It is time. Time for Mantlo! “Mantlo had a great grasp of the fundamental tragedy of The Hulk, the tension between the hero and the monster, which has certainly infused my work with PLANET HULK and WORLD WAR HULK.” -Greg Pak
Yes, Bill Mantlo, the often derided ‘70’s/’80’s mainstay of Mighty Marvel is still influencing the comics read by The Kids. The real impetus for this post is not really to publicise Marvel’s latest (and quite good by all accounts(!)) Event but to shine a little love light on Mr Mantlo, as I recently learned Mantlo was hit by a car in 1992, spent over a year in a coma and has required full time nursing care ever since. So rather than buttering up a writer who probably lives in a solid gold replica of his own head I thought I’d big up the Mantlo.
I myself am guilty of using Mantlo as a by-word for badness which is quite unfair really as he provided me with many hours of enjoyment, but Mantlo was most active Before Moore (BM) and things were different then. For one thing, Kids still read comics and this particular kid read plenty of Mantlo comics. MICRONAUTS, ROM and his run on THE INCREDIBLE HULK were personal favourites.
MICRONAUTS was based on a line of very poor toys produced by Mego, and Mantlo, inspired by his son’s receiving the toys for Christmas in 1977, pushed for a series to be produced around them. An artist search followed and names bandied around included Jack Kirby (!) and George Perez. In the end Michael Golden got the job and lived up to his surname in spades. Upon receiving the first issue of MICRONAUTS Stan Lee and Jim Shooter “…were appalled! ‘What did you do? We can’t understand this!’ They yelled. ‘And if we can’t understand this, how do you expect the kids to understand it?’” But the kids did understand and it ran for 58 issues (of variable quality admittedly). Gil Kane described it as “…the hardest g*ddam book I ever drew.” It will probably never be reprinted due to licensing issues but you can pick up the issues on E-Bay for a song and a dance. The first 12 issues are the best to try first. Oh, and it won an Eagle award.
In 1979 it was clear Mantlo had become the go-to man for comics based on bad toys as he unleashed ROM: SPACEKNIGHT on the world. ROM was a robot shaped Parker Brothers toy which “looked stupid as Hell.” according to Mantlo. Mantlo’s first treatment was “f*cked up.” And Jim Shooter ended up plotting it. Mantlo’s enthusiasm was undimmed; “I said ‘Ah, sh*t, not this stuff again..this turkey’s going to die.” But ROM died not and helped by a plethora of guest stars lasted 79 issues. Steve Ditko contributed art for two years, and one day, one bright and shining day, I will re-buy the full run.
As for the HULK stuff, I’m aware I’m probably trying your patience now and I'm definately out of free time so I’ll just say it was inventive, highly entertaining unpolished stuff. Well worth trying some.
Do you have any Mantlo memories? Feel free to discuss the man and his work after this: (All quotes in this post were taken from MANTLO: A LIFE IN COMICS which is a magazine available from OKComics detailing Mantlo’s work in entertaining detail. It is reasonably priced, a good read and all the money goes to help pay his medical bills. Which is laudable.)
I have a feeling you could be right. He wrote over 70 issues of the Green Goliath's adventures. I still remember them fondly, although with no great precision due to my no longer having the issues (ask not why), but I definately remember being entertained as all get out by them. Which is the first rule of Good Comics.
I have now finished the book and discovered that Mantlo became a Superhero himself before his untimely accident. Jaded by the usual Marvel backstabbery Mantlo studied law and on his exit from the magical world of comics became a public defender. Surprisingly, that's not a high priced shyster with a black hole for a soul, rather a lawyer who takes the cases of those who cannot afford legal representation. Which is pretty much as close as you can get to being a super hero in the real world. Aaaaah, Bill Mantlo makes me feel all warm and fuzzy!
I can see my attempt to kick start the Mantlo Revival has fallen on stoney ground. I will thus delay my Re-evaluation of Bob Haney; whose gargantuan output, gift for dialogue and respect for continuity must surely mark him out as the B*ndis of his day. But Haney's day in the sun will come. Fear not.
MANTLO: A LIFE IN COMICS is an essential read for anyone interested in the world of comics behind the printed four colour page. It has entertaining reminiscences by folk like Mike Mignola, Herb Trimpe, Ed Hannigan and more. It also features a flavoursome run down of Mantlo's work (although we could probably live without such a detailed synopsis of HULK & SPIDER-MAN AT THE WINTER OLYMPICS). An entertaining and informative read, and it's all for a good cause.
