Why Mantlo Matters: An interview with David Yurkovich about the Bill Mantlo tribute book

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By Greg Pak
Comic book writer Bill Mantlo has long been one of my literary heroes. His legendary collaboration with Michael Golden on Marvel’s “Micronauts” blew my little mind when I was a kid. And when I started writing the “Planet Hulk” and “World War Hulk” storylines for Marvel, I found myself constantly referring back to Mantlo’s classic “Incredible Hulk” run. Sadly, Mantlo was hit by a car and suffered severe head trauma in the early 1990s. Now David Yurkovich, a comic creator and fan of Mantlo’s work, is publishing a tribute book entitled “Mantlo: A Life in Comics,” featuring interviews with Mantlo and his collaborators as well as several pieces of unpublished Mantlo work. The book is a non-profit venture, with proceeds going to Mantlo’s caregiver. Read on for the Pakbuzz interview with Yurkovich to learn more about Mantlo and view preview pages from the tribute book — and click here if you’re inspired to donate to the project.
Greg Pak: How did you make the leap from being a Bill Mantlo fan to taking on the enormous undertaking of producing this Bill Mantlo tribute book?
David Yurkovich: I first started reading Bill’s stories in the mid-1970s. Wasn’t actually collecting comics at the time, but comics were everywhere. My friends had them. I had them. And we’d swap comics or read them together. Probably the first strip of Bill’s that I was aware of was his work on Marvel Team-Up. After the release of Star Wars in 1977, I became a rabid Marvel fan. Initially I got sucked in by the monthly Star Wars comic, but soon became hooked on nearly every title being published at the House of Ideas. I soon noticed that a lot of my favorite comics were written by Mantlo. In my teen years, I wrote to Bill and sent in a bunch of sketches in hopes of drawing Micronauts. Of course these were just crude sketches, not sequential art, but I guess Bill was touched by the sentiment because he wrote back and told me to keep practicing.

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ComixFan.com raves about “Incredible Hulk” #102

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Andy Jastrzembski gives “Incredible Hulk” #102 four and a half stars at ComixFan.com. An excerpt:

Away from Earth, the Hulk finally has a chance to shine as a hero, but thankfully, Pak resisted the urge to write to turn the Hulk into a clichéd hero. Instead, we get a deeply conflicted man who is coming to terms with his status as a hero/savior to an entire world when all he has ever known is persecution and hate on Earth.

“Incredible Hulk” #103, also written by Greg Pak, hits comic book stores today.

FanboyPlanet loves “Incredible Hulk” #103 and “X-Men: Phoenix – Warsong” #5

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FanboyPlanet.com has posted rave reviews of Greg Pak’s “Incredible Hulk” #103 and “X-Men: Phoenix – Warsong” #5, both of which hit comic book stores today. Here’s a taste:

Incredible Hulk #103: … Pak is the guy. In all this time, we’ve never really questioned the status quo of the Bruce/Hulk dynamic because everything was so good. Then in just a couple of panels Pak reveals it and …it’s still just so good. Despite this storyline putting an acceptable epilogue on the Hulk’s saga, Pak even naturally spins into World War Hulk. Suddenly, I can’t wait.
Phoenix Warsong #5: More Paktastic goodness, closing one book on Grant Morrison’s X-Men run while planting seeds for more storytelling. Though the artwork is a little uneven, this book never lets up, and never talks down to the readers. It’s not for the casual reader, but it is tremendously rewarding for long-time fans.

Philly.com raves about “Battlestar Galactica” #5

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Philly.com has published a rave review from Jerome Maida of “Battlestar Galactica” #5, written by Greg Pak with pencils by Nigel Raynor. An excerpt:

Set in the middle of the second season, writer Greg Pak successfully captures the sophistication of the show as well as its overall vibe and that of its numerous and unique characters. Whether it’s Commander Adama’s quiet strength, Starbuck’s cockiness and cool, Number Six’s sultry manipulations, Gaius Baltar’s psychoses and desire for self-preservation or President Roslin’s steel will, all these characters ring true
…
Such complex storytelling combines with Nigel Raynor’s stellar art to make “Battlestar Galactica” a must-read for fans and nonfans alike.

Click here to read the full review.
“Battlestar Galactica” #5 is on sale now in comic book stores everywhere. Ask your local store to hold a copy for you today.

ComicAddiction.com loves “Battlestar Galactica” #4

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Chris Partin has posted a rave review of “Battlestar Galactica” #4 at ComicAddiction.com. An excerpt:

Battlestar Galactica is a great sci-fi series – probably the best that’s being published in today’s market.

Click here for the full review.
Written by Greg Pak with pencils by Nigel Raynor, “Battlestar Galactica” #4 is on sale now in comic book stores everywhere. Contact your local comic store and ask them to hold a copy for you today.

Preview pages for “Incredible Hulk” #102

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MileHighComics.com has posted four lettered preview pages from “Incredible Hulk” #102, written by Greg Pak with pencils by Aaron Lopresti.
Click here to read the pages — and learn the origins of the Spikes!
“Incredible Hulk” #102 hits comic book stores on January 4 and features the much-anticipated showdown between the Green Scar and the Red King. Ask your local store to hold a copy for you today.

“Planet Hulk: Rebel Letters” #3 at Newsarama.com

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Fans of the “Planet Hulk” epic can post questions for Arch-E-5912, a communications bot serving the Green Scar, aka the Incredible Hulk, at Newsarama.com. Read Arch-E-5912’s latest report and post your questions here.
“Planet Hulk” is an epic storyline written by Greg Pak that runs from “Incredible Hulk” #92 to #105. Issue #102 features the showdown between the Incredible Hulk and the Red King and hits stores on January 3.