A comics legend has passed.
Brooklyn-born Star Trek writer and comic book legend Gerry Conway has passed away at the age of 73. Marvel revealed the news earlier today (April 27), on behalf of his family, but the post didn’t reveal a cause of death. However, the President of Marvel Comics and Franchise, Dan Buckley, wrote the following in remembrance of Conway:
"Gerry Conway was a gifted writer. He was thoughtful, deeply attuned to the emotional and moral core of storytelling, and a wonderful and articulate advocate for comics and creators. His writing has inspired all of us at Marvel, and will continue to inspire generations of writers, readers and fans to come.”
As most Trekkies already know, Conway was a key contributor to the Star Trek comics, which ran in newspapers from 1979 until 1983. The comic strip was a syndicated staple of the Los Angeles Times, during its four-year run, and was published in black-and-white throughout the week and in color on Sundays.
Conway joined the Star Trek comic strip team near the end of its run, but he did work on a total of five memorable story arcs, including “Goodbye to Spock” and “The Retirement of Admiral Kirk.” Both followed on the heels of the immensely popular feature film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982).
However, for those Trekkies out there who also love comic books, Conway was a daring visionary, not to mention the writer who penned the Green Goblin controversially killing off Peter Parker’s girlfriend, Gwen Stacy, in The Amazing Spider-Man No. 121 (1973) — some 10 years before he began his work on the Star Trek comic strip.
The highly coveted and collectible Spider-Man comic book’s story, which was titled “The Night Gwen Stacy Died,” was so popular that it even inspired the feature film The Amazing Spider-Man 2 decades later. And in that 2014 film, Parker’s (Andrew Garfield) love interest (Emma Stone) does sadly die because of the Green Goblin’s actions. C.B. Cebulski., Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief also said of Conway in the same published statement:
"From Spider-Man to the Avengers, Iron Man to Captain Marvel, Gerry Conway has deftly written almost every character in the Marvel Universe. He thrilled us with new characters like the Punisher and broke our hearts in emotional tales like ‘The Night Gwen Stacy Died,’ a story that affects Spider-Man to this day. Gerry Conway's legacy has made an undeniable and indelible impact on the Super Hero stories we know and love. He will be dearly missed."
The Redshirts Always Die and FanSided teams are saddened to hear of Mr. Conway's death, and we would like to pass on our condolences to those closest to him, including his family and friends.
For more Star Trek content, and to remember Gerry Conway, please visit the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages.
Rest in peace, Mr. Conway.
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