The new Guardians of the Galaxy trailer got people excited about Marvel’s outer space weirdness, which includes the mighty Rocket Raccoon. If you dig that, then you might appreciate this signal-boosting about his creator, Bill Mantlo – who also created Cloak & Dagger, Lady Deathstrike, the Soviet Super Soldiers, the U-Foes, the amazing Hypno-Hustler as well as writing the Micronauts, Rom, Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk and much more great Marvel Comics work, and who has been living isolated in a healthcare facility ever since suffering a traumatic head injury in a hit-and-run accident back in 1992.
As you can imagine, decades of this kind of medical expense could bankrupt anybody in this country, and Mantlo did his Marvel as work-for-hire, so he’s likely not going to see a red cent from the upcoming film (although if Marvel Comics finds it in their Disney-owned hearts, they could easily set him up for the rest of his life). Until they do, though, Mantlo’s family could certainly use the help in tending to the man who’s given us so much comic book goodness over the years as a reliable go-to guy. He also went on to become a lawyer for the Legal Aid Society, which provides legal aid to the indigent. Bill Mantlo is an amazing person, and he could now and always use the goodwill he offered to others.
You can donate through Paypal to contribute whatever you can towards Mantlo’s ongoing care, and if you want to read more about his current state and his family’s obstacles, read this article by Bill Coffin of LifeHealthPro. Also, Greg Pak has plenty to say at his website. Pak recently ended a tremendous run on The Incredible Hulk, which he dedicated to Mantlo, and he’s been a major force in keeping this effort to help going.
If you can spare a little, please do.
