My five June missives are a simple potpourri of questions.

1. While sifting through some Batman materials and other related items, I noticed something interesting: When you sign your last name, the N you use is very similar to the N utilized by artist Joe Staton, co-creator of both E-Man and the Huntress.

Let me back up. The Staton/Charlton connection, and correct me if I¹m wrong, originated during your CPL days, when Nick Cuti, the co-creator (with Joe Staton) and writer of E-MAN fell in love with John Byrne¹s little robot and CPL mascot, ROG 2000, which, I believe was named by you. In fact, you inked the story in which ROG 2000 first appeared, “The Coming of the Gang,” starring you, John Byrne, Roger Stern, Larry Brnicky, Roger Slifer, and Duffy Vohland. The two panels provided are from that story. (You’re in both of them.)

Anyway, in 1974, Cuti wanted ROG 2000 to appear in E-MAN, published by Charlton, as a back-up feature. Cuti, as writer, and Byrne, as artist, teamed-up for four ROG 2000 stories that ran in E-MAN, beginning with issue 6. Eventually, all five ROG 2000 stories were reprinted back in 1982 by Pacific Comics.

Now then, in 1977, you, writer Paul Levitz, and Joe Staton shared creator credits for the Huntress, the daughter of the Earth-2 Batman. Seeing the N in your last name and Statonis made me wonder if the N you use is a nod of sorts to Staton. In addition, the cover illustration you and Staton provided for DC Comics SECRET ORIGINS OF SUPER-HEROES 17 (November-December 1977), featuring the Huntress, contained an amalgam of both your signatures.

Question 1 (and, boy, did it take a long time to get here): Did you borrow Joe Staton's N and adopt it for your own? Note: Next month, I explore the graphic representation of your first name!

1. Mike, your proclivity for examining minutia has reached an all-time high with this one. After I recovered from my brain reeling, I have only one response: No.

2. How did the relationship between you and Joe Staton actually come about and grow, especially with the creation of the Huntress? Meanwhile, Paul Levitz is currently the president and publisher of DC Comics.

2. I met Joe during that period of time where John Byrne, Roger Stern and I were involved with Charlton Comics as creators and contributors to the Charlton Bullseye Fanzine. After the Charlton days, I moved down the street from Joe in the Ashokan area of upstate New York. So, we were literally next door neighbors when we were working on All-Star Comics together. Unfortunately, Joe is a highly opinionated fellow. After working together for a few months, we had a difference in opinion that resulted in a falling out in our professional relationship. I moved on to working with David Michelinie on Claw the Unconquered and Star Hunters. All things considered, the working relationship I had with Joe was rewarding, especially during those formative days in my career.

3. Together, you and John Byrne have worked on a number of Iron Man related stories over the years. Did you guys ever discuss Iron Man and your individual motivations in creating quality Shellhead tales?

3.  Actually, John Byrne and I didn't do that much work collaboratively. Though both of us have our roots in the fanzine days of CPL, we moved in different directions once we got into the pros. We have had several occasions to work together, but that was strictly by assignment only. In other words, I wound up inking stories or covers that John had already penciled (The Champions and Hulk Annual #7) or he provided blue pencil layouts to stories that David and I were working on (i.e. Iron Man #117, Marvel Premiere #47 & 48).

4. An interesting Charlton/Iron Man connection. Prior to his work on Charlton¹s PETER CANON, THUNDERBOLT run for Charlton in 1966, artist Pete Morisi provided the art for a story that features a character considered to be the oldest Iron Man prototype. “Inside the Iron Man” was published in February 1957 in UNCANNY TALES 52 for Atlas (Marvel).
 

Have you collected any vintage comics, Iron Man or otherwise, for either investment or pleasure?

4. Mike, as I've stated in the past, I'm a seller not a buyer.

I don't keep a whole lot of comics around (or anything for that matter) except for reference purposes. However, I will confess that I have held-on to a few childhood favorites that had some meaning to me. I suppose you want to hear what those are, otherwise it would be a very boring column.

My all-time favorite comic, which I've never let go of, is an Alex Toth's Brave and the Bold issue featuring the Atom and the Flash. CLASSIC Alex Toth!

I also have a few issues of Mystery in Space featuring Adam Strange--in my opinion the wackiest comic book concept ever done. As I've mentioned in previous columns, Adam Strange is one of those characters that I've always been dying to get my hands on--kind of my DC version of Hercules: Prince of Power, if I ever get the opportunity to do it.

My last confession is that I own the entire Charlton super-hero comic collection from the 1960s.

And, before I forget, I also have the Denny O'Neil and Dick Giordano issues of Wonder Woman without the Star Spangled costume. (the BEST incarnation of Wonder Woman in my opinion and some of the rockin'-est Giordano art ever!)

5. And, finally, question 5. Your falling out with Jim Shooter has been widely publicized. But there was a time at Marvel when you guys must have had an absolute blast producing comics. In fact, I can remember back in the 1980s the two of you poking fun at each other via various gags in the Bullpen Bulletins. It was fun for you and Shooter at Marvel back then, right?

5. Yeah, because I was drunk most of the time! :)

But, seriously, we actually did have a lot of fun in the early days. Jim was a lot less dictatorial in the early stages of his tenure at Marvel. There was a time where Marvel was pretty much "one big happy, dysfunctional family." I think the old adage about absolute power has some significance in what occurred in the later years at Marvel. As a wise man once told me, "Managing success is much more difficult than dealing with failure."

My personal opinion is that Jim had a hard time managing his success as Editor-In-Chief.

We did have fun and were friends through most of his time at Marvel. Things didn't really get bad until I moved to Valiant.  Two years had passed between his leaving Marvel and my going to work with him at Valiant.  During those two years, we had very little contact with each other. I think that, once I re-established a working relationship, I began to see him  with different eyes. At Valiant, it's my opinion that his inner demons started to catch up with him.  Unfortunately, he was no longer the congenial fellow I remembered working with so successfully at Marvel.

That being said, in spite of the public perception of our relationship, I still have a lot of respect for Jim as a creator.

This month, Allen Del Caro's War Wabbit illustration swipes your cover for IRON MAN, Vol. 1, No. 244.

Thanks, Bob.