In 1948, Haney entered the comic book industry. His first published comics story was "College for Murder" in Black Cat #9 (January 1948).[6] From 1948 to 1955 Haney wrote crime and war comics for a number of publishers, including Fawcett, Standard, Hillman, Harvey, and St. John.[5]
DC Comics
In large part due to the anti-comic book campaign launched by Fredric Wertham's Seduction of the Innocent and the United States Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency in 1953, most of Haney's publishers went out of business in the 1950s. In 1955 he connected with DC Comics and his first DC credit was the story "Frogman's Secret!" in All-American Men of War #17 (January 1955).[6] Thus began a long association with DC, which lasted almost thirty years, with Haney scripting just about every sort of comic DC published.[7]
Haney frequently claimed to have co-created the Doom Patrol with Arnold Drake and worked with him on the first few issues, but Drake insisted that Haney worked on the first issue only, and that his only role in creating Doom Patrol was co-creating the character Negative Man.[11][12]
In 1964, Haney created the Teen Titans with artists Bruno Premiani and Nick Cardy. Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad teamed up in The Brave and the Bold #54 (July 1964) to defeat a weather-controlling villain known as Mister Twister.[13] They subsequently appeared under the name "Teen Titans" in The Brave and the Bold #60 in July 1965, joined by Wonder Woman's younger sister Wonder Girl in her first appearance.[14] After next being featured in Showcase #59 (Dec. 1965), the team was spun off into their own series with Teen Titans #1 (February 1966).[15]
The Metamorpho character was created by Haney and artist Ramona Fradon in The Brave and the Bold #57 (January 1965).[16] Haney stated in 1995 that "The most creative single thing I ever did was Metamorpho".[17] The character was featured in his own title, also written by Haney, from 1965 to 1968.[6] Metamorpho later appeared in a series of back-up stories in Action Comics #413–418 and World's Finest Comics #218–220 and #229.[18]
Haney was the writer of many of the issues of The Brave and the Bold[21] including #59 (April–May 1965) which featured Batman's first team-up in the title.[22] Haney scripted issue #85 (Aug.-Sept 1969) wherein artist Neal Adams updated Green Arrow's visual appearance by designing a new costume for the character.[23] Haney frequently disregarded continuity by scripting stories which contradicted DC's canon or by writing major heroes in an out-of-character fashion.[24] Haney himself, along with artist Jim Aparo, appeared as a character in The Brave and the Bold #124 (January 1976).[25] Haney's final story of the series was a Batman and Kamandi team-up in issue #157 (Dec. 1979).[6]
Among his contributions to the Aquaman mythos are the characters Tula introduced in Aquaman #33 (May–June 1967)[26] and Nuidis Vulko in The Brave and the Bold #73 (Aug.–Sept. 1967).[27]
The Super-Sons, Superman Jr. and Batman Jr., were co-created by Haney and Dick Dillin in World's Finest Comics #215 (January 1973).[28] Haney introduced Batman's older brother, Thomas Wayne Jr., in World's Finest Comics #223 (May–June 1974). This story was used a basis for a plot detail in the "Court of Owls" story arc in 2012.[29] The House of Mystery's host Cain, a character modeled on writer Len Wein, was created by Haney with artist Jack Sparling and editor Joe Orlando.[30]
His later war comics work included the four-page "Dirty Job," illustrated by Alex Toth, for Our Army at War #241 (February 1972), which has been described as Haney's "true masterpiece".[31][32] He wrote the "Unknown Soldier" feature in Star Spangled War Stories in 1971 and 1972. He returned in 1977 and oversaw the series being renamed after the character.[33] He wrote the retitled series until its cancellation with #268 (October 1982).[6]
Haney's stories in the 1960s and 1970s, especially with the Teen Titans and the Super-Sons, often dealt with youth culture and current issues, but by the late 1970s and early 1980s, Haney struggled to produce material that DC's editors considered timely or contemporary. This led to clashes with the DC editorial staff and ultimately to his departure from the comics industry.[7]
When comics and animation work petered out in the late 1980s, Haney turned to other forms of writing, including a book on carpentry. He wrote a few additional comics scripts for DC including Elseworlds 80-Page Giant #1 (August 1999); Silver Age: The Brave and the Bold #1 (July 2000);[6] and the posthumously published Teen Titans Lost Annual #1 (March 2008).[34] His last few years were spent in San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico.[7] Haney died at age 78 on November 25, 2004, in La Mesa, California. He is interred at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, San Diego, California.
^Irvine, Alex (2010). "1950s". In Dolan, Hannah (ed.). DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 93. ISBN978-0-7566-6742-9. In 'The Rock of Easy Co.!' written by Robert Kanigher and Bob Haney, with art by Ross Andru, the reader was introduced to Sgt. Frank Rock of Easy Company.
^McAvennie, Michael "1960s" in Dolan, p. 109: "In August's House of Secrets #61, writer Bob Haney and artist Lee Elias used a black diamond to transform Dr. Bruce Gordon into Eclipso."
^Guay, George (November 1981). "The Life and Death of the Doom Patrol". Amazing Heroes (6). Seattle, Washington: Fantagraphics Books: 39.
^Browning, Michael (July 2013). "The Doom Patrol Interviews: Arnold Drake". Back Issue! (65). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 38–41.
^McAvennie "1960s" in Dolan, p. 111: "They were never given a team name when scribe Bob Haney and artist Bruno Premiani spun them against Mister Twister. However, this first team-up of Robin, Kid Flash, and Aqualad came to be classically regarded as the inaugural story of the Teen Titans."
^McAvennie "1960s" in Dolan, p. 115: "Writer Bob Haney and artist Nick Cardy added another member to the ranks of the newly formed Teen Titans: Wonder Girl."
^McAvennie "1960s" in Dolan, p. 116: "The Teen Titans earned their own series after successful tryouts in both The Brave and the Bold and Showcase. Scribe Bob Haney and artist Nick Cardy promptly dispatched Robin, Aqualad, Wonder Girl, and Kid Flash...as the newest members of the Peace Corps."
^McAvennie "1960s" in Dolan, p. 114: "Scribe Bob Haney and artist Ramona Fradon were truly in their element...Haney and Fradon's collaborative chemistry resulted in [Rex] Mason becoming Metamorpho."
^McAvennie "1960s" in Dolan, p. 115: "By issue #50, The Brave and the Bold developed into the ultimate team-up book. The Brave and the Bold #59 added one final element to the team-up theme, when writer Bob Haney and artist Ramona Fradon partnered Batman with Green Lantern."
^McAvennie "1960s" in Dolan, p. 134: "When writer Bob Haney paired Green Arrow with Batman... artist Neal Adams targeted the Emerald Archer for a radical redesign."
^Eury, Michael (August 2013). "The Batman of Earth-B: The Caped Crusader's Bravest and Boldest Writer, Bob Haney". Back Issue! (66). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 2–5.
^McAvennie "1960s" in Dolan, p. 123: "Aqualad found romance under the sea when scripter Bob Haney and artist Nick Cardy introduced him to fellow young Atlantean Tula, also known as Aquagirl."
^McAvennie "1960s" in Dolan, p. 125: "Aquaman advisor Dr. Vulko debuted in September's The Brave and the Bold #73 in a story by scribe Bob Haney and artist Sal Trapani."
^McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 157: "Scribe Bob Haney and artist Dick Dillin introduced the DC Universe to an alternate timeline starring the World's Finest offspring in January's World's Finest Comics #215."
^Manning, Matthew K. (2014). "1970s". In Dougall, Alastair (ed.). Batman: A Visual History. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 116. ISBN978-1465424563. It was revealed that Bruce Wayne had an older brother in this mostly forgotten piece of Batman lore that inspired the recent 'Court of Owls' storyline.
^Levitz, Paul (2010). "The Bronze Age 1970-1984". 75 Years of DC Comics The Art of Modern Mythmaking. Cologne, Germany: Taschen. p. 540. ISBN9783836519816. It was undeniable, however, that the audacity of depicting the Prince of Peace's crucifixion in Our Army at War was attention getting. This story, arguably veteran writer Haney's most prestigious work, enriched by the magnificent [Alex] Toth art, was certainly that.
^McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 172: "Writer Bob Haney and artist Dick Ayers had no intention of terminating the Unknown Soldier...allowing DC to rename the [Star Spangled War Stories] series after the [character], starting with issue #205."
