O’Neil wrote “Batman,” “Detective Comics” and “Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight” in addition to serving as an editor for DC’s Batman-related comic books from 1986 until 2000. Along with editor Julius Schwartz and artist Neal Adams, O’Neil helped to bring Batman back to his original, more ominous persona after the 1960s “Batman” TV series had a campier take on the superhero.
Teaming up with artist Neal Adams, O’Neil also reinvigorated the characters of Green Arrow and Green Lantern by pairing them up as best friends and “hard-traveling heroes” who traversed the United States together righting wrongs while exploring complex issues of politics and social justice in the 1970s – one of the first comic book runs to tackle these issues in such a way.
