Hey, Bob!

It's your birthday--which I guess you probably know!

Here's wishing you a terrific day and many more happy, creative, and successful years to come. 

Best wishes to you and yours,

Tony Isabella

Dear Tony,

Thank you so much for the kind birthday wishes! You've always been a prince at remembering to drop a line when it comes around on the calendar. I'm also appreciative to ALL of the fans who sent me Happy Birthday greetings in September. Rather than answer each one of them individually, I thought I could just acknowledge their kindness here, along with Tony's letter. At the same time, there's no harm giving my buddy, Tony Isabella, a nice plug for his online column! I recommend it highly. Just click on the banner above and be thoroughly entertained by one of the comic industry's most beloved figures!

Bob,

I heard about the videos on your site yesterday and was checking them out today.  Great stuff!

Joe Quesada

Dear Joe,

What a thrill to know that you are actually surfing around on my humble website. If you liked those previous videos, you're going to have a blast next month when I start running some of the old home-movies from my Valiant Birthday Bashes. I have three of those videos and you're featured prominently in all of them, Joe! In fact, I believe you and your band are performing on one of the tapes! I'll be sure to send you a heads-up when those are posted.

In the meantime, thanks for the opportunity to work with David Michelinie and Ron Lim again on Iron Man. I have to say we're having a blast!

Hi,

I am puzzled by what you wrote regarding John Byrne on last month's video blog. You say that some fans have stated that he has nothing nice to say. Is that in regards to Shooter or in general? Either way, he has been upfront about his feelings toward Shooter both positive and negative. There are definitely many "fans" out there that enjoy bashing Byrne.

I hope that you will reconsider what you posted, as it is not accurate.

Thank you for posting the roast. It truly was the end of the golden age of Marvel.

Shaun Crowell

Shaun,

Did you watch the video?  Lighten up, pal. The comment was a running gag, by John himself, that ran throughout the roast!

All the line in the intro  said was “And--he still has nothing nice to say—according to some fans.”.  It was a joke!

But, I can see where some people might mistake that aside comment as slightly rude.  While it is no secret that Mr. Byrne has been somewhat outspoken these days, I had no intention of insulting your idol. 

Far from it. 

In spite of the fact that he has been harshly-critical of my work on his message boards of late, I still have nothing but respect for John. 

And, though our paths no longer cross these days, as you can clearly see from that video, John and I were friends in the past.

However, to insure that no one else stumbles on that punchline, I removed it from the site. (it really wasn't all THAT funny, anyway.)

Thanks for bringing it to my attention,

Hey, Mr. Layton,

You look like Tony Stark with that mustache and sunglasses of yours.  You sure you weren't drawing yourself when you did the Iron Man series back in the early 80's?  I thoroughly enjoyed viewing the "Jim Shooter Roast" and am looking forward to the rest of the footage.

Thank you,

Tom, the Compulsive Iron Man Fan

Dear Tom,

I'm pretty sure I wasn't drawing myself as Tony Stark. If anything, I was imitating him. To be honest, Tony Stark's a lot better looking than me! In fact, I've never grown a mustache since! And, I promise all my readers that I never will again after seeing how it looked in that video!

However, I am very pleased that you enjoyed Part One of the Roast video. I think you'll find this month's entry equally entertaining!

Hello again, 
I had a question about Aric from X-O Manowar I wanted to ask. 
We know that Aric was alive in 408 AD, when the Spider-Aliens took him from Earth, that he returned in 1991, and ultimately died in 2064. 
From 1991 to 2064 would be 73 years.
How old was he when the Spider-Aliens took him?
If he was anywhere over 20 years old (which seems likely), that means that he was close to being 100 when Toyo killed him. 
How was he able to live that long? And, if Harada hadn't killed him, could he have lived well beyond his 100th birthday?
Was life extension through the X-O Manowar armor ever explored (that is, beyond the suspended animation feature seen after Unity that allowed Aric to return to the 20th Century), or did Aric use that feature to extend his life during the Harbinger Wars?
 

Thanks!
Mike Sacal
 
PS: Anything more you can say about your contributions to VEI?

Dear Mike,

Questions like this always make my head hurt. But, since I'm the only guy who could answer that question, it kind of leaves me holding the bag, doesn't it?

I always envisioned Aric being in his early 20s when he was abducted by the Spider-Aliens in 408 AD. I established, during Unity, that the armor could prolong life, even in the most dire of circumstances, as well as extend the wearer's lifespan. Therefore, it's not insane to imagine that Aric, although technically 93 at the time of his death, would actually have only been 73 years old in physical terms.

Sorry, but I'm not at liberty to discuss anything having to do with the Valiant Entertainment group. All I can tell you is that they have discussed certain ideas with me. But, nothing has ever gone beyond that point.

Bob,

I hope your pooch is doing better.

What are your thoughts on Giants now that Eli (Manning) is out for a month?  I don't think they'll recover after he comes back to be any type of a contender.

I think the Pats are gonna roll over the rest of the field and go straight to Super Bowl 08.  The way they're playing, they may as well be given a pass to the Big Game's gates now.

Go Bears!

Larry Clay

Dear Larry,

It wouldn't be a Bob Layton Letter column without some football talk during the season, eh? Obviously, things have changed since you originally sent your email. Eli is back playing for the Giants, although his performance has been severely diminished by the extremely poor play of his receivers and the G-men's defense.

As much as it pains me to admit, your assessment of the New England Patriots seems to be inevitable. Between their illegal side-line practices and the dominating roster of Pro-Bowl type players (like Randy Moss), they seem to be unstoppable at the moment. Personally, I hate these guys. I've always hated these guys. I will continue to hate these guys. As I'm sure YOU know, they're in the same division as my beloved New York Jets.  So, as long as there's a Jets team to root for, I'll hate the New England Patriots!

But, let's get down to the guys that could knock the Pats out of the playoffs. We know that the reigning Super Bowl champs, the Indianapolis Colts, can do it. They've done it before and they are actually a better team than they were last season. Also, the way the Pittsburgh Steelers are currently playing, they might have a chance to slow down that potent New England defense. Strangely enough, if New England is going to stumble during the regular season, it's probably going to be to a team they least expect, like a lowly 3-5 team. Look what happened to Pittsburg in Arizona during Week Four! I won't even bring up possible NFC opponents, because the NFC, with the exception of the Dallas Cowboys, stinks on ice!

Dear Mr. Layton,

Thank you for responding to my email regarding upcoming Future Comics characters projects in your August update. I look forward to hearing more about them at the appropriate time. I also saw your response to Jamie Dooley’s letter in your September update in which you expressed that you had hoped the Future Comics line could have reached a wider audience. Thinking towards that goal, have you considered making the Future Comics line available for free download on a site such as WOWIO.com?

You could even include the unpublished completed material.  I’ve heard from at least two publishers that the revenue from the advertising can be significant and it would make the line available to a broader audience. I know that you currently have a few issues online in your Archives, so I think even those few for download would be beneficial, if you are not inclined to post the entire line.

As a fan of the line, I’d like to see it revived in any form and thought this idea may work towards that. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Brian W. Thomer, Esq.

Dear Brian,

To be honest with you, I really have only heard bits-and-pieces about the WOWIO website.  Obviously, it sounds like a good idea on the surface. The more people who get to sample the Future Comics products, the better, as far as I'm concerned. I'll tell you what I'm going do: I'll pass this assignment off to my assistant, the Fabulous Sorah Suhng, and have her look into what it takes to get some of these issues onto their site. As soon as I have more information, I'll get back to you and my other readers with a final verdict.

Hi Bob,

Hope you are keeping well.

I saw this page attributed to you on E-bay and would like to know if it’s a page from the ‘SILVER SURFER’ run, pencilled by Marshall Rogers? The seller cannot tell me which book this was published in, or who the penciller is. Do you remember where this page came from?

Much appreciated.

Regards,

Andrew Van Embden

Melbourne, Australia

Andrew,

Actually, that page was written, pencilled and inked by me and was part of a short story I did for Marvel’s Shadows and Light series. (issue #3, I believe.)

Hello Mr. Layton,

I can’t say how happy I was to hear that you will be at the Big Apple Con’s November show this year. 

I look forward to meeting a great comic book creator like you.  I was wondering, I have heard that you will be doing an Iron Man project again. So, will your writing partner, Dave Michelinie, be at the show?  The reason being, Dave has not done a comic book show in many, many years.  I think it would be a great thrill to have him there.  Does he have a website?  I was hoping to send him an email as well. 

Thanks for your time. 

Cosimo Torello

Dear Cosimo,

Just for the record, I am on the guest list for the Big Apple Con in November, but that appearance has yet to be confirmed. As it gets closer, I will post information on my site. As far as David Michelinie goes, I was actually contemplating an attempt at coercing him to come up to the show, at least for a day, if I'm able to attend. I was going to wait until it got a little closer until I started working on him.  Sorah has been discussing the idea of creating an exclusive website for David. Hopefully, she'll be able to convince him to make himself more available to his horde of rabid fans.

In the meantime, I will always be happy to forward any fan mail for David through my web address.

I was extremely touched by the outpouring of kindness and sympathy for the recent plight of my faithful Labrador, Bosco. As many of you know, Bosco had to have surgery in September for a torn hind leg tendon.  It was a painful joint replacement and he now faces the subsequent months of rehabilitation. Not being a young pup (he's 10), the process has been somewhat daunting. Fortunately, Bosco is an extremely intelligent and well-behaved canine, so he treats everyday as if nothing happened! My only regret is that my old boy can't read. If he could, he would have been touched by many of your emails over the last month. The letters below are just a sampling of some of the thoughtful missives that came my way.

Bob, 

I’m glad to hear Bosco will make a recovery.  We lost our Chocolate Lab of 10 years back in April.  It was the hardest thing I've ever been through. Bo had more personality than most people I know.

I look forward to seeing the return of your team to a book that is sorely in need of some strong support and direction.  Even a short run or independent stand alone story is better than what we've seen in recent years.  I personally feel that prior to Civil War, they haven't had a clue what to do with the character and have let every hack and wannabe take a shot at doing him. 

I try to stay away from the message boards, and the like, since it frustrates me to no end. Sorry.

My positive thoughts are going out to you and Bosco.

Best Regards,

Chris Banks

Bob,

I really struggled to convince myself to get that second cover recreation, but I thought it was a great deal and it's going towards helping Bosco. I own a 12-yr old husky and I get concerned about his health, so I'm glad to help out your dog.

I wish Bosco the best.

Thanks,

Larry Tun

Bob,

I am glad to hear that Bosco is doing better. Pets are a very important part of our household as well so I can sympathize with what you are going through.

Chris Gould

Hi Bob,

I'm a big fan of yours. Love your work. I just saw your special on your website for cover recreations running thru the 15th. Am I too late? Have wanted to get you to do a recreation of Marvel Premiere #47(the new Ant-Man) for a while, but things have been tight.

I met you at a convention 25 years ago and you had that cover for sale. But being 16 and REALLY STUPID, I bought comics instead.

Sorry to hear about Bosco.  I hope he is well. My wife and I have a lab (Sydney) who looks a lot like him with just with a touch of grey.

Thanks for your time and the beautiful work!

Paul Munz