Wow, this is a death I've anticipated for a long time, and yet it's still a shock and a loss.
As I described years ago, I started out early on reading comics with the Harvey titles like CASPER, RICHIE RICH, HOT STUFF, and LITTLE LOTTA from about 1970-1972.
The first DC comic I bought was BATMAN 241, with the cover story "At Dawn Dies Mary MacGuffin" by Dennis O'Neil, with art by Irv Novick and Dick Giordano.
I agree with you 1 billion percent, G-man, that Dennis O'Neil was absolutely the best writer the Batman series ever had. There is a sophistication to O'Neil's Batman, mixed with a nicely developed Sherlock Holmes-like detective element, and a strong sense of moral outrage and social conscience, whether the stories centered on grandiose villains or impoverished minor characters.
O'Neil was the essence of what made me a DC reader rather than a Marvel reader. The stilted overblown pseudo-Shakespearian dialogue that was played to death in Marvel's line of titles was mostly absent on the DC side. Mostly due to the efforts of O'Neil, with him at one time or another on taking the helm virtually all of DC's titles: DETECTIVE, BATMAN, GREEN LANTERN, a few scattered issues of BRAVE AND THE BOLD, WONDER WOMAN, SWORD OF SORCERY, WEIRD WORLDS, BEWARE THE CREEPER (as "Sergius O'Shaugnessy", probably because he was still doing work for Marvel at the time, not fully a DC staffer yet in 1968-1969), Nightmaster with Berni Wrightson in two SHOWCASE issues, writing SUPERMAN from issues 233-243 in that era's version of a "new" Superman, JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA, some great stories with Michael Golden in BATMAN FAMILY, WORLD'S FINEST, and maany others.
On the Marvel side I admired O'Neil as much as an editor as a writer, as his titles were considently among the best Marvel published from 1980-1985: during Miller's DAREDEVIL run, the BIZARRE ADVENTURES anthology series, AMAZING SPIDERMAN around the time (207-223) Stern and Romita Jr started their run, Moench/Day's MASTER OF KUNG FU 101-120, Moench/Sienkiewicz MOON KNIGHT 1-30, Duffy and Kerry Gammill on POWERMAN/IRON FIST 61-89, SPIDER-WOMAN, and Byrne's ALPHA FLIGHT run.
Then O'Neil went back to DC to edit the Batman line of titles from 1986-2000 or so, starting just before Miller's BATMAN: YEAR ONE storyline with David Mazzuchelli.
The last really great O'Neil-scripted series was his run with Denys Cowan on THE QUESTION from 1987-1991.
And less impressive for me, of the few issues I sampled, AZRAEL. Although O'Neil did a long run on that series, perhaps some great material I missed.
But for me, the material I'll always love O'Neil for are his late 1960's and early 1970's runs on DC titles, particularly on BATMAN and DETECTIVE. And BEWARE THE CREEPER 1-6 with Ditko.
I also loved several follow-up stories O'Neil did with the same character in DETECTIVE 418, a story by Wein in DETECTIVE 444-448, and by O'Neil in THE JOKER 3.
O'Neil's run on BATMAN 224-266 was unbeatable, a series I felt a great loss for when it ended, and there was no successor even near worthy for many years after.
O'Neil did a more sporadic run of stories in DETECTIVE COMICS throughout the 1970's as well. As best I recall, in issues 395-411, 414, 418, 419, 422, 425, 431, 451, 457 and 481.
Plus as I said, at the end of O'Neil's 1970's tenure, a few great stories in BATMAN FAMILY 15-20 with Michael Golden.
And a one-shot "Batman Spectacular" in DC SPECIAL SERIES 15, an O'Neil pulp-like text story with Marshall Rogers, and a R'as Al Ghul story with Michael Golden.
Plus another story in DETECTIVE 481 with Marshall Rogers. And then O'Neil left for greener pastures at Marvel.
I'm glad I got to meet Dennis O'Neil at the Florida Supercon in Miami in July 2012 (some others there were Neal Adams, Jose Delbo, Carmine Infantino, David Spurlock, Bill Sienkiewicz, Howard Chaykin, Kevin Maguire, Al Vey, Roy Thomas, and a few others, quite a collection of talent for such a small show.)
O'Neil was a bit irritable and maybe not so glad to see me, but I did get to meet him. His wife was much more cheerful and friendly. perhaps I just got O'Neil on a bad day. But I'm glad I was able to thank him for all the work that I've re-read for almost 50 years now.
For all the accolades, I still feel O'Neil doesn't get enough credit for his contribution to the field.
He’s is probably the most influential comics writer in history after Stan Lee.
