April 28, 2024

Benty’s Babbles – Tribute to Bill Mantlo

14 years ago Ibentmyman-thing

“Wow, Bill Mantlo wrote that too.”

I don’t know how it is for most people, but as a wee kid I never really paid attention to artist or writer, just character, story, and whether it was good or bad. As an adult I’m very conscious of creative teams, and in extremely small way I wish I could return to those days when the adventure was all that mattered, and not who was bringing it to me.

Because of that blissfully unaware vacuum I lived in as a child comic reader, it was some time before I went back and pieced together who exactly wrote which story and which writer or artist would be lauded as I learned more and more. In doing so, that line kept repeating itself as I read the credits to all the comics I had loved.

“Wow, Bill Mantlo wrote that too.”

His name was everywhere. Everywhere. Rom. Incredible Hulk. Micronauts. Team America. Rocket Raccoon. Contest of Champions. Rawhide Kid. Marvel Two In One. Marvel Team Up. Iron man, Avengers. Spectacular Spider-Man…I could go on. In the 70’s, Mantlo spent a lot of time as a fill-in writer, writing single issue stories that would be ready to be slotted in if a book was in danger of being late. Back then Marvel was firm on their books shipping on time. And as anybody knows, comics are routinely late, so Mantlo’s well was drawn from over and over. As Mantlo moved into the 80’s, he was rewarded for his diligence with steady writing gigs on several titles that he would leave his mark on, just as Claremont had done for the X-men and Byrne had done for the Fantastic Four.

Mantlo’s Incredible Hulk, for instance, left ripples that can be felt to this day. In addition to the usual stories featuring the dichotomy between puny Banner and the Savage Hulk, Mantlo evolved the Hulk’s character, giving Banner control over the Hulk for a period of time, leading to a very different group of stories in which the Hulk is given amnesty and tries to make amends for some of the damage he’s done over the years. And then later the Banner aspect is stripped away entirely, leaving a hollow green vessel of pure uncontrolled rage that has to be exiled from this dimension in order to be stopped, leading to a world hopping adventure of a near mindless Hulk. These segmented personalities would later be used to great effect as PAD delved into Banner’s psyche.

Mantlo’s guiding hand helped the Hulk grow become more than the sum of his parts, and he told entertaining stories while doing so.

But Mantlo was no one trick pony either. From Hulk, Mantlo spun off a story of a talking Raccoon in a mini-series that shows how imaginative he could truly be. Rocket Raccoon was a wonderful snapshot of pure invention, where he could let loose with any and every idea he wanted, and his energy shows in every wild nuance.

One of Mantlo’s most noteworthy achievements was a long run on a simple toy tie-in that nobody had any faith in. In Rom, Mantlo created an entire mythology and invested a depth and richness of character and nobility into what, in a lesser writer’s hands, could have been a wasted opportunity. He built a fanbase that has persisted to this day, and the character hasn’t even appeared in a comic in a quarter of a century.

Along with Rom, he also left his mark on several other toy tie-ins. His Micronauts has a similar following as Rom, creating a mythology as broad and deep and inventive as the one he built for Rom. And even with lesser toy-based properties such as Sectaurs and Team America (wind it up and let it go), he never seemed to phone it in.

Mantlo was not without his faults as a writer, but what he brought to the table far outweighed any shortcomings. He had a solid grasp on any character he wrote—everyone’s “voice” was consistent with their character. There was genuine enthusiasm in his storytelling, whether fill-in or ongoing title. He wasn’t trying to tell the greatest story, or even make his mark on a character in stories that will “change everything as you know it forever and ever!!” He just wanted to tell stories that entertained the reader, and that gave them their money’s worth. Making his mark came about by passion for the characters he was writing, which is the best way to make your mark. You don’t have to have any great insight into the man to tell that. You just have to read his work. His writing is not without the sometimes heavy burden of the quirks of the bronze age (however complaining about such quirks much like complaining about the silver age style is missing the point as well) and not every story was a winner, but that’s to be expected with the workload.

Perceived faults aside, his passion and enthusiasm lead to an imminent readability in his stories, and for a few quarters that was the best gift that a writer could give to his intended audience.

In the late 80’s, Mantlo left behind a huge legacy in comics to return to his legal roots, serving as a public defender. Sadly, in the early 90’s he was hit by a vehicle while rollerblading, suffering a traumatic head injury that left him irreparably damaged and in need of constant care for the rest of his life. The jackass that drove the vehicle that struck him has never been found.

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