“If you ever go to talk to an editor you don't want to be able to turn down a job because you can't do what is necessary.” IfsWantAbleJobsTurnsEditors Author:Mike Royer
“When I was at Disney and was a character art manager and handing out artwork that had to be inked we had a thing where if there was any lettering on it I'd hear, "I don't letter," and I said, "Look at it. It's drawing. Ink the drawing." I just learned from Mike Aarons how each letter was just part of the drawing.” IfsLooksArtSaidCharacterLettersDrawingManagersInkMikeArtwork Author:Mike Royer
“I remember on a Friday afternoon getting a phone call from Grant Simmons saying, "Mike," we got to be pretty good friends; "Mike, the Sheriff is closing us down on Monday. If you'd like to drive into the studio tomorrow morning, you can have anything you want." So rather than go in and take home piles and piles of cels of Spider-Man what did I take home? Two pages of original art that got sent out to the west coast. Now of course if I'd have taken all the rest of that stuff home I could probably have retired a lot earlier.” IfsMenWantArtTwoHomeRememberCoursesStuffMorningTakenTomorrowPagesOriginalsWestPhonesStudiosGrantsAfternoonGood FriendCoastMondayFridaySpidersMikeRetiredClosingPhone CallsSpider ManWest CoastSheriffsTomorrow MorningOriginal ArtFriday Afternoon Author:Mike Royer
“It was months later when I was sitting at the board in my studio and my wife would stick her head in and say, "What if you did Pooh and...oh, we don't do that anymore." I do have my soapbox and will go to my grave being a Disney company man.” IfsMenCompanyWifeMonthsSittingSticksStudiosMy WifeGravesBoardsWhat IfDisney CompanySoapbox Author:Mike Royer
“In most companies, the corporate mentality is if you're over 30, you're on the downhill side, and if you're over 40, you're brain dead. Or, if you're over 30 or 40 and you've been doing it for a while, you've got experience and you want to be paid for that experience.” IfsWantSidesBrainCompanyPaidCorporateMentalityBrain Dead Author:Mike Royer
“There are different rules for comic books now. You've got prima donna's that are dealing with the direct sales market, so if they say it's going to be late, then that's what you tell the dealers and it's late.” IfsBookDifferentLateDirectComicComic BookDealerPrima DonnasDirect Sales Author:Mike Royer
“I did get a nice compliment from Ramona Fradon a few years ago.She was talking about the one and only Plastic Man comic that I inked for her for DC and she said it was the only time that she'd ever had anyone ink her. Everyone else put in their own personality and changed it. In fact, bless her heart, she said if she were still doing Brenda Starr, she'd have me ink it.” IfsMenYearsHeartSaidStillsFactsTalkingNiceChangedPersonalityYears AgoComicBlessComplimentPlasticInkOnly Time Author:Mike Royer
“I like to think that I gave Jack Warner Brothers inking and Joe Sinnott gave him MGM inking. If you're not as in love with old movies as I am you might not make that connection, but I can see that connection.” IfsThinkingI CanMightBrotherConnectionsOld MovieMgmWarner Brothers Author:Mike Royer
“In fact, sometimes when I look at something my memory does work. I remember the panel where Alex Toth told me, "Mike, if you really don't understand all that, you don't need to put it on there."” IfsNeedsLooksDoeSometimesFactsRememberMemoriesMikeAlex Author:Mike Royer
“Why are other people profiting off that? I can see that if I have the page and sold it for $50 and 20 years later somebody's got it for $200, okay. That's business. But I had no say in that art being out there. It just really burns me.” PeopleIfsYearsArtI CanPagesArt IsOkay Author:Mike Royer
“I still have a lot my Disney store art left and if I ever run out I'll just redraw it, because it will still be my original art and as a freelancer I own it.” IfsArtStillsRunningLeftOriginalsStoresOriginal Art Author:Mike Royer
“If I wanted to own some Jack Kirby original art unless it was something that Giacoia or Sinnott had inked I was too close to it. I didn't want to collect his pages inked by me. Of course 40 years later I'd LOVE to have some of that stuff.” IfsWantYearsArtWantedCoursesStuffPagesOriginalsOriginal Art Author:Mike Royer
“I'm finding that everything sells. I've been toying with the fact that I have this big giant glass jar with the metal screw lid on it that's full of ribbons and memorabilia from conventions and stuff. I've got buttons and I have all of my Walt Disney Mickey Mouse credit cards. I'm wondering in my old age if anyone would pay for a credit card with Mickey Mouse on it issued to me. I wonder if anyone would pay anything for that?” IfsFactsBigsAgeStuffPayWonderFindingsSellsGlassesCreditOld AgeCardsGiantsMetalsConventionsButtonsMiceScrewsCredit CardJarsWaltRibbonsMickeyMemorabilia Author:Mike Royer
“I was with Roy Thomas on a panel and he turned to me and said, "You know, your name is on the cover a magazine every month." I said, "Really?" He pulled out a copy of "Destroyer," and said, "If you cover up the DEST you've got Royer on the cover every month."” IfsKnowsSaidNamesMonthsMagazinesCopiesDestroyersCover Ups Author:Mike Royer