News Wed, 28 Feb 2007 01:55:53 CST Ilke

Why Mantlo Matters: An interview with David Yurkovich about the Bill Mantlo tribute book
Wednesday, February 07, 2007 12:31:21 PM
By Greg Pak

MANTLO: A LIFE IN COMICS (Jun 2007)

(excerpt)

GP: How many different people have you interviewed for the book and how many hours of conversation would you estimate the interviews represent?
DY: The interviews were conducted via e-mail, phone, or in person. Not sure how many hours in total, but lots and lots for sure. Interviews with folks like Mike Mignola, Colleen Doran, George Perez, Marv Wolfman, Tony Isabella, Al Milgrom, Herb Trimpe, Jackson (Butch) Guice, Roger Stern, Ed Hannigan, and a few others. Bill's brother, Mike, and Bill's daughter, Corinna, were very forthcoming, and was Bill's step-son, Adam. I spoke with Ky Michaelson at length. Ky is a professional stuntman who built a rocket sled used by the Human Fly during a jump in Canada that ended badly. This was depicted by Mantlo in an issue of the Human Fly series. Ky offered some amazing insights about the character. Brian K. Vaughn, who is also a big fan of Bill's work, provided a short interview.

[Preview]