Guardians of the Galaxy’s James Gunn, Michael Mantlo Clarify Bill Mantlo’s Relationship With Marvel

In a post just published to his Facebook page, Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn spoke out about Rocket Raccoon co-creator Bill Mantlo, who has needed costly medical care on a constant basis since he was struck by a hit-and-run driver in 1992.Since the American comics industry has no union and no safety net to speak of when working for hire, it’s not uncommon that out-of-work creators cannot support themselves on royalties alone. The HERO Initiative exists specifically to help finance the well-being of such creators, through donations, collectible sales and other comics-friendly ways of generating revenue.And, yes, there are often rights conflicts with publishers that lead some creators to claim they’re not getting what’s due them. This is particularly common with Marvel, whose bankruptcy in the ’90s left a trail of broken contracts and failed obligations the company has been trying to repair ever since.