BOB'S LETTER OF THE MONTH:

Mr. Bob Layton,
Thank you so much for inspiring me to become an artist when I was a kid.  I can still remember sitting on the floor in my bedroom and staring at the cover of The Invincible Iron Man #127.  I remember trying to draw Iron Man's punching pose over-and-over again on construction paper. I am now reading Metallix and Deathmask and I must admit that sometimes I still feel like that little kid sitting on the floor completely awestruck and amazed by your creations.

Since then I have graduated from art school with a BFA in painting and I am currently working on a Master of Arts in Teaching degree at the University of Indianapolis.  I teach painting and drawing as part of the Herron School of Art & Design Saturday School Program.  Saturday School is a weekend art program for kids in the Indianapolis area ages 12 to 17.  We offer many classes such as painting, figure drawing, advanced and beginning comic book illustration, ceramics, experimental drawing, printmaking, and book arts.  Classes are open to any kid who wants to give art a shot. At the end of each semester we have a large open-house where students can show their artwork to friends, family members, and folks from Indianapolis.  We help students from low income families, and broken homes by giving scholarships and free classes to those students who are most in need.  We use art as a way of enhancing young peoples' lives and we strive to give them the best possible experience that we can offer.  There are so many kids that need a positive outlet that encourages and fosters creativity and artistic expression.  I feel like it is my calling in life to teach art and pass on what I have learned about art and life to kids.

I constantly reference comic books and comic artists in many of the lessons that I teach.  I bring examples in for the students to reference and learn from. I also allow my students to borrow comics from my personal collection.  I don't mind if the comics get worn or creased. I get a great feeling knowing that these amazing stories and fantastic artwork is being read and enjoyed by young people. I also tell them that they can pursue art as a career if they work hard enough and don't give up on themselves.

I have started to incorporate a "wall of fame" in my classroom that showcases great examples of artwork from students, my artist friends, and artists from many different time periods, styles and locations globally.  On one side of the wall you will find a print of an etching by Rembrandt, on the other side you will see an illustration of Superman by Curt Swan.  I was thinking about how cool it would be if we could have the honor of placing a piece of your artwork on the "Wall of Fame".  I know that my students would love it. It could show them that comic artists are real people to and that an adult they don't even know personally took the time to do something positive for them.  I have attached a few pictures of my Saturday School students and their work for you to check out.  They amaze me every Saturday!  Thank you so much for all the wonderful comic work you have created over the years. I look forward to enjoying your work for many more years to come.

Sincerely,
John Pleak
Indianapolis, Indiana

Dear John,

I'm not sure whether it's coincidence that you wrote me concerning the work at the Herron School of Art & Design, considering that I am originally from Indianapolis and many of my friends attended Herron after graduating high school. As a high school student, It was my deepest desire to attend that institution, but due to the fact that my family couldn't afford it, that option was not available to me. So when I read your letter, it struck a few heartstrings in me from my younger days. Even as I attended Warren Central High School during the early 70s, Herron School of Art was "The Place" to go to further a creative education in the Arts.

I commend you for your work with your students and hope that you're successful in steering some of them towards a career as fulfilling as mine has been.

Because of your  selfless work, and sincerity of your letter, I've chosen your missive to be our January Letter of the Month. If you will forward me a mailing address, I will be sending you the original art to this month's Iron Man Concept of the Month which features one of Iron Man's supporting cast, Scott Lang (a.k.a. Ant-Man). I hope your students enjoy that piece of original art and that you keep in touch. Hopefully, on my next trip back to the Midwest to visit my family, I'll get the opportunity to stop by and meet some of your students in person!

Best wishes,

Hey Bob-

I hope this e-mail finds you doing well.  I just wanted to say thanks for sharing your Birthday Video, I wasn't a part of that era of Valiant but it was great to see some friendly faces, Knob Row and the old offices.  I could not agree with you more those where truly magical times.  Best of luck on all of your new ventures and I hope you have a great holiday season.

All my very best!

Brent E. Erwin

Co-Publisher/General Partner

Ape Entertainment

"Evolution in Progress"

Dear Brent,

Good to hear from you too, my friend! It's been a while since we crossed paths during your days at Wizard. One of the major reasons I run these videos every month is to give my readers an opportunity to see exactly how those times were at Valiant and how close we were as a creative family. But don't take my word for it. If you ask almost anyone who was there during that time, they would say pretty much the same thing.

Stay in touch!

Hi Bob,

I’ve been checking out your website much more closely over since the Big Apple Con last November. I love the video for Steve Massarsky. It brought tears, for many reasons. I had only found out about his death just before the show. Actually my friend had told me as I was driving to The Con.

I always feel brain dead when I come home on Monday after a convention. I went on your website and saw the video and tribute to Steve. I only meet him a few times, but he always gave me a feeling of respect that you so rarely get in comics. I was blown away by the list of creative ideas/creations that were his. And, though the video was sad, it reminded me of the sheer fun, joy, happiness and energy of that time!!

I just saw the 1992 Birthday video and called my son "Bob" (No he was not named after you, but for my brother who was killed in a car accident in '91) over to see his father with short, "brown" hair. I've wanted to write you about Steve's video but until now I couldn't and still can't really put in to words what it was like working for Valiant. I was not there for the end so I never was caught up in all that.

I was there during the hay days and have great memories of first meeting you, Barry, John, Steve and all the rest. Then I got to work with you and Bernard on Mirage. Again, I can't put it in words - there just aren't any.

I've attached a Christmas photo of the kids, Robert (15) in High School, Brianna (11) and Caitlyn (8). I've been keeping busy doing a little of this and a little of that. I’m actually starting to get a bunch of commissions from Comic Art Fans website all of sudden; I took a new direction and it seems to be getting some notice. Otherwise, I’m still banging on doors of editors that have all changed faces.

Hope all is well and Happy Holidays!

Ken Branch

www.khbproductions.com

Dear Ken,

It was really good to see you again at the Big Apple Con. It has been quite a few years since you, Bernard, and I were chronicling the monthly adventures of Hwen Mirage and Carmen Ruiz. Throughout my career, I've been asked about which projects were my favorite and Doctor Mirage is always at the top of that list. A lot of that is due to the professionalism and comradierie I had with you and "The Doctor-- Bernard Chang.

It touched me that you were so moved by our video tribute to my late partner, Steven J. Massarsky. We tried our best to do justice to his legacy with the small amount of video that we had available. Coincidently, while we were editing this month's videoblog (1993 Diamond G.E.M. Awards), there was a moment in the video where Steve was on stage and it caused me to pause--just to come to grips with the fact that he is no longer with us. It's tragic that people just suddenly disappear from our lives, as you have obviously experienced. We never quite accept it. However,  I think the beauty of being human is that we keep our departed friends alive in our hearts and minds and their legacy does live on-- as long as we continue to remember and honor it.

Thanks for the holiday well wishes and I'll make sure to urge all my readers to visit your website at: 

Bob,
I hope all is well down in sunny Tampa.
Congrats on your gig in writing and inking the new X-O story. I look forward to reading it.
I also wanted to say thanks for posting the pictures from the Valiant Reunion that I missed (again).
It seems that every Big Apple Con, Valiant reunion coincides with Wizard World Texas, so I'm never in town. Otherwise I would have been there, for sure.
It was good to see everyone, even if it was just in the photos.
Speaking of seeing everyone, I watched the video you posted of your birthday party. I'm guessing it was a mid-30's birthday. Great pony tail. I was actually hired there only a couple of months later, so I'm not in the video. But it was great seeing the old offices and especially the people. Andrew Wendel, Ted Halsted, Dave Chlystek, Tom Ryder, etc. It made me wonder how well many of them were doing.

And you are right, it was a magical time.

I would still like to someday do a project with you, so don't be surprise d to hear from me if I'm ever given the opportunity to pick my choice of creators on a project. You're right there behind Jessica Alba and Samuel Jackson on my list of people to do projects with. Although you did ink the cover to Celestial Alliance (by Sean Chen), which was the first comic I ever wrote. I still have that piece framed on my wall at home, by the way.
 

Take care,
Darren Sanchez

Darren ol' pal,

You got to quit missing these Valiant reunions, dude! It's really not the same without you being there. To respond to your question, most of the guys are doing very well and still working, in way or another, in creative fields. It warms my heart to know that a lot of them have taken what they learned at Valiant and parlayed it into meaningful careers, much like yourself!

Don't sweat over not being in the 1992 birthday video, because you will be prominently featured in the next birthday video that will be coming up in the spring. If I remember correctly, you were my bartender at the 1993 birthday bash! I hope you've kept up those martini-making skills sharp, my friend.

Thanks so much for including me in your list of people to work with. Now, if you could just get a project that has Jessica Alba, Samuel L. Jackson, AND me all at the same time...that would be AWESOME (especially if I got to work closely with Jessica, hint- hint, nudge-nudge)!

Thanks for keeping in touch, buddy.

Bob,

I wish you well and look forward to your impending Iron Man projects. I would imagine that, with the Iron Man movie coming out this spring, you’ll be receiving a fair amount of media attention concerning your role in the character’s development and the books Marvel will be reprinting  that feature your and David’s take on Tony. If that happens, I think it will be great.

Have a happy and prosperous New Year. 

Regards, 

Michael Dunne

Dear Mike,

As a matter of fact, I've been absolutely swamped with interviews, articles, appearances and the like in conjunction with the upcoming Iron Man movie. Some have been  interviews for mass media books about Iron Man, some have been my commentary on the development of the character over the years, but they've all been coming at a rate of about two or three a week and keeping me really busy here at the BobLayton.com studios.

To me, it's all about good business-- more than about getting credit or having my ego stroked. It's good to be acknowledged for the contributions that David Michelinie and I have made to that character. In our line of work, that sort of 'good will' usually translates into more projects down the road, be it in Hollywood or the comic industry.

I imagine that, by the time the movie debuts on May 2, 2008, most fans are going to be tired of reading crap about me!

Actually, I'm as excited as everyone else about the upcoming movie. So let's hope that it creates a whole new legion of Shellhead fans and new visitors to BobLayton.com, as well!

Hi Bob,  

I just received your update newsletter in my email, and noticed on your site about the Metallix back issues nearing sell out from the November news archive. Since I already ordered from you back in late 2004, I decided to check if there was anything new added to the Future Comics store (I wasn't expecting anything new there at all). I noticed at the bottom of the Future Comics store page mentioning something about when ordering complete sets & variant cover editions, you'll even get free a poster. When I ordered some back issues from you 3 years ago, you were kind enough to give me the variant covers, plus ashcans of some of the unpublished issues, and you autographed all of the comics (again, thanks!). I was curious if there's a way I can get this Future Comics poster from you?  I don't recall the poster on this listing before (unless I'm forgetting, my memory fades at times...).  

Also, can you give me anymore information about the X-O Manowar book from Valiant Entertainment? How many pages will the new story content be? Which classic issues will be reprinted? Also, what are your thoughts about these new Valiant owners? How does it feel to be coming back to this great character after all these years? 

I have another question: looking back, Valiant was this great publisher during its start, and became a true force in the industry, being number 3 under Marvel and DC at one time. Not counting the speculation boom that crashed the industry during the 1990s among other things, do you think that Valiant would still be around today had Acclaim Entertainment not bought the company? I just keep thinking back at the time Acclaim bought you guys, that’s when things started going down (I keep looking back that Valiant had the potential to be long running publisher, but its sad to know that’s not the case). Also, do you know why Barry Windsor-Smith left Valiant in 1993? I'm hoping that you might know, because I've never heard why he left back then.

Hope to hear from you. Thanks.  

Bill Mah from Canada

Dear Bill,

First off, thank you for your kind words concerning Future Comics. And, to show my appreciation for your letter, I've already put a copy of the Future Comics poster in the mail to you.  Hopefully, you have received it by now. It's the least I could do for someone who keeps waving the Future Comics banner high. The poster had been off the Future Comics Store site for a few months due to a glitch when we moved the site to this new format. Fortunately, we caught the error and it's back up now.

The new X-O Manowar story for the Valiant hardbound edition will be ten pages in length. I've already plotted the story, which revolves around Lydia, the leader of the Spider Aliens infiltration unit on Earth. Part of the reason I chose this particular direction was to explain how the Spider Aliens clandestinely set up operations on our planet and their motivation for doing so. Much of the story will take place before the events of X-O #1, although some will tie-in directly with that premiere issue. The story will be written and inked by me and penciled by former X-O Manowar and Freemind artist Mike Leeke. The tentative schedule is for this book to be released some time after the first quarter of 2008.

Granted, all that could change, but that's my understanding of the situation at this time.

As for your question concerning the purchase of Valiant:

Acclaim is currently dead.

That's because, not only could they not manage Valiant, they apparently couldn't manage themselves worth a damn. Having been part of Acclaim's management team for a short period of time, it was evident to me, early on, that they were swiftly on the road to ruin, once they got their hooks into the company. They were a incompetently-managed video game company, and as publishers of comic books, they were abysmally inept. What most fans are not aware of, is that we were forced into selling Valiant by our venture capitalists, Triumph. Once Triumph had recouped their investment with a sizeable profit, they wanted out of the publishing side altogether. They ordered Massarsky and me to start visiting potential buyers with an idea of selling to the highest bidder.

Unfortunately, that turned out to be Acclaim.

A prime example of why Acclaim was so inept is that they didn't do their homework when it came to purchasing us. Had they done their serious 'due diligence', they would have discovered that Valiant was only valued at thirty million dollars, not the sixty five that they offered Triumph in the deal.

But, Triumph didn't get to be successful in investment banking by turning down sweet deals.

So, they accepted the bid, of course. Interestingly, there were several other offers from more reputable companies during that period. If they had bid high enough, the chances are that the original Valiant would still be around today. Given my love for the characters and the company, the odds would also be high that I'd still be working there.

Alas, in business, the expedient solution is not always the smartest one!  Triumph did extremely well and made their stockholders happy. In contrast, for the legion of die-hard Valiant fans, Acclaim's acquisition of our business proved to be the beginning of the end.

At the time that Triumph had ordered us to sell the company, Barry Windsor-Smith was offered a relatively-high position in the Valiant corporate structure.

However, as negotiations wore on, it's my understanding that Barry's patience with the whole process became somewhat taxed. Ultimately, Barry accepted an offer from Malibu Comics and left Valiant to work for them. Of all the things that went wrong in the process of changing hands, losing Barry was perhaps the most devastating to me personally. Not only was he a great mentor and creative contributor, but he was also a close friend. Barry's leaving the company had a profound effect on me and unfortunately, became a wedge in our relationship.
However, I have nothing but respect and admiration for Barry and I support whatever decisions he's made in his career. As long as he's happy and satisfied as a creative entity, I say more power to him.

Hi Bob,
Do you think it is possible to animate your drawing style?  Your work on Iron Man is what I consider canon for the character.  When I see the animated versions out there now I wish that the hero looked like what was in the comics.  Your rendition of Shellhead's classic armor not only looks metallic but has a streamlined quality to it that makes the character look technologically advanced and not like a bulky battle armor suit.  The great thing about battles with classic Iron Man foes like Crimson Dynamo, the Titanium Man or Force is that Iron Man had a smaller stature but still had plenty of power to defeat them.  This helps define Tony Stark as an efficient innovator.  I would literally love to see sequences from your runs on Iron Man lifted directly off the page and animated line by line with backgrounds intact. 

Would we ever see your work in animation?
My favorite all-time Iron Man piece you worked on was a promotion for the book in the 1970's where Shellhead was lifting a futuristic generator over his head.  It was never part of a story but a fantastic stand alone piece.
 

Bart Ney
Oakland, California

Bart,

Most animation studies are located in Asia and tend to be influenced by those particular art styles. If you look at the Iron Man animated video that came out last year, you can see that there is a noticeable Asian influence in the figure work. It's not to say that they couldn't do it straight from the comics, but they're not instructed to work in any style other than their own interpretation. It's entirely possible to recreate a style directly into animation, but that's not a concern for most major studios.

I think that translating someone's art style from comics to video would only be effective if the artist had a very distinct approach, like a Frank Miller or Todd McFarlane.

I have seen the stories that David and I created for Iron Man appear in animated form, but unfortunately, we never received any sort of acknowledgement or compensation for the use of that work.

As far as the Iron Man promotional piece from the 70's, I would need a little more detail concerning that drawing before I could comment on it. I don't remember doing a promotional piece for Iron Man at that time. If you could send me a jpeg of what you are talking about, perhaps I could comment on it next month.

Thanks for your kind words!

Bob,
I am 21 years old and have read comics ever since I was a small child. As I grew older I, like most people, stopped reading them. However, I am not sure why. This summer, two of my friends took me to a local retailer and I was again bitten and consumed  by the comic book bug. As I began to rediscover the books, I was lucky enough to stumble upon an old box of Valiants and was hit with a sense of nostalgia. For me, it was a fond memory from my childhood.
My dad always collected Valiant, he had a copy of every issue Valiant ever published, because he said that they had the best stories. At the time, I paid little attention to the stories, but I was overwhelming impressed by the quality of the art, especially X-O Manowar, which had an uncanny level of design and creativity. I purchased all of the issues of X-O Manowar that the comic shop had and have been re-reading them ever since.

I must say that my dad was right, Valiant comics were the best.
Thank you for your artwork, your creativity, and leading a revolution in the comic book industry. I am very excited to hear that Valiant Entertainment will be producing a new X-O Manowar hardcover and am sure it will be amazing. Valiant Comics definitely inspired my generation and I hope that Valiant Entertainment will do so for future generations.
 

Sincerely Yours,
Alex Weaver

Dear Alex,

I'm always pleased to hear that someone has rediscovered their affection for the Valiant Universe. To be quite honest, I've never lost my love of those characters or of my time with them. Kudos also go out to your dad, who hit the nail right on the head! Valiant Comics were always character-driven stories, unique in a time where most comic companies were relying primarily on gimmicks and incredibly splashy artwork. With a handful of seasoned veterans and an amalgamation of eager rookies, Valiant was able to make a serious impact on the marketplace and a generation of readers. If you check out this month's videoblog, you'll get an inside look at what was Valiant's finest hour when, for the first time in the history of the industry, an independent beat out the major companies as 'Publisher of the Year'. The fact that a huge fan interest in these characters still flourishes after almost twenty years is a credit to all those who invested their time and effort into them. 

I hope you enjoy the new X-O story when it premieres. Drop me a line and let me know your thoughts on it.

Thanks for writing!

Hi Bob,

I just wanted to drop you a line about the Bethany Cabe Christmas image.  Awesome!  I always liked the “Santa Iron Man” card from several years ago. This was fun to see an old school Iron Man supporting cast member get some love.  That, and the fact that Bethany makes a great piece of "art," helps too! 

Thanks for posting that great picture! 

Merry Christmas!

John B. Comerford

Dear John,

Most of the kudos for that particular piece has to go to my current apprentice, webmistress and penciller, the fabulous Sorah Suhng. It was actually her idea to give the readers a little slice of cheesecake for Christmas. But, while we're on the subject, we have to give some love to Ian Sokoliwski for his superb coloring job on the piece.

but now, our big problem is to figure out how we're going to top it NEXT holiday season!

I think a bikini clad Mrs. Arbogast is out of the question, don't you?