When I was a kid in the seventies and eighties, I loved comics. For a while there, I was buying three dozen books every two weeks. Many of them were Marvel comics, and of those, many of those Marvel comics were written by Bill Mantlo. It’s not an exaggeration to say I’ve read hundreds of comicbooks Bill Mantlo wrote, including forever favorites like The Spectacular Spider-Man, ROM Spaceknight, and, head and shoulders above all else, Micronauts. In fact, Micronauts changed my life by introducing me to concepts like quantum physics and the physiological origins of consciousness.
Today I learned that Bill Mantlo has been physically and cognitively crippled with brain damage since being run over by a hit-and-run driver almost twenty years ago. He can barely talk, or use his hands. His short term memory is nearly non-existent.
In other words, the man whose stories inspired me and challenged me, and in no small way led me to tell my own… is silenced.
It breaks my heart. And it makes me angry. Read the article in LifeHealthPro and learn how CIGNA in particular and the state of health care in the United States in general has made Bill Mantlo’s quality of life so much less than it should be.
I will always support every person’s right to receive quality health and wellness care for as long as they need it, regardless of their ability to pay. It’s one of the few issues I see in black and white. Stories like this are why.
It just breaks my heart. It makes me sick.
Please consider donating to this GoFundMe campaign to help Bill’s brother Michael continue to support and care for Bill Mantlo without incurring incredible, crushing debt. The GoFundMe campaign is ended, and as of 2024 I understand that Bill’s medical and quality of life challenges are being sustained (although I’m open and interested to hear if this is incorrect and he still needs our direct help). But Bill’s not the only creator on the knife’s edge of ruin. Please visit and support The Hero Initiative to help provide for ailing and aging comicbook creators.