BOB'S LETTER OF THE MONTH:

Dear Bob,
I saw your email address on your table at the New York Comic Con and thought I would drop you a line of thanks. It is for more than the autographs though. I will be brief and just say this that alcoholism runs deep on both sides of my family (indeed my grandfather was a bootlegger way back when) and I know that I have that potential as well. Am I saying that the Iron Man comics kept me from becoming an alcoholic? Yes-- indeed I am. I was abused as a child and had a very rough time of it, yet somehow I doubt I have ever drank a full case of beer in my life and very few other drinks, and its because I grew up reading Iron Man and thinking that if Tony Stark could do it, so could I. Thank you for being a part of one of the few good things about my childhood.
I also wish to give you kudos for signing the autographs without charging. Many people of fame would charge an arm and a leg for a simple signature, all the while having more money than they can spend. I had expected to pay for your autograph, and would have for a few but I greatly respect you for not charging.
Thanks once more and rest assured that the comics you signed today for me will not go up on E-bay.
 
Tony Sutton

Dear Tony,
Comic artists actually CHARGE you for their signatures?!! To be honest, I've never heard of such a thing! I understand it when celebrities, such as movie & TV actors charge at conventions, because that's how they supplement their expenses and such. But for a comic book artist to charge you? That's unconscionable, in my opinion.
I was very touched by your comments concerning the Iron Man alcohol issues and how it affected you on a deeply, personal level. Believe it or not, you are not the first person who has written me in that context or has found some solace in the plight of Tony Stark's battle with the bottle. I, myself have been touched by the specter of alcoholism in my family, so I definitely feel your pain. I applaud you for your will to avoid that possible addiction and hope that you continue to have a fulfilling adult life.
Needless to say, because of your candid remarks and genuine empathy, you will be the recipient of this month's Iron Man: Concept of the Month original artwork featuring the new Mystical Armor. Be sure to drop me an email and give me your mailing address at your next opportunity.

Thank you for sharing your insights with us.

Hi Bob,
I'm a big fan of your Hercules runs. Huge Herc fan, in general. I saw that you took the time recently to pitch Herc: The End again. But, you failed to mention their response? Any hopes?
I think the time is perfect for it with Herc's revival of late!
 

Thanks and good luck!
Darth Paul

Dear Darth,
Not to sound like Barack Obama, but I do have the audacity to hope. Although I cannot give out any specifics at this time, I can tell you that the chances are very good that you will see some new Hercules material, by me.

Hi, Bob.
The response to the Iron Man chase cards, in general, has been incredible and the response to your cards in particular has been fantastic! I've been spending a fair amount of time talking up your cards -- making people aware of the historical significance of a Bob Layton sketch card vs. a sketch card drawn by any other artist. As I've said to many people, having a card drawn by someone who actually works on the Iron Man comics is very meaningful, and such work will have special significance across the hobby. Other artists may be talented, but it's just more important to have a card drawn by an original Iron Man artist.
Thanks for all your cooperation and I appreciate the kind words about working with us.

Steven M. Charendoff
President
Rittenhouse Archives, Ltd.

Dear Steven,
Thanks again for working closely with me and being so cooperative. I would genuinely recommend you folks to others in the comics community.
Just so the fans know, I did a total of 200 full color cards for the Rittenhouse Archives. Because Steve, Robert, and the other folks there were so cooperative, they allowed me to keep six of the cards for my own use. I'm going to display these uncut, chase-cards here and allow those interested to start fighting over them.

Steve, let me know if there's anything else I can do for you and keep me apprised on how the cards are doing in the marketplace.  I can always give you some more free plugs on my website for the asking.

Best wishes,

Hey Bob,

In looking more closely at your website, I’m confused about the website text on the page:

It says that your chase cards will be randomly inserted in packs---I thought your cards are only incentives for buying 4 cases?
Are the extra 50 ones they asked you to do going to be randomly inserted?
Also, it mentions about 6 cards which you’ll sell through your website---were those the extra cards you emailed me about
(I was hoping to get a chance to get one or two of those directly and maybe even get a chance to get one tailored)?
It’s weird because among the hardcore Iron man collector’s I know no one but me has put in a big pre-order but I guess people who aren’t IM collectors are buying boxes.

Daren Domina

Daren,
To be honest, at the time I wrote that, I didn't know what their distribution plan was for the chase cards. They didn't provide me with promo copy, so I just made something up to go with the preview cards.

You are absolutely right in terms of your information concerning how the cards are going to be offered.

I stand corrected and apologize for any confusion.
 

Hi Bob. 

I’m a long-time fan of your work and just recently discovered your site – can’t wait to spend more time going through the archives.  I’m probably really late chiming in on my thoughts re: Iron Man: Legacy of Doom, but I only just read it and wanted to share my thoughts with you on how much I enjoyed the issue.

I loved how the first page foreshadowed the last page with Iron Man in Mephisto’s presence trapped in hell.  And Tony’s conflicting emotions on feeling sentimental (to the older armor), and feeling practical with protecting himself from techno theft was spot on.  I’ve always loved this aspect of Tony’s character where he can be so driven to invent the next bit of cutting edge technology as if unsatisfied with the level of tech currently in his possession, and yet like a child with a favorite toy, want to hold on to what he once had.  The struggle of sentimentality and practicality is played perfectly in that scene.  I also loved the nobility of our Knight in Shining Armor as he’s pretty much certain he’s flying into a Doom trap, but goes anyway for the sake of any lives in peril.  I miss that from what little I have read of the current Iron Man stories.  He seems a harder man these days.  The moments where Iron Man grasps Doom and speaks disrespectfully to him were amusing.  He’s not playing the role of lackey this time!

Question for you:  In this story, Doom clearly knows that this was the Iron Man he fought against in Camelot (back in #150).  In Issue #250, Doom encountered Iron Man again but observed that he had fought IM’s predecessor since the world was under the impression the original IM was killed during the Armor Wars.  In this story, that doesn’t seem to be the case.  Tony made no effort in hiding the fact that he and Doom had trouble getting back to the future the first time.  And since Doom stated “Vengeance is Mine” at the close of the issue, he knew the truth as well.  My question is:  What was the thought process between you and David in choosing to develop the story in this way?  Did you debate the pros and cons of whether to abide by continuity or write a story outside of continuity that would allow a more interesting tale to be told?  Perhaps the fact that many years have passed since those days played into the decision.  I’ve always been interested in the choices writers make, especially when it involves continuity and a story that can only exist outside of it.  I guess that’s a conflict writers have to struggle with at times when in the business isn’t it? 

Great job on the story so far. 

Robert Hibbard

Dear Robert,

As far as your question concerning Doom's threat of "Vengeance is mine," I can't speak for David, but the way I always looked at it was that Doom saw Iron Man as a pawn of Tony Stark's. When he speaks of vengeance, it's related to not just the lackey inside the armor, but to the man he believes to be pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Also, although it's not said, it's quite possible that Doom has figured out that Tony Stark is really Iron Man in that the ruse of more than one person in the armor is merely that.

Thank you for your kind words. I hope that the rest of the series meets with your approval.

Hi Bob! 

I was really impressed with the first issue [of Iron Man: Legacy of Doom]!  The story was entertaining and had action and great characters. I don't want to see Iron Man melt down his armors, but the fact that you guys addressed Extremis, and that Stark was securing the tech that he doesn't need was a well thought out compliment to the new status quo. Of course, I'm sure other armors will continue to pop up, but I thought there was smart storytelling here that really complimented the amazing art!

I have been a fan of Ron Lim since his Silver Surfer days all the way through his Future Comics work. He's doing a great job so far in this mini, too! The layouts are awesome with some really dynamic panel work... it really made the book fun to look at!  The colors were really vibrant too and everything had very crisply inked line work.  Honestly, the first issue of this book was a colorful, eye candy joy to look at with a really solid start to the story.  Seriously the IM:LoD team is battin' a thousand so far!

I also wanted to thank you for the amazing cover you contributed to our upcoming 75th issue of our online fanzine, Advanced Iron.  To receive a single figure piece of artwork from an industry pro is usually very exciting, but to receive a full cover with such great content and symmetrical layout is thrilling.  I know that Chris Frye conveyed our appreciation to you, and it’s very exciting that the two of you have such a good rapport.  I’m very appreciative of the fact that you’ve continued to support the zine throughout all of our changes, both in regime and presentation.

Thank you for sticking with us!

Sincerely,

John B. Comerford

Dear John,

I'm glad that you're happy with the cover that the Invincible Ron Man and I came up with for your anniversary issue. It was a blast doing it and I hope your readers enjoy the effort.

I appreciate your opinions on the first issue of Legacy of Doom. Apparently, you are not alone in your enthusiastic praise of our first issue. Below are some links to various reviews that were found all over the internet, including several from some high profile places like Ain't It Cool News. Most were positive, but in the interest of fairness, we'll post them all, good or bad.

Bob,

I met you at the New York Comic Con and you signed my Iron Man: the Iron Manuel, thank you for that. I also mentioned how I used that book to make a report for a class I had in High School. You asked that I email you the story so here it is.
I had an English professor who asked us to pick a book that we really liked and make a report about it. So being rather lazy, admittedly, I choose something that I liked and thought was easy. I choose the Iron Manuel and re-read it and took some ideas that I picked up on ran with it. Some examples were of how the suit itself could be used to save a soldier's life with the weapons system. How the suits circuitry could be broken down into minor component parts. The helmet did one thing and the chest plate another. Now this wasn't knew obviously but then I used the possibility of the rocket boots and repulsor rays could in the later future to help the injured. The Cybernetic Antenna Array could be used to control an Exoskeleton to help someone walk. And then stuff like Micro Processing to show that this was possible in the future. This was ten years ago now, hey some of it is now fact, some still theory but believable. I think I got a B or B+ but hey I passed and learned something. So, thank you for your contribution to Iron Man and my passing grade.

Kurt Rocourt

Kurt,

Thanks for giving me the credit for helping you on your report, although most of the credit for the Iron Manual has to go to Marvell's science maven, Elliott R. Brown.

If you think the Iron Manual was a cool thing,  the latest issue of Popular Science (May 2008) has a great article concerning the technology currently available to create a real-life Iron Man.

Again, glad I was able to be some assistance in getting you through school! Just remember that if you ever become a rich and famous physicist!

Bob,

I know you are a big football fan - what do you think about arena football? I am a season ticket holder with the Chicago Rush - and I still cannot believe that we let Matt D’Orazio go to the Philadelphia Soul.

Douglas Oberg

Doug,
As it turns out, I'm a huge Arena Football fan and I go to see every Tampa Bay Storm home game (my assistant, the fabulous Sorah Suhng, is also hooked on the game). I think it's one of the most fan-friendly sports there is. I also like Philly and Chicago. I was really sad to see Bobby Sippio move on but kudos for him for making it to the NFL. At least you guys were able to get Harrord from Denver to fill the void. My 82 year old mother is a huge Chicago Rush fan, although she isn't as hot on Sherdrick Bonner at QB as she was for Matt D'Orazio.

Best wishes,

Hello Mr. Layton,
I recently discovered your website - its amazing! Love the sketches, videos, and links! Your Iron Man runs are a personal favorite of mine (Armor Wars was brilliant!).
I have on story-related question for you, if you don’t mind - its been bugging me for years. During your second run on Iron Man, you had Madame Masque shot and killed and replaced by a mysterious woman. Kurt Busiek later revealed this to be a clone of Masque. What were your original plans for this plot? Who was the killer? 
For some reason I’ve always thought this story would have somehow involved Bethany Cabe...
Thanks in advance for your time!
 

All the best,
John Voulieris 

Dear John,

I've been waiting a long time for someone to ask me this question. As you stated, it was one of the storylines that David and I left hanging when we moved on to other projects. But now, it can be revealed!

The person who killed the original Madame Masque was none other than Tony's girlfriend at the time, Rae LaCoste. She had been manipulating Tony throughout their relationship with the ultimate goal of usurping the leadership of the Maggia for her own. Not only that, but unbeknownst to anyone (except David and me), Rae was also the ex-wife of Ant-Man/Scott Lang. Obviously, things were going to get very complicated once we started unveiling Rae LaCoste's "dirty laundry."

It's unfortunate that we never got a chance to continue that particular storyline. Obviously, the permutations would have been very juicy with lots of internal conflicts for everyone involved.

So there ya go!

Bob! 

I’m sure you probably saw this Iron Man movie review:

I love the mention in the review regarding how cool the suit is. Hope all's well with you and that you're busy, busy, busy. We're (Rachel & me) watching the IM movie tonight!

As an FYI: We know Mark Fergus, one of the screenwriters on this. Did you get a chance to meet him or any of the production folks on this project? 

Congratulations, again, for being involved one way or another in a kick ass movie ... only the latest incarnation of a stellar franchise!

Brian Pittman

Brian,

I flew to NYC last Tuesday(4/29) for some editorial meetings and Marvel's screening of the Iron Man movie. Although I missed the Variety review, I did talk to some Hollywood insiders at the N.Y.C.C. who had already seen the movie.  So, I had some idea of what to expect going into it.
As far as my opinions on the film: I thought it was one of the better comics-to-film adaptations.  In my opinion, Robert Downey Jr. was positively brilliant and elevated the film to another level! As you know, Michelinie and I created the Jim Rhodes character, so seeing him up on the screen was somewhat surreal for me. I know that they changed his background story in the movie from what David and I originally came up with, but it still had the same dynamic that we gave the two of them in the comic book series and Terrance Howard was a very good choice.
So John Favreau stayed true to the spirit of the relationship. I would have liked to know more about how they got to be so tight as buddies--but I guess that's coming in the next one, eh?

My biggest complaint was having Obadiah Stane climb into the Iron Monger suit himself.  Throughout the entire film, Stane acts as a "puppet master", manipulating people and events without personally getting his hands dirty.  Then, conveniently, he builds the Iron Monger armor and jumps into it himself, without the need of the tedious learning curve we watched Tony go through for the preceding 50 minutes of the movie.  Personally, I'm tired of the "good super-hero" vs. his "evil counterpart" Hollywood cliché.  Spider-Man 3 suffered from that and it looks like the Hulk movie will be more of the same.  No matter what you think of 'Superman Returns', at least Lex Luthor is a brilliant foil for being able to thwart the Man of Steel without the aid of extraordinary super-powers.

Overall, the Iron Man movie franchise will be a huge boost for my boy Shellhead and it's going to help move this character into the consciousness of the general public--more towards Superman or Batman status.

To answer your last question: Although I will be featured prominently on the Iron Man DVD release in October 2008, I had absolutely no contact with the producers or any of the cast of the film at any time.  Given the litigious atmosphere that's pervasive around these comic-to-film adaptations, it doesn't surprise me that the producers are a little shy about getting former creators involved in the film development.  But, when you see the film, it's obvious that the classic Michelinie/Layton version of the Tony Stark's character is represented more than the current Marvel incarnation.
My inside guys in Hollywood tell me that the second film will feature large elements from Michelinie and my "Demon in a Bottle" storyline, so that should prove to be prove very interesting.