Steve   Gerber (1947-2008) first came to attention writing Defenders, in which he gave the   non-team a non-traditional outlook equaled by few. In Adventure of Fear, he introduced   Howard the Duck. Gerber’s other 1970s contributions included scripts for Iron Man, Sub-Mariner and more. Elsewhere, he is equally well-remembered for DC’s Phantom Zone, Eclipse’s Destroyer Duck and others.
Gerry   Conway wrote Daredevil, Incredible Hulk, Iron Man   and others. He was instrumental in Marvel’s 1970s horror boom with work on Man-Thing, Tomb   of Dracula and Werewolf   by Night. His years on Amazing   Spider-Man yielded such historic highlights as the   groundbreaking death of Gwen Stacy and the debut of the Punisher. He also   wrote DC’s Batman, Superman, Wonder   Woman and Legion of   Super-Heroes. For TV, he has written and produced   episodes of Diagnosis: Murder, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Huntress   and Matlock.
Roy   Thomas joined the Marvel Bullpen as a writer and editor   under Stan Lee, scripting key runs of nearly every title of the time: Amazing Spider-Man, Avengers, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, Sub-Mariner, Thor, X-Men and more. He wrote the first   10 years of Marvel’s Conan the Barbarian and Savage Sword of Conan; and launched such series as Defenders, Iron Fist,   Invaders and Warlock. At DC, he developed All-Star Squadron, Infinity Inc. and related titles,   proving instrumental in reviving the Golden Age Justice Society of America.   Thomas later became editor of Alter Ego, a magazine devoted to comic-book history, and co-scripted the   sword-and-sorcery films Fire and Ice and Conan the Destroyer.
Not a   traditional super-hero artist, Val Mayerik made his mark on other Marvel Comics titles starting with Chamber of Chills’ “Brak the   Barbarian” in 1973. Mayerik worked on Supernatural   Thrillers, Creatures on   the Loose and Conan before taking over the “Man-Thing” feature in Adventure into Fear, helping   introduce Howard the Duck. Since his tenure at Marvel during the 1970s,   Mayerik has produced artwork for other comic-book publishers and   roleplaying-game companies.
Neal   Adams took the industry by storm with groundbreaking   artwork on X-Men and Avengers. At DC, he and Dennis   O’Neil collaborated on Batman and converted Green Lantern to Green Lantern/Green Arrow, a title famed for its combination of social commentary and   comic-book action. He later founded Continuity Associates, home of Bucky O’Hare, Ms. Mystic and other fan favorites.   After years of political activism, Adams returned to comics to write and draw   Batman: Odyssey for DC,   and provide art for Marvel’s New Avengers.
John   Buscema (1927-2002) literally wrote the book on being a   Marvel artist — namely, How To Draw Comics the   Marvel Way — and few were better qualified. His   career dated back to the Timely/Atlas era of the late ’40s and early ’50s.   Soon after beginning the Marvel Age of Comics, Stan Lee recruited Buscema   from the advertising field to the Marvel Bullpen. Buscema followed a long run   on Avengers with the   long-anticipated first Silver Surfer series. He subsequently succeeded Jack Kirby on Fantastic Four, Thor and other titles. By the time   of his retirement in 1996, Buscema had penciled nearly every Marvel title —   including his personal favorite, Conan the   Barbarian.