With a big-budget movie due in May, 2008 is shaping up to be the year of Iron Man. All sorts of comics and merchandise will be released to coincide with the film's debut.
One person who stands to benefit from all this is Bob Layton. But that's only fair, because Iron Man benefited so much from Layton's work.
Layton and his writing partner, David Michelinie, are responsible for some of Iron Man's best stories: Demon in a Bottle, in which Iron Man's secret identity, Tony Stark, struggles with alcoholism; Doomquest, in which Iron Man and Dr. Doom travel through time to Camelot; and Armor Wars, in which Iron Man hunts villains who secretly benefited from his technology.
If you missed these classics from the '70s and '80s, don't worry. Marvel reissued Armor Wars as a paperback last year, and hardcover collections of the others are due in March.
"Basically, they're reprinting everything we did," Layton said via phone from his Florida home recently, "which means I'll be getting some pretty nice royalty checks."
But Layton and Michelinie also have two new miniseries due out in the spring: Iron Man: Legacy of Doom and Iron Man: The End. In addition, Layton has been asked to write a foreword for an Iron Man coffee table book and to draw several Iron Man trading cards.
"Anything to do with Iron Man, they're throwing my way," he said. "But it's great. That's my legacy. That's what I'm most known for, and I'm proud of it."
When asked why he keeps returning to the character, Layton pointed out what makes Iron Man unique.
"He wasn't bitten by a radioactive wildebeest or anything like that. His powers come from tools he created with his own mind," he said. "And unlike Superman with Kryptonite, his weaknesses are internal.
"He's just as interesting as Tony Stark as he is as Iron Man. I don't think you can say that about Bruce Wayne or Clark Kent."
Dan hopes he's as interesting as himself as he is as Fanboy. E-mail him at dkoller@quickdfw.com.
Bob Layton will be at the Dallas Comic Con this weekend. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. Noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. Richardson Civic Center, 411 W. Arapaho Road. $5-$10. 972-420-8639. scifiexpo.com.
Can't make it to Richardson this weekend? Zeus Toys & Comics has booked four Dallas Comic Con attendees for a joint in-store appearance. Punisher cover artist Tim Bradstreet, Blue Beetle artist Cully Hamner, 30 Days of Night creator Steve Niles and Jack of Fables writer Matt Sturges will sign autographs from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday. 3878 Oak Lawn Ave. 214-219-8697. zeuscomics.com.
Jenna Jameson's Shadow Hunter #0: The promotional material from, ahem, Virgin Comics says this series was "conceived" by porn star Jenna Jameson. Insert your own joke here. But you can't argue with the price of this preview issue: 25 cents.
J. Edgar Hoover: A Graphic Biography and Students for a Democratic Society: A Graphic History: Dang, it's like an American history course broke out up in this piece. ($16.95 and $22, respectively; Hill and Wang)
The Amazing Spider-Man #546: Spidey's newly single life begins today, as does a thrice-monthly shipping schedule for Marvel's flagship title ($3.99).
