Comic Relief Podcast

Truth is, I sincerely doubt it. Maico has moved on to do other great things, and my wife has been improving with her health, but has more to go. I’ve never felt that doing a podcast by myself felt right. And getting guests on can be too sporadic. And these days, I’ve not been reading any of the new comics, except for one offs here and there. Most of the shows we used to talk about, I’ve watched off and on. But, for example, Loki Season 2 has been going on and I’ve not seen a single episode.

So what do you plan to do with the site?

Eventually, it will probably just go away. Looking at the previous post, it was in July of this year – three months ago. However, if you have the Comic Relief Podcast on follow on Facebook or Twitter (or X or whatever they call it these days!) – I’ve still been reading older issues of Avengers, Thor, etc.

When will the site go away?

No idea. Could be this year, next year, who knows. Finances are pretty tight these days, due to my wife not working because of her health issues, so the monthly and yearly site fees are a slow drain to finances that should/could be better used.

I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who ever followed us, gave us a listen, or was a guest on the Podcast.

I have incredible memories of the entire experience.

Much love,

• Tawmis

I previously mentioned about how Marvel got the ability to release a ROM Omnibus – well there’s a ROM: The Original Marvel Years Volume 2 coming out as well.

From Marvel.com –

Back in May, fans were ecstatic to learn that Marvel Comics and Hasbro, a global leader in play, would collaborate to reprint Rom’s original comic book series for the first time ever!

A special ROM #1 FACSIMILE EDITION will hit stands in September followed by the long-awaited ROM: THE ORIGINAL YEARS OMNIBUS VOLUME 1 in January. These glorious new omnibus collections will contain the entirety of Rom’s beloved solo series, as well as his memorable team-ups and guest appearances throughout the Marvel Universe!

Today, fans can learn about the contents of ROM: THE ORIGINAL YEARS OMNIBUS VOLUME 2! Arriving in June 2024, ROM: THE ORIGINAL YEARS OMNIBUS VOLUME 2 will collect ROM (1979) #30-50, ROM ANNUAL (1982) #1-2, and MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE (1974) #99, which includes a pivotal storyline involving the iconic X-Men member Rogue and her mother Mystique!

Locked in an endless struggle with the Dire Wraiths, Rom’s solemn quest to eradicate them from Earth brings him into conflict with the Metal Master and his army of spiders, Mystique and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, and more! The Spaceknight joins Namor to battle monsters of the deep, and Shang-Chi lends his deadly hands to thwart the Wraiths’ black magic!

Meanwhile, Rom’s human friend Brandy Clark is transformed, and the impending arrival of the dreaded Dweller on the Threshold may spell doom for all! It’s a cosmic epic featuring Doctor Strange, the In-Betweener, the Living Tribunal…and the human form of Rom?! Has he been freed from his armor at long last? All that, plus the Skrulls, the ever-lovin’ Thing—and a tragedy that even Rom cannot withstand!

ROM: THE ORIGINAL MARVEL YEARS OMNIBUS VOL. 2 HC
Written by BILL MANTLO, MARK GRUENWALD & STEVEN GRANT
Art by SAL BUSCEMA, PAT BRODERICK, GREG LAROCQUE & BOB HALL
Cover by BILL SIENKIEWICZ
Direct Market Exclusive Variant Cover by MIKE ZECK
On Sale June 2024

Check out the covers for ROM OMNIBUS VOLUME 2 now and experience these rare stories all over again or for the very first time when ROM #1 FACSIMILE EDITION hits stands in September and when ROM: THE ORIGINAL MARVEL YEARS OMNIBUS arrives next year!

John Romita, one of the last great comic book artists from the Golden Age of Comics, who re-defined Spider-Man for multiple generations after succeeding Steve Ditko as the artist on Amazing Spider-Man, and who served as Marvel’s Art Director from 1973 until the mid-1990s, has passed away at the age of 93, according to his son, comic book superstar artist, John Romita, Jr.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Romita graduated from Manhattan’s School of Industrial Art in 1947. He broke into comics two years later doing some stories for Famous Funnies. Then, when working at a lithograph company, Romita met a friend of his from high school, Lester Zakarin. Zakarin was working for Martin Goodman’s comic book company (most typically referred to as Timely Comics at the time, but there was no set name for it), but was struggling with his penciling assignments. He offered Romita a deal where Romita would pencil Zakarin’s assignments, and he would then ink Romita’s pencils, splitting the fee he was receiving for penciling and inking the pages himself.

Romita was the original artist on the Spider-Man comic strip in the late 1970s, which he drew until 1980, as his last regular art assignment, chosing to concentrate mostly on his Art Director duties in the later years of his career (although he still drew many comics over the years, just not regular assignments).

His wife, Virginia, would also come to work at Marvel in 1975, remaining there until the mid-1990s, when both Romitas retired from Marvel during the period leading up to Marvel declaring bankruptcy.. And, of course, Romita’s son, John Jr., became one of Marvel’s most notable artists the past 40 plus years. Romita had another son named Victor, as well.

Romita was inducted into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame in 2002.

Behold, the Micronauts!

The heroes of the Microverse return to the Marvel Universe in all-new collected editions. Find out more here: https://bit.ly/427Zy5N

Marvel.com

Good gravy! Does this mean Micronauts might also been on Marvel Unlimited as well as Omnibus?

• Tawmis

Witness the grand return of Rom the Spaceknight!

This January, read his original Marvel Comics stories in brand-new collected editions. Find out more here: https://bit.ly/3ogIjlb

Marvel.com

Now my question is – does this mean it might be on Marvel Unlimited too?

• Tawmis

Other ROM links on the site –

• http://comicreliefpodcast.com/archives/475
• http://comicreliefpodcast.com/archives/2523

Meeting Wendy and Richard Pini was nice. I’d first met Richard Pini when the original ElfQuest was out – I think they’d just done the “filler/post comic” issue #21 of the black and white magazine. I don’t think the new series had started yet (I could be wrong). But that had been eons ago at San Diego Comic Con (long before it was at its current location). And Richard Pini had a cast on one leg. I remember talking to him during some presentation (I was young and stupid) – and he said something snappy (I can’t remember what he said, but I clearly remember sulking back to my friend Chuck and saying he wasn’t doing autographs).

A few years later, I would see them both again at San Diego Comic Con, and I got a few things signed by them. I remember someone showing Wendy their art – and I was blown away – but Wendy was tearing it apart (not physically, just critiquing where they needed to improve – rest assured, I trust her opinion – I don’t have a trained eye for art – it looked “cool” to me back then is all I remember).

Then back in… 2009? ElfQuest’s website was hacked. Brought back up within a week. Then hacked again – and down for a considerable time. So I created a temporary forum and contacted a few of the posters who I had email addresses for. Meanwhile in the background, ElfQuest folks were working on getting their site back up and did a test post to a forum – which then sent one of the people a link to the tested forum since they’d been subscribed to the forum. Richard got word of this and contacted me calling me the “lightning rod” of trouble (I think he thought I somehow provided a link to the official forum… but I hadn’t, and nor was the link ever posted on my temp forum – I even forwarded him the email from the person who reached out to me about the link they’d gotten… apparently they did a test on an existing thread that had been imported to the new forum and anyone subscribed to that thread got a notification email that a thread they were subscribed to had a new post in it… revealing the link to the new forum). He told me I had to take down any and all ElfQuest images I was using – and had been revoked from using them. We exchanged emails back and forth – and eventually called peace to part ways.

He wrote me another email a little later, and – I think he had a better understanding of what had happened with that whole forum ordeal. But the wheel of time ever churns and it had all become water under the bridge to me anyway.

When I went to go see them, I was pleased to see both Wendy and Richard Pini. They were a pleasure to speak with and signed quite a few ElfQuest books I’d brought, since they were the ones I’d hoped to see and get autographs for. I think they charged for their autographs, but I get it, they need to pay for their travels, room, food, etc. Wasn’t a big deal.

Their celebration of 40 years with Pointed Ears was nice and personal at San Diego Comic Fest. Had front seat. And got to see Wendy talk after as well.

And here’s the video I recorded…

I enjoyed making this banner and using the various Mando helmets we’d seen… but I do regret that we ended up drifting away from comics with the podcast… I think because both Maico and I had both stopped collecting comics by this time… but would have been cool to reflect on other comic books we’d already had and talk about what we liked about them and such… in this one we talked about Season 2 of Mando… and that was it. The end of the podcast pretty much. But as you can see from the scheduled post, I have a lot of fond memories of both the podcast and the various conventions… I ceased going to conventions after the pandemic, because my wife’s health is now compromised… and I can’t risk it…

Anyway, here’s the final episode we ever did…

… but there was so much I disliked. They took the most feared Bounty Hunter, and turned him to a friend of the Sand People, an animal lover, a … just… everything that took away him being the most feared Bounty Hunter…