Dennis O’Neil: I’m not the man I used to be
I’m not the man I used to be. But comics aren’t what they once were, either.
Allow me to elaborate, on both myself and comics.
First, me. A looming godlike Presence — you can call him “Mr. Editor” — would like me to introduce myself. Well. I’ve gone past many of my Catholic boyhood shibboleths, but I’m still stuck with the one that insists that no Gentleman speaks favorably of himself — we’re supposed to be like medieval knights, only without all the skewering and clanking. Still, when a Looming godlike Presence commands… Okay, quick and dirty, I’ll tell you what I was.
Starting in 1965, when I took a job as Stan Lee’s assistant, I was in the comic book business. As a writer, I did hundreds of comics scripts, some of which got noticed. Also, I was an editor for 23 years, most recently of the Batman franchise, and, even more recently, a teacher of comic book writing, a job I still happily do. I’ve also written novels, non-fiction books, a few teleplays, a lot of short pieces, including stories, reviews and introductions. And columns — I’ve done those, too. And I’ve shot off my mouth in public quite a bit. That’s what I was. What I am, as these words are typed, is a semi-retired slug.
We cool, Mr. Presence?
Books about comic books and comic book characters have grown in volume over the past few years. While some, such as Bob Handelman’s biography of Will Eisner, have received mainstream notice, many others fly under the radar.
Welcome to ComicMix — well, phase one of ComicMix.
