Superheroes in every medium are big than ever these sidereal day — and while they ’ve been around for generation , as the hero ofMarvel , DC , and other publishing company are ascendant onTV and on cinema , there ’s a wealth of characters fromcomics ’ definitive erasleft yen in obscurity . So what materialize when one of America ’s biggest sensitive brass tries to renovate one ?
That ’s what NPR — or more specifically , NPR ’s business organisation podcast , Planet Moneywith Kenny Malone and Robert Smith — have done with the classic golden age hero Micro - Face . earlier a Hillman world created by Al Ulmer for Clue Comics in 1943 , Micro - Face ( change ego Tom Wood ) was a failed discoverer , looking for payback after his buddy was killed by gangsters . develop a powerful “ Micro - Mask ” that gave him enhanced hearing , an amplified vocalization , and X - Ray visual sense , Tom first offered his invention to the U.S. government — but when he was turned down , he decided to use his invention for commodity , becoming the hero Micro - Face .
Now , Micro - Face slip into obscurity , and eventually the public domain … which is now how Planet Money has gotten its hands on the quality . Teaming up with strip author and novelist Alex Segura — formerly of Archie Comics , currently Oni Press , and the author of books likePoe Dameron : Free Falland thesuperhero noirSecret Identity — and artist Jamale Igle ( with colors from Ellie Wright and letters from Taylor Esposito ) , Planet Money has brushed off Micro - Face ’s legacy and remade it for a new old age , as part of a podcast series about mirthful Holy Scripture IP . To memorise more about the revitalization of Mysterious Micro - Face — casting the titular hero now as a youthful Cuban - American NPR diary keeper — io9 verbalize to Segura over e-mail to pick up more about how Micro - Face ’s return came about . Check out the full interview below , as well as a prevue of the mirthful Segura , Igle , Wright , and Esposito made for Planet Money !
Micro-Face lives! Wait, hang on, Micro-Face… lives?Image: Jamal Igle, Ellie Wright, and Taylor Esposito/NPR
James Whitbrook , io9 : Tell me a little bit about how Mysterious Micro - Face come about . Why did NPR want to delve into the Earth of comic book in the first spot ?
Alex Segura : NPR ’s Planet Money podcast is business - concentre , but with an entertaining , “ let ’s stumble our way through this to learn ” approach shot . Kenny Malone , one of the master of ceremonies , get hold of out to me for an interview last yr . They were doing a serial publication of episodes on funny book IP — and the potency an obscure fiber has in term of medium , like motion-picture show or TV . They were going to examine and buy an existing , small role from Marvel or DC . So , in my role as a comics publishing exec , I very lightly lease them know that no caller in their right mind would sell a character — peculiarly now , when you ’re just one great story aside from make a profitable enterprise .
After the initial interview , I spoke to the hosts and let them bang there was another route — the public domain . There are hundreds of Golden Age comic book characters that have experience their copyrights and trademarks lapse over the years , and Planet Money could , theoretically , find a fictional character , dust it off , and make it their own . I recall that was it , aboveboard , but a few solar day subsequently Kenny and his cohost , Robert Smith , touch out and said they not only want to find a public orbit hero but they ’d like me to write the reboot and help them in their journey to create a comical book . I of course say yes — I’m always intrigued with finding new ways to rent with lector through comics , whether it ’s something meta and literary like my novel Secret Identity , or digital platforms like Zestworld . It felt like a really fun assignment .
Image: Jerry Ordway/NPR
io9 : Why Micro - Face in the end ? What was it about the chance to bring this quality back that intrigue you the most ?
Segura : Kenny and Robert find Micro - Face . I had never heard of him . I retrieve they like the thought of an sound recording - based superhero being reinvigorated by a podcast . I was n’t blow away by the name at first — I imagine I articulate “ oh , that ’s an inauspicious name ” when they mentioned it to me . But once we got to talking , I see to it the potentiality of the fictional character . I explained to Robert and Kenny that there were three paths we could take — we could do a diachronic story , continuing the saga of Tom Wood , the original Micro - Face ; we could just do a top - to - bottom reboot , ignoring everything that came before and redesigning the character completely ; or , we could take a bequest approach , where we foreground Tom Wood ’s grandson taking on the mantle , nodding to the work of Micro - Face creator Allen Ulmer and adding to the mythos with a new , Planet Money - specific iteration . The last path really speak to me , as a longtime lover of legacy heroes and the idea of carrying the mantle from those who ’ve arrive before . It felt like the right path , so I was in .
The next challenge was building the team of Godhead that would help me bring this character back to life . The first person we went to was Jerry Ordway , the fabled artist of Power of Shazam ! , All - Star Squadron , Superman , and more . Jerry ’s a friend and a supremely squeamish guy , and he know a affair or two about reimaging golden age heroes . He expect over the classic Micro - Face and modernize his smell , seduce a translation NPR could call their own . He give the chief cover to the Koran as well . For the interiors , we were so blessed to get Jamal Igle , another superstar , to draw the Word of God . Jamal ’s a pro ’s pro , just supremely gifted and kind . He ’s influence on Supergirl , Black , Molly Danger , and more fictitious character than I can name . He lend a dynamical style to the story that really lift what we were doing . Jamal and Jerry are also people I ’ve had the pleasure to have known over the last two decades or so , and it was an absolute tingle to bring with them on something like this . Colorist Elllie Wright and letterer Taylor Esposito , the crack team behind The Black Ghost , rounded out the roll , and we were assist by editorial adviser Ivan Cohen , who kept us all in product line as we scramble to eat up . It was really a dream project , and super - unique .
Image: Jamal Igle, Ellie Wright, and Taylor Esposito/NPR
io9 : Your raw imagery of the character transforms Micro - Face into a young Cuban - American diarist work out at NPR . give Superheroes and diary keeper alter - egos have had a recollective history in cartoon strip , what did you desire to make place upright out about Sam when you were ideating this new version of the character ?
Segura : I made Sam Cuban - American because I really consider in broaden the characters we see as protagonists in all kinds of fiction . I ca n’t put into tidings how important it was to me , as a reader , to see Latinx heroes or graphic symbol take midway stage as a Thomas Kyd , and I endeavor to reciprocate that as best I can . The “ journalist as superhero ” is a image , but what made this iteration fun is that Sam ’s an genuine NPR newsperson , and we got to tissue in a lot of audio coverage details and method that you do n’t often see in comic strip . I want Sam to be the best variety of reporter — sharp , detail - oriented , passionate , and fearless . So we tried our best to showcase that in the one - shot .
io9 : Speaking of that — usually we do n’t actually get to see much of superheroes doing their sidereal day jobs as diary keeper in these books . What was important to you to get right about portray Sam ’s calling ?
Image: Jamal Igle, Ellie Wright, and Taylor Esposito/NPR
Segura : I retrieve what we miss a lot of times with newsperson as hero is we do n’t see the galley slave employment — which , avowedly , is n’t that exciting . But we ( Kenny , Robert , and I ) wanted to show Sam not only getting the big scoop — but his journeying to that , which includes read the morning news , prepare phone calls , doing interviews ( door - knocking , even ! ) , and doing the in - the - weeds clobber that make for salutary journalism . Kenny and Robert were a great resource in guiding me through what it ’s like to work out in radio , and adding those item to Sam ’s character really helped him stand out .
io9 : I wanted to need about your option of baddie here — Mysterious Micro - Face ’s expectant bad is n’t a traditional supervillain , but the read/write head of a private equity firm . What made that a natural alternative for Sam ’s Micro - Face to deal with ?
Segura : I think from the beginning we knew we did n’t want Micro - Face to just be a stock superhero . All of Planet Money ’s podcasts are educational , in a comic , knowing wink form of way . So we tried our better to tell a good superhero origin / recital that still showcases things about the business world . slip in point , one of the villains Micro - Face battles is Corporal Raider — a human dynamo tough guy wire who help take over companies . It ’s a fun direction to learn masses the terminology and hopefully make for an entertaining read .
Image: Jamal Igle, Ellie Wright, and Taylor Esposito/NPR
io9 : Do you retrieve there ’s future for Micro - Face now you ’ve had a chance to re - found the lineament ? Where would you like to take them next , if you get the chance ?
Segura : I think so ! I ’d fuck to keep telling Micro - Face ’s adventure in some form , and the first progeny is usable now via theNPR Shop . The orders have been wonderful , competitive with top - selling books in funny shops , which has been wonderful to see .
Without spoiling anything , the conclusion of the issue sets up a position quo for Micro - Face — Sam has a clear missionary work that he has taken on , and it imply a extend earth of reference and challenge . I ’d love to be able to tell the rest of that tale .
Image: Jamal Igle, Ellie Wright, and Taylor Esposito/NPR
you may grab the first matter of Mysterious Micro - Facefrom NPR now , and listen to Planet Money ’s serial on buying a superherohere .
Want more io9 news show ? Check out when to expect the latestMarvelandStar Warsreleases , what ’s next for theDC Universe on film and television set , and everything you need to know aboutHouse of the DragonandLord of the Rings : The Rings of Power .
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Image: Jamal Igle, Ellie Wright, and Taylor Esposito/NPR
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Image: Jamal Igle, Ellie Wright, and Taylor Esposito/NPR
Image: Jamal Igle/NPR
