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Hi,
I
recently came across one of your cover recreations and I wanted to
purchase it. The question I wanted to ask you is if someone wants you to
do a recreation of one of your covers (for example from your Iron Man
run) is there a limit on how often your would do a recreation of one
of your covers? Your run on Iron Man is my all-time favorite and I’m a
big fan.
Thanks
in advance on taking the time to answer my question.
Abraham
Martinez
Dear
Abe,
No--there's
no limitations on repeat cover recreations. Needless to say, there are
some covers that are ordered quite frequently, like Iron Man #128,
for example. But to me, you should get whatever you want--the customer
is always right. I'll admit, I prefer to do original concept
pieces, but I never want to say "no" to doing something that a
fan truly desires...no matter how many times I've recreated a particular
cover illustration.
By
the way, ordering info is always listed on the commissions link, which
is located on the navigation bar at the bottom of each web page.
So feel free to request whatever you wish.
And--thanks
for the kind words. It's always great to hear from a true fan.
Mr.
Layton,
I
am writing this brief email to humbly request some direction in
obtaining any of your art tutorial printouts, such as those appearing in
the Wizard Magazine. Currently, I am an art student
studying via distance learning, and have always enjoyed reading through
Wizard Magazine's art instruction section for years. In particular
I clearly remember you doing a piece on "Texture," with
subject matter displaying metallic/oily/sandy coatings. Your
artwork is truly incredible and I respect your style
tremendously. Is there any information you could give me regarding
learning about certain artistic techniques that you employ in your
work? I am graciously appreciative, and if there is anything
that I can do for you, please let me know.
Caesar
Cantone
Caesar,
Are
you sure that was me doing the "texture" art
instruction?
I
don't recall doing anything for Wizard--especially since I generally
despise the magazine. I could be wrong. I may have done it during
my Valiant days, when I was forced to make nice to them. If anyone
has a scan of the article in question, please forward it to me.
As
far as art instruction goes, I've toyed with the idea of having a page
on this site devoted to teaching the finer points of comic art
techniques. But I was never sure if there was enough of an audience to
warrant the time and effort.
So--I'll
leave it up to my readers. If you'd like me to include an
instructional page on Bob Layton.com, drop me an e-mail with your
suggestions. If I get a sufficient number responding, perhaps I'll
cook something up.
In
the meantime, my mentor and pal, Dick Giordano has written and
illustrated a new book devoted to the tricks of the trade entitled,
"Draw Comics with Dick Giordano", and it's due out
this month. Everyone who might be interested in creating comic art
owes it to themselves to get a copy and learn from one of the most
skillful teachers in the business today.
Bob,
Just found your website. I have you to thank for the countless
hours spent up at night reading comic books.
That and waiting for the next to arrive. You get a lot of requests for
art work. Do you ever get any to do a collage of all the
characters for the Iron Man series? Tony Stark's cohorts if
you will. Beth, Rodney, Vic (security), The secretary (Mrs.
Arbogast). All these characters played such a big role in the
story line at the time that I looked for
them as often as I did Tony Stark.
How many issues of the Micronauts did you do? The one that
stands out in my mind is #38. Acroyear and Iron Man's armor we're
pretty similar so it seemed natural for you to draw these characters as
well.
These comics, in my mind and personal opinion, have never been the same
after you left. The artwork has changed again and again but they
will always never compare to the one's you did. These will always
be the way I remember the characters.
True Fan,
Nick
Jager
Dear
Nick,
I
was one of several regular cover artists during that particular era at Marvel
and did around seven covers a month, I truly can't recall how many
Micronauts covers I did during that period. This sounds like a job
for my resident historian, Mike Kalibabky. I'll forward your
e-mail on to Mike and see if he can find out the exact number of issues
--along with a scan or two (hint, hint). I'll post the results
next month.
I
appreciate the praise, Nick. Thanks.
Hi,
Bob:
The
Red Wolf mini-series featured last month was an interesting
concept piece and I would have picked up the book at my convenience
store for sure. Power Man & Iron Fist – eh. Never
really had an affinity for either character, but your art is very nice.
Do
you have some issues of CPL you would be willing to sell ?
Please let me know. ’cause –man-- are they ever tough to find.
Ever think about re-issuing them into one collected paperback
volume? I’d buy it! It’s got some great articles and
interviews and amazing spot illos, many of which were never published
elsewhere. With such a low print run, many art collectors never
had the chance to see some of this great stuff. I’m pretty
convinced that a lot of them would be willing to buy a collected volume
if they knew it existed. Please think about it.
All
the best,
Yoram
Matzkin
Dear
Yoram,
CPL
(Contemporary Pictorial Literature),
for
those of you not "in the know", was
one of the first and more memorable fanzines of the 1970's . I had the
privilege of being the publisher and one of the 'zine's major
contributors.
Alumni columnists from that publication included John Byrne,
Roger Stern, Tony Isabella, Batman film executive producer
Michael Uslan and Steven Grant to name a few. It also
featured art by up-and coming artists (at the time) like Paul
Gulacy, Don Maitz, Bob Hall and P. Craig Russell,
as well as lots of professional |
contributions
from folks like Joe Sinnott, Mike Vosburg and Herb
Trimpe, to name a few.
Roger
Stern (Co-editor) and I were based in Indiana, prior to
going professional, and also produced other fanzine titles such as The
Charlton Bullseye, Witzend and Heroes Inc. during
that time.
Unfortunately,
I've only kept a single copy of those 'zines for myself--so I haven't a
clue where you could snag any for yourself, Yoram.
But,
I'll give some thought to your suggestion about collecting them into
some sort of volume or reprinting them here on the website. Who
knows?
Dear
Mr. Layton:
Dan Jurgens was kind enough to direct me to your website, and
suggested I mention his name. I am an author who has been asked to
submit a proposal for a book that would review the best and/or most
popular independent comic books from 1982-1996. I was hoping you
might be able to help me with some research I am doing for this
proposal.
While this may seem a bit of a stretch, I wanted to inquire about The
Sorcerer
independent series you and David Michelinie were working on
around 1980. I plan to precede the reviews in my book with a
chapter that covers the history of comics prior to 1982. This chapter
will include mini-reviews of some independent comic books published
before 1982, such as MAN CALLED SAVAGE, FIRST KINGDOM, and THE
SCORPION. I believe it can be argued that you and Michelinie were
the first mainstream (at the time) creators to attempt to move
into the independent market, and for that reason I would like to include
some information about The
Sorcerer.
Basically, I would like to include a plot overview and, with your
permission, some sample art from the book(s) you completed.
Thank you for taking the time to read and consider my request.
Sincerely,
Steven Philip Jones
ORIGINAL
COVER TO THE SORCERER
Dear
Steven,
I
always amazed at how far back some people's memories go.
In
the early eighties, while David Michelinie and I toiled
laboriously on the monthly adventures of Marvel’s Invincible Iron
Man, we came up with the idea of publishing our own project, without
the constraints of the Comics Code Authority and the heavy-handed
editorial policies of the publishing giants.
Independent publishing was in its infancy at that time, with only
a handful of books ever seeing the light of day. So the odds were
against us. It didn’t matter at the time.
We were in love with the medium, as most young creators are when
they meet with a modicum of success, as we had with Marvel’s Armored
Avenger.
Our
concept revolved around the story of Seneca St. Synn, a stage
magician who had been disfigured by the Mob, after refusing to knuckle
under to their demands. What was born of that botched assassination
became the hooded and black-garbed creature of the night called—The
Sorcerer. The
Sorcerer, using the magics taught to him by his Native American
Grandfather, began a trail of vengeance against the mob that was
ghastly, even by today’s more accepting standards.
Advertising
had appeared for the book in several places prior to it’s publication,
so comic fans did get a peek of the character (and...I’ve
always suspected that one of them was a little Todd McFarland--but
we'll never know, will we?). Unfortunately, the backer of the
Sorcerer graphic novel bailed out at the last minute, leaving us with 48
pages of visceral fun that no longer had a home.
So,
The
Sorcerer
was
shelved--indefinitely.
Years
passed and David and I continued working on the mainstay characters that
inhabit the Marvel and DC universes.
But,
in spite of the various creations David and I had brought to life (either
together of separately) we had never forgotten our first, original
collaboration together.
Sure,
there was talk about bringing the Sorcerer character back in other
incarnations with the mainstream companies. However, for one
circumstance or another, that never seemed to materialize.
The
time came when the movie industry woke up and discovered comics. David
Michelinie, Dick Giordano and I had anticipated that coming
development onslaught and we made the decision to create a company whose
characters would easily translate into other mediums, without the normal
bends and twists that Hollywood producers would have to go through to
make the character plausible to a general audience.
And
thus…Future Comics was born.
The
first, two characters we created were Freemind and Metallix.
Both were a lot of fun and satisfying to us as creators, but we always
had The
Sorcerer
in the back of our minds as our third Future Comics
title.
David
and I had long discussions about reviving the character under the Future
banner. We agreed that the basic concept was still sound, so we set
about the task of updating the
Sorcerer
premise to fit the 21st century.
David and I conceived a new origin for the character’s astounding
abilities—manifested in an ancient mask of unspeakable power and
malevolence. And, as it sometimes occurs in the process of creating, the
other missing pieces of the character seemed to fall magically into
place. By
the time we had finished with the revamp of the Sorcerer, his new name
had become a no-brainer.
The
Sorcerer
had now become—DEATHMASK.
For
me, that series was a pipeline to a simpler time as a creator.
It was my creative future and past, all rolled up into one
intriguing and haunted character.
I’ve
mustered the courage to post four pages of that original 48 page Sorcerer
novel, Steven. The artwork, by a snot-nosed, fledgling Bob Layton,
doesn’t exactly hold up by today’s more sophisticated standards.
However, it’s still a hoot to look at-- from a strictly
nostalgic point of view.
I'll
discuss your proposition with David and get back to you soon. In
the meantime, enjoy the sneak peek. And for those of you who wish to see
The
Sorcerer
in
his 21st century incarnation, take a look at the unpublished Deathmask
#4 story featured on this month's news page.
|
Mike's
Monthly Missive
As
usual, Mike Kalibabky came through with a plethora of tantalizing
questions concerning my career in comics. Shall we begin?
1.
During the “Stark Wars” (Armor Wars I), the Mandroids made an
appearance in IRON MAN #227. Were you fully responsible for the
slick redesign of the Mandroid armor?
1.
No--I believe we based the Mandroids who appeared in that run on the
ones designed by Neal Adams during his stint on The Avengers.
2. I finally found and purchased a copy of DC SUPER-STARS SECRET ORIGINS
OF SUPER-HEROES # 17 (Nov.-Dec. 1977), wherein the origin of The
Huntress is examined. The issue also includes an explanation of how
she came to be...”It began when inker Bob Layton started to
militate for an Earth-Two Batgirl as a member of the Justice Society, in
order to relieve Power Girl the burden of being the only female of the
team.” Soon, the Batgirl idea gave way for the creation of
a new female crime-fighting character – The Huntress. But the
process of how she came into being by writer Paul Levitz, writer, Joe
Stanton, penciler, and you was not mentioned. Information, please. Note:
The Huntress first appeared, in cameo, in ALL-STAR COMICS PRESENTS
THE JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #69 (Nov.-Dec. 1977). I
recently paid $16 for a FVF-grade copy. (Who says The Huntress isn¹t
popular?)
2.
Paul was always very receptive to ideas from me--it was my first
"good experience" with collaborating with a writer on a comic
series. My concept for the Huntress was to make her the total opposite
of the Earth-2 Batman, having inherited her mother's killer instincts.
In the premise I proposed, Bruce Wayne had become Police Commissioner of
Gotham City and was appalled by the Huntress' tactics. He dedicated
himself to hunting down this vigilante, never suspecting that it was his
own daughter he was trying to convict. To tell the truth, I was very
disappointed with the design for the character that Joe Staton handed
in, since he gave her Batman-esque features such as the serrated cape
and pointy mask. To me, it just seemed to telegraph that she was a
"Earth-2 Batgirl" instead of being a totally original
character. Besides, isn't Bruce Wayne one of the world's greatest
detectives? The Batman-like costume might have been a dead
give-away that she might be someone Wayne knows. Sheesh!
3. Why, in your opinion, do modern-day comics creators, including
editors, have so much trouble with existing continuity? You, David
Michelinie and many other comics pros NEVER had a problem. Case in
point: IRON MAN: BAD BLOOD. You and David conceived a wonderful
four-parter that not only drew on the existing Iron Man continuity
but also added to it. In other words, you two enriched the
character¹s history and mythos and this was YEARS after you had long
left IRON MAN. Current creators have a heck of a time with continuity.
But worse, they often state how much they were inspired by classic
superhero comics, usually Silver Age titles, and are honored to be
working on a favored title. But then, they set about to ruin both
the character and the character¹s continuity. What in the hell is so
hard about following continuity? You¹d think that a professional writer
or artist would have no real difficulty building upon what made a
character great in the first place.
Mike,
I'll never understand the thinking (or lack thereof) of the
current crop of writers. It appears to me that the mindset of a new
writer, coming onto a title, is the treat the past work with total
contempt. David and I have always tried to conduct ourselves as
professionals--meaning that we coped with the cards we were dealt.
Neither of us were thrilled with the existing continuity on Iron Man
when we took the Bad Blood assignment. However, we worked with
what was there to produce something we could be proud of WITHIN
the existing premise of that series.
That
being said, I'm personally not a big fan of continuity these days.
I find myself gravitating towards story that are self-contained.
4. And speaking of IRON MAN: BAD BLOOD, was the all-new red and
silver space armor in issue #4 (Dec. 2000) an homage of sorts to your
original red and silver armor in IRON MAN?
4.Yep!
You betcha!
5. On Dick Giordano¹s website is a cover image for Charlton¹s CAPTAIN
ATOM # 82, from around the mid-1960s, that included a character called
The Ghost. Now, knowing of your connections with Charlton and Mr.
Giordano, is it possible that The Ghost from CAPTAIN ATOM might have
been an inspiration for The Ghost you created for IRON MAN?
Mike
Kalibabky
5/31/05
5.
I confess, Mike! I was always a huge fan of the original Ghost in
the Charlton Comics and I absolutely used it for inspiration in coming
up with Marvel's incarnation of the character.
Bob
Layton
5/31/05 |
