Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Collectible Me

Once upon a time, I was a comic book editor that lived in Jersey City. I worked too many long hours near the PATH line in Manhattan, and at the end of the day, I would go home and work on my freelance projects.

2007? No. 1992.

In my former life as a Marvel Comics editor, I had boxes full of Marie Javins trading cards. This admittedly seems odd, but all the editors had their own trading cards.

No, it wasn't vanity. Us editors needed something to sign and hand out at conventions. Kids would line up to get something from us. Maybe they weren't even sure what. For lack of anything else to talk about perhaps, they'd ask for an autograph. Some kids thought to bring comics that featured our names, but others showed up sheepish and empty-handed.

"I like your work. Aren't you Marie Severin?"

"No, Javins. I'm Marie Javins."

(Marie Severin is a marvelous comic book artist.)

"Oh. What do you do?"

"Some comics by Warren Ellis. You've never seen them because your mother won't let you read them."

No, that's not true. I mean, it's true about their mothers, but no one cared what I edited. They only cared that I was also a colorist. On books that started with X-. My normal book was X-Force, but at any given moment I'd be called upon to color something else in the X-Men family, because deadlines were pretty tight, and the work was spread out among a few of us depending how close the print date was.

When I left Marvel in 1995, I didn't know I'd be back a few years later. I threw away a ton of Marie Javins trading cards (reasoning that my comic book days were past and my mother would not want all of them). I kind of regret that now. Maybe I can ask the Bucce to draw me a new one.

12 comments:

Marie Javins said...

I still have that dress.

Steve Buccellato said...

I'll draw you a new one anytime you need! :D

Evalinn said...

Cool dress, Ms Sassy.

Chip said...

I am sure I have one somewhere...I loved those cards....

Amanda Castleman said...

OMG, I want one. And I have no time for eBay...

Steve, if you must redraft, could a dik-dik lurk somewhere?

Brett said...

Wow, Marie's been pushing JC for over 15 years

Anonymous said...

I just ran accross your trading car the other day. I certainly was jealous of those. I still think everyone should have one. Maybe I'll make one for myself... and each of the boys. I encourage everyone to use them as calling cards.

The other Marie

Linda said...

You had two editions, right? I still have a bunch!

/Mom

Marie Javins said...

Yes, there was the 1990 card (which posed me as Kaneda in the comic I edited at the time--Akira) and Steve cleverly drew that onto the Marie-theme pinball machine behind me in the 1992 card.

Marie Javins said...

Evalinn, I will dig out the dress and see if I can still wear it. Brett, I even pushed JC when I lived in Alphabet City and the thanks I get is the creeping gentry. AC, Steve and I are working on a top secret project along those lines. Marie, I'm sorry you had to put up with me the Marvel Marie all those years. But you were always nicer and cuter, so it's okay.

Marie Javins said...

Duh, just realized that there already is a photo of that dress on this blog.

Anonymous said...

I think I still have my signature dress from that era too. I am sure you can fit into yours... not sure I could get into mine. Don't apologize, you had to put up with a few warts here. Plus without you I wouldn't have had a social life. Or at least not an exciting one!

The Other Marie