Comic Book Men s05e08 Episode Script
Royal Romita
1 If you guys stumbled across some ooze, would you guys, you know, ingest it or roll around in it to gain powers like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles did? Did the Turtles eat it, or did they just happen to wallow in it? - They wallowed.
- Yeah.
All right, well, exactly what room do we find this ooze in? [all laugh.]
I mean, I'll give it a shot.
Daredevil, turned out okay for him.
The Turtles, turned out okay for them.
Even Toxic Avenger's well-respected.
Yeah.
Who did it not turn out okay for? Nobody.
I mean, the ooze could be better than what's going, what, you know, our existence right now, for some of us, right? I'm saying it's definitely gonna be better.
[all laugh.]
Hello, welcome to another episode of "Comic Book Men," the only show that's so happy to see you, we show you our Batpole.
- I'm Kevin Smith.
- Bryan Johnson.
- Walt Flanagan.
- Mike Zapcic.
- Ming Chen.
- Awesome.
What flew into the shop this week, gentlemen? It's a rarity, but every once in a while, something will pique my interest beyond ridiculing it.
[funky music.]
- Hey, how you doing? - Lou, how are you today? - Good.
Oh.
- Got a toy from 1973.
Check it out, Bry.
Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle.
- Oh, hello.
- [All laugh.]
.
I've experienced my first nerdgasm.
[all laugh.]
This was probably my favorite toy growing up.
[hard rock music.]
Is this your original stunt cycle? Actually, no.
I was sitting around work one day talking to the guys and reminiscing about our favorite toys when we were growing up and the first thing that came to my mind was Evel Knievel toys, and Yellow! [all laugh.]
I started collecting 'em, and, uh, ended up with duplicates, so Oh, okay.
Brought this one in to get rid of it.
Wow.
On a personal level, I wanted to be Evel Knievel.
- He was a national phenomenon.
- Oh, yeah.
How many children's bones is Evel Knievel responsible for breaking? - Gotta be millions.
- Right? Gotta be millions at this point.
Could you carry on being a daredevil if you knew kids were emulating you and getting hurt? You know why he could? He was always telling his fans to wear helmets.
- [chuckles.]
- You still can get horrifically injured even wearing a helmet.
Yeah, as he proved, like, multiple times, like, doing jumps.
[all laugh.]
What do you think he's most known for? - Snake Canyon.
- [laughs.]
- Right? - Snake River Canyon.
Oh, my God, how big an event was that? - It was like the Olympics.
- Yeah, like, what nut puts himself into a rocket, says he's gonna jump a canyon successfully? - Oh, Evel.
- [All laugh.]
Only in America can you get famous by being like, "Hey, watch me jump something!" Like, "I don't care.
" Like, "I might die!" They're like, "Oh, ooh, yeah.
" [all laugh.]
Was it the most talked-about stunt ever? Yes.
Did he make it across all the way? No.
But still Did he float to the ground in defeat? [all laugh.]
Yes.
- Do you remember how it works? - I do believe, if I'm not mistaken okay, got your little rivets here that they pop in.
So you haven't performed this procedure in almost 40 years, I imagine.
Yeah, close to it.
Think you still got it in you to make it do a trick or anything? I think I'm still a young enough buck that I can at least get one revolution.
[all laugh.]
Look at him go.
[toy whirring.]
Just listen to that sound, just that revving.
[toy whirring.]
Here he goes! - Oh! - Oh.
- Just like real life.
- Yeah.
Broke his femur.
- Poor Evel.
- Look at you, man.
Lookit, you got a grin on your face.
- Yeah.
- You know? Really, you got a sparkle in your eye.
- Happier times - A little hop in your step.
That's all it took was that, huh? - That's all it took.
- [All chuckle.]
So, you coming in here to sell it today? I'm coming in to sell it.
I'm looking to get about $150 for it.
One of us is definitely interested, right? You wouldn't want it for the store? I you know, how could I do that to you? This has gotta be for you, man.
$150? That is a lot, though.
How can you put a price on that On that happiness you just felt? I know, it's priceless.
I mean, really, I'm not gonna display it.
I don't care about the box.
I would actually let my niece play with it.
Would you go $95? $95.
Make it $100 and we got a deal.
Oh.
All right.
We'll be friends.
- [funky music.]
- Ahhhh.
- There you go.
- Sounds good.
Eh? All right, Ming.
I won't let him fall off the edge.
- Here we go.
- Uh-oh, uh-oh.
[toy whirs and clicks.]
- Oh, my God.
- [laughs.]
- No, no, no.
- I need to get my money back! - [all laughing.]
- Get him, Ming, get him! John! Hey, what are you doing here? You guys said to stop by, so I'm stoppin' by.
This is John Romita, Jr.
, Comic book art royalty.
I called in about the Treasury Edition Wonder Woman? There it is: Wonder Woman kicking Nazi ass.
- Ming.
- Hey, John, what's going on? - How's it going? - What are you doing here? - John.
- Hey.
Good to see you.
Yeah, you guys said to stop by, so I'm stoppin' by.
Pleasure to meet you.
Big fan.
Thank you very much.
This place is beautiful.
Can I bring this to a screeching halt and say, "You're an artist?" [all laugh.]
This is a legend right here.
I just hang out here, I don't work here - That's all right.
- So I'm not too familiar.
This is John Romita, Jr.
, son of John Romita, Sr.
I'm not really a "junior," actually.
- No? - It's a pen name.
We have different middle names.
This must be blowing your mind right now.
We're talking comic book art royalty, here.
- That's nice, thank you.
- I mean, we're lucky the carpet is red.
[all laugh.]
Wow.
J-R-J-R.
Son of J-R-S-R, seminal Spider-Man artist John Romita, Sr.
He has worked on some of the most iconic superhero titles to work on.
He followed his father on Spider-Man and did his own legendary run on Spider-Man.
He's on a long run on Daredevil.
Daredevil as well.
And he's working on Superman right now.
He's one of the world's greatest comic book artists.
Just happened to be that his dad is also one of the world's greatest comic book artists.
[all chuckling.]
He's a legend, but he's always been cool with me and Mike when we go to cons, so I've always invited him down to the store.
He's from Long Island.
"Any time you're nearby, come on down.
" And he came down.
So what was it like to grow up in that house? It was such a novelty.
People would come up to me and say, "Do you know your father does Spider-Man?" - [laughter.]
- Yeah.
"Do you know who that was, just came to your house? Sta That was Jack Kirby.
No, that was Stan Lee.
" You know, that kind of thing.
Other kids, when they asked me about it, I didn't think of it that way.
It was just life that's just the way it is, right? - Yeah, it was fun.
- Can you imagine those other people you hang out with, like, after school It was like Uncle Stan.
And then my dad out there, John Romita.
Obviously it had a great influence on you.
It did, just by watching them, though, seeing them work together.
Stan would act out the plot in the office, jumpin' off the sides of the chairs, and my father'd be sitting there writing notes, and I would come into the office in the summertime, when school was out, and watch the two of them.
It was pretty amazing.
What a different process from now, where it's like, you get an email.
[all laugh.]
The living legends at that time, walking in and out of his house, talking comics, drawing comics, right in front of him as a kid.
Wow, man.
People who've contributed work that still resonates and echoes through the halls of eternity.
Names that even I recognize, like industry giants.
When I was young, I remember having my dad's friend Uncle Butch come over and pour a can of Schlitz beer on my head.
[all laugh.]
We didn't have stories like that.
Were you into Spider-Man and comics - No.
- Or were you introduced to - comics through his work? - Just through his work.
He was doing romance books for D.
C.
And I would sit below his table, and I would watch, and be bored to tears and leave.
[all laugh.]
- Secret shame.
- And that was it.
And one day, he was working on "Daredevil" 12, I remember it vividly.
Daredevil surrounded by all the bad guys, so how's he going to get out of it? And he explained, "He's a superhero, and he also happens to be blind.
" And I think the top of my head exploded.
And that moment was just a turning point to me, because I he told me I stayed by his side for days at a time after that, just drawing.
I was seven or eight years old.
Because of that issue of "Daredevil?" That moment.
I had to find out what this was all about, 'cause of my father.
- It has to be genetic, right? - I don't know.
Before my father, my grandfather was a woodworker.
Worked on coffins.
My brother is brilliant, but never artistic the way I was, and for some reason, it filtered down to me, I don't know.
Listen, my artwork is okay.
I followed him, I've been influenced by him, but I'm not anywhere in his class.
He's Michael Jordan, I'm the sixth guy on the bench.
He's still Michael Jordan, but you're Scottie Pippen.
Oh, thank you! [laughter.]
You still have the ring! You still got the rings.
- Still got the rings, my friend.
- All right! That's a nice analogy.
I appreciate that.
In his mind, he'll always be the guy that became an artist.
His dad was the artist, from the moment he knew him, so, I got to imagine the guy defers to his dad.
I would look at that guy like a hero.
My dad worked at the post office, and I thought it was great.
[all laugh.]
Guys like Jack Kirby and my father caused the industry to grow.
We, as contemporaries The Jim Lees, you know, the Kuberts We watched the industry grow while we were in it, Speaking of Jim Lee, this is I'm looking at something beautiful on the wall.
Yeah, one of our prized pieces.
That used to be a fire door, and uh, we thought We thought it'd be the perfect easel.
- Is that why it's red? - That's why it's red.
- Brilliant.
- He came in, and did that in one night.
That's amazing.
I don't know, I think you need Jim Lee, Romita Jr.
piece, you know.
- Whoa! - Are you offering? - [laughter.]
- Uh, no.
- You know, you're here.
- We'd find some wall space for a John Romita, Jr.
piece.
You want me to turn that lead on right now? [all laugh.]
That would be an honor, especially if I can get in the same proximity as Jim's work.
- That's - Oh, yeah.
I'm a big fan of his, so I would love to.
- [exhales.]
- Sure, that would be awesome.
Let me run down to the basement.
I got some pencils.
I got a big sheet of paper.
- You got it.
- All right, thanks, man.
My pleasure.
Who's your favorite guy to draw? - Spider-Man is one of the greats.
- Superman, one of the greats, but drawing Daredevil is a pleasure, so I would love to do those three.
Man, absolutely.
'Cause I mean, a lot of times, you know, your dad tries to get you into what he likes, and it doesn't take, it doesn't rub off on you.
No, he didn't actually want me to be He wanted me to be an artist, but not a cartoonist, because this is a guy that went up to his attic You know, the attic door And he would disappear up there for days, come back with a three-day growth, and he would be exhausted from not sleeping, and he said the money was lousy.
He says, "Be an artist.
Do anything else, advertising.
" Went into advertising, illustration as a major, and I couldn't stop myself from wanting to be a cartoonist.
And I remembered Stan Lee telling a story that when he was a young writer, he'd go to cocktail parties.
And they'd ask what he did for "I'm a writer.
" "What do you write?" "I write comic books.
" And they would giggle, you know.
And now Stan is who he is, but the conversation when I was younger was the same thing: "You're an artist, what do you do?" "I'm a cartoonist.
" "Oh, really?" You know, giggle giggle.
And now, "I'm a cartoonist, "I work on graphic novels, Spider-Man, Batman, Superman.
" And suddenly: "Wow! You're an artist!" "Oh, first I was a cartoonist, now I'm an artist.
" But you know, they changed because of you, though.
You played a big part in that.
Well, I don't know about me particularly, but Jack Kirby, John Buscema, John Romita, Stan Lee, that's what changed everything.
If you guys had to be stranded on Gilligan's Island with only one of the castaways, which one would it be? - Uh, I'd go with Mary Ann.
- Ooh! - This is young Mike? As in Okay.
- Young Mike, yes.
Young Mike goes out, gets stranded - On a three-hour cruise.
- Three-hour cruise.
- With just a movie starlet.
- No, no, that was Ginger.
Mary Ann was the girl next door! - Oh, the country girl, okay.
- Yes.
She's the wholesome girl.
He knows he's got no chance with a movie star.
[all laugh.]
- What about you? - Gosh, I mean, it's I flip flop constantly, but I think right now I'd go with the Professor.
I think that every time he had the right plan, it went awry, and I think if it was just me and him, we wouldn't of even spend a day on that island.
- What about you? - That is easy: Skipper.
Really? Wasn't the Skipper kind of a jerk? - Yeah.
He reminds me of you.
- [all laugh.]
He's constantly frustrated with the foolishness of those around him.
That's right, I do work with a couple of Gilligans.
- Yeah.
- A couple? Hey, c'mon.
A Gilligan, and a Gilligan who thinks he's a professor.
[all laugh.]
[hard rock music.]
[laser fires.]
[lasers fire.]
- Okay, fellas, what do you suggest? - We'd love a Spider-Man.
- Dude, yeah.
- Okay.
Not just one character remember, we're dealing with Jim Lee competition here.
True, okay.
You're doing Superman now, so - All right, that - Get a little D.
C.
love - in there.
- Yep, that would make sense.
Maybe one more.
- Who's your favorite guy to draw? - Spider-Man's one of the greats.
Superman, one of the greats, but drawing Daredevil is a pleasure, There's something about the simple costume, and the two Ds, and the horns.
I had my most fun doing Daredevil, when I did Daredevil.
So I would love to do those three.
- Man, absolutely.
- So that's where we're going? All right, let's see what we can do.
John Romita, Jr.
is one of the most dynamic artists of my favorite period of comics.
I'll always think of his work very fondly, because I remember buying "Man Without Fear" every month.
You bought "Spider-Man" every month.
And so this was an artist that you would talk about.
Like, "I love this dude's style, I love it a lot.
" How weird is it to be sitting there watching him draw years later in the Secret Stash? It's truly unbelievable.
For me to sit there and him ask me, "Well, who do you want?" I mean, it's surreal, and it's one of those moments I'll never forget.
[funky music.]
My father once described drawing as "eliminating everything that doesn't look like the figure on the paper.
" I wish it was as simple as that.
You grew up in an unbelievable period of comic book history, but yet you are making comic book history yourself as an artist.
You ever just sit take a step back and go like, "Wow"? Yeah, that is a pretty amazing thing.
When Buscema was doing Conan, I was on staff.
I was like a kid, and his pencils would come in, and on the backs of each page was a warm up, and they were the most beautiful illustrations.
And he just didn't think of it as anything other than doodles that he would warm up in the morning.
He said he would get up at 6:00, sit down by 7:00, then he would get on to his eight pages a day, whatever he would lay out.
And at the time I was doing a page, maybe.
And I would say, "How am I supposed to do this and do better than that?" And then, Jack Kirby with his gigantic cigar, saying, "You really want to do this for a living, kid?" [all laugh.]
You inherit your father's name, and your father is a legend who is exclent at his job, known the world over.
What are the chances that you can duplicate that career if not go beyond it, and that's what his kid did, man.
He had his own career, where people weren't like, "Oh, you're John's kid.
" [all laugh.]
[funky music.]
My father always imbued in me the opinion that there's always somebody bigger, better, stronger, smarter, so get used to being with your feet on the ground.
It gives you incentive every day to do better.
And I look at Jim Lee's work.
I look at Frank Miller's work, and now there's Leinil Yus and the whole generation, and you can sit back and be a fan, 'cause there's one constant, and that's the love of doing this.
Nobody has ever said, "I hate this business, I'm only doing this for a job.
" Nobody says that.
They love it.
And it makes a nice living, but you can't make a nice living unless you really enjoy what you're doing, 'cause otherwise, it's just drudgery.
[exciting music.]
All right, guys, I think I've come to an end.
You ready for this? - [laughter.]
- Awesome! If you couldn't afford "Wonder Woman" number 1, this book would be something you'd treasure.
- Hey.
- Hey, guys.
I called in about the Treasury Edition Wonder Woman? Oh, that's right.
I put it aside for you.
- Awesome.
- Here it is.
- Aah.
- The Treasury Edition of "Wonder Woman" number 1.
[upbeat music.]
- This looks amazing! - Huh? Wonder Woman kicking Nazi ass.
[all laugh.]
- Right? - Yeah.
So, I have a question for you.
This has always been on my mind.
Why these "Treasury Edition" comics? Well, my first reasoning would be if you couldn't afford "Wonder Woman" number 1, this book would be something you'd treasure.
- Nice.
- You know, back in 1975, D.
C.
was taking significant issues and doing facsimile editions of what the issue looked like back in the '40s, giving a chance for readers, you know, to pick it up for the small price of a buck.
Remember the Treasury Edition comic books? Of course.
As a collector, it was always a pain in the neck.
They don't make bags and boards for books that big, but as a reader, I loved the oversized treasury book.
- Oh, yeah.
- They should do it for everything in life.
They're like, "You like this? it's bigger now!" [all laugh.]
So, you a big Wonder Woman fan? - Absolutely.
- What gave that away? Perhaps her Wonder Woman fingernail polish? - Ooh! - Or her Wonder Woman kicks.
I mean, she's a legendary character.
And she's one of those people that not I want to be her, right? Are you excited to finally, finally see her represented in a movie? Oh, absolutely! Yeah.
Go into any comic book store in the world, Wonder Woman is represented somewhere, and now she's about to break mainstream, because of the Batman v Superman movie.
That's the first cinematic treatment of the character, am I correct? They've never made a Wonder Woman movie.
They've made a TV movie, and other than the cartoons, they haven't cracked the code with Wonder Woman since the '70s.
Absolutely.
Not since the days of Lynda Carter Wonder Woman has she been on the tips of everybody's tongues as she is right now, right? Sounded filthier than you meant it, but yes.
[all laugh.]
So, um, what what are we asking for? - $45.
- $45.
If I had a lasso of truth and I were to lasso you, what would you say to $25? I'd say no.
Lasso of truth says no.
I'm not lying to you I would definitely say no to $25.
Um it's not in mint condition, but if it was a mint, it'd go for a lot more than $45.
- Mm-hmm.
- I mean, it's got a little A little wear on the side there, but you know, overall, it's a really nice copy.
How about $35? How about I agree to $35, and I get hugs from each one of you? - I'll do it, yeah, you know.
- A hug.
Awesome! Then you've got a deal, my friend.
All right.
All right.
- Thanks.
- Thank you so much.
- Not at all.
- Thank you for this.
[laughs.]
Thank you so much.
- Appreciate it.
Bye.
- Bye.
[funky music.]
[suspenseful music.]
All right, guys, I think I've come to an end.
I could probably work on it another half hour, but I'm gonna get too anal, so - You guys ready for this? - Oh, my God, yes.
All right.
Let the pigeons loose.
[laughter.]
- Oh, wow! - That's that's insane.
Spider-Man, wearing your logo? Awesome.
- It will forever hang - Oh, I appreciate it.
Here at the Stash.
Wow, man.
You know that made my web shooters go off.
[all laugh.]
Come on, that's fantastic.
All right, guys.
Do with it as you see fit.
Oh, my God.
- Good to see you.
- Thank you so much.
- My pleasure, guys.
- Thank you so much - for coming here.
- Great seeing you again.
You guys take care.
Be good.
- You too, thanks.
- Oh, my God, look at that! Can you imagine if this was a real team? Superman, Spider-Man, and Daredevil? - Yeah.
- I know you don't know what you're looking at, here, but this is a one of a kind.
You're just never going to walk into any store in the world and see a John Romita, Jr.
original pencil piece with these characters, wearing the logo of logos.
Spider-Man, wearing our colors? One of us now.
Wow, that poor bastard's fallen on hard times.
[all laugh.]
You want me to fix this one for you? - [all laugh.]
- No! Jackass.
Gotta feel lucky as hell to live in a world where, like, not only can you appreciate someone's artwork from afar, but now they'll come down to the comic book store and draw for you, or with you, and show you how it's done, and stuff.
Then to learn that they're actually a human being, interesting, funny, a good guy.
Just because somebody's exceptional at their job beyond comprehension, doesn't mean they can't just be a normal person, man.
He's definitely one of those.
I thought I proved that.
[all laugh.]
Great Caesar's ghost! We're out of time, man.
For "Comic Book Men," I'm Kevin Smith.
- Bryan Johnson.
- Walt Flanagan.
- Mike Zapcic.
- Ming Chen.
Remember, kids, you don't need magical powers to be a wonder woman or a super man.
Just don't be a dick.
Good night.
- Yeah.
All right, well, exactly what room do we find this ooze in? [all laugh.]
I mean, I'll give it a shot.
Daredevil, turned out okay for him.
The Turtles, turned out okay for them.
Even Toxic Avenger's well-respected.
Yeah.
Who did it not turn out okay for? Nobody.
I mean, the ooze could be better than what's going, what, you know, our existence right now, for some of us, right? I'm saying it's definitely gonna be better.
[all laugh.]
Hello, welcome to another episode of "Comic Book Men," the only show that's so happy to see you, we show you our Batpole.
- I'm Kevin Smith.
- Bryan Johnson.
- Walt Flanagan.
- Mike Zapcic.
- Ming Chen.
- Awesome.
What flew into the shop this week, gentlemen? It's a rarity, but every once in a while, something will pique my interest beyond ridiculing it.
[funky music.]
- Hey, how you doing? - Lou, how are you today? - Good.
Oh.
- Got a toy from 1973.
Check it out, Bry.
Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle.
- Oh, hello.
- [All laugh.]
.
I've experienced my first nerdgasm.
[all laugh.]
This was probably my favorite toy growing up.
[hard rock music.]
Is this your original stunt cycle? Actually, no.
I was sitting around work one day talking to the guys and reminiscing about our favorite toys when we were growing up and the first thing that came to my mind was Evel Knievel toys, and Yellow! [all laugh.]
I started collecting 'em, and, uh, ended up with duplicates, so Oh, okay.
Brought this one in to get rid of it.
Wow.
On a personal level, I wanted to be Evel Knievel.
- He was a national phenomenon.
- Oh, yeah.
How many children's bones is Evel Knievel responsible for breaking? - Gotta be millions.
- Right? Gotta be millions at this point.
Could you carry on being a daredevil if you knew kids were emulating you and getting hurt? You know why he could? He was always telling his fans to wear helmets.
- [chuckles.]
- You still can get horrifically injured even wearing a helmet.
Yeah, as he proved, like, multiple times, like, doing jumps.
[all laugh.]
What do you think he's most known for? - Snake Canyon.
- [laughs.]
- Right? - Snake River Canyon.
Oh, my God, how big an event was that? - It was like the Olympics.
- Yeah, like, what nut puts himself into a rocket, says he's gonna jump a canyon successfully? - Oh, Evel.
- [All laugh.]
Only in America can you get famous by being like, "Hey, watch me jump something!" Like, "I don't care.
" Like, "I might die!" They're like, "Oh, ooh, yeah.
" [all laugh.]
Was it the most talked-about stunt ever? Yes.
Did he make it across all the way? No.
But still Did he float to the ground in defeat? [all laugh.]
Yes.
- Do you remember how it works? - I do believe, if I'm not mistaken okay, got your little rivets here that they pop in.
So you haven't performed this procedure in almost 40 years, I imagine.
Yeah, close to it.
Think you still got it in you to make it do a trick or anything? I think I'm still a young enough buck that I can at least get one revolution.
[all laugh.]
Look at him go.
[toy whirring.]
Just listen to that sound, just that revving.
[toy whirring.]
Here he goes! - Oh! - Oh.
- Just like real life.
- Yeah.
Broke his femur.
- Poor Evel.
- Look at you, man.
Lookit, you got a grin on your face.
- Yeah.
- You know? Really, you got a sparkle in your eye.
- Happier times - A little hop in your step.
That's all it took was that, huh? - That's all it took.
- [All chuckle.]
So, you coming in here to sell it today? I'm coming in to sell it.
I'm looking to get about $150 for it.
One of us is definitely interested, right? You wouldn't want it for the store? I you know, how could I do that to you? This has gotta be for you, man.
$150? That is a lot, though.
How can you put a price on that On that happiness you just felt? I know, it's priceless.
I mean, really, I'm not gonna display it.
I don't care about the box.
I would actually let my niece play with it.
Would you go $95? $95.
Make it $100 and we got a deal.
Oh.
All right.
We'll be friends.
- [funky music.]
- Ahhhh.
- There you go.
- Sounds good.
Eh? All right, Ming.
I won't let him fall off the edge.
- Here we go.
- Uh-oh, uh-oh.
[toy whirs and clicks.]
- Oh, my God.
- [laughs.]
- No, no, no.
- I need to get my money back! - [all laughing.]
- Get him, Ming, get him! John! Hey, what are you doing here? You guys said to stop by, so I'm stoppin' by.
This is John Romita, Jr.
, Comic book art royalty.
I called in about the Treasury Edition Wonder Woman? There it is: Wonder Woman kicking Nazi ass.
- Ming.
- Hey, John, what's going on? - How's it going? - What are you doing here? - John.
- Hey.
Good to see you.
Yeah, you guys said to stop by, so I'm stoppin' by.
Pleasure to meet you.
Big fan.
Thank you very much.
This place is beautiful.
Can I bring this to a screeching halt and say, "You're an artist?" [all laugh.]
This is a legend right here.
I just hang out here, I don't work here - That's all right.
- So I'm not too familiar.
This is John Romita, Jr.
, son of John Romita, Sr.
I'm not really a "junior," actually.
- No? - It's a pen name.
We have different middle names.
This must be blowing your mind right now.
We're talking comic book art royalty, here.
- That's nice, thank you.
- I mean, we're lucky the carpet is red.
[all laugh.]
Wow.
J-R-J-R.
Son of J-R-S-R, seminal Spider-Man artist John Romita, Sr.
He has worked on some of the most iconic superhero titles to work on.
He followed his father on Spider-Man and did his own legendary run on Spider-Man.
He's on a long run on Daredevil.
Daredevil as well.
And he's working on Superman right now.
He's one of the world's greatest comic book artists.
Just happened to be that his dad is also one of the world's greatest comic book artists.
[all chuckling.]
He's a legend, but he's always been cool with me and Mike when we go to cons, so I've always invited him down to the store.
He's from Long Island.
"Any time you're nearby, come on down.
" And he came down.
So what was it like to grow up in that house? It was such a novelty.
People would come up to me and say, "Do you know your father does Spider-Man?" - [laughter.]
- Yeah.
"Do you know who that was, just came to your house? Sta That was Jack Kirby.
No, that was Stan Lee.
" You know, that kind of thing.
Other kids, when they asked me about it, I didn't think of it that way.
It was just life that's just the way it is, right? - Yeah, it was fun.
- Can you imagine those other people you hang out with, like, after school It was like Uncle Stan.
And then my dad out there, John Romita.
Obviously it had a great influence on you.
It did, just by watching them, though, seeing them work together.
Stan would act out the plot in the office, jumpin' off the sides of the chairs, and my father'd be sitting there writing notes, and I would come into the office in the summertime, when school was out, and watch the two of them.
It was pretty amazing.
What a different process from now, where it's like, you get an email.
[all laugh.]
The living legends at that time, walking in and out of his house, talking comics, drawing comics, right in front of him as a kid.
Wow, man.
People who've contributed work that still resonates and echoes through the halls of eternity.
Names that even I recognize, like industry giants.
When I was young, I remember having my dad's friend Uncle Butch come over and pour a can of Schlitz beer on my head.
[all laugh.]
We didn't have stories like that.
Were you into Spider-Man and comics - No.
- Or were you introduced to - comics through his work? - Just through his work.
He was doing romance books for D.
C.
And I would sit below his table, and I would watch, and be bored to tears and leave.
[all laugh.]
- Secret shame.
- And that was it.
And one day, he was working on "Daredevil" 12, I remember it vividly.
Daredevil surrounded by all the bad guys, so how's he going to get out of it? And he explained, "He's a superhero, and he also happens to be blind.
" And I think the top of my head exploded.
And that moment was just a turning point to me, because I he told me I stayed by his side for days at a time after that, just drawing.
I was seven or eight years old.
Because of that issue of "Daredevil?" That moment.
I had to find out what this was all about, 'cause of my father.
- It has to be genetic, right? - I don't know.
Before my father, my grandfather was a woodworker.
Worked on coffins.
My brother is brilliant, but never artistic the way I was, and for some reason, it filtered down to me, I don't know.
Listen, my artwork is okay.
I followed him, I've been influenced by him, but I'm not anywhere in his class.
He's Michael Jordan, I'm the sixth guy on the bench.
He's still Michael Jordan, but you're Scottie Pippen.
Oh, thank you! [laughter.]
You still have the ring! You still got the rings.
- Still got the rings, my friend.
- All right! That's a nice analogy.
I appreciate that.
In his mind, he'll always be the guy that became an artist.
His dad was the artist, from the moment he knew him, so, I got to imagine the guy defers to his dad.
I would look at that guy like a hero.
My dad worked at the post office, and I thought it was great.
[all laugh.]
Guys like Jack Kirby and my father caused the industry to grow.
We, as contemporaries The Jim Lees, you know, the Kuberts We watched the industry grow while we were in it, Speaking of Jim Lee, this is I'm looking at something beautiful on the wall.
Yeah, one of our prized pieces.
That used to be a fire door, and uh, we thought We thought it'd be the perfect easel.
- Is that why it's red? - That's why it's red.
- Brilliant.
- He came in, and did that in one night.
That's amazing.
I don't know, I think you need Jim Lee, Romita Jr.
piece, you know.
- Whoa! - Are you offering? - [laughter.]
- Uh, no.
- You know, you're here.
- We'd find some wall space for a John Romita, Jr.
piece.
You want me to turn that lead on right now? [all laugh.]
That would be an honor, especially if I can get in the same proximity as Jim's work.
- That's - Oh, yeah.
I'm a big fan of his, so I would love to.
- [exhales.]
- Sure, that would be awesome.
Let me run down to the basement.
I got some pencils.
I got a big sheet of paper.
- You got it.
- All right, thanks, man.
My pleasure.
Who's your favorite guy to draw? - Spider-Man is one of the greats.
- Superman, one of the greats, but drawing Daredevil is a pleasure, so I would love to do those three.
Man, absolutely.
'Cause I mean, a lot of times, you know, your dad tries to get you into what he likes, and it doesn't take, it doesn't rub off on you.
No, he didn't actually want me to be He wanted me to be an artist, but not a cartoonist, because this is a guy that went up to his attic You know, the attic door And he would disappear up there for days, come back with a three-day growth, and he would be exhausted from not sleeping, and he said the money was lousy.
He says, "Be an artist.
Do anything else, advertising.
" Went into advertising, illustration as a major, and I couldn't stop myself from wanting to be a cartoonist.
And I remembered Stan Lee telling a story that when he was a young writer, he'd go to cocktail parties.
And they'd ask what he did for "I'm a writer.
" "What do you write?" "I write comic books.
" And they would giggle, you know.
And now Stan is who he is, but the conversation when I was younger was the same thing: "You're an artist, what do you do?" "I'm a cartoonist.
" "Oh, really?" You know, giggle giggle.
And now, "I'm a cartoonist, "I work on graphic novels, Spider-Man, Batman, Superman.
" And suddenly: "Wow! You're an artist!" "Oh, first I was a cartoonist, now I'm an artist.
" But you know, they changed because of you, though.
You played a big part in that.
Well, I don't know about me particularly, but Jack Kirby, John Buscema, John Romita, Stan Lee, that's what changed everything.
If you guys had to be stranded on Gilligan's Island with only one of the castaways, which one would it be? - Uh, I'd go with Mary Ann.
- Ooh! - This is young Mike? As in Okay.
- Young Mike, yes.
Young Mike goes out, gets stranded - On a three-hour cruise.
- Three-hour cruise.
- With just a movie starlet.
- No, no, that was Ginger.
Mary Ann was the girl next door! - Oh, the country girl, okay.
- Yes.
She's the wholesome girl.
He knows he's got no chance with a movie star.
[all laugh.]
- What about you? - Gosh, I mean, it's I flip flop constantly, but I think right now I'd go with the Professor.
I think that every time he had the right plan, it went awry, and I think if it was just me and him, we wouldn't of even spend a day on that island.
- What about you? - That is easy: Skipper.
Really? Wasn't the Skipper kind of a jerk? - Yeah.
He reminds me of you.
- [all laugh.]
He's constantly frustrated with the foolishness of those around him.
That's right, I do work with a couple of Gilligans.
- Yeah.
- A couple? Hey, c'mon.
A Gilligan, and a Gilligan who thinks he's a professor.
[all laugh.]
[hard rock music.]
[laser fires.]
[lasers fire.]
- Okay, fellas, what do you suggest? - We'd love a Spider-Man.
- Dude, yeah.
- Okay.
Not just one character remember, we're dealing with Jim Lee competition here.
True, okay.
You're doing Superman now, so - All right, that - Get a little D.
C.
love - in there.
- Yep, that would make sense.
Maybe one more.
- Who's your favorite guy to draw? - Spider-Man's one of the greats.
Superman, one of the greats, but drawing Daredevil is a pleasure, There's something about the simple costume, and the two Ds, and the horns.
I had my most fun doing Daredevil, when I did Daredevil.
So I would love to do those three.
- Man, absolutely.
- So that's where we're going? All right, let's see what we can do.
John Romita, Jr.
is one of the most dynamic artists of my favorite period of comics.
I'll always think of his work very fondly, because I remember buying "Man Without Fear" every month.
You bought "Spider-Man" every month.
And so this was an artist that you would talk about.
Like, "I love this dude's style, I love it a lot.
" How weird is it to be sitting there watching him draw years later in the Secret Stash? It's truly unbelievable.
For me to sit there and him ask me, "Well, who do you want?" I mean, it's surreal, and it's one of those moments I'll never forget.
[funky music.]
My father once described drawing as "eliminating everything that doesn't look like the figure on the paper.
" I wish it was as simple as that.
You grew up in an unbelievable period of comic book history, but yet you are making comic book history yourself as an artist.
You ever just sit take a step back and go like, "Wow"? Yeah, that is a pretty amazing thing.
When Buscema was doing Conan, I was on staff.
I was like a kid, and his pencils would come in, and on the backs of each page was a warm up, and they were the most beautiful illustrations.
And he just didn't think of it as anything other than doodles that he would warm up in the morning.
He said he would get up at 6:00, sit down by 7:00, then he would get on to his eight pages a day, whatever he would lay out.
And at the time I was doing a page, maybe.
And I would say, "How am I supposed to do this and do better than that?" And then, Jack Kirby with his gigantic cigar, saying, "You really want to do this for a living, kid?" [all laugh.]
You inherit your father's name, and your father is a legend who is exclent at his job, known the world over.
What are the chances that you can duplicate that career if not go beyond it, and that's what his kid did, man.
He had his own career, where people weren't like, "Oh, you're John's kid.
" [all laugh.]
[funky music.]
My father always imbued in me the opinion that there's always somebody bigger, better, stronger, smarter, so get used to being with your feet on the ground.
It gives you incentive every day to do better.
And I look at Jim Lee's work.
I look at Frank Miller's work, and now there's Leinil Yus and the whole generation, and you can sit back and be a fan, 'cause there's one constant, and that's the love of doing this.
Nobody has ever said, "I hate this business, I'm only doing this for a job.
" Nobody says that.
They love it.
And it makes a nice living, but you can't make a nice living unless you really enjoy what you're doing, 'cause otherwise, it's just drudgery.
[exciting music.]
All right, guys, I think I've come to an end.
You ready for this? - [laughter.]
- Awesome! If you couldn't afford "Wonder Woman" number 1, this book would be something you'd treasure.
- Hey.
- Hey, guys.
I called in about the Treasury Edition Wonder Woman? Oh, that's right.
I put it aside for you.
- Awesome.
- Here it is.
- Aah.
- The Treasury Edition of "Wonder Woman" number 1.
[upbeat music.]
- This looks amazing! - Huh? Wonder Woman kicking Nazi ass.
[all laugh.]
- Right? - Yeah.
So, I have a question for you.
This has always been on my mind.
Why these "Treasury Edition" comics? Well, my first reasoning would be if you couldn't afford "Wonder Woman" number 1, this book would be something you'd treasure.
- Nice.
- You know, back in 1975, D.
C.
was taking significant issues and doing facsimile editions of what the issue looked like back in the '40s, giving a chance for readers, you know, to pick it up for the small price of a buck.
Remember the Treasury Edition comic books? Of course.
As a collector, it was always a pain in the neck.
They don't make bags and boards for books that big, but as a reader, I loved the oversized treasury book.
- Oh, yeah.
- They should do it for everything in life.
They're like, "You like this? it's bigger now!" [all laugh.]
So, you a big Wonder Woman fan? - Absolutely.
- What gave that away? Perhaps her Wonder Woman fingernail polish? - Ooh! - Or her Wonder Woman kicks.
I mean, she's a legendary character.
And she's one of those people that not I want to be her, right? Are you excited to finally, finally see her represented in a movie? Oh, absolutely! Yeah.
Go into any comic book store in the world, Wonder Woman is represented somewhere, and now she's about to break mainstream, because of the Batman v Superman movie.
That's the first cinematic treatment of the character, am I correct? They've never made a Wonder Woman movie.
They've made a TV movie, and other than the cartoons, they haven't cracked the code with Wonder Woman since the '70s.
Absolutely.
Not since the days of Lynda Carter Wonder Woman has she been on the tips of everybody's tongues as she is right now, right? Sounded filthier than you meant it, but yes.
[all laugh.]
So, um, what what are we asking for? - $45.
- $45.
If I had a lasso of truth and I were to lasso you, what would you say to $25? I'd say no.
Lasso of truth says no.
I'm not lying to you I would definitely say no to $25.
Um it's not in mint condition, but if it was a mint, it'd go for a lot more than $45.
- Mm-hmm.
- I mean, it's got a little A little wear on the side there, but you know, overall, it's a really nice copy.
How about $35? How about I agree to $35, and I get hugs from each one of you? - I'll do it, yeah, you know.
- A hug.
Awesome! Then you've got a deal, my friend.
All right.
All right.
- Thanks.
- Thank you so much.
- Not at all.
- Thank you for this.
[laughs.]
Thank you so much.
- Appreciate it.
Bye.
- Bye.
[funky music.]
[suspenseful music.]
All right, guys, I think I've come to an end.
I could probably work on it another half hour, but I'm gonna get too anal, so - You guys ready for this? - Oh, my God, yes.
All right.
Let the pigeons loose.
[laughter.]
- Oh, wow! - That's that's insane.
Spider-Man, wearing your logo? Awesome.
- It will forever hang - Oh, I appreciate it.
Here at the Stash.
Wow, man.
You know that made my web shooters go off.
[all laugh.]
Come on, that's fantastic.
All right, guys.
Do with it as you see fit.
Oh, my God.
- Good to see you.
- Thank you so much.
- My pleasure, guys.
- Thank you so much - for coming here.
- Great seeing you again.
You guys take care.
Be good.
- You too, thanks.
- Oh, my God, look at that! Can you imagine if this was a real team? Superman, Spider-Man, and Daredevil? - Yeah.
- I know you don't know what you're looking at, here, but this is a one of a kind.
You're just never going to walk into any store in the world and see a John Romita, Jr.
original pencil piece with these characters, wearing the logo of logos.
Spider-Man, wearing our colors? One of us now.
Wow, that poor bastard's fallen on hard times.
[all laugh.]
You want me to fix this one for you? - [all laugh.]
- No! Jackass.
Gotta feel lucky as hell to live in a world where, like, not only can you appreciate someone's artwork from afar, but now they'll come down to the comic book store and draw for you, or with you, and show you how it's done, and stuff.
Then to learn that they're actually a human being, interesting, funny, a good guy.
Just because somebody's exceptional at their job beyond comprehension, doesn't mean they can't just be a normal person, man.
He's definitely one of those.
I thought I proved that.
[all laugh.]
Great Caesar's ghost! We're out of time, man.
For "Comic Book Men," I'm Kevin Smith.
- Bryan Johnson.
- Walt Flanagan.
- Mike Zapcic.
- Ming Chen.
Remember, kids, you don't need magical powers to be a wonder woman or a super man.
Just don't be a dick.
Good night.