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Roy William Thomas Jr."Roy Thomas Checklist" Alter Ego vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) p. 16 (born November 22, 1940) Comics Buyer's Guide #1636 (December 2007) p. 135 is an American comic book writer and editor. He was Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics and possibly best known for introducing the pulp magazine hero Conan the Barbarian to American comics. Thomas is also known for his championing of Golden Age comic-book heroes – particularly the 1940s superhero team the Justice Society of America – and for lengthy writing stints on Marvel's Uncanny X-Men and The Avengers, and DC Comics' All-Star Squadron and Infinity Inc., among many other titles.
Among the comics characters he co-created are Vision, Doc Samson, Carol Danvers, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Ultron, Yellowjacket, Defenders, Man-Thing, Red Sonja, Morbius, Ghost Rider, Squadron Supreme, Invaders, Black Knight (Dane Whitman), Nighthawk, Grandmaster, Banshee, Sunfire, Thundra, Arkon, Killraven, Wendell Vaughn, Red Wolf, Red Guardian, Daimon Hellstrom, and Valkyrie.
Thomas was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2011 and into the Harvey Awards Hall of Fame in 2022.
Thomas became an early and active member of Silver Age comic book fandom in the early 1960s.Siegel, Howard P. "Made in America," BEM #16 (Dec. 1977). Enthusiasm for the rebirth of superhero comics during that period led Jerry Bails to found the fanzine Alter Ego, and Thomas, then a high school English teacher, took over as editor in 1964. Letters from Thomas appeared regularly in the letters pages of both DC and Marvel Comics, including Green Lantern #1 (August 1960), The Flash #116 (Nov. 1960), Brave and the Bold #35 (May 1961), Fantastic Four #5 (July 1962), Fantastic Four #15 (June 1963), Fantastic Four #22 (Jan. 1964), and Blackhawk #211 (Aug. 1965).
This came after his chafing under the notoriously difficult Weisinger, to a point, Thomas said in 1981, that he would go "home to my dingy little room at, coincidentally, the George Washington Hotel in Manhattan, during that second week, and actually feeling tears well into my eyes, at the ripe old age of 24." Familiar with editor and chief writer Stan Lee's Marvel work, and feeling them "the most vital comics around", Thomas "just sat down one night at the hotel and – I wrote him a letter! Not applying for a job or anything so mundane as that – I just said that I admired his work, and would like to buy him a drink some time. I figured he just might remember me from Alter Ego." Lee did, and phoned Thomas to offer him a Marvel writing test.
The writer's test, Thomas said in 1998, "was four Jack Kirby pages from Fantastic Four Annual #2 ... Stan had Sol Brodsky or someone take out the dialogue. It was just black-and-white. Other people like Denny O'Neil and Gary Friedrich took it. But soon afterwards we stopped using it." The day after taking the test, Thomas was at DC, proofreading a Supergirl story, when Steinberg called asking Thomas to meet with Lee during lunch, where Thomas agreed to work for Marvel.Thomas, The Comics Journal #61, p. 80 He returned to DC to give "indefinite notice" to Weisinger, but Weisinger ordered him to leave immediately and "I was back at Marvel less than an hour after I first left, and had a Modeling with Millie assignment to do over the weekend. It was a Friday." His employment was announced in the "Bullpen Bulletins" section of Fantastic Four #47 (Feb. 1966) under the heading "How About That! Department" ("Roy's a fan who's made it!"). Thomas later described his early days at Marvel:
To that point, editor-in-chief Lee had been the main writer of Marvel publications, with his brother, Larry Lieber, often picking up the slack plotting of Lee-scripted stories. Thomas soon became the first new Marvel writer to sustain a presence at a time when comics veterans such as Robert Bernstein, Ernie Hart, Leon Lazarus, and Don Rico, and fellow newcomers Steve Skeates (hired a couple of weeks earlier) and O'Neil (brought in at Thomas' recommendation a few months later) did not. His Marvel debut was the romance-comics story "Whom Can I Turn To?" in the Millie the Model spin-off Modeling with Millie #44 (Dec. 1965) – for which the credits and the logo were inadvertently left off due to a production glitch, resulting in this being left off most credit lists. Alter Ego vol. 3, #50, p. 8 (2025). 9780756641238, Dorling Kindersley. ISBN 9780756641238 Thomas' first Marvel superhero scripting was "My Life for Yours", the "Iron Man" feature in Tales of Suspense #73 (Jan. 1966), working from a Lee plot as well as a plot assist from secretary Steinberg. Thomas estimates that Lee rewrote approximately half of that fledgling attempt.
Thomas' earliest Marvel work also included the teen-romance title Patsy and Hedy #104–105 (Feb.-April 1966), and two "Doctor Strange" stories, plotted by Lee and Steve Ditko, in Strange Tales #143–144 (April–May 1966). Two previously written freelance stories for Charlton Comics also saw print: "The Second Trojan War" in Son of Vulcan #50 (Jan. 1966) and "The Eye of Horus" in Blue Beetle #54 (March 1966). "When Stan saw the couple of Charlton stories I'd written earlier in more of a Gardner Fox style, he wasn't too impressed," Thomas recalled. "It's probably a good thing I already had my job at Marvel at that point! I think I was the right person in the right place at the right time, but there are other people who, had they been there, might have been just as right." Alter Ego vol. 3, #50, pp. 9–10
Thomas took on what would be his first long-term Marvel title, the World War II series Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos, starting with #29 (April 1966) and continuing through #41 (April 1967) and the series' 1966 annual, Sgt. Fury Special #2. He also began writing the mutant-superteam title [Uncanny X-Men]] from #20–43 (May 1966 – April 1968), and, finally, took over The Avengers, starting with #35 (Dec. 1966), and continuing until 1972. That notable run was marked by a strong sense of continuity, and stories that ranged from the personal to the cosmic – the latter most prominently with the "Kree-Skrull War" in issues #89–97 (June 1971 – March 1972). Additional work included an occasional "Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." and "Doctor Strange" story in Strange Tales. When that title became the solo comic Doctor Strange, he wrote the entire run of new stories, from #169–183 (June 1968 – Nov. 1969), mostly with the art team of penciler Gene Colan and inker Tom Palmer.
As Thomas self-evaluated in a 1981 interview, shortly after leaving Marvel for rival DC Comics, "One of the reasons Stan liked my writing ... was that after a few issues he felt he could trust me enough that he virtually never again read anything I wrote – well, at least not more than a page or two in a row, just to keep me honest."Thomas, The Comics Journal #61, p. 78
Thomas eloped in July 1968 to marry his first wife, Jean Maxey, Alter Ego vol. 3, #50, p. 37 returning to work a day late from a weekend comic-book convention in St. Louis, Missouri. Thomas said in 2000 that Brodsky, in the interim, had assigned Doctor Strange to the writer Archie Goodwin, newly ensconced at Marvel and writing Iron Man, but Thomas convinced Brodsky to return it to him. "I got very possessive about Doctor Strange," Thomas recalled. "It wasn't a huge seller, but by, we were selling in the low 40 percent range of more than 400,000 print run, so it was actually selling a couple hundred thousand copies but at the time you needed to sell even more."Thomas (interviewer) in "So You Want a Job, Eh? The Gene Colan Interview", Alter Ego vol. 3, #6 (Autumn 2000) pp. 13–14 He eventually did have a Caribbean honeymoon, where he scripted the wedding of Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne in The Avengers #60 (Jan. 1969)."Bullpen Bulletins" page, "Brilliant Bits of Block-Busting Bombast Straight from your Blushin' Bullpen!" in Marvel Comics cover-dated March 1969, including The Incredible Hulk vol. 2, #113 Thomas, who had turned over X-Men to other writers, returned with issue #55 (April 1969) when the series was on the verge of cancellation. Additional . While efforts to save it failed – the title ended its initial run with #66 – Thomas' collaboration with artist Neal Adams through #63 (Dec. 1969) is regarded as a Silver Age creative highlight.For example: Hill, Shawn, " Essential Avengers v4" (review), Comics Bulletin, February 15, 2006, re: the "Kree-Skrull War" arc: "This story set the standard for years to come, even if it has since been surpassed" ( WebCitation archive); and Sanderson, Peter. Marvel Universe (Harry N. Abrams, 1998) , , p. 127: "Running nine issues, much of it spectacularly illustrated by Neal Adams, the Kree-Skrull War had no precedent in comics. ... With this story The Avengers unquestionably established its reputation as one of Marvel's leading books"; and Stiles, re: X-Men: "Even knowing that the book was slated for the axe, Adams poured out some of the finest, most innovative work of his career". Thomas won the 1969 Alley Award that year for Best Writer, while Adams and inker Tom Palmer, netted 1969 Alley Awards for Best Pencil Artist and Best Inking Artist, respectively.
Thomas and artist Barry Smith launched Conan the Barbarian in October 1970,Peter Sanderson "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 146: ""Writer Roy Thomas and British artist Barry Smith (later known as Barry Windsor-Smith) launched Marvel's sword-and-sorcery comics with Conan the Barbarian, in a series that ran for 275 issues." based on Robert E. Howard's 1930s pulp-fiction sword-and-sorcery character. Thomas, who stepped down from his editorship in August 1974, wrote hundreds of Conan stories in a host of Marvel comics and the black-and-white magazines Savage Tales and The Savage Sword of Conan. During that time, he and Smith also brought to comics Howard's little-known, sword-wielding woman-warrior Red Sonja, initially as a Conan supporting character. Comics historian Les Daniels noted that, " Conan the Barbarian was something of a gamble for Marvel. The series contained the usual elements of action and fantasy, to be sure, but it was set in a past that had no relation to the Marvel Universe, and it featured a hero who possessed no magical powers, little humor and comparatively few moral principles."
In 1971, with Stan Lee, Gerry Conway and Gray Morrow, Thomas created Man-Thing and wrote the first Man-Thing story in color comics, after Conway and Len Wein had introduced the character in the black-and-white comics magazine Savage Tales. Later that year, Thomas wrote the "Kree–Skrull War" storyline across multiple issues of The Avengers penciled variously by Sal Buscema, Neal Adams, and John Buscema.Daniels p. 150: "This wild tale ... attempted to tie together more than thirty years of the company's stories ... More than any previous work, 'The Kree-Skrull War' solidified the idea that every comic book Marvel had ever published was part of an endless, ongoing saga."Sanderson "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 150: "Unprecedented in Marvel history, this epic spanned nine issues of The Avengers. The saga began in The Avengers #89." Thomas was the first person other than Stan Lee to receive a writer's credit for The Amazing Spider-Man, and he and artist Ross Andru launched the Spider-Man spin-off title Marvel Team-Up in March 1972.Manning "1970s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 60: "Spider-Man was a proven hit, so Marvel decided to expand the wall-crawler's horizons with a new Spider-Man title ... Its first issue featured Spidey teaming up with the Human Torch against the Sandman in a Christmas tale written by Roy Thomas with art by Ross Andru."
Thomas, with Marvel writers and artists, co-created many other characters, among them Ultron (including the fictional metal adamantium),DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 131: "A precursor of the unstoppable robot in the Terminator films, Ultron sprang from the minds of writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema." Carol Danvers,Sanderson "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 178: "Danvers first appeared in March 1968, as a NASA security chief in the Captain Mar-Vell story in Marvel Super-Heroes #13, and was originally created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Gene Colan." Morbius, (2025). 9780756692360, Dorling Kindersley. ISBN 9780756692360 Luke Cage, Iron Fist,Sanderson "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 165: "Marvel combined the superhero and martial arts genres when writer Roy Thomas and artist Gil Kane created Iron Fist in Marvel Premiere #15." Ghost Rider,Sanderson "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 156: "Co-created by editor Roy Thomas, writer Gary Friedrich, and artist Mike Ploog, the new Ghost Rider was Johnny Blaze, a motorcycle stunt performer." Doc Samson, Valkyrie, Werewolf by Night,Sanderson "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 154: ""Roy Thomas came up with the idea for a series called 'I, Werewolf', narrated in the first person by a teenager who transformed into a werewolf. Stan Lee liked the concept but decided to name it 'Werewolf by Night'. The initial creative team on the series was scriptwriter Gerry Conway and artist Mike Ploog." Banshee and Killraven.Sanderson "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 159: "Roy Thomas conceived the initial idea of an alternate-future Earth sequel to H. G. Wells' classic science fiction novel The War of the Worlds ... Neal Adams plotted the first story with a script by Gerry Conway and art by Adams and Howard Chaykin." Thomas also co-created several characters based on pre-existing characters, including the Vision,DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 132: "The updated Vision was created by writer Roy Thomas, who continued his trick of taking a name that Marvel already owned and creating a new super hero around it ... The new Vision, drawn by John Buscema, was a synthozoid – an android with synthetic human organs." Yellowjacket,DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 133 the Black Knight,DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 128: "Thomas often employed a name that Marvel already owned and built a new character around it. Such was the case with the Black Knight." and Adam Warlock.Sanderson "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 155
Thomas married his second wife, Dann Thomas, in May 1981. Danette legally changed her first name to Dann and would become Thomas' regular writing partner. He credits her with the original idea for the Arak, Son of Thunder series drawn by Ernie Colón.Thomas, Roy "Roy Thomas Checklist" Alter Ego vol. 3, #50 (July 2005) TwoMorrows Publishing p. 23 Writer Gerry Conway would also be a frequent collaborator with Thomas; together they wrote a two-part Superman-Shazam team-up in DC Comics Presents; a series of Atari Force and Swordquest mini-comics packaged with Atari 2600 video games; and three Justice League-Justice Society crossovers.Thomas, Roy. "The Justice League-Justice Society Team-Ups" The All-Star Companion TwoMorrows Publishing 2000 pp. 191–192Thomas, Roy "Crisis on Finite Earths The Justice League-Justice Society Team-Ups (1963–1985)" Alter Ego, vol. 3, #7 (Winter 2001) TwoMorrows Publishing, pp. 31–34 Conway also contributed ideas to the talking animal comic Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew!, created by Thomas and Scott Shaw.Shaw, Scott "Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew! Vol. 1, No. 1" , OddBallComics.com #1180, October 8, 2007 Thomas and Conway were to be the co-writers of the JLA/Avengers intercompany crossoverGeorge Pérez interview, David Anthony Kraft's Comics Interview #6 (Fictioneer, Aug. 1983). but editorial disputes between DC and Marvel caused the project's cancellation.O'Neill, Patrick Daniel. "Career Moves" (Pérez interview), Wizard #35 (July 1994). During that era, Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway collaborated on the screenplays for two movies: the animated feature Fire and Ice (1983) and Conan the Destroyer (1984)."Roy Thomas Checklist" p. 17 The duo also worked on a live-action X-Men film for production company Nelvana that never went into production.
As a solo writer, Roy Thomas wrote Wonder Woman and, with artist Gene Colan, updated the character's costume and introduced a new , the Silver Swan. His final work on the series, issue #300 (Feb. 1983), was co-written with his wife Dann Thomas,Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 200: "The Amazing Amazon was joined by a host of DC's greatest heroes to celebrate her 300th issue in a seventy-two-page blockbuster ... Written by Roy and Dann Thomas, and penciled by Gene Colan, Ross Andru, Jan Duursema, Dick Giordano, Keith Pollard, Keith Giffen, and Rich Buckler." who, as Roy Thomas noted in 1999 "became the first woman ever to receive scripting credit on the world's foremost super-heroine."Thomas, Roy "The Secret Origins of Infinity, Inc." Alter Ego vol. 3, #1 (Summer 1999) TwoMorrows Publishing p. 27
Thomas realized a childhood dream in writing the Justice Society of America (JSA). Reviving the Golden Age group in Justice League #193 and continuing in All-Star Squadron,Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 195: "The creative team of writer Roy Thomas and artist Rich Buckler on All-Star Squadron offered readers a nostalgic glimpse back in time, albeit through the slightly distorted lens of Earth-2's history." he wrote retro adventures, like those of The Invaders, set in World War II. In addition to the JSA's high-profile heroes, Thomas revived such characters as Liberty Belle, Johnny Quick, Robotman, Firebrand, the Tarantula, and Neptune Perkins. He used the series to address the complicated and sometimes contradictory continuity issues surrounding the JSA."One of Thomas's goals is to resolve problems in past Earth-2 continuity." as noted in "From Here to Infinity" Sanderson, Peter Amazing Heroes #36 (December 1, 1983) p. 47
In 1983, Thomas and artist Jerry Ordway created Infinity, Inc., a group composed of the JSA's children. The characters debuted in All-Star Squadron #25 (Sept. 1983)Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 203: "The children of the original Justice Society of America made their smash debut in this issue by writer Roy Thomas and penciler Jerry Ordway ... All-Star Squadron #25 marked the first appearances of future cult-favorite heroes Jade, Obsidian, Fury, Brainwave Jr., the Silver Scarab, Northwind, and Nuklon." and were launched in their own series in March 1984.Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 207: "Written by DC's Golden Age guru Roy Thomas and drawn by Jerry Ordway, Infinity, Inc. was released in DC's new deluxe format on bright Baxter paper." Thomas wrote several limited series for DC including America vs. the Justice Society,Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 212: "In this limited series by writer Roy Thomas and penciler Rafael Kayanan, the JSA was taken to trial following a modern-day witchhunt." Jonni Thunder, , and Crimson Avenger as well as two issues of DC Challenge. From 1986 to 1988, Thomas contributed to the Secret Origins seriesManning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 218: "The heroes of the DC Universe got a little more exposed thanks to the new ongoing effort Secret Origins, a title offering new interpretations to the backgrounds of some of comics' biggest icons. Its debut issue featured the origin of the first true super-hero – the Golden Age Superman – by writer Roy Thomas and illustrator Wayne Boring." and wrote most of the stories involving the Golden Age characters including Superman and Batman.Manning "1980s" in Dougall, p. 162: "Earth-Two Batman's history was chronicled by writer Roy Thomas and artist Marshall Rogers." In 1986, DC decided to write off the JSA from active continuity. A one-shot issue titled The Last Days of the Justice Society involved most of the JSA battling the forces of evil while merged with the Norse gods in an ever-repeating Ragnarok-like Limbo was written by Thomas, with art by David Ross.Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 221: "The world's first super-team saw its adventures come to a temporary end thanks to its biggest fan. Writer/editor Roy Thomas acknowledged that, after ... the Crisis maxiseries, the JSA seemed no longer relevant." Young All-Stars replaced All-Star Squadron following the changes to DC's continuity brought about by the Crisis on Infinite Earths limited series. Thomas' last major project for DC was an adaptation of Richard Wagner's Ring cycle drawn by Gil Kane and published in 1989–1990. Since then, Thomas has written a trio of Elseworlds one-shots combining DC characters with classic cinema and literature: Superman's Metropolis (1996), Superman: War of the Worlds (1998), and JLA: The Island of Dr. Moreau (2002).
By 1986, Thomas wrote for Marvel's New Universe line, beginning with Spitfire and the Troubleshooters #5 (Feb. 1987), followed by a multi-issue run of Nightmask, co-scripted by his wife Dann Thomas. He scripted titles starring Doctor Strange, Thor, the Avengers West Coast, and Conan, often co-scripting with Dann Thomas or Jean-Marc Lofficier.
Over the next ten years Thomas did less work for the mainstream comics press. For a series of independent publishers, he wrote issues of the TV-series tie-ins , and The X-Files for Topps Comics. He also wrote for television, and relaunched Alter Ego as a formal magazine published by TwoMorrows Publishing in 1999. In 2005, he earned a master's degree in humanities from California State University.
With Marvel's four-issue miniseries Stoker's Dracula (Oct. 2004 – May 2005), Thomas and artist Dick Giordano completed an adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, which the duo had begun 30 years earlier in 10- to 12-page installments, beginning with Marvel's black-and-white horror-comics magazine Dracula Lives! #5 (March 1974). They had completed 76 pages, comprising roughly one-third of the novel, through issues #6–8 and 10–11 and Marvel Preview #8 ("The Legion of Monsters"), before Marvel canceled Dracula Lives and later many of its other black-and-whites.
Anthem, a comic book series by Thomas and artists Daniel Acuña, Jorge Santamaria Garcia and Benito Gallego, about World War II superheroes in an alternate reality, was published by Heroic Publishing in January 2006. Thomas returned to Red Sonja in 2006, writing the one-shot Red Sonja: Monster Isle for Dynamite Entertainment. In 2007 Thomas wrote a Black Knight story for Marvel's four-issue miniseries Mystic Arcana.
From 2007 to 2010, Thomas wrote adaptations of classic literature for the Marvel imprint Marvel Illustrated, including The Last of the Mohicans (2007), (2007–2008), Treasure Island (2007–2008), The Iliad (2008), Moby-Dick (2008), The Picture of Dorian Gray (2008), The Three Musketeers (2008–2009), and Kidnapped (2009). In 2010, Marvel Illustrated released a collection of all the Dracula material adapted by Thomas and Giordano, originally published in the 1970s and mid-2000s.
Thomas had a cameo appearance as a prison inmate on the third season of Marvel's Daredevil, released in October 2018 on Netflix, and wrote a blog entry about this experience.
On November 10, 2018, Thomas visited Stan Lee at Lee's home in Beverly Hills to discuss Thomas' book The Stan Lee Story. Lee told Thomas' manager, John Cimino, "Take care of my boy Roy" before Lee and Thomas were photographed together. Lee died less than 48 hours later.
On February 23, 2019, Jackson, Missouri, declared Roy Thomas Day. In a ceremony, he was awarded the key to the city.
On March 23, 2019, the final Amazing Spider-Man newspaper comic strip was published. Thomas had been the ghost writer for Stan Lee on the strip since 2000.Thomas, Roy/Johnston, Rich (March 23, 2019). "The Last Spider-Man Newspaper Strip Runs Today – Its Writer, Roy Thomas Looks Back". Bleeding Cool.
Thomas made a return to Marvel Comics in 2019 with the release of the Captain America and The Invaders: Bahamas Triangle one-shot drawn by Jerry Ordway, contributed to the Marvel Comics #1000 celebration issue and did a two-part Savage Sword of Conan story with artist Alan Davis. In 2020, Thomas wrote a 10-page story in the Marvel one-shot King-Size Conan #1.
On February 23, 2021, Thomas criticized Abraham Riesman's controversial Stan Lee biography . In a guest column in The Hollywood Reporter, Thomas took issue with Riesman's assessment of conflicting accounts of the work of Lee and Jack Kirby, who is credited with co-creating many classic Marvel characters. Thomas stated, "Something like 95 percent of the time, the is a very good biography. However, the remaining (and crucial) 5 percent of its content, scattered amid all that painstaking research and well-written prose, renders it often untrustworthy...i.e., a very bad biography. Because the author often insists, visibly and intrusively, on putting his verbal thumb on the scales, in a dispute he seems ill-equipped to judge."
In 2022, Thomas returned to write the X-Men in the first two issues of X-Men: Legends which tells new in-continuity stories of early X-Men adventures.
Thomas serves on the Disbursement Committee of the comic-book industry charity The Hero Initiative.
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