My five June missives are a simple potpourri of questions.

1. I recently discovered THE two biggest bargains in comics -- BATMAN: THE DAILIES, 1943-1946 (2007) and BATMAN: THE SUNDAY CLASSICS, 1943-1946 (2007). Both books, which come in hardcover, are collections of Batman newspaper strips, along with interesting historical information on the strips¹ creation and production.

THE DAILIES, a heavy tome of 172 pages (trust me, reading this baby while in the restroom is NOT a viable option), retails for $20.00.

THE SUNDAY CLASSICS, an oversized, 208-page volume, featuring full-color strips, runs $14.95.

Curiously, the wonderful cover illustrations sported on each book are by Dick Sprang, NOT by Batman creator, Bob Kane, who penciled the vast majority of the material in each volume, and who is the basis for my first question:
 

Question 1: Did you adopt or borrow the BOB in Bob Kane for your first name as an homage to the man, or is it sheer coincidence? Your ties to Batman have been discussed previously on this website, so the question, in my mind, is appropriate.

1. Mike, the big "O" in my professional signature was indeed a homage to the great Bob Kane. As many Iron Man fans know, my penchant for specific task  Iron Man armors came from a old Batman story I read as a kid where the Caped Crusader had specialty costumes that he used to fight in the snow (white costume), fight in the trees (green costume), and  goofy stuff like that. However, as silly as the story was, it had a profound influence on me later in life and got me thinking about specific costumes for specific tasks. Obviously, that spilled over to the Iron Man series once I got on board. So-- yeah, Bob Kane turned out to be a wonderful influence in my formative years. The "O" in my name will always belong to him.

2. BATMAN: THE DAILIES makes mention of the Batman newspaper strips being predated by the 15-episode, 1943 Columbia Pictures BATMAN movie serial, which marked the first time The Batcave was referred to by name, The Bat Cave, and introduced Alfred, both as a character AND as the slimmed down version -- the comic originally depicted him as a stout fellow.
 

There was a second BATMAN 15-episode serial produced by Columbia Pictures in 1949: BATMAN AND ROBIN.

My second question pertains to the highly-entertaining three-issue Batman miniseries BATMAN: HOLLYWOOD KNIGHT (2001), written by you and illustrated by Dick Giordano. The story is set in 1948 and centers upon the making of a Batman serial.

The twofold Question 2: are you and Dick fans of the original Batman serials and why did you choose 1948 as the time setting for the tale? Interestingly, there was NO true Batmobile in the 1943 and 1949 serials, but your story had one -- a VERY cool rendition, at that!

2. To be honest, I was a fan of the Saturday Matinee Serials as a kid like 'Flash Gordon' and 'Zombies of the Stratosphere' (and NO--I didn't go to the theater to see them--I'm NOT that old, Mike!). They ran them a lot on local television in Indianapolis when I was growing up.

Interestingly, I have never seen the Batman serial, in any form. However, I did know of its existence and used that, and the power of Google, to create the basis for the Hollywood Knight Elseworld story.  I've told myself that I need to sit down at some point and actually watch the Batman serial, but I've never gotten around to it. But, if you read the story, you realize that very little had to do with the actual reel-life serial itself.

I chose 1948 because I wanted it set shortly after WWII. I felt that it was important that the Robin character in the story was a war hero and had seen action during the European conflict.

Other than that, I have no excuse.

3. Question 3: Because you've worked on Batman and David Michelinie is known for his run on Superman

(ACTION COMICS), have the two of you ever discussed collaborating on a Superman-Batman team-up story or mini-series for DC?

3.  No. And on a quirky side note: I believe that David has worked on Superman, but NEVER Batman, while on the other hand, I've worked on Batman, but NEVER on Superman. I don't know if that means anything, I just wanted to say that.

4. Question 4: Currently, you and Mr. Michelinie are hard at work on IRON MAN: THE END. Off the top of your head, if you were to scribe and illustrate BATMAN: THE END, what would the story involve?

4. That's a very good question, Mike. Unfortunately, it's also a very complicated question. I would have to  sit down and really give that a lot of thought--more thought that I have time for at the moment.

I will say, however, that I see the last Batman story being something very different than what Tony Stark's ultimate adventure will be. That's largely due to the fact that Tony Stark, as troubled as he's been in his past, is a more positive and more upbeat character. David and I have approached his last story on a more positive note. Personally, I don't see Batman ending well, considering what a tortured soul Bruce Wayne has been over the years. I'm more of a mind that Batman should go out in a blaze of glory than retiring quietly.

What do you think, readers?

5. To publicize the return of penciler Butch Guice to the pages of IRON MAN for two issues (Nos. 19 and 20), the July 2007 issue of WIZARD magazine published several of his comments pertaining to his IRON MAN run with you and Michelinie. One in particular jolted a memory. "When I got on the book [with issue No. 233], one thing I wanted to do was dust Tony off and sport him up a bit..."

I recall that during the run, Guice made Stark a very snappy (1980s) dresser.

Question 5: During your days as the Valiant EIC, I remember you being quite stylish, as evidenced by photos accompanying various Valiant editorials and news items included in the comics. So, did you have your own tailor, or did you buy off the rack? Do you have any basic fashion tips you would like to share? I've always wondered how guys wearing suits, or even ties, for that matter, can even do their jobs? Brrrr.

5. BUY OFF THE RACK?! ARE YOU KIDDING?! NEVER!

When I was in New York, running the show at Valiant, I had several men's stores that I frequented.  Most of the time, I chose the Italian designers when it came to suits, Canali and Giorgio Armani.  The majority of upper -echelon men's clothiers had their own tailors on hand, so it was never a problem getting a fitting once you dropped a couple of grand for a really nice suit.

The main question that you didn't ask concerning my choice of fashion--is why?

I have a history behind my compulsion to overdress for comic shop appearances and conventions.

Let me give it to you in a nutshell.

When I was young, I used to envision my heroes in the comic industry as being highly-successful, fabulous looking and extremely articulate.  That's what kids do when it comes to their idols. Unfortunately, as I got into the comic business, and met some of my icons, I felt somewhat disappointed when that fantasy bubble of mine got broken (a lot of my artistic idols looked like they were dressed to paint my house!!).

So. from that point,  I made a little promise to myself that I would never disappoint the expectations of my fans. Even if I were living on the street, I was going to always appear in public as if I was on top of the world. That's why I made a concerted effort to always dress well and present myself in a manner more in line with what the fans would prefer to see. You can't tell me that any hardcore fan of an artist, or writer, wouldn't be disappointed if their idol's appearance turned out to be that of a total schlub!!  Keep in mind that I was on the business side of the comics industry, as well. That meant dealing with folks in the financial world, manufactures, Hollywood  producers and other mainstream venues.  In that world, as unfair as it might seem, first impressions were very important in order to be taken seriously in business.

So, my advice, to my former apprentices and employees, was always  to dress for success.

As far as fashion tips go: it really depends on the individual. Some men are much better suited for the casual type of dress, say something like Abercrombie and Fitch. Others, like myself, may prefer a little more urban and formal. There is no real set rules for dressing well, other than: neat, clean, fully-pressed, fit is extremely important, as well as showing some color here and there. It's not enough to just have the clothes, either!  Guys need to be concerned with grooming as much as what they're wearing.

Mike, as far as ties go, you're probably tying yours too tight if you can't do your job!

See you next month!

This month War Wabbit swipes Iron Man #130's cover!

Thanks, Bob.