As has been noted in the past, Bill Mantlo — creator of some of our favorite characters like ROM, the Micronauts and the soon-to-be-starring-in-a-major-motion-picture Rocket Raccoon — was involved in a hit-and-run incident over two decades ago, suffering traumatic brain injury. It’s a horribly sad story, one I encourage you to read more about if you have the time, and something that is in the thoughts of many fans the more Marvel Studios ramp up their Guardians promotion.
As illustrated by comic writer and All Around Good Guy Greg Pak’s blog post from last year, there is a great way for you to help by donating directly to the Bill Mantlo Support Fund, with many suggesting the average cost of a movie ticket, about $16 for a non-matinee 3D showing of a film — which is how many of you will probably go see Guardians, I’d assume. None of the proceeds of the film are going to Mantlo, so it’s a nice way to show your support.
However, today on TeeSpring, an additional option has arrived: to show your support of Mantlo via a new, special Rocket Raccoon t-shirt, where all profits from the t-shirt go directly to Mantlo’s care. Take a look:
Each shirt is a Hanes tagless tee for $14.99, and $7 of that goes directly to Mantlo according to the site. So not only can you support an historic and prolific creator, but you can show the world your Rocket fandom at the same time. It may not be the cost of a movie ticket, but hey, why not both?
For those unaware, TeeSpring is sort of like a Kickstarter for t-shirt designs, so you won’t be charged for the shirt unless the goal is met. Right now, the goal is 50 shirts. That shouldn’t be too hard to make happen.
Head on over to TeeSpring to take a look at the campaign. And if you’ve ever read a “Guardians” comic or any of the number of properties he has worked on and found some joy in them, if you can, please consider donating something to Mantlo regardless.
