Comic book writer extraordinaire, William “Bill” Timothy Mantlo, was born on November 9, 1951 in Brooklyn, New York. Growing up, Mantlo shared a passion for all things pop culture, but most especially comic books. He attended Manhattan’s High School of Art & Design before focusing on painting and photography at the Copper Union School of Art. Following his graduation, Mantlo held several civil service positions while working as a portrait photographer.
Later on, Mantlo landed a job at Marvel Comics where he initially served as a colorist on several comics. After stepping up to write a fill-in script for a story in Deadly Hands of Kung Fu, Mantlo secured a permanent writing position on that title. During this time, Mantlo became the “fill-in king” and by the late 1970s had written issues for nearly every Marvel title. His additional credits as a regular writer included Micronauts, Rom: Spaceknight, Moon Knight, Ka-Zar the Savage, The Spectacular Spider-Man, The Champions, The Incredible Hulk, and Swords of the Swashbucklers to name a few. In 1976, Mantlo also collaborated with artist Keith Giffen to create the popular Guardians of the Galaxy character, Rocket Raccoon.
Throughout the mid-1980s, Mantlo balanced work at Marvel with law school. After passing the bar exam in 1987, Mantlo began working as a Legal Aid Society public defender in The Bronx. Around this time, he married Karen Pocock and had two children, Adam and Corinna. Tragically in 1992, Mantlo was the victim of a hit-and-run accident and suffered severe head trauma. The damage he suffered is irreparable, causing him to reside in a healthcare facility where he receives full-time care.
Did you know you can help honor Mantlo and bring Swords of the Swashbucklers back to print? Dynamite Entertainment has recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to celebrate the far-reaching imagination of Mantlo. The end result of this project is to produce a 400-page full-color, fully remastered volume containing the complete Swashbucklers story. Pledges will also generate royalty income that will contribute to Mantlo’s continued medical care.
Scoop previously shared information on how you can get involved in this campaign and the rewards behind each donation.
