually for money and/or prizes. On some shows contestants compete against other players or another team while...
What's My Line?What's My Line? is a weekly panel game show, which ran from 1950 to 1967, whose objective was to guess the unusual occupations of contestants. It is the longest-running game show in the history of prime time network television...
In July 2008, Wein was named Editor-in-Chief of Bloodfire Studios, an independent comic book company.
Recently, Wein has returned to DC Comics, writing
Final Crisis: Secret Files,
Superman/BatmanSuperman/Batman is a monthly comic book series published by DC Comics that features the publisher's two most popular characters: Batman and Superman...
Annual #3, and several new
Justice League of America stories. He has also recently written episodes of the Cartoon Network animated series
Ben 10: Alien ForceBen 10: Alien Force is an American animated television series created by Dwayne McDuffie and Glen Murakami and the studio "Man of Action" , and produced by Cartoon Network Studios...
.
Wein has been interviewed for commentary tracks on comics-related DVDs, including the animated
Justice League: New Frontier film, the live-action
Spider-Man, Fantastic Four and
X-Men films, the
X-Men Origins: Wolverine film, the
Watchmen film, the
Swamp Thing TV-series sets, and the July 2008 History Channel specials
Batman Unmasked and
Batman Tech.
Wein wrote the storyline for the Watchmen video game,
The End Is NighWatchmen: The End Is Nigh is an episodic video game series that serves as a prequel to the film adaptation of the comic book Watchmen. The game was originally announced for release in downloadable installments on Xbox 360, PC and PlayStation 3, with the first one released in March 4, 2009 to...
, where it serves as a backstory to both the comic and the film adaptation.
His latest comics work will be an upcoming three issue story arc on Justice League of America, running through issues #35-37, featuring the current Justice League going up against the Royal Flush Gang. Dan DiDio has since stated that Len is the current writer of Justice League, but whether that extends past this three issue arc is currently unknown. It has since been announced that he will be followed on the book by
James Robinson-Elected officials:*James W. Robinson , American politician; Texas provisional governor ; San Diego...
. Coincidentally, he is also writing backups in Robinson's
Justice League miniseries, the first being the origin of Congorilla.
Personal life
His first wife was Glynis Oliver, a comics
coloristIn comics, a colorist is responsible for adding color to black-and-white line art.The improvements in the technology used for coloring have had a great impact on the way comics are drawn...
who spent years on the
X-Men titles. His second wife is Christine Valada, a
photographerA photographer is a person who takes photographs using a camera. A professional photographer uses photography to make a living whilst an amateur photographer does not earn a living and typically takes photographs for pleasure and to record an event, place or person for future enjoyment.A...
and attorney.
On April 6, 2009, his
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
home burned down with considerable loss of property and mementos, including his Shazam Awards. He also lost his dog, Sheba, to the fire.
Awards
Wein won the Shazam Award for Best Writer (Dramatic) in 1972, for
Swamp ThingSwamp Thing is a fictional character, a plant elemental in the . He first appeared in House of Secrets #92 , and was created by Len Wein and Berni Wrightson...
, and another that year for Best Individual Story (Dramatic), for "Dark Genesis" in
Swamp Thing #1 (with Berni Wrightson). He was nominated in the same categories the following year, but he and Wrightson won the Shazam Award that year for Best Continuing Feature, once again for
Swamp Thing. In 1979, he won the
Inkpot AwardThe Inkpot Award, bestowed annually since 1974 by Comic-Con International, is given to professionals in comic book, comic strip, animation, science fiction, and related pop-culture fields, who are guests of that organization's yearly multigenre fan convention, commonly known as Comic-Con or the San...
given at the San Diego Comic-Con. Wein also won the 1982
Comics Buyers Guide Award as Best Editor. He was nominated in 1999 for the
Bram Stoker AwardThe Bram Stoker Award is a recognition presented by the Horror Writers Association for "superior achievement" in horror writing. The awards have been presented annually since 1987, and the winners are selected by ballot of the Active members of the HWA...
, given by the
Horror Writers AssociationThe Horror Writers Association is a worldwide non-profit organization of professional writers and publishing professionals dedicated to promoting the interests of Horror and Dark Fantasy writers. It was formed in the 1980's with the help of many of the field's greats, including Joe Lansdale,...
, for the one-shot
The Dreaming: Trial and Error"The Dreaming" is the title song from Kate Bush's fourth studio album The Dreaming and was released a single on 26 July 1982. Bush hadn't released a single since "Sat in Your Lap" thirteen months earlier. "The Dreaming" made it to #48 on the UK Singles Chart.The song is about the destruction of...
, from DC's Vertigo Comics imprint. In 2008, he was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame.
External links