Orlando, Fla. ? Work dried up for artist Bill Messner-Loebs when the comic books’ speculative bubble burst in the mid-1990s. His savings gone, Messner-Loebs was destitute and about to lose his home in Ann Arbor, Mich.

“I was not able to get any employment,” said Messner-Loebs, a writer/artist who had worked on the Wonder Woman series. “My wife and I were behind on all of our bills.”

Director and actor Kevin Smith poses with a piece of memorabilia from his last movie, Jay

But a Los Angeles-based nonprofit charity established by the comics industry came through with $11,000, saving his home. Even more, the organization known as ACTOR used its industry contacts to get work for the 53-year-old cartoonist.

ACTOR (A Commitment to Our Roots) has raised more than $145,000 in a little more than a year to benefit elderly comic book artists and writers who live in poverty. Some are unable to afford food, medical care or phone service.

Messner-Loebs is working today because of the organization. In one of his jobs, he’s writing for Moonstone Books’ Bulldog Drummond title.

“I’m hoping when I’m back on my feet, I can contribute to ACTOR myself,” Messner-Loebs said.

The organization recently sponsored an auction that raised $45,000 to benefit elderly comic book artists and writers.

These cartoonists toiled in low-wage obscurity during the comic book industry’s so-called Golden Age in the 1950s. As free-lancers, they were paid a penny a word or $5 a page, with no pensions or health benefits, while the publishers made millions.

“Generally speaking, it takes comic artists a full day to draw a page, so that’s working for $5 a day,” said Jim McLauchlin, senior editor for the comics industry magazine Wizard.

Younger comics fans helped their predecessors at the auction at Orlando MegaCon, one of the Southeast’s largest comic books conventions.

“The most important people in our field are not doing very well today,” said Maggie Thompson, editor of the Comics Buyer’s Guide. “To honor our pioneers in a way that’s more than ‘Gee, you’re a great guy. Would you sign an autograph for me?’ is a great thing.”

Of the money ACTOR has raised in the last year, about $20,000 has been distributed to six artists who have accepted help, including $9,500 this year.

“Pretty much every other professional organization has something like this,” said McLauchlin, ACTOR’s president. “Nothing like this has ever existed in the comic books business.”

Assistance has ranged from helping one man with his mortgage payments to arranging the funeral for an artist whose family couldn’t afford to properly bury him.

ACTOR also tries to arrange work for the older artists so they will have a steady source of income.

The auction consisted of more than 100 items, including original art and signed manuscripts from artists and writers.

Serving as guest auctioneer was Kevin Smith, writer and director of such films as “Clerks” and “Chasing Amy.” Smith is known for sprinkling his movies with comics references, and even cast famed artist Stan Lee creator of Spiderman, the Incredible Hulk and the Fantastic Four in his movie “Mallrats.”