Comic Book Writer Gerry Conway Dies at 73 After Battling Pancreatic Cancer

Born in the Bay Ridge neighborhood of Brooklyn on September 10, 1952, Conway sold his first story to Marvel at the age of 15. That story was published years after he sold it. He went on to write for Marvel Comics and DC Comics for most of his life.

B. " The company added: "Gerry was a tremendous icon in comics who shaped pop culture itself. " Conway created the death of Gwen Stacy in 1973. The cover of Issue No. 121 of The Amazing Spider-Man, titled "The Night Gwen Stacy Died," marked that moment.

Conway co-created the Punisher character, who debuted in Issue No. 129 of The Amazing Spider-Man in 1974. He developed the vigilante with Ross Andru and John Romita Sr. In that issue, the Jackal hires someone to take out Spider-Man, putting Spidey in the crosshairs of Frank Castle, the Punisher.

The character wears a black uniform with a giant skull emblazoned on the front. He wrote for Justice League of America for years. His final Marvel credit came in 2023 as a writer for Disney+ Marvel’s What If...?

Series, which he penned with Jody Houser. That episode features an alternative storyline where Gwen Stacy lives and Spider-Man dies trying to save her. Conway is survived by his wife and two daughters from prior marriages.

He is also survived by a grandson and sister. In other news, scientists have pinpointed the muscle behind penguins' waddle as an enigmatic and long-misunderstood tissue that forces the bird’s lower limbs to stay close to its body near the knees. This adaptation contributes to their signature waddle.

It also helps keep their bodies streamlined when underwater and allows them to move efficiently on both land and sea. A new book, The Blood Countess: Murder, Betrayal, and the Making of a Monster by Shelley Puhak, was published by Bloomsbury Publishing in February 2026. 99, examines the life of Elizabeth Bathory, a Hungarian countess born in 1560.

The Guinness Book of World Records claims Bathory killed more than 600 girls, citing testimony of a servant girl named Susanna. The scribe recording Susanna's testimony marked the number as something only "known from hearsay," Puhak writes. Bathory's husband died in 1604, and her brother died in 1605.

After those deaths, she controlled at least 17 castles and estates, with access through her family to more, and over 500 miles of land. Without the protection of any male relative after 1605, Bathory became vulnerable. George Thurzo opened an investigation into her in March 1610.

She was arrested on December 29, 1610. Bathory died overnight of natural causes in August 1614. Despite the accusations, she received a proper funeral, with her coffin draped in an expensive black silk cover and brought into the church.

The film Die Blutgräfin (The Blood Countess) features Isabelle Huppert as Bathory.