It’s Batman Legend Denny O’Neil’s Birthday!

Denny O’Neil is one of the defining writers in Batman history. During his run, The Caped Crusader enjoyed a renaissance that lead to our modern interpretation  of the character today.

From his Wiki:

"Dennis J. “Denny” O’Neil (born May 3, 1939  in St. Louis, Missouri) is an American comic book writer and editor, principally forMarvel Comics and DC Comics from the 1960s through the 1990s, and Group Editor for the Batman family of books until his retirement.O’Neil’s 1970s run on the Batman titles, under the direction of editor Julius Schwartz, is perhaps his best-known endeavor, getting back to the character’s darker roots after a period dominated by the campiness of the 1960s TV series.Comics historian Les Daniels observed that “O’Neil’s interpretation of Batman as a vengeful obsessive-compulsive, which he modestly describes as a return to the roots, was actually an act of creative imagination that has influenced every subsequent version of the Dark Knight.” O’Neil and Adams’ creation Ra’s al Ghul was introduced in the story “Daughter of the Demon” in Batman #232 (June 1971) O’Neil and artist Bob Brown also created Talia al Ghul. During this period, O’Neil frequently teamed up with his regular collaborator Adams (with Giordano often assisting on inks) on a number of memorable issues of both Batman andDetective Comics. The Joker was revitalized in “The Joker’s Five-Way Revenge!” in Batman #251 (Sept. 1973), a landmark story bringing the character back to his roots as a homicidal maniac who murders people on a whim and delights in his mayhem. O’Neil and Giordano created the Batman supporting character Leslie Thompkins in the story “There Is No Hope in Crime Alley” appearing in Detective Comics #457 (March 1976).Photo by Luigi Novi"

You can pretty much thank Denny O’Neil with the Batman we know and love today.

…The man is on Facebook. Make sure you wish him a happy birthday!