Writer Len Wein’s house burned down, incinerating all the comic books that he wrote. My friend Mark Evanier is leading an effort to rebuild Wein’s collection:
You know Len Wein. Award-winning comic book person. Co-creator of Swamp Thing and Wolverine and various other X-Men. Editor of Watchmen. Writer, at one time or other, of all the major characters: Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Hulk, you name it. That Len Wein. A great guy.
On April 6, 2009, a fire destroyed most of the home he was sharing with his wife Chris and their son Michael. As Len tells us, Chris was out when it happened. The men were home and asleep. He awoke to find the world in flames around him and he managed to get himself out and to save Michael, as well. Sadly, their beloved dog Sheba perished that day.
So did Len’s collection of books and toys and games and artwork and those things we accumulate that help define and enrich our lives. You have stuff. He had stuff. Insurance will fix the house but many things, including his comics, were not covered. Some of us thought it would be grand if his friends and fans pitched in to help him recreate those shelves of the comic books he’s worked on.
You can get the details here.
Oh, man. I’ve met Len, read probably hundreds of the comics he wrote, and my heart goes out to him. If I had any of them, I’d be sending them to him, and I hope everyone who can will pitch in on this.
You know better than anybody what he must be feeling right now…