BOB'S LETTER OF THE MONTH:

Dear Bob,
Love your IM work, love your website!
Here's a question I wanted your take on. In your Iron Man runs, you would not only focus on the man behind the armor, Tony Stark, but his supporting characters as well - certain issues focused on specific employees of Iron Man (Scott Lang dealing with a faulty (to a deadly extreme) computer, Vic Martinelli and Blacklash, Artemus Pithins and his drug dealing son, etc.). These storylines fleshed out the cast and brought these people out from the shadow of being random talking heads in the background. You created a family of individuals the reader could connect to and show interest for beyond the main hero in the book. In addition, their added presence helped develop the main character as well. The thing is, this usually took time through multiple issues - introducing the characters, running them through their paces, and then putting the spotlight on them.
With the emphasis on storylines made-to-order particularly for the trade market, with new writers coming in with their distinct take (sometimes so drastic you think you are reading about a totally different character than the one you were used to) on a lead character for a story or two and then moving on, do you think we'll ever see storylines based on supporting characters (and by that I don't mean "shock" storylines that end up with them being killed or ruined in some way), again? If so, are we losing a vital storytelling component?
Thanks for listening!

Regards,
Hugo V. Negron

Dear Hugo,

You've asked a very poignant question, Hugo. I've always been of a mind to create a cast of supporting characters whenever I was involved in creating stories that contained elements of the fantastic. In the case of Iron Man, David Michelinie and I felt it was extremely important to make Tony Stark's universe as credible as possible for the readers. In the business world of Stark Industries, having normal everyday co-workers and associates was essential to the series' believability. I was one of the loudest objectors to Rhodey becoming Iron Man, and then War Machine, after we left the title. That was never our intention and when we took over the Iron Man title the second time, we immediately rerouted the storyline to get Rhodey out of the armor and back to being Tony's best friend. I grew up in the era of Pepper Potts and Happy Hogen, of Foggy Nelson and Karen Page, and of Jane Foster and Willie Lumpkin. None of those cast members ever evolved into becoming a cyborg, alien, nuclear terrorist clone, or anything other than a believable, supporting character in their respective series.

So, to answer your question, I do believe that we are losing an important component to our storytelling tools by creating too many fantastic elements and ultra-powered characters to the current comics.

You, however, have gained this month's Iron Man of the Month Concept Art for your insightful question!

Thanks for writing!

Bob,

Thanks again for the care package you sent me with the shirt, poster, ashcans and especially the Freemind #0 original art. Well, as I wrote you earlier, I am still getting rid of all my 40+ long boxes of comics and I am about 2/3 the way through. I still have that special short box with all my Future Comics that will never be going any where. I have a couple questions for you (Please excuse the comic book letter page format for questions)

1. Was there ever a Metallix #7 Ashcan produced? If so, do you have one I could buy?

2. Will the original art from the Ultra Future Comics product beavailable? I really like that image. I have looked everywhere for a binder, with no luck, do you know if they made one?

3. Will the original art from the subscription add or poster ever beavailable? (An odd question I know) I always liked the art on the subscription form.

4. Will you ever produce a TPB with all the comics that did not make it out before production stopped, I have been reading them on your site, but I guess I am old fashioned and would like a hard copy. I know it probably would not be cost prohibitive, so maybe it could just be on your site or even printed like the DC Comics Cancelled Comics Cavalcade. Just an idea...!

5. Are QB-1 and Colony a part of the Future Comics universe. I haven't had a chance to read all of Colony yet. It's on my to-do list though.

6. In the store, is it possible to buy a set of the variant comics?

7. Are all the TPB signed and numbered? Are they really just $3? Also do you have any that are not signed? I would like to buy one and donate it to the local libraries.

8. I know you are working towards movies for Future Comics, but has there been any talk of video games? Each book would make an unbelievable game.

Thanks again for everything that you do. I am still looking forward to the news of a movie. Until then, I will be re-reading all my Future Comics to tide me over.

Thanks!
James Dooley
Future Comics #1 Fan!

1. James, there was a Metallix #7 ashcan. Unfortunately, it is totally out-of-print and I have no plans to produce any more in the foreseeable future. However, if you go to the BobLayton.com archives, you will find that entire issue available for download in the October/November 2005 entries.

2. Actually, I have a few of those binders here in my studio, a gift from the folks at UltraPro. Drop me a line and I'm sure we can work something out to get one into your hands. As far as the artwork goes, that page was returned to the artist way back in the Future Comics days, so I think you're out of luck.

3. The poster was drawn by Ron Lim, so you'd have to contact him to see if he still has the original art. You can reach him via his website at: http://www.ronlimart.com

The art for the subscription ad was a paste-up compiled from single figures taken from existing art.

4. James, most of those comics are available in the BobLayton.com archives. Just take a little time to search down the scroll and you'll find Freemind #8, Deathmask #4 & 5, as well as the aforementioned Metallix #7. As far as a TPB goes, I have had several inquiries from publishers interested in compiling that material. As soon as I get an offer that I feel is equitable, I will be more than happy to make it a reality!

5. QB-1 remains the sole property of screenwriters Patrick Massett and John Zinman. Our agreement with them was to share partial-ownership only if a film got made from the comic book adaptation. 

However, Colony IS considered a Future Comic as far as I'm concerned. I had originally come up with the idea of publishing it at Future, prior to when the company ceased publishing. In retrospect,  the decision to publish Colony as a web comic has proven to be a wise one. With over half-a-million readers a month, Colony is now one of the more popular comics being offered on the internet today. Think about it, there are more people reading Colony each month than any issue of the X-Men or Spider-Man!

6. The variant editions of Future titles are reserved for those customers who order complete sets. I like to keep that rule hard and fast, since that's what they were initially designed for.

7. The Freemind trade paperbacks are not actually trade paperbacks, but bound volumes. They are the actual comic books that have been perfect-bound together with a new cover. And yes, I am actually selling them for $3.00 each. Some of them have been signed and number, but the majority are blank. It's totally possible for you to specify which type you would like to purchase.

8. Funny you should mention that, James. Our original intention was for all the Future Comics titles to translate into various mediums, including videogames. I, for one, think that Metallix, with its tag-team premise,  would make a fantastic game. At the moment, our efforts are concentrated on getting our first feature film off the ground.

After that, I'm sure there will be increased interest for the other characters in a variety of creative mediums.

Dear Mr. Layton,
After looking through the names of the artists who will be involved in the Artist Alley at New York Comic Con, I found one name that really grabbed my attention... Yours.  I am a big Iron Man fan, so this was great news to me.  I was wondering if you would be involved in any panels or if you were signing.
 

Sincerely,
Justin Bonica

Dear Justin,

I haven't yet received my schedule from the promoters of the show, so I can't specifically say if they have me down for any panels or talks. However, I will be available each day of the show at my table, signing autographs, drawing sketches and basically schmoozing with the great fans who show up at this annual extravaganza.

For those of you planning to attend the New York Comic Con on April 18-20th, I will be doing sketches all three days ($100.00 each), as well as offering some original art I have for sale and previewing my upcoming comics projects.

Many of you have already written, asking me if I will have Iron Man: Legacy of Doom pages available. Unfortunately, I won't be able to release those for sale until Ron and I have made our split on the interior artwork. That probably won't happen until sometime after the show.

Looking forward to seeing you there,

P.S. Will work for really good New York Pizza!

Dear Mr. Layton,
I have been a great fan of your work since I was a kid and started reading comics. Thank you for amazing work that fueled my imagination with great imagery. I came across some original artwork for what seems to be Hostess Cupcake advertisements, they are about 20" X 30" and depict Spiderman in one and Captain America in the other. I think I remember seeing these images in their advertisements with the character onto of cupcakes I believe. Anyhow, the person I purchased these from told me you were the artist, but they are not signed anywhere, so I was wondering if you might remember drawing these images.

Any help you can lend on you actually being the artist would be greatly appreciated. I also have to say, your work on Iron Man is some of my all-time favorite artwork ever....
 

Thank you for your time,
Marko Metzinger

Marko,
I'd have to see the piece to confirm that I did it. 

I have no memory of doing something like that, but who can remember every page they've done over three decades?
 

Bob,
Wanted to drop you a line about a quick encounter Rachel and I had today with Peter Jackson involving the cover you created for us.
We were coming back from a writer's group and had lunch at a Greek place in Malibu, where we sat trying to write a logline that mirrored the spirit of the cover art, which we had a print out copy of. We sat next to Jackson, and ours were the only two full tables in the house. Jackson happens to be our #1 fantasy pick director for our project, Underground Empire.

I told Jackson we were fans of his work and asked him to sign something. Closest piece of paper: a photocopy of the cover. He signed it. Even cooler is the other person at the table was James Cameron, director pick #2 (he's working on Avatar Wars, in the same vein as our project). We didn't know that until they left.  Anyway: Thought you'd appreciate that. Your signature with his on a copy of your superb cover.

We'll get Cameron's next time!

Brian Pittman and Rachel Long

Dear Brian and Rachel,

I really enjoyed reading about your "Brush with Greatness," as well as designing the presentation art for your project.

I hope that your chance encounter with Mr. Jackson and Mr. Cameron is a good omen of things to come for the two of you. I'll keep my fingers crossed that you'll knock this project out of the park and invite me to the premiere!
 

Best wishes,

Mr. Layton,
I was checking out your site the other day and was surprised, thrilled and honored to find that you had chosen my letter to you as your “Letter of the Month” for March! I was even more excited to discover that as a result, I'll be receiving the line art for your Iron Man Concept of the month! All I can say is, wow – thank you very, very much! I've got a place on my office wall just waiting for it.
When I was a child all of the artists, filmmakers and creative people I admired seemed so far away, distant, inaccessible; working in far-flung places like New York City or Los Angeles, which to me was a world away from the small rural town in central Massachusetts that I grew up in. To think that because of the internet a childhood hero is now only a mouse click away is pretty amazing; what’s even more amazing is that one would take the time to so graciously respond to my letter.
I can only hope that one day maybe something that I do might have the kind of impact that your work (and the works of many others who inspired me) had on me, and help in part to inspire someone to do something creative in their life.
 

Thanks once again.
Anthony Dunne

WGBY-TV/Massachusetts

Dear Tony,

As I've said several times in the past, we never know when our efforts will inspire others. What we need to  keep in mind is simply doing the best job that we can and strive to reach that 'high level of mediocrity. In our commercial fields, that is sometimes what we have to settle for.  That's why its not fine art or independent cinema, Tony! But it is a GREAT way to make a living.

I'm very pleased that you received the art for last month. Your missive was greatly appreciated.

Keep up the good work and, hopefully,  I will be writing you a fan letter one day!