Comic book writer who later enrolled in Law school and worked as a public defender.
He wrote classic tales in Hulk, Rom, Micronauts, Cloak and Dagger, Alpha Flight, Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, Champions, Howard the Duck, Iron Man, Marvel Team-Up, Marvel Two-in-One, the Rocket Racoon miniseries, and the Vision and the Scarlet Witch miniseries. He also wrote the Invasion! miniseries for DC.
Rom and Micronauts were both licensed-toy properties, and as such could easily have been flat, generic stories. Mantlo's runs on these comics, however, was renowned on both for bringing the characters to life, making them more character-driven than many other comics of the era. He actually persuaded Jim Shooter to get the license for Micronauts, and it won the Eagle award for Favorite New Comic Title. Rom was particularly noted for being existentially oriented and hard-hitting. It often included mass deaths and examined the pain that trauma could have on children and families at a time where true deaths in comics were unusual.
Cloak and Dagger, which he co-created, was also a philosophical, existential title that dealt with dark and gritty real-life issues, like child pornography, prostitution, and drugs, in a clear-eyed way, showing their impact on the characters and society at a time when such subject matter was not normally seen at all in mainstream comics.
He also did some coloring and lettering at the beginning of his career.
He fell in to a coma after a car hit him while he was rollerblading. He woke up a few days later, and it was noticed that he suffered a traumatic brain injury.
He has had many setbacks, which have caused his life to become very difficult. But he can be helped. And he is helped. If you want to help him, you can send cards, letters or donations to the adress shown in the article, of this link.
You can also go here:
http://www.facebook.com/BillMantloProject
Bill Mantlo hasn`t written a complete comic-story since the accident happened. His fans miss him sorely, as writer, and his destiny has moved all of them.
His wife, Karen, was a letterer.
He has also appeared as a character in comics.
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