LETTER

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Hello Bob!!

I was checking out some of your commission work and found this cover recreation:

IRON MAN #243  cover recreation

This recreation was done as part of a deal with a really nice fellow, Mark Levy.

Mark recently bought the all 22 interior art pages to this issue.  As a way of saying thanks, and to make his acquisition complete, I drew this version of the cover to #243. To this day, I have no idea what happen to the original--especially since there was no Iron Man on it, therefore it wasn't a cover that would have been in high demand. Anyway, thanks to Mark for giving that issue's art a good home.

I noticed it says that you didn't know where the original cover went to. Well-- I have it! I bought it back 15 to 17 years ago at a small comic book convention, if memory serves. It can be seen on my site at: http://www.fortradesketchagraphs.150m.com/

Just click on "original comic artwork" button to see it. I also have the original to Iron Man #200 that you mentioned that your piece got bumped.

 I love the work you did on Iron man--you do a fantastic job!!! I even have a Marvel Legends sketch card done by you.

T.t.y.l.,

Tim Cole

Tim,

Thanks for your kind words and for solving "The Baffling Mystery of the Original Cover of Iron Man #243".

Hmmmm--I wonder who has the cover art to Hercules #1?

Mr. Layton,

In searching your Future Comics store I noticed that there are no issues of Peacekeeper for sale. Will there ever be or am I out of luck?

Thank you for your time.

Matt Borowicz

Matt,

As I stated in my personal e-mail to you, Future Comics closed before the first issue of Peacekeeper was published.  However, that first issue was published on this site (see the archives section) and this month's editorial takes an in-depth look at where the character was heading before it's unfortunate still-birth.  Incidentally, Peacekeeper was being developed as a major motion picture at one point before the company's closing.  Screenwriters Patrick Massett and John Zinman (Deep Blue Sea, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider) teamed-up with my crew to develop "Red Reign" as a feature.  Alas--that project ended when we felt that they had strayed too far from the original premise.  Not that the pitch wasn't good--it was simply not what we, at FC, felt best represented our concept for the character.

Hi,
I was browsing thru my old comics collection and I saw a pile of Valiant Comics (X-O, Magnus and Turok) and then, decided to re-read them.  I wondered what happened to Valiant Comics so did my search on the Internet and found your (November 2004) editorial ("Ding Dong-- the Witch Is Dead").  I know we should not celebrate the downfall of any company but I really enjoyed your article and gave me an understanding of what you went thru, your passion for Valiant and eventually how those men in suits really can mess things up.
I enjoyed Valiant Comics before and I never had the chance to say this before but, now with e-mails and everything, I want to thank you for the entertainment and good stories you gave me in my childhood days!

(Name withheld by request)

Quezon City, Philippines

I love that I'm consistently receiving e-mails from all over the world.  It warms my heart to know that the Philippines is no exception and you are keeping the Valiant banner flying.

I realize that I was probably a bit harsh in my criticism of Acclaim's management and their downfall, but make no mistake--these were bad guys that deserved everything that was coming to them.

Do not lament their passing, my friend.

Thank you for the article on the direction Freemind was going to take!  The plotting you guys had in mind for all of the series was truly inspired and it's too bad we never got to see it in print.  These summaries are definitely the next best thing!  I'm looking forward to the wrap-up on "The Peacekeeper".

By the way, one technical detail if no one has mentioned it yet: the letters page link on this month's page is still linking to July's letters page.

Thanks,

Tim Thomas

Tim,

I truly appreciate it when fans bring technical glitches to my attention.  I update the website myself every month (which can be a daunting task for someone without formal FrontPage training, like me.) and I don't always have my 'better half' around to aid me. My wife Jill is a computer whiz and taught me how to do this, as well as designing the basic site. 

JILL (a.k.a. Mrs. Layton)

Did I mention that she's also a real hottie?

So, please--always feel free to point out when something is amiss on the site.

Hi Bob!

I just wanted to say that I've grown up with 'your' Iron Man (for the most part of the stories you were only the inker, but you are one of those inker who 'owns' the pencils he's inking and make them become his own art) and I loved every stuff you've done trough the years (Hercules, X-O Manowar...). Now that I write comics (ahem... mostly x-rated comics) one of my dreams would be a collaboration with you but, unfortunately, my Italian and American publishers pay very little (some of them don't pay at all!) so the dream will never come true. Good luck for your future projects!

Enrico Teodorani

Dear 'Rico,

I’m glad that you enjoyed my attempts to entertain on Iron Man. 

However, I was never "only the inker".  David and I partnered together on every story, with both of us contributing equal amounts of content.  In fact, I have always felt that my inking on the series was incidental to my main concern--namely creating entertaining Iron Man adventures every month with Mr. Michelinie.

And--never say 'never', my friend.  One thing this business has taught me is that anything---I mean--ANYTHING can happen.

I just read about Armor Wars II / Armor X this month on your <Aug.> site. (I hadn't been to your site in a year) That sounds like it would have been a great Iron Man story! Even today. Focusing on who Tony Stark is would be very refreshing because I know I'd see the real Tony again. I've missed him terribly. I can think of only one sort term solution on my part: Grab twenty issues of David/Bob Iron Man and have fun!
Are you going to have anything to do with any of the new Valliant/Acclaim stuff?
Well, thanks again for all you have done.

Joe Boster

Joe,

Not that I wouldn't consider doing something for the new Valiant, but I've gotten the impression that I'm the last person on Earth that they would ask.  (the 'word on the street' is that their mindset falls into the "Shooter School of Revisionist Valiant History" category.) As the unofficial Valiant "Anti-Christ", I'm not holding my breath waiting for the phone call.

Besides, as I've stated many times on this site, I have little interest in working in "mainstream comics" anymore. The deal would have to be pretty damn good to get me back.  I'm more concerned with what they intend to do to my beloved characters.  Keep you fingers crossed that they don't decide to "Marvelize" them.

Thanks for the kudos on the Armor Wars II stuff.

Mike's Monthly Missive

1.You¹ve stated that two characters you and David Michelinie created for IRON MAN, namely Sunturion and The Ghost, were inspired by Charlton¹s Captain Atom, created by writer Joe Gill and artist Steve Ditko. Upon learning this I immediately wondered if there were further character homage's and quickly purchased a copy of DC¹s THE ACTION HEROES Archives Volume #1 hardcover (2004), featuring Captain Atom stories from 1960, 1961, 1965, and 1966. For your fans who don¹t know this, Dick Giordano, then Charlton Editor in Chief, coined the phrase 'Action Heroes' and applied it to the Charlton Comics stable of high-powered do-gooders (Captain Atom, Blue Beetle, The Peacemaker, Sarge Steel, Judomaster, and others).
So, what was your big attraction to the character of Captain Atom? Why such fond affection for this guy? Personally, my favorite Charlton hero was the Blue Beetle (Ted Kord), made popular by Ditko.

1. Well--first off, he had a costume made of reddish and gold chain metal--in the early 60's. (Oh-My-God...do you think there's an Iron Man connection?!!) Captain Atom was one of my first super-hero experiences growing up--back when there weren't that many 'underwear boys' to choose from. Secondly, he had some great Ditko art to make him come alive.  But, believe me--the Blue Beetle was a very close second in my book.

2. The DC ACTION HEROES hardcover mentioned you twice, Bob. First, for printing the final Ditko-drawn Captain Atom story, originally slated for the unpublished CAPTAIN ATOM #90, in CHARLTON BULLSEYE¹s #1 and #2 (1975)--your fanzine.

Second, in 1999 you teamed up with Dick Giordano to produce THE L.A.W. (LIVING ASSAULT WEAPONS) for DC Comics, a six-issue miniseries that reintroduced a number of the original Action Heroes, particularly The Question, Judomaster, Captain Atom, The Peacemaker, and Nightshade. You wrote and inked the issues, while Giordano supplied the pencil art. How were you able to get your paws on the Ditko Captain Atom story to publish it in CHARLTON BULLSEYE? And, as a long-time Charlton fan, what was it like to produce THE L.A.W., especially with Dick Giordano, who seems like the world¹s nicest fellow despite all the BS in the comics industry (every photo I¹ve ever seen of him depicts a man with a genuine smile)?

2. Mike, at that time (mid '70's) Charlton was struggling to re-establish some sort of footing in the superhero market.  Marvel and DC had house fan publications of their own, namely F.O.O.M. and Amazing World of DC Comics. Charlton wanted to establish a fan presence and formed an alliance with the Indy CPL/Gang to produce the Charlton Bullseye. To sweeten the pot, they gave us access to unpublished material from their vaults by the likes of Steve Ditko and a host of others.

Is far as working with those characters on The L.A.W.--it was quite the kick! However, the entire project was a big mistake from square one.   Originally, I had proposed it as an Elseworld series that explored the time gap that began when their series' ended at Charlton and the time they first appeared in the DC Universe (about ten years). It's a shame too, because it was a much better story that the one that appeared in The L.A.W.. 

 However, the powers-that-be convinced Dick Giordano and I that it would sell better if we set it in the regular DC Universe.  In order to do that, The Charlton Project had to be seriously retooled.  Subsequently, it started getting edited by committee, with each editorial department insisting we "Do this" or "Don't do that". As a result, the content became diluted to the point that I no longer recognized it as the story I had created.

Unfortunately, that process simply beat the enthusiasm out of me and Dickie.

We were also told, at the beginning of the project, that we were going to get some big promotions for the series --but it never materialized.

It's too bad it wound up the way it did.  Dickie and I had big plans for those characters down the road.

3. Now to the nitty-gritty. I might have found two additional things in CAPTAIN ATOM that you subconsciously(?) used as homage's in IRON MAN.

Jim Rhodes was Tony Stark¹s right-hand man: pilot, mechanic, and friend.
Plus, Rhodes had served in the armed forces, during which time he met Tony Stark. Captain Adam had a similar sidekick, so to speak, in Sgt. Gunner Goslin, one of only a handful of people who knew Adam’s new identity, and, in so knowing, was always available to give Adam/Atom an assist when needed.
Question: Was Jim Rhodes loosely based upon Goslin?
In the story “Peace Envoy” the interceptor craft in which Captain Adam was flying was destroyed by a disinto-ray fired from an alien ship. Clad in his U.S.A.F, uniform, Adam found himself in a free fall. He waited until
the aliens flew off before becoming Captain Atom. The panel in which Adam falls toward Earth is very reminiscent of the cover to IRON MAN #118, wherein Tony Stark plunges from the SHIELD Heli-carrier and desperately tries to grab his briefcase containing the Iron Man armor. Could the panel from the Captain Atom story have inspired you to create the IRON MAN cover illustration?

3. I can honestly say that, if there was some influence of those early Charlton characters on my Iron Man, it was strictly subliminal and not an intentional act, with the exception of the Ghost (which was a bold-faced theft on my part.).

4. And speaking of IRON MAN #118, the issue’s splash page featured a glance at a number of nifty prototype Iron Man armors. Did penciler John Byrne -- the man who inked the above mentioned Captain Atom story published in CHARLTON BULLSEYE!-- create those new armors, or did you, the issue’s inker?

4. Mike--a little-known fact about Iron Man #118 was that John Byrne only did blue pencil layouts for the entire issue.  Although John's storytelling is always 'spot-on', I had to embellish quite a bit on that issue. He had roughed-in some basic designs, but I determined the final look of them.

5. Finally, I was going to ask you which Charlton comics, in general, are included in your personal comic collection. Instead, I¹ll ask: which comics overall, in general, comprise your collection?
Thanks, Bob. By the way, your Virtual Reality Iron Man armor design you posted last month was superb. Now THAT was Iron Man!
Mike Kalibabky

5. Although I haven't personally collected comics for a very long time, I have kept all of the Charlton Action Hero comics from the Giordano era.  Why not--they're a great part of comics history.

If you wish to write Bob, please send all correspondence to: 

P.O.BOX 2776,VALRICO, FL 33595 or e-mail him at

 bob.layton@boblayton.com