Rog-2001: Sterno Speaks!
Conducted by Jon B. Cooke
Monday, May 02, 2005 12:02:38 PM
From Comic Book Artist #12

MONSTERS UNLEASHED #7 (Aug 1974) Marvel Comics MONSTERS UNLEASHED #8 (Oct 1974) Marvel Comics

An entertaining and eminently capable comics writer, Roger Stern is perhaps best recalled for his work on the Superman strip in Action Comics, Amazing Spider-Man, The Avengers, Dr. Strange, and an especially memorable collaboration with John Byrne on Captain America in 1980-81. What you may not know is Sterno's career stretches back to Charlton (sorta) and the fanzines. The following E-mail interview took place in January, 2001.

(excerpt)

CBA: Do you recall meeting John Byrne for the first time? What was your relationship and did you collaborate early on material?
Roger Stern: Yes, that would have been the July 4th weekend of 1974. John and I had corresponded prior to that, and I think we might have even chatted on the phone once or twice, but that was our first face-to-face meeting. By that time, of course, we had already worked together on the Rog-2000 strip which wound up appearing in CPL #11. Bob (Layton), John, our pal Larry Brnicky, and I all converged on Duffy Vohland's apartment in Brooklyn just prior to the '74 Seuling Con, and that's where John and I met. (Anyone who had any drawing ability wound up inking backgrounds on a George Perez story for Monsters Unleashed.) The reason we were all in New York was that we were premiering a double-issue of CPL—in the guise of the Charlton Portfolio—at the convention. In fact, it was at that convention that Nick Cuti saw the art for the first Rog-2000 strip. And that led to John's getting work at Charlton, drawing Rog as a backup in E-Man. That led to Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch, Doomsday +1, and Space: 1999... and, indirectly, to "Iron Fist" at Marvel.

MONSTERS UNLEASHED #7 (Aug 1974) Marvel Comics MONSTERS UNLEASHED #8 (Oct 1974) Marvel Comics

Some details on George's contributions for Monsters Unleashed #7 and 8, from The Perez Archives :

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Monsters Unleashed (Curtis/Marvel)
#7, Aug. 1974
1-page illo of Gullivar Jones by Perez/Frank Giacoia

#8, Oct. 1974
"A Martian Genesis"
Plot: Tony Isabella
Script: Doug Moench
Artist: Perez
Inkers: Duffy Vohland/John Byrne and Bob Layton (uncredited) 14 pp.
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For info on who else contributed to the above issues of Monsters Unleashed, check out www.comics.org/../27655 and www.comics.org/../27847

NOTE - There's a discrepancy in the credits for #8 - your checklist has Rich Buckler as a penciller (since Buckler laid out the rejected splash page?), the GCD listing has Buckler as an inker on the Perez-pencilled tale, while the Perez Archives listing doesn't list Buckler at all. Sometimes the GCD listings get stuff wrong - note that their listing for #7 makes no mention of the Perez/Giacoia illo of Gullivar Jones.

MONSTERS UNLEASHED UNPUBLISHED PAGE (1974), art by Rich Buckler/George Pérez

What d'ye make of this?

www.comicsfun.com/../splashes.htm

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www.comicsfun.com/../perez1.htm
Wednesday, May 31, 2000 5:13:43 PM

This page was supposed to have been the opening splash for a story in Monsters Unleashed #8. Since this was very early in George Perez's career (1975), the page was first laid out by Rich Buckler. It was then penciled with extreme detail by Perez. It was then supposed to have been inked by Pablo Marcos, however it was rejected by the editor and redrawn.

The editor's comments read: "Where are Chak + Heru? Where are the tents outside city. Above corpse should be dressed more like one of the hither-people."