Len Wein, the best-selling comic book writer and editor who co-created Wolverine and Swamp Thing and edited Watchmen, has reportedly passed away. He was 69 years old.
The comics community is beginning to respond on social media after Spider-Man writer Brian Michael Bendis tweeted out a memoriam message.
Wein's first professional comics story was "Eye of the Beholder" in 1968's Teen Titans #18. Wein co-wrote the story with soon-to-be-Titans legend Marv Wolfman, and co-created the male Starfire, later known as Red Star and the son of Constantin Kovar, who appeared on Arrow last season.
Creating characters was something that Wein would do a lot throughout his long comics career. He is best known for two original creations of his that have forever altered the landscape of superhero comics, both of which have had successful screen adaptations: Wolverine was just portrayed in Logan, one of the most critically-acclaimed superhero movies ever made, wrapping a solo trilogy following three X-Men films where he was the de facto main character. The other is Swamp Thing, originally created for DCs anthology title House of Secrets; Swamp Thing was a key property in the evolution and exposure of Watchmen co-creator Alan Moore as a mainstream, American superhero writer.
Wein was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2008.
Back in 2012, Wein told ComicBook.com that he was glad he got to work on the controversial Before Watchmen project at DC.
Its time somebody did it, especially at the quarter-century mark, Wein said. Some of us that were around when it started, may not be around at the next quarter-century mark.
Wein's longtime Swamp Thing collaborator Bernie Wrightson passed away earlier this year.
