When I was talking with Ron Frenz about creating the Amazing Mr. Sponge cover, I told him I wasn’t looking for a humorous or camp cover. I said that this character was totally serious and that’s how I wanted the cover to be. He said he understood. So when I got the cover there were a couple of surprises. First, Ron had added a sidekick for Mr. Sponge… Absorbing Junior… and, in spite of what I had told him, I loved it! In fact, I wish I’d thought of it myself. The second surprise was that he’d asked Sal Buscema to ink it. Sal’s inks had graced some of my favorite books (Kree-Skrull War anyone?) back in the day and it was a genuine thrill to see the Spider-Girl art team reunited. Top it all off with the fact that the cover is an homage to the “Robin Dies at Dawn” Batman cover and you’ve got yourself a real gem. Ron wouldn’t be the last artist to use a Batman cover as inspiration, but that info will have to wait that other cover is revealed.
If you want to see what all the fuss is about, check out the gallery on this site and click on the covers to enlarge them. You’ll be in for a treat and we’re only getting started.
