Hello, I’m Nicholas Brown and we’re starting a new series on this blog called Interviews Behind the Universe where we reach out to the marvelous crew who worked in the Marvel Comics Bullpen in the time period covered by this blog.

Today’s guest is Nel Yomtov, an old friend of Eliot’s who was kind enough to answer a few questions.

He had a multi-titled career at Marvel Comics including, Editor, Letterer, and Special Projects Director and has had much success post Marvel writing educational young-adult books. Here’s one of his latest!

My personal favorite fact about him is that he was the drummer in the band, The K-Otics which I saw for the first time on the Cheap Laffs musical break segment. I loved their song Wheelbarrel Johnny. There are a few of their songs on Youtube but sadly they’re not easy to find anymore.

And now on to the interview:

Q: What did you do before working at Marvel Comics and do you think that helped prepare you for the job?

Nel: I began working at Marvel in December 1975, at first on a part-time basis. I came on to replace the production man on Marvel’s extensive reprint line. My pre-Marvel experience that “qualified” me for the job was as a staff member of my college literary magazine, doing design, paste-ups, and mechanicals. What really sealed the job for me was good ol’ nepotism – my uncle, Danny Crespi, was Marvel’s head on-staff letterer.

Q: What has life been like after Marvel?

Nel: Life’s been very good. No regrets I left Marvel, absolutely none. After 20 of working for Marvel, either on staff or as a freelance colorist, I was laid off from my job as senior editor in January 1996. Leaving Marvel, which at that time no longer was the enjoyable, rewarding place it had been when I first joined the company in the 70s, was a welcome boon. Since leaving, I’ve had incredible job opportunities, working on cool projects with equally cool creative folks.

Q: What was the most fun you had working on a project at Marvel?

Nel: Although I was promoted a couple of times out of the production bullpen, first to Special Projects and then to Director of Product Development in Marvel’s licensing division, my happiest times were spent in the “lowly” bullpen, working and socializing with a wonderful, diverse group of loons and crazies, every person a “character” in his or her own right. I especially enjoyed handling all the production work on Marvel’s line of large-size Treasury Editions.

Q: Is there anything you miss about the old comic industry compared to the way things are now?

Nel: If I were still in comics, I think I’d have issues with computer lettering. I respect what those guys do, but I would miss the old school skills and talents that hand letterers in my day had. I would also miss the hands-on feel of a comic book page, pencils, inks, and lettering all on the same page. Computer files are convenient and more cost efficient, but a “real” page of comic book art is a thing of beauty; the tactile feel irreplaceable.

Q: What lead you to get into the comic industry in the first place?

Nel: My uncle, Danny Crespi. I had not read a comic book since I was 10 years old or so, at the time comics went from 10 cents to 12 cents. That’s when I stopped reading – the price uptick ruined the logistics of what I could purchase with a quarter at the time—essentially two comics at 10 cents each, plus 5 pieces of Bazooka bubble gum. I was a DC reader when I did read comics—I had never read a Marvel comic until I began working there.

Q: What was your first impression of Eliot?

Nel: I knew of Eliot but did not know him personally before he arrived at Marvel. If memory serves, Eliot’s mother—was Frances her name?—or the company she worked for, had something to do handling advertising in Marvel books. I think her company was located around the corner from Marvel, and on a couple of occasions, I ran errands there for some reason. Also Eliot was a sometimes visitor to the Marvel offices, on his mother’s behalf, and I think I saw him at those times.

Q: Would you like to add your two cents to any of Eliot’s blog entries?

Nel: I enjoy Eliot’s blog. He’s done one or two that included info and pics of a band I played with. The band performed at a few Marvel Xmas office parties, and Eliot featured pics of us playing in the blogs. I wouldn’t mind seeing El do some pieces on the more insane things that went on at the office, without, of course, embarrassing anyone or putting himself in a libelous situation. 😉

Q: Do you have a good embarrassing or funny story about my father?

Nel: Some memorable moments involving Eliot, but maybe hard to describe in a few words. In one instance, I had to supply one of my clients with a ton of photostats, for what purpose I don’t recall. Hundreds of them. I asked Eliot if he could handle the job, and of course it needed to be done yesterday. Eliot worked the entire weekend shooting my stats, all hundreds of them. When I came in on Monday morning, there was a black-and white, camped-up photo of Eliot tacked onto the door to my office, a photo that Eliot had taken of himself after finishing the job: in the pic, a bedraggled Eliot appeared with his shirt in tatters, shoeless, bleary eyed, with various pieces of the stat machine wrapped around and hanging down from his neck. Funny stuff. I got the point. Wish I still had the photo.

Editor’s note: Here, Nel! Here’s that photo!