1. Will David Michelinie be joining you on IRON MAN: THE END? It appears that he will, although nothing was specifically mentioned in your January announcement.

1. Mike, I didn't mention David deliberately because we were still negotiating to have him join the project.

I'm pleased to announce that David will indeed be scripting IRON MAN: THE END as soon as we begin production on the project.

2. In interviews over the years, David Michelinie has stated numerous times that you were responsible for the technological aspects of Iron Man during your two runs on the title. From what types of sources did your ideas come from? Do you have a science-research library? Are their any science gurus out there that you pay special attention to? Would you consider yourself a futurist?

2. Generally, I watch a lot of the Science Channel, Discovery Channel, NOVA, etc. I also am a regular reader of Scientific American, Popular Science, and other magazines, relating to modern technology and science.

I do have a library of science books and the like. It's not as extensive as I would like, but it's enough to make the average brain hurt.

I am a big fan of Steven Hawking (Freemind fans take note), Neil Tyson, and Arthur C. Clark.

As far as being a futurist: I swing both ways - past and future.--er---scientifically speaking, of course.  Ahem--!

3. The IRON MAN: ARMOR WARS trade paperback, containing IRON MAN issues 225-232, was re-released on January 3, sporting a new cover.

Question: Why was Barry Windsor-Smith brought in to pencil issue #232, which was the Armor Wars epilogue?
 

By the way, here are a few comments on the ARMOR WARS TPB by Ben Morse, which appeared in the February 2006 edition of WIZARD magazine:
 

"...It holds up as an extremely fun roller coaster with healthy doses of characterization... It's possible nobody has a better grasp of what makes Tony Stark tick than writers David Michelinie and Bob Layton, who paint him as a complex individual tortured by the idea that his technology has cost lives and focused to the point of tunnel vision on correcting his mistakes... The story itself is more relevant than ever."

3. To the best of my recollection, Barry and I had become friends during that time period and we had expressed a desire to the Iron Man editor that we'd like to work with each other on a project. As it turned out, Mark Bright was leaving the series and Jackson Guice was coming aboard as the new penciler.  However, Jackson wasn't available immediately and it seemed like an opportune moment to bring Barry in for the big finale. And let's face it, you can't get a bigger choice for a finale than Barry Windsor-Smith.

4. I don¹t think you ever mentioned why exactly you moved to Florida. My wife and I used to visit my retired aunt down in St. Petersburg back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, so I have spent my share of time in the Sunshine State. In fact, I bought a copy of X-O MANOWAR #1, Volume 1, on the day it came out during one of my visits.

4. To be honest (and this will show you how incredibly impulsive I can be sometimes), I always swore to myself that one day I would live someplace warm . . . away from the snowy, blustering winds of Indiana and New York. So after I got out of Valiant and had decided to take some time off from the comic biz, I found a map of Florida and LITERALLY stuck a pin in it with my eyes closed. As fate would have it, the push pin landed in the outskirts of Tampa, Florida. So, I made a few phone calls, dropped a few bucks, and made my way down south.

5. While continuing to read my Fall 2006 copy of CHARLTON SPOTLIGHT magazine, I noticed what must be a story reference number (B-1364) on a sample page of story art, which begs the question: Why did Charlton use story reference numbers to catalog their stories -- or, what exactly IS that number? -- and, for that matter, how did you reference and catalog all the stories, artwork, and whatnot at Valiant?

-Mike Kalibabky

5. Mike, what the Hell are you talking about?! I have literally NO idea why Charlton did this! I know I worked there at some point in my career, but this question is obscure-- even for you, my friend! If any of my readers have the answer to this particular question, please send it to me and Mike, cause now..--I want to know, damn it!

As for the cataloging at Valiant . . . I didn't!  I had people who did it for me! After all, "it's good to be the king."