Farewell to Gerry Conway, Historic Pen of US Comics

The world of comics loses one of its most influential names: Gerry Conway died last April 27, 2026, at the age of 73. A precocious and tireless author, he began publishing while still a teenager, building in a few years a career that would leave a profound mark on both Marvel Comics and DC Comics.

There is a precise point where his work forever changed comics: on the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man, he penned the famous story of the death of Gwen Stacy, an event that shattered the illusion of invincibility and introduced a more adult tone into superhero comics.

When Superheroes Really Started to Lose

Alongside this, Conway contributed to the birth of iconic figures like The Punisher, bringing a new moral ambiguity to the genre. His writing was not limited to action: it focused on consequences, choices, and fragilities. He is credited with creating other characters such as Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers), Jackal (Miles Warren) for Marvel, and Firestorm and Killer Croc for DC.

His path also crossed television and cinema, demonstrating a rare versatility; he contributed to writing episodes for crime TV series such as Law & Order, Matlock, Diagnosis: Murder, and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. In cinema, he co-wrote the story for Ralph Bakshi's wonderful animated fantasy Fire & Ice in 1983 and contributed to the script for Richard Fleischer's Conan – The Destroyer the following year.

But it is in the drawn panels that his impact remains most evident. Conway didn't just tell stories: he changed the way they are told. And that change, even today, continues to be felt.