Today’s sketch is of the original IRON MAN armor. It’s my favorite of all the myriad versions that Tony Stark has worn over his long tenure as the “man in the can”. It’s simple– and oh so clunky… but that’s it charm. I loved the concept of a man who had it all– fame, wealth, women… but had to wear a chest plate to keep his damaged and failing heart beating– and used his genius with technology and as a leading weapons designer to build a big, powerful suit of armor. In his original armor, he always reminded me of a modern day knight. I even enjoyed some of the later versions that he designed (here I am talking about him as if he’s real….! I guess that’s the beauty of a well concocted character…)– but the recent trend to put him in more convoluted and “manga inspired” armor has left me cold. That’s the thing about the original designs of the MARVEL characters of the 60’s– they’re timeless. They never seem dated to me. It’s the simplicity of it that keeps them fresh.

The second “item” today is a real oddity– but a fun one. Not too long ago, a friend of mine John Gallagher, creator of the fun and incredible BUZZBOY asked me if I’d draw the cover to a custom comic he was putting together for a mall called the WESTFIELD MALL. John does custom comics as well as his OWN wonderful creations. The mall mascot looked fun, so I agreed. It was skillfully inked up by another friend named Rich Faber. It was a fun experience all around, a chance to draw some “funny animals”, which I really enjoy doing– and a piece that I figured wouldn’t get much exposure beyond the mall itself– so here it is now.

After seeing this link to THE SQUIRREL NAME GENERATOR over at Jeff Parker’s MYSTIFYING ORACLE, I just had to go and see what my squirrel name was. Boy, am I glad I did… because it’s the super manly name… ummm….

Fluffy Smallnuts…

*Cough*

OK– another day down. Time to finish up FANTASTIC FOUR #518 today.

See you tomorrow…

Mike