Bill Mantlo’s MICRONAUTS meant the world to me as a kid and I dedicated my five year HULK run to him in INCREDIBLE HULK #635. Please consider helping his brother out now to help with is care if Bill’s work ever moved you and you have the means.
Greg Pak: Helping Hands
Here’s where I post opportunities to help out mutual aid groups, nonprofits, and individuals in need. Neighbors helping neighbors, through the pandemic and beyond.
Since the early days of the pandemic, all of my self-published books have been being distributed for free as PDFs through the Greg Pak Shop. Check it out!
Please read on for new campaigns and opportunities as they come up.
Most visited blog post of the year – Bill Mantlo wins in a blowout!
By Greg Pak
On a whim, I checked the stats for GregPak.com today to see which posts got the most visits over the past year. The clear winner, by a massive margin:
Love Rocket Raccoon? Please consider donating to Bill Mantlo’s ongoing care!
This post has been visited 89,101 times in the past 365 days — because you guys are awesome and spread the word.
Comics people are the best.
Give to Stan Sakai, get free Code Monkey stickers and signed bookplate
Hey, friends. I recently had bookplate stickers made (thanks to everyone who chimed in with design advice!) and I figured it’s time to start giving some away. So here’s the deal…
Stan Sakai, the brilliant creator of the USAGI YOJIMBO comic book series, has had a heartbreakingly difficult winter, which you can read about here. His family is currently dealing with medical bills for his wife Sharon’s cancer treatment. The Cartoon Art Professional Society is collecting donations via Paypal here.
If you donate to Stan, I will send you a signed bookplate and a sheet of Code Monkey stickers. Here’s a direct link to the Paypal donation form:
After you make your donation, just email me at vm at pakbuzz dot com with your mailing address and I’ll send you the bookplate and stickers. Please note that you can donate ANY AMOUNT and I’ll hook you up with the bookplate and stickers.
We’re working on the honor system here, so be cool, which I know you are.
Thanks so much for considering helping out Stan Sakai, and please feel free to spread the word.
8 year old Dallas boy shot in the face by a stranger could use some help
An eight year old Dallas boy named Donald Maiden, Jr. was shot in the face by a stranger Tuesday night. Family friends are raising money for his medical costs. This story broke my heart and I donated. I hope you’ll consider helping out as well.
Mrs. Stow’s kids will get their books – you guys are amazing!
I’m honestly a little choked up here. Mrs. Stow, the 4th grade public school teacher from Hereford, Texas, whose book fund I’ve been tweeting and posting about, has made her goal! Here’s what she just posted on her DonorsChoose.org page:
Words can not really express how much this means to me and my students. When we received an email about a donation I would share it with my students. I would hear “YYEESSS” come out of their mouths. They are so excited to have these new books in our class. Many of them have a hard time believing someone who doesn’t know them would donate money so they could have books. I ALWAYS told them..it’s because you are loved and people like to help others.
You guys came through with hundreds of dollars for Mrs. Stow’s kids, and now they’ll have books, which is just about the best gift any kid can get.
Thank you, thank you, and thank you!
Donate to the book fund for Mrs. Stow’s 4th grade class and get “Code Monkey Save World” stickers!
UPDATE: You’ve donated more than $600! Just over $300 left to go!
UPDATE: You guys donated over $200 to Mrs. Stow’s campaign yesterday! I love you. Keep it coming!
I was inspired and moved by the amazing Kevin Church’s recent campaign to raise money for a teacher’s DonorsChoose.org effort to buy books for a class of Navajo school kids. So I figured I’d jump on the bandwagon and give it a shot!
Please consider donating to Mrs. Stow’s DonorsChoose.org campaign to get books for her 4th grade students in her Title I public school in Hereford, Texas.
If you donate $10 or more, email vm at pakbuzz dot com with your mailing address and I’ll send you some “Code Monkey Save World” stickers as a thank you.
Here’s an excerpt from Mrs. Stow’s appeal:
I have a group of fourth graders. They are fun, crazy, and love to be at school. I teach in a Title I school where my kiddos are from VERY unstable and low socio-economic homes. Our classroom is the only place they see books and we are in need or more books.
…I’m not sure if any of you grew up in a home where you did not have a book. NOT ONE SINGLE BOOK! Please help us get these book collections for our classroom. These kids need them and they will always remember having fun books to read.
We’re all book people here, right? Few things are more important indicators of a child’s eventual success at school than having access to books. And this looks like a tremendous way to put dollars directly into a teacher’s hands so she can give her kids the books they need.
Thanks so much!
Love Rocket Raccoon? Please consider donating to writer Bill Mantlo’s ongoing care!
UPDATE: Mike Mantlo, Bill’s brother, sent along his thanks and this beautiful photo of Bill and Mike’s wife Liz. Your donations absolutely help improve Bill’s quality of life — please read on and keep ’em coming!
If you love Rocket Raccoon — or Rom or the Hulk or the Micronauts or Cloak and Dagger or any of the incredible characters Bill Mantlo wrote during his prolific career — please consider clicking the button below to send your donation to Bill’s brother Mike for Bill’s ongoing care.
UPDATE: In a February Bleeding Cool article, Bill’s brother Mike said, “Bill was treated in an exceptionally fair manner by Marvel/Disney” and that Marvel “has made incredibly generous gestures,” which is fantastic. But the cost of Bill’s care remains enormous and any donations you care make will be greatly appreciated by the family.
Bill Mantlo has had a huge influence on me as a writer and reader. His “Micronauts” stories blew my mind as a kid and his “Incredible Hulk” run laid the groundwork for the themes I explored my five-and-a-half year run with the character. In the afterward to “Incredible Hulk” #635, I dedicated my run to Mantlo, and a while back devoted my Newsarama column to singing his praises and letting folks know how to donate to his ongoing care.
Thank you so much, Bill Coffin and LifeHealthPro, for shining a light on someone who brought so much joy to so many people.
And here’s a note from Bill’s brother Mike, reprinted from that Newsarama column:
First off, I send out a big THANK YOU to everyone that has helped support Bill over these past 19 years (!). Every donation, no matter how big or small, and every card or letter is greatly appreciated. Bill’s condition remains the same (he suffers severe cognitive impairments, anger, and depression), and these factors keep him very much isolated from “the outside world.” Aside from my visits, and the kindness of my beautiful wife and some of the attendants at the nursing home/rehabilitation facility he resides in, his contact with other human beings is virtually non-existent. But the support and encouragement of fans, and industry professionals like yourself, helps to bring a little ray of sunlight into his dark and dreary days. When I (or my wife) engage Bill in conversation, his spirit emerges and is as strong and pure as it ever was! So, once again, I can’t thank ALL of you enough!! I strongly believe in the power of practicing random acts of kindness, and with that belief I hope that ALL of your kindnesses will be returned to you many, many times over!
Cards, letters or donations to Bill Mantlo can be sent to:
Mike Mantlo
26364 East Pintail Road
Long Neck, DE 19966
Please make out any checks to “Michael Mantlo” — Bill’s legal guardian.
Give to Oklahoma relief, get “Code Monkey Save World” stickers
By Greg Pak
I’ve been horrified by the news coming out of Oklahoma. So here’s a little something in hopes of encouraging folks to donate to relief efforts for the people suffering in the wake of the tornadoes.
If you give to the Red Cross or other relief organization of your choosing to help the folks in Oklahoma, I’ll send some “Code Monkey Save World” stickers to your US mailing address. A very easy way to donate is to text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
We’re working on the honor system here, friends. So just make your donation, then send your US mailing address to codemonkey at pakbuzz dot com and I’ll hook you up. If you let me know how much you donated, I’ll keep a running tally that might help inspire others to donate as well.
Many thanks and all the best!
Please help Peter David by buying his books
Photo credit: 5of7 on Flickr
The great writer Peter David suffered a stroke over the holidays and is now the beginning stages of recovery. His wonderful wife Kathleen has been posting updates at www.peterdavid.net, and her latest note touches on the financial strain that this event will have on the family.
The quickest way for folks like us to help out is to buy Peter’s books, especially those published by Crazy 8 Books, which pay the most royalties the most quickly to Peter and his family.
Peter is a fantastic storyteller whose legendary Hulk work made a big impression on me and who has always been a fun companion at conventions and signings over the years. So of course I’m buying all these books as soon as I finish this post. Here are some quick links you can use to buy them yourself:
Pulling Up Stakes, Part 1
Pulling Up Stakes, Part 2
The Camelot Papers
Darkness of the Light
Heights of the Depths
All the best and thanks for your consideration!
Donate to the family of subway victim Ki Suk Han and get a signed Greg Pak comic book
By Greg Pak
The amazing people at Korean Community Services have established a fund for the family of Ki Suk Han, the man who was murdered in the New York City subway last week.
In hopes of encouraging donations, I will send a signed comic book from any series I’ve written to anyone who donates more than $25 to the fund. We’ll work on the honor system here — send an email to vm at pakbuzz dot com answering the following questions and I’ll hook you up:
1. Please include your Twitter handle if you’d like a shout out online for the donation. And please tell me how much you donated so I can keep track and inspire others to contribute.
2. Please specify a character or comic book series that I’ve written that you like so I can pick a good comic to send you. UPDATE: If there is a specific issue I’ve written that you’re missing, let me know what it is and I’ll see what I can do.
3. Please confirm that you’re 18 or older.
4. Please include a US mailing address. (Sorry for not being able to ship overseas!)
Here’s how to donate:
DONATIONS for the Han family can be sent to: Korean Community Services (KCS), 35-56 159th St., Flushing, N.Y. 11358. Checks should be made payable to “Korean Community Services” with the memo: “Community Fund for Mr. Han.”
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Or you can donate ONLINE to the fund.
Linda Lee, Executive Director of Korean Community Services, tells me that donations by check may be preferable because there are no deductions by the credit card companies, etc. But if the online system works best for you, please go for it!
Please note that the offer is first come, first served, so please donate early!