Len Wein house fire

[neenjah]

Len Wein house fire

Writer Harlan Ellison posted the following on his website:

pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/04/06/len-wein-housefire/

- Monday, April 6 2009 11:55:36 EXTREMELY BAD NEWS

Len Wein called this morning. More than half of his house burned down earlier today. Len and Chris Valada and Chris’s son, Michael, got out okay, but their beloved dog, Sheba, ran back inside and is gone. In addition to both bedrooms, the bathroom, and much of the office, what was burned first was the original art for the first Wolverine story, the cover of GIANT X-MEN #1 and other art pieces worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.


Was shocked this morning to hear about this. Len wrote the first comic I ever bought (Amazing Spiderman #171) and is the reason I not only have several long boxes of comics I bought after that one, but is the reason I wanted to get into comics- and have. I’ve gotten to meet him at several shows like Metropolis and have gotten to be friends with him these past few years. He truly is one of comics’ greats, and owe him more than I can ever repay.

Lin

[neenjah]

Latest news-

THE CURRENT SITUATION RE CHRIS VALADA & LEN WEIN


Debacle. Nothing left of the master bedroom. Open to the sky. Len is a genuine hero: Chris was at work when a power surge apparently went through the electrical system of the house, shorting out a wall heater that had been in place in the bathroom since the house was built...an appurtenance no one even paid any attention to: it was invisible, like a countertop. But it sparked, caught fire, and the fire caught on towels, curtains, bathroom mat, magazines on the hamper, clothes, and raced up the walls and across the ceiling, into the hall, and into the bedroom where Len lay asleep. Michael, Chris's son, was dead asleep in the loft of the small bedroom.

Len woke and managed to duck under the flames that were crowning. He found pants and got to Michael and dragged him awake, and they rushed out of the house. Sheba ran with them, but then, she wanted to hide, and hiding was what she did in the bathroom, so she ran back inside, was trapped in the flaming bathroom, and was overcome by smoke, and then incinerated.

I don't feel like going through any more. This site has become WEIN CENTRAL, and here is the answer to ALL of you:

There is NOTHING you can do for Len and Chris NOW.

Their insurance company--along with four fire trucks and DWP and the police and many friends--have been there all day. Susan and I got home about 7:40 PM, and I spoke to Len about an hour ago. They're okay, more or less, if you can call cudgeled into stunned immobility "okay." They are just the way you or I would be if we'd lost everything.

The insurance will help them rebuild or buy a new house, but after the loss of Sheba, the worst part is that everything Len had accumulated in a lifetime, from books to comics, to original art to his Shazam Awards (which were melted off the wall) to the complete set of DC library hardcovers that were caught in a heat so ferocious they melted into a 40-book block...spines bright and sharp and all one plastic-melted millstone. What you can do for the creator of SWAMP THING and WOLVERINE, if you are so moved, is NOTHING at the moment. Don't bother them with well-intentioned commiserations that will only distract them. At the moment they are staunchly trying to pull it all together.

Later...SOON...but LATER...you can help enormously when Len presents a cogent list of those items that are replaceable--many were unique and are gone forever, and that's that, so he'll come to terms with it in time--but lots of it is around, some more rare than other, but possible. Hang back; just chill till Len lets us all know what he needs. I'll post it here, it'll be on Neil Gaiman's site, and Peter David's, and Mark Evanier's and on and on.

Give it a rest for a month or so, kids. Let them alone, and I'll do my best to keep you informed. But don't waste your mud with sad'n'sorrowful platitudes. It will only distract.

Needless to say, I've told them there were about 40 phone calls and posts here. They are too stunned to be grateful, but just so you know I passed the good tidings along.

GeezusPeezus, I'm tired; and I was only a day-laborer.

Harlan