Gerry Conway, a comic book writer who helped create the Punisher and made Peter Parker's life even more miserable than usual by killing off his girlfriend Gwen Stacy, has died at 73, the result of pancreatic cancer.

Marvel, in a statement that avoided mentioning the whole 'dead girlfriend' thing, called Conway a 'legendary comic book writer' who 'deftly written almost every character in the Marvel Universe.' Editor-in-chief CB Cebulski said his legacy made 'an undeniable and indelible impact on the Super Hero stories we know and love' - which is a diplomatic way of saying he left a trail of dead supporting characters and morally ambiguous vigilantes.

DC Comics' Jim Lee also praised Conway's work on Batman, Superman, and the co-creation of Firestorm, Jason Todd, and Power Girl, making him one of the few people to have annoyed both Marvel and DC fans equally.

Conway started writing for The Amazing Spider-Man at age 19, which Marvel called 'the job that would change his life - and the comic book industry at large - forever.' This is technically accurate, as the industry still hasn't recovered from the Punisher skull being slapped on police cars. Conway himself objected to that practice, noting that the character was 'a complex morally compromised anti-hero, not to be emulated by cops' - a sentiment that apparently required saying out loud.

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said Conway 'brought real stakes to his writing,' which is a nice way of saying 'he killed Gwen Stacy and nobody has gotten over it.' Conway also wrote for Fantastic Four, Thor, and The Incredible Hulk, proving he could make any hero miserable.

At his final public signing in February, despite being tired and in pain as the cancer spread, Conway stayed an extra two hours to sign books for fans - a level of dedication that suggests he really did understand what made heroes heroic, even if he spent most of his career making their lives hell.