In a sad turn of events, it has been confirmed that comic book veteran writer and editor, Gerry Conway, has died. At the age of 73-years-old, the exact cause of Conway's death has yet to be confirmed, but the comic icon did recently overcome a bout with pancreatic cancer, something that resulted in multiple hospitalisations in 2022 and 2023.
Speaking about this sad passing, Marvel Comics shared an obituary and message of thanks.
"On behalf of his family, we are sad to share that Gerry Conway has passed away. Gerry was a tremendous icon in comics who shaped pop culture itself. He was a dear friend, partner, and mentor, and our hearts are with his family and the millions he touched through his work."
For those unaware of Conway's influence on comic books, he is credited as the co-creator of the Punisher, Spider-Man clone/variant Ben Reilly, Jackal, the first Ms. Marvel, and as the writer of the beloved Spider-Man arc, The Night Gwen Stacy Died. Considering Punisher and Ben Reilly (via Spider-Noir) are about to have very big summers, this news makes hearing of Conway's death all the more tragic.
Beyond Marvel, Conway also helped sculpt some key DC characters over the years, including having co-creation credits for Firestorm, Power Girl, Jason Todd, and Killer Croc, with over eight years of writing Justice League stories under his belt too. With Superman and Spider-Man crossing over again this year, it should also be said that Conway penned the first crossover between these two legendary superheroes, which at the time was the first of its kind.
RIP, Conway.
